AVMA Accreditation
Update - 26 September 2006
Professor Tim Boosinger, Chair of the AVMA Site Visit Team to Melbourne, telephoned from the AVMA Council on Education Meeting in Chicago to let us know the Council has voted for Melbourne having full AVMA Accreditation for seven years.
This is a marvellous outcome for all the efforts put in by all associated with the Faculty - staff, students, alumni and academic associates - and a great result for the support provided by the University, particularly Property & Campus Services for supervising the projects at both campuses, Merat Architects, and L U Simon and staff.
Professor Ivan Caple
Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Science,
The University of Melbourne
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
The AVMA is recognised by the US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the accrediting agency for Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in the USA. The AVMA plays a significant role in setting the standards for international veterinary education. The AVMA accreditation process is highly rigorous, with colleges measured on their compliance with a number of standards set by the AVMA’s Council on Education.
International recognition
The BVSc course at the University of Melbourne is recognised by all state veterinary boards in Australia for registration to practice as a veterinarian. Graduates may also register to practice as veterinarians in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. For registration in Singapore and Hong Kong, the Melbourne degree is acceptable, as it is recognised by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in the UK. As of 2006 new BVSc graduates of The University of Melbourne are eligible to sit the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination along with graduates from accredited veterinary colleges in the United States and Canada.
Accreditation Objectives
The objectives of the Faculty of Veterinary Science in seeking this accreditation were:
- To gain international recognition of the quality of the BVSc course at Melbourne; and
- To assist graduates who choose to practice veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada.
Accreditation Procedure
The procedure for accreditation involved:
- Preparation of a Self-Study Report addressing the eleven AVMA standards
- A Consultative Site Visit by AVMA representatives (March, 2004), followed by an evaluation report.
- A Full Site Visit (March 2006), after which a decision was made by the AVMA to grant accreditation.
Feedback from students, staff, and members of the profession
The Faculty of Veterinary Science at Melbourne welcomes and encourages feedback about aspects of its BVSc course. Your comments on the AVMA Accreditation Standards are sought as part of the ongoing process of review towards the next accreditation visit. There are two ways of providing feedback:
- After
viewing the Standards, please feel free to email the Faculty General Manager. Please indicate whether you are a current student
or staff member, graduate, or other member of the profession.
- If you prefer to provide anonymous feedback, please send a note to:
AVMA Accreditation,
Faculty of Veterinary Science,
The University of Melbourne,
Victoria 3010, Australia
Please indicate whether you are a current student or staff member, graduate or other member of the profession.
Professor Glenn Browning
Acting Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Science,
The University of Melbourne