WELCOME TO THE SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
LEARN ABOUT US
Welcome to the JCSM's School of Veterinary Medicine, we are proud of our role in providing excellent, hands-on training for veterinarians, offering diagnostic services through our Affiliated Veterinary Clinic.
We also contribute to scientific knowledge and understanding through our dedicated School, students and staff who carry out basic and applied research in areas that impact animals, food safety, and the environment.
We are known for the clinical proficiency of our graduates as they are closely mentored and enjoy a high Faculty to student ratio.
Our Students are exposed to Clinical situations at our Affiliated Veterinary Clinics in Cook Islands and overseas which are excellent and very busy animal shelters where our students spend two years getting extensive hands-on experience in performing not only spays and neuters, but in working up and treating a wide variety of common medical and surgical conditions in small animals. Our students have the chance to tailor their education with a variety of preceptorships and electives.
OUR PROGRAMS
THE 4-YEAR DOCTOR OF VETERINARY MEDICINE (D.V.M.) COURSE
James Cook School of Medicine 4-Year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree program offers students a unique, innovative, international approach to veterinary medicine.
With an emphasis in clinical instruction and case-based teaching, JCSM’s D.V.M. degree program combines three years of lecture and hands-on laboratory sessions in Cook Islands with one year of clinical training in Cook Islands, New Zealand or at one of our affiliated universities and clinics in the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and the Netherlands.
CURRICULUM AND FORMAT
JCSM’s D.V.M. degree program is built on a intensive curriculum that pairs clinical skills training alongside basic science foundation course work to fulfill all Standard requirements.
That combination of basic science foundation courses and incremental clinical skills courses fully prepare you to perform with confidence.
The first two years of the program combines basic science curriculum with clinical skills courses utilizing simulation models, hands-on laboratory, didactic, and small-group experiential learning sessions. Introductory medicine and surgery courses begin at the end of year two and training is intensified during year three with live animal surgery and medicine courses.
Clinical rotations at JCSM Small Animal Clinic and on the Large Animal Ambulatory Services rotation complete the student preparation for the fourth year of clinical training.
The final year includes 48 weeks of clinical training, delivered at our affiliated veterinary clinics.
Alongside the clinical training, you receive 20 weeks of instruction in seven core subjects and 28 weeks of electives that may be a continuation of core subjects or concentrations in select specialties.
The clinical core subjects include a minimum of four weeks in Small Animal Medicine, four weeks in Small Animal Surgery, six weeks of Large Animal Medicine and Surgery; and two weeks each in Diagnostic Laboratory, Clinical Anesthesiology, and Diagnostic Imaging.
The remaining weeks of the clinical program are made up of elective rotations including specialty rotations such as ophthalmology and dermatology.
THE 6-YEAR DOCTOR OF VETERINARY MEDICINE (D.V.M.) COURSE
The 6-year Pre-Veterinary entry point into our Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree program begins with intensive Pre-Veterinary coursework in organic chemistry and physics.
This is to prepare before entering the traditional, 4-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree program.
This program is designed for students who want to prepare for a career in veterinary medicine and who have completed some undergraduate-level coursework or who have passed a matriculation examination with high marks in science.
THE 7-YEAR DOCTOR OF VETERINARY MEDICINE/DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (D.V.M./Ph.D.) COURSE
Advance your veterinarian education in both basic and clinical problems within animal medicine research.
JCSM,'s 7-Year D.V.M./Ph.D. program builds on your postgraduate veterinary clinical training or D.V.M. degree with in-depth research in pertinent topics, such as veterinary pathology and the intersection of animal and human health.
Our D.V.M./Ph.D. program provides you the rigorous training to prepare you for work in leading research institutions, pharmaceutical companies, or government entities.
FOCUS STUDY AREA AND DISSERTATION
During the veterinary D.V.M./Ph.D. program, you will choose an academic focus area that you want to master in terms of both theoretical knowledge and practical application.
Choose from among nine specialty areas for your Ph.D:
- Anatomical Pathology
- Anatomy
- Bacteriology
- Clinical Pathology
- Marine Medicine
- Parasitology
- Pharmacology
- Virology
- Wildlife Conservation Medicine
The Ph.D. program culminates in the production of a thesis in which you will demonstrate your advanced knowledge in an original and important contribution to your chosen area of veterinary science.
TIME TO COMPLETION
Qualified postgraduate students and D.V.M. graduates will spend between three and five years to complete veterinary postgraduate courses as a full-time candidate. Part-time candidates will spend between four and seven years to complete the program.
THE 4-YEAR DOCTOR OF VETERINARY MEDICINE/MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH (D.V.M./MPH) COURSE
Prepare for a career in public health with the strength of JCSM's world-renowned Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) program combined with our Master of Public Health (MPH) program.
In the 4-Year D.V.M./MPH dual-degree program, veterinary medicine students can earn the D.V.M. degree and the MPH degree in tandem.
Gain a unique understanding of the interchange between animal health and the human population.
In addition to your veterinary medicine coursework, the public health degree gives you the fundamentals of veterinary epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy and management, social and behavioral sciences, and environmental health.
THE 7-YEAR BACHELOR OF SCIENCE/ DOCTOR OF VETERINARY MEDICINE (B.S./D.V.M.) COURSE
The Bachelor of Science/Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (B.S./D.V.M.) dual degree program is designed for students in the seven-year track of the D.V.M. program who do not hold a first degree and wish to earn a baccalaureate degree at the James Cook School of Medicine
Students in the Pre-Veterinary medical sciences may complete the requirements for a B.S. degree in the Life Sciences after completion of the first year of the v
Veterinary medical sciences.
This program allows students to complete their entire D.V.M. education in seven years, while simultaneously completing the requirements for a baccalaureate degree.
The Bachelor of Science degree is awarded at the successful conclusion of the first year of the veterinary medical sciences, and the D.V.M. is obtained upon successful completion of the final clinical year component of the DVM curriculum.
Students who are accepted into Term 1 of the seven-year program and meet sufficient academic progress guidelines are eligible for both the baccalaureate degree and the veterinary medicine degree.
Students who enter the six- or four-year program (with Advanced Levels, International Baccalaureate or CAPE) must complete additional coursework to be eligible for this degree.
Applicants interested in this program will be evaluated for transfer credit.
