Wales "paving the way" for vet school
Aberystwyth will be taking its first cohort of students from September 2015.
Aberystwyth University has introduced a new Veterinary Biosciences degree to help "pave the way" for the UK's eighth veterinary school.
The opening of new veterinary schools in the UK has been the subject of contentious debate in recent years, with many fearing this will have adverse effects on extra mural studies and the veterinary jobs market.
Aberystwyth said it is exploring the possibility of a new vet school to ensure future veterinary needs in Wales are met.
By working closely with the Welsh Government, private veterinary practices and industry, the university said it aims to help address the challenges and opportunities facing food suppliers and the livestock industry, to the benefit of the Welsh rural economy and beyond.
From September 2015, the university's Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences will take its first Veterinary Biosciences students.
The course, which will pave the way for the development of a veterinary degree programme, is centred on the biology underpinning veterinary medicine.
Students will acquire the applied and analytical skills needed for careers such as veterinary laboratory diagnostician, nutritionist, researcher, welfare inspector and animal care worker.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
