The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), the regulator for veterinary professional standards and education in the UK, has formally accredited the veterinary degree at University College Dublin’s School of Veterinary Medicine.
As part of the Mutual Recognition Agreement signed between the RCVS and the Veterinary Council of Ireland in 2019, the groundwork was laid for the RCVS recognising the UCD vet degree subject to successful accreditation visits.
The visit took place in 2020 and, following consideration of the visitation report by the RCVS Primary Qualifications Subcommittee and the Education Committee, accreditation was formally granted in June this year. This means that, from the 2021 cohort of graduates onwards, those who hold a UCD veterinary degree will have an automatic right to join the Register of Veterinary Surgeons.
Writing to the RCVS, Dr Michael Doherty, Dean and Head of School at Dublin, said: “To receive RCVS accreditation is a great honour and the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine is delighted with the news, which has added historic significance.”
Dr Linda Prescott-Clements, RCVS Director of Education, added: “Congratulations to UCD, its faculty and to its students for this great achievement. Our visitation team found that the quality of the programme at Dublin, and how it prepares its graduates for life as practising vets, met the stringent standards we apply to all UK and international universities and we look forward to continuing to work with them over the coming years.”
The full accreditation of the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine’s veterinary degree will last for seven years and it will also produce annual quality monitoring reports for consideration by the RCVS Primary Qualifications Subcommittee and Education Committee.
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