Doors open at the UK’s newest veterinary school

The UK’s newest veterinary school has just opened its doors.

The new Harper & Keele Veterinary School welcomed its first cohort of 120 students this week.

Keele University in Staffordshire and Harper Adams University in Shropshire are the partners behind the new venture. The students are embarking on a five-year programme of study toward a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (BVetMS) qualification.

Head of School, Professor Matt Jones, says that it’s taken ‘a phenomenal amount of work’ by many people to get the project to this point:

‘It’s a unique model of delivery that will allow students to benefit from the combined excellence in teaching, research and the wider vocational experiences of two great universities,’ adds Professor Jones. ‘We’ve embraced a range of novel approaches to equip the students to be lifelong learners from the outset.

‘We’re confident that the diverse group of students joining us have already demonstrated that they will rise to the challenges and grasp the opportunity that they will face to be true innovators. We’ll work together with them to create a great vet school to complement those already established.’

The new veterinary students have travelled from all corners of the UK and the Republic of Ireland to join the programme, which will be delivered across both university sites to ensure the graduating vets have fully-rounded skills and experiences.

Harper Adams project lead and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Mills, says:

‘The journey to get us to this point has focused entirely on planning and project management by a talented group of staff at two universities. From now, the focus switches entirely to our inaugural cohort of veterinary medicine students. In the current climate, this is a rare moment of excitement and optimism.’

And Professor Jonathan Wastling, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences who led the project for Keele University said:

‘It’s tremendously exciting as we come to the end of all our planning to see the first cohort of veterinary students embarking on their journey into the world of veterinary medicine. We wish this cohort and all those that follow in the future, the very best.’