Our postgraduate degree programmes are made up of short courses that can be taken as standalone study, we also refer to this as Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD). The Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD) scheme is aimed at working professionals who want to advance their knowledge through postgraduate-level learning, without the time, or financial commitment, of a full award.QualificationYou may take a maximum of 50 credits worth of courses over two years and gain a University of Edinburgh postgraduate award of academic credit.You can also choose to continue your studies after one year and put credits towards a postgraduate Certificate, Diploma or full Masters degree. Any time spent taking courses through the PPD scheme will be deducted from the amount of time you have left to complete the higher award.DeliveryCourses are delivered fully online using a blend of learning methods supported by the University’s interactive online learning environments.They are distance learning courses, but you won’t feel isolated - you will have the opportunity to work closely with your fellow students and tutors in a properly supported, collaborative and vibrant online learning environment. With access to the internet, you will be able to study at the times and in the places which suit you best.ApplicationsApplications must be made through the University's online postgraduate prospectus. Search for the parent programme and follow the link to apply to "PG Professional Development in [programme name] (Online Learning) (ICL) - 1-2 years (part-time intermittent study)". Once you have started your application to the degree within which the course sits, you will be asked to specify the name of the course you are applying to.If you have questions or concerns throughout the application process, please contact the parent programme support teams directly. Contact details can be found on the parent programme pages linked to in the concertina. Advanced Clinical Practice For more information on the parent programme, please see here: Advanced Clinical PracticeGeneral MedicineCreditsStartDuration (hours)Evidence based veterinary medicine in clinical practice10January100Gastroenterology10January100Hepatology10May100Non-surgical musculoskeletal disease10February100Practical pathology and microbiology10January100Professional and clinical skills for advanced veterinary practice 10November100Recent advances in internal medicine10September100Renal and urinary10May100Thoracic imaging10February100Companion AnimalsCreditsStartDuration (hours)Antimicrobial stewardship in companion animal practice10November100Approaches to gastrointestinal surgery in dogs and cats10April100Canine endocrine disorders10November100Companion animal respiratory medicine 110April100Companion animal respiratory medicine 210November100Feline medicine 110September100Feline medicine 210January100Feline medicine 310April100Neurological emergencies in dogs and cats10November100Standard diagnostic testing in companion animals10February100Veterinary cardiology 2: cardiac diseases of the cat and dog10November100Wound management and reconstructive surgery in dogs and cats10April100Equine PracticeCreditsStartDuration (hours)Approaches to wound management in horses 10April100Poor athletic performance in horses10May100Recent advances in equine Practice10September100Standard diagnostic tests in equine practice10February100Exotic Pet AnimalsCreditsStartDurationPrinciples of exotic pet medicine10September100Rabbit medicine10April100Standard diagnostic testing in exotic pet animals 10February100Production Animal PracticeCreditsStartDuration (hours)Bovine reproduction: beef and dairy 10November100Controlling infectious diseases in beef and dairy cattle 10September100Ewe survival10February100Feeding for production10April100Foot health10September100Heifer rearing10January100Lamb growth10November100Lambing percentage10May100Management of the beef herd10April100Recent advances in production animal practice10September100Standard diagnostic tests in production animal practice 10February100Udder health10May100 Anaesthesia and Analgesia For more information on the parent programme, please see here: Veterinary Anaesthesia and AnalgesiaCourseCreditsStartDuration (hours)Anaesthesia in equidae10May100Anaesthesia in ruminants, camelids and pigs10April100Anaesthesia in small mammals10May100Avian anaesthesia10February100Basic sciences20September200Chronic pain & advanced analgesic techniques10February100Clinical anaesthesia: equipment & the patient20January200Dogs and cats10April100Ventilators and ventilation in veterinary anaesthesia10October100 Applied Conservation Genetics with Wildlife Forensics For more information on the parent programme, please see here: Applied Conservation Genetics with Wildlife ForensicsCourseCreditsStart dateDuration (hours)Applied conservation genetics and wildlife forensics20September100Conservation genetics for reintroductions, translocations and population monitoring10February100Essential population genetic theory & techniques20September200Genetic data analysis for conservation management and wildlife forensics10May100Introduction to applied conservation genetics - part 110January100Introduction to applied conservation genetics - part 210February100Introduction to wildlife forensics10May100Population genetics for conservation breeding10January100Quality management in wildlife forensic science10January100Reporting forensic science10February100The role of wildlife genetics in global conservation challenges20May200 Clinical Animal Behaviour For more information on the parent programme, please see here: Clinical Animal BehaviourCourseCreditsStart dateDuration (hours)Anthrozoology20April200Clinical animal behaviour20January200Evidence-based veterinary medicine in clinical practice B10April100Principles of applied animal behaviour20September200 Conservation Medicine For more information on the parent programme, please see here: Conservation MedicineCourseCreditsStart dateDuration (hours)An introduction to conservation medicine20September200 Applied epidemiology and surveillance for conservation medicine20May200 Eco-system health and species conservation20January200 Interventions in wild animal health20January200Managing and leading conservation projects10August100Wildlife disease management10October100Veterinary techniques and interventions for conservation medicine10September100 Data Driven Breeding and Genetics For more information on the parent programme, please see here: Data Driven Breeding and GeneticsCourseStartCreditsDuration (hours)Advanced modelling in genetic evaluationSeptember10100Applications of data-driven breeding and genetics to real-life challengesJanuary10100Future breeding and geneticsOctober10100 Data Driven Sustainability For more information on the parent qualification, please see here: Data Driven SustainabilityCourseCreditsStartDuration (hours)Foundation in nutritional epidemiology10April100Making science relevant to policy and decision making20January200 Understanding planetary health and data10February100 Equine Science For more information on the parent programme, please see here: Equine ScienceCourseCreditsStartDuration (hours)Equine behavioural medicine20January200Equine behaviour, welfare and ethics20January200Equine digestion and nutrition20September200Equine excercise physiology20April200Equine orthopeadics20September200Equine reproduction20January200Equitation science20April200 Global Food Security and Nutrition For more information on the parent programme, please see here: Global Food Security and NutritionCourseCreditsStart dateDuration (hours)Food policy10August100Frameworks to assess food security20August200Interrelationships in food systems20September200Nutrition for food security20September200Sustainable food production20January200Understanding planetary health & data: an introduction to the concepts and themes10February100 International Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law For more information on the parent programme, please see here: International Animal Welfare, Ethics and LawCourseCreditsStartDuration (hours)Animal ethics, policy and law20January200Captive and free range wild animal welfare20April200International animal welfare science20September200International cat and dog welfare20September200Production animal welfare20April200Welfare of animals used for scientific purposes20September200 One Health For more information on the parent programme, please see here: One HealthCourseCreditsStart dateDuration (hours) An introduction to One Health20September200Antimicrobial resistance: a One Health perspective10January100Ecosystem health10January100Innovative approaches to health challenges across disciplines10April100One Health policy10January100One Health: risk communication and preparedness10May100Zoonotic diseases: a One Health perspective10September100 This article was published on 2025-07-29