Advanced Clinical Practice

This online MVetSci is specifically tailored for veterinary graduates seeking training in advanced clinical practice.

Courses completed from this fully taught portfolio may be used as credit towards the RCVS Certificate in Cattle, Sheep or Production Animal Practice allowing students to exit with two qualifications. Some courses in small animal medicine may also be used towards the RCVS Certificate with details available on enquiry.

This online MVetSci is specifically tailored for veterinary graduates seeking training in advanced clinical practice.

Veterinary medicine is a rapidly evolving discipline, comprising a wide range of specialist areas. Research in veterinary medicine is directly relevant to the improvement of health and welfare of domestic animal species and the protection of public health. Veterinary practitioners are under pressure to maintain high standards of practice while also keeping abreast of the latest research.

In response to the increasing requirement for support in developing advanced clinical skills, this distance learning programme is aimed specifically at veterinarians in practice.

The School's clinical services are busy first opinion and referral services across companion, equine and production animals, exotic pets and wildlife and provide students and researchers with a rich and varied learning environment. The School is the only UK veterinary school to have specialist exotic animal and wildlife services, and has an international reputation for providing veterinary education in these fields of veterinary medicine.

A few good reasons to study with us

Flexible learning throughout the year to match busy working lives
Complements the timetable of all veterinary postgraduate programmes, which allows students to choose elective courses within this MVetSci
Courses may be used as credit towards the RCVS Certificate in Cattle, Sheep or Production Animal Practice
Some courses in small animal medicine may also be used towards the RCVS Certificate, more details are available on enquiry
Build a personal portfolio of skills and knowledge
Demonstrate commitment to a chosen clinical specialty or species
Great mentoring and online discussion
Access to high quality interactive online resources/e-journals and online textbooks
Gain a distinguished postgraduate qualification.

Careers

This postgraduate qualification is an enjoyable and productive way to learn, while gaining new or augmenting existing clinical skills. It will enhance your practice’s business performance, improve your promotion prospects and employability, and may lead to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Advanced Practitioner Status.

It may also support those intending to progress to European Diploma (veterinary specialist) through the available institutional programmes.

Further information on RCVS Advanced Practitioner status

Further information on European Diplomas

Further information on studying online from the Online Learning Unit

The online, part-time format of our teaching is particularly suited to students with busy lives. The flexible learning environment can be adapted to suit individual needs and online study allows you to study at a location that is convenient for you.

The School has been teaching online taught postgraduate programmes since 2008 and online learning is treated as seriously as in-person. Our digital teaching platform has a dedicated e-learning team to ensure the teaching runs smoothly and students have access to support and welfare staff throughout their studies.

This programme is supported by an experienced team including a programme director, a co-ordinator, an administrator and course organisers. Each student is provided with a cohort lead and student adviser.

Key features of the programme are pre-recorded lectures that you can view at any time, study guides, textbook and journal excerpts and interactive online discussions, enabling students from a range of disciplines to bring their unique perspectives to build a community of online students.

How online learning work at University of Edinburgh

The MVetSci programme begins in September and runs part-time over a period of 3-6 years. The programme is delivered using a blend of online learning methods, supported by the University’s award-winning online learning environments.

Students enrolling onto standalone short courses may have start dates throughout the academic year.

The programme is structured to allow sequential progression from short courses* to Certificate, Diploma and MVetSci phases however, there are several earlier exit points.

Students can opt to take time out from learning if work or family life are impacted too much. It is also possible to pay per course** to help spread the cost of your studies.

*^{also referred to as the Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD) scheme}

**^{The University uses the terminology 'course', and sometimes 'module', to refer to the individual components that make up a degree programme}

Students in receipt of certain forms of funding may have different completion requirements. If you are receiving funding to support your studies, please check with the funding body to confirm the timescale within which you must complete the qualification.

Certificate and Diploma

The Certificate phase comprises core courses from within the programme (see Content tab). Students have the option to then select courses which which enable you to tailor the programme to your interests and professional requirements.

The Diploma phase comprises of elective options from within the programme (see Content tab).

Masters (MVetSci)

You can opt to undertake either a dissertation research project, or to complete your degree as fully taught by selecting further elective courses (see Content tab).

The dissertation element gives students the opportunity to further develop scientific skills and apply scientific theory, in a less structured learning environment. Students must complete the dissertation element in a single academic year by the end of Year 6 of study.

Whilst it is recognised that the dissertation adds an important research element to the programme, the majority of students are full-time working professionals and may not have a work remit that involves academic research.

Students therefore have the option to complete your Master's degree through a fully or part-taught option. This adds increased flexibility for students who may not be able to commit to a full year of academic study, albeit on a part-time basis, as is needed to complete a dissertation or project

10 credit courses are 5 weeks. The majority of the lecture material is pre-recorded so that it can be watched at any time.

20 credit courses are 2 blocks of 5 weeks with 1 week of independent study and reflection in between.

Each 10 credits represents 100 hours of study, and a commitment of 20hrs per week.

Core courses

You will take three compulsory courses of 10 credits each.

You can tailor the programme by selecting courses that meet your professional needs. This may include course choices from other programmes within the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, making this a tailored and individual study approach.

Certificate phase - core	Credits
Professional and Clinical Skills for Advanced Veterinary Practice	10
Evidence Based Veterinary Medicine in Clinical Practice	10
Standard Diagnostic Tests: Companion Animals Equine Practice Exotic Pet Animals Production Animal Practice	10

You need to choose from a list of elective courses to complete the 60 credits required for the Certificate and a further 60 to complete the Diploma phase.

Elective courses for Certificate and Diploma phases:

Companion animals and exotics	Credits
Abdominal imaging	10
Advances in small animal chronic enteropathy	10
Antimicrobial stewardship in companion animal practice	10
Approaches to gastrointestinal surgery in cats and dogs	10
Canine endocrine disorders	10
Feline medicine 1	10
Feline medicine 2	10
Feline medicine 3	10
Gastroenterology	10
Hepatology	10
Neurological emergencies in dogs and cats	10
Non-surgical musculoskeletal disease	10
Principles of exotic pet medicine	10
Rabbit medicine	20
Recent advances in internal medicine	10
Renal and urinary	10
Thoracic imaging	10
Wound management and reconstructive surgery in dogs and cats	10

Large animals	Credits
Bovine reproduction: beef and dairy	10
Controlling infectious diseases in beef and dairy cattle	10
Equine Behavioural Medicine	20
Equine Behaviour, Welfare and Ethics	20
Equine Digestion and Nutrition	20
Equine Exercise Physiology	20
Equine Orthopaedics	20
Equine Reproduction	20
Equitation Science	20
Ewe survival	10
Feeding for production	10
Food production systems	20
Lamb growth	10
Lambing percentage	10
Recent advances in production animal practice	10
Udder health	10

General topics	Credits
Chronic pain and advanced analgesic techniques	10
Clinical animal behaviour	20
Ethics for veterinary clinicians and researchers	10
Non-technical skills for safer veterinary care	10
Practical pathology and microbiology	10
Veterinary ethics	10

Masters phase	Credits
Dissertation	60 - must be written within a 12-month period
Or
Fully taught degree	60 via taught course electives

Student-Led Individually Created Course (SLICC)

Development of clinical skills requires practical experience in a clinical setting. While the School runs face-to-face practical courses, it is recognised that it is not possible for all students to travel to Edinburgh to take these.

Therefore, students are provided with guidance on creating their own course. This project-development process allows students to record the hands-on practical clinical activities they are taking in support of their clinical skills development.

Students create their project with pre-approval of the programme team.

Student-Led Individually Created Course outline

Course availability

Please note that although all courses are offered, we cannot guarantee that all courses will be available to all students, each year. This will be dependent upon numbers of students and availability of places on non-programme owned courses.

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.

You 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.

To view the short courses available within the PPD scheme and details on how to apply, please visit:

Credit-bearing standalone short courses

We have a number of internationally recognised experts in their field contributing to the teaching of this programme.

Teaching team

MVetSci ACP Animal Behaviour, Welfare and Ethics Track Courses

-	Block 1 (September-December)	-	Block 2 (January-March)	-	Block 3 (April-June)	-
	Week 1-5	Week 6-10	Week 1-5	Week 6-10	Week 1-5	Week 6-10
Certificate	Ethics for veterinary clinicians & researchers VESC11254	Prof Clinical Skills (compulsory) VESC11109	Evidence Based Vet Med in Clinical Practice (compulsory) VESC11204	*Standard Diagnostic Testing (compulsory) (choose one of four courses from dog & cat, exotic pets, production animal and equine diagnostic testing)	Captive and Free Ranging Wild Animal Welfare AWAB11038 or Production Animal Welfare AWAB11024	Captive and Free Ranging Wild Animal Welfare AWAB11038 or Production Animal Welfare AWAB11024
Diploma	International Cat and Dog Welfare AWAB11053 or Poultry Behaviour & Welfare in Commercial Systems VESC11163 or choose from list of electives (see course list)	International Cat and Dog Welfare AWAB11053 or Poultry Behaviour & Welfare in Commercial Systems VESC11163 or choose from list of electives (see course list)	Research Methods (compulsory for those intending to complete a dissertation) VESC11235 or Clinical Animal Behaviour (20 credits） AWAB1106 or choose from list of electives (see course list; includes Equine Behaviour & Welfare)	Chronic Pain and Advanced Analgesic Principles VESC11123 or Clinical Animal Behaviour (20 credits） AWAB1106 or choose from list of electives (see course list; includes Equine Behaviour & Welfare)	Dogs and Cats Anaesthesia and Analgesia VESC11083 or Anaesthesia for Ruminants, Camelids and Pigs VESC11084	Advancing the Care of Veterinary Patients VESC11258
MVetSci	Students can complete a MVetSci in Advanced Clinical Practice Dissertation (research project) VESC11202 or take further taught electives. A full list of the courses currently approved for this programme are available on the Degree Programme Table for Advanced Clinical Practice

Course choices in this timetable are for illustrative purposes only; courses are not guaranteed to run each year. A current timetable can be provided – email Advanced.Practice@ed.ac.uk

MVetSci ACP Production Animal Track Courses aligned to RCVS CertAVP*

-	Block 1	-	Block 2	-	Block 3
-	Week 1-5	Week 6-10	Week 1-5	Week 6-10	Week 1-5	Week 6-10
Certificate	Recent Advances in Production Animal Medicine VESC11112 (partial credit for B-PAP.2)	Prof Clinical Skills (compulsory) VESC11109(A-FAVP.1)	Evidence Based Veterinary Medicine in Clinical Practice (compulsory) VESC11204	Standard Diagnostic Tests for PAP (compulsory) VESC11132 (partial credit for B-PAP.2)	Feeding for Production VESC11206 (Cattle C-C.4	Udder Health VESC11212(Cattle C-C.6)
Diploma	Controlling Infectious Diseases VESC11203 (Cattle C-C.7)	Bovine Reproduction VESC11220(Cattle C-C.5) or Lamb Growth VESC11209 (Sheep C-S.3)	Research Methods VESC11235 (compulsory for those intending to complete a dissertation)	Ewe Survival VESC11205 (Sheep C-S.1)	Anaesthesia for Ruminants, Camelids and Pigs VESC11084	Lambing Percentage VESC11210(Sheep C-S.2)

*Courses completed from within the fully taught Advanced Clinical Practice may be used as credit towards the RCVS Certificate in Cattle, Sheep or Production Animal Practice.

MVetSci

Students can complete a MVetSci in Advanced Clinical Practice Dissertation (research project) VESC11202 or take further taught electives.

A full list of the courses currently approved for this programme are available on the Degree Programme Table for Advanced Clinical Practice

Course choices in this timetable are for illustrative purposes only; courses are not guaranteed to run each year. A current timetable can be provided – email Advanced.Practice@ed.ac.uk

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice is a postgraduate qualification offered by the RCVS. It does not equate to Membership of the RCVS and does not qualify the person as a Member of the RCVS. For courses to be credited toward the RCVS qualification, students must enrol with the RCVS prior to starting the qualification at Edinburgh. Details at: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/lifelong-learning/postgraduate-qualifications/certificate-in-advanced-veterinary-practice-certavp/

MVetSci ACP Companion and Exotic Animal Track Courses

	Block 1		Block 2		Block 3
	Week 1-5	Week 6-10	Week 1-5	Week 6-10	Week 1-5	Week 6-10
Certificate	Principles of Exotic Pet Medicine VESC11225	Prof Clinical Skills (compulsory) VESC11109	Evidence Based Vet Med in Clinical Practice (compulsory) VESC11204	Standard Diagnostic Testing (compulsory) VESC11114 (dog & cat) or VESC11226 (exotics)	Rabbit Medicine VESC11227	Rabbit Medicine VESC11227
Diploma	Ethics for veterinary clinicians and researchers VESC11254 or choose from list of electives (see course list)	Neurological Emergencies in Dogs and Cats VESC11237 or choose from list of electives (see course list)	Research Methods VESC11235 (compulsory for those intending to complete a dissertation) or choose from list of electives (see course list)	Non-Surgical Musculoskeletal Disease VESC11197 or choose from list of electives (see course list)	Wound Management and Reconstructive Surgery in Dogs and Cats VESC11219 or choose from list of electives (see course list)	Hepatology VESC11106 or choose from list of electives (see course list)

MVetSci

Students can complete a MVetSci in Advanced Clinical Practice Dissertation (research project) VESC11202 or take further taught electives.

A full list of the courses currently approved for this programme are available on the Degree Programme Table for Advanced Clinical Practice

Course choices in this timetable are for illustrative purposes only; courses are not guaranteed to run each year. A current timetable can be provided – email Advanced.Practice@ed.ac.uk

The programme is aimed at supporting qualified veterinarians in enhancing their clinical skills, and developing advanced skills in their chosen area.

A recognised veterinary degree is a requirement for entry:

BVM&S or equivalent qualification

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, we will also need to see evidence of your English language proficiency before we can offer you a place.

Tuition fees

Please note that you can pay for the programme on a course (module) basis. Courses may be 10 or 20 credits and the dissertation year is equivalent to 60 credits.

Tuition fees for online learning

Tuition fee discount for some of our former graduates

Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding

The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding contains a huge database of funding opportunities, comprehensive guidance and tools to help you prepare a winning grant application.

Scholarship information

It is recommended that you conduct your own research on this, but you can refer to the University Scholarship website to view suggestions on Scholarships.

Online distance learning scholarships

ITA Scotland

Get up to £200 towards the cost of a training course with an SDS Individual Training Account (ITA).

You could use the money to build the skills you need for a job. Or get some training to take your career to the next level. Whatever you want to do, there is a wide range of ITA approved courses on offer.

ITA Scotland

UK government postgraduate loans

If you are planning to study with us, you could be eligible for a postgraduate loan towards your fees. From this year, online programmes are also eligible for this funding (please note, restrictions apply).

This funding is available for UK nationals, those with settled status, and in some cases, EU nationals not resident in the UK.

Learn more about postgraduate loans and submit your application

Online application form

Applications should be made online:

Advanced Clinical Practice (online distance learning)

Register interest

If you would like more information before applying for this programme, please access the form below to register your interest.

Contact details

Contact details for general enquiries and application information.

Contact details

You might also be interested in:

Advanced Veterinary Practice

Applied Poultry Science

Equine Science

This article was published on 2025-10-20

Why study this programme?

Online distance learning

Structure

Content

Credit-bearing standalone short courses

Teaching Team

Sample timetables

MVetSci ACP Production Animal Track Courses aligned to RCVS CertAVP*

MVetSci ACP Companion and Exotic Animal Track Courses

Entry requirements

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Find out more and apply

Contact details

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