Profile and Mission
Our most vital mission is to generate veterinary knowledge and expertise in relation to social challenges
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, with its knowledge and expertise, is the leading veterinary knowledge center in the Netherlands. It is the only institution in the Netherlands that trains students to become veterinarians and contributes to Life Sciences issues on campus and in society from a unique veterinary perspective. Additionally, the faculty contributes to several research master's programs at the Graduate School of Life Sciences. We build bridges between science and society and provide specialized care in our academic veterinary hospital (in Dutch).
We strive for multidisciplinary collaboration with our partners within Utrecht University, nationally and internationally. Our ambition is: knowing animals to meet tomorrow’s health challenges today. We approach health challenges from a One Health perspective, which originates from the realization that the health and well-being of people, animals, and their environment are closely intertwined and must be studied in conjunction.
What really interests me is a combination of science, health and how we can function better as a society
Education
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine offers two programs: Veterinary Medicine (bachelor (in Dutch) and master (in Dutch) and Clinical Sciences (bachelor in Dutch). The Veterinary Medicine program focuses on the health and well-being of animals in relation to their environment and public health. Veterinary Medicine provides broad training to its students, enabling them to enhance the impact of veterinary medicine on achieving sustainable development goals. The Care, Health, and Society program is a unique collaboration with the Pharmacy and Medicine programs (UMCU) and offers small-scale education to students with a broad interest in various aspects of health.
For students from other universities, both domestic and international, or professionals, there is a range of elective courses, clinical education, research internships, and post-academic education. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine also offers a challenging and dynamic research environment for Veterinary Medicine and non-Veterinary Medicine PhD students.
The Veterinary Medicine program is recognized by European organizations and overarching bodies in the United States and Canada. This means that veterinarians who graduate from Utrecht University can work worldwide. Of the incoming students, around 87% successfully complete the program, and almost everyone finds a job within a year.
Through the collaboration between breeders and researchers, we can really move from treating disease to preventing it
Research
Veterinary Medicine offers innovative and independent research within seven themes. Our research focuses on the health, disease, and well-being of animals and the related public health and environment, placing it at the heart of current societal issues and challenges arising from the sustainable development goals. Unique to Veterinary Medicine is that we possess knowledge and expertise of animals at all levels: from cell to organism to population. Since the issues are cross-border and interdisciplinary, Veterinary Medicine researchers collaborate with various (international) colleagues and research institutions. The faculty functions as a network organization where employees actively transfer and disseminate their knowledge and expertise.
After twenty-five years working at the animal hospital, you would say I have seen it all, but every day I still have new insights and meet new people
Patient care
In addition to education and research, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine has a third task: providing care in the university's farm animal practice and its university veterinary hospital (in Dutch). Just like in human academic hospitals, these three tasks are intertwined: patient care, education, and research support and strengthen each other. The university veterinary hospital offers a safe and representative learning environment for students and is also an innovative, flexible, and sustainable national referral center. Collaboration takes place with small and large animal clinics in the region and elsewhere in the Netherlands, as well as with European sister faculties.
Administrative agenda
The faculty board, together with the departments and the participation council, has subsequently drawn up a administrative agenda with specific faculty ambitions and goals:
Working together sustainably on animal, human and environmental health
