Livestock Health and Production (MSc, Postgraduate Diploma & Postgraduate Certificate)

Overview
Structure
Study materials
Fees
Assessment
Requirements
Leaders

Is this programme for me?

This programme is aimed primarily at veterinarians, animal health specialists and livestock farmers. Optional modules make the programme suitable for people from a range of professional backgrounds. The programme addresses contemporary issues of livestock production that have worldwide relevance.

Please note: a related programme in Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health is also available.

Programme aims

Graduates of this programme will be able to improve the health and production of livestock through:

understanding the interaction of livestock with people and the environment
gaining an overview of the factors that influence livestock production
implementing control strategies by integrating this knowledge with the principles of epidemiology, economics and disease control within the context of management and infrastructure
communicating effectively on the health of animal and human populations to a range of audiences including the general public, farmers, politicians, and other key policy makers.

Programme summary

	You study	Study period	Cost (2014)
MSc	7 courses	2-5 years	£10,795
Diploma	4 courses	2-5 years	£6,415
Certificate	2 courses	1-5 years	£3,375
Individual modules	Individual modules, either 240-hour, 50-hour or 35-hour, are ideal if you're keen to update your professional knowledge, enhance your career, or sample the programme. See individual modules on our website for more info.

Prestige

The programme has been developed by academics at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), the oldest and largest veterinary school in the UK and one of the leading veterinary research centres in Europe. In 1999, RVC became the first UK veterinary school to be granted approval by the American Veterinary Medical Association. The RVC also provides support for the veterinary profession through its three referral hospitals, diagnostic services and continuing professional development courses.

Career progression

Graduates of the programme are employed in a variety of organisations including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), university veterinary faculties and international organisations including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO).

Comprehensive study materials and support

The support you receive includes:

academic feedback on written assignments
tutorial support concerning academic matters from RVC staff
opportunities for local networking and mutual support from other students on the programme
as all of the study materials you require are mailed to you, there is no requirement to purchase expensive textbooks or spend time trying to locate journals, which may not be available to you locally.

Summary of key dates

Application deadline			1 November
Registration deadline			1 January
Programme starts			February
Examinations take place			October

MSc: seven modules
Postgraduate Diploma: four modules
Postgraduate Certificate: two modules

Please note: students must commence their studies with the core modules.

MSc structure

Three compulsory core modules

Animal disease (current concepts): This module will enable the student to appreciate the external and internal components of health, agents of disease and how animals respond to them, at an individual and population level. Subject areas: immunology; parasitology; microbiology; introduction to veterinary epidemiology; principles of veterinary pathology.
Developing and monitoring of livestock production systems: This module will adopt a farming systems approach to permit the student to place livestock production within the context of the utilisation of resources. This will allow a critical consideration of appropriate husbandry for different animals in diverse environmental and socio-economic conditions. Subject areas: An introduction to farming systems; Details of major livestock production systems; Developing and monitoring of functioning livestock systems with farmers, including organic farming; Environmental, welfare and breeding issues in sustainable livestock husbandry.
Principles of livestock production: This module will enable the student to understand how feeding, breeding, management and interaction with the environment influence animal production and disease. Subject areas: general principles of nutrition; specialised areas of nutrition (students will select three of the following options which must include at least one ruminant and one non-ruminant choice: feeding dairy cows; feeding dual-purpose, beef and draught cattle; feeding sheep and goats; pig nutrition; poultry nutrition; nutrition of horses, camelids and rabbits. In all the above cases, consideration will be given to the different resources available in temperate and tropical/subtropical regions); environmental studies, including climatic effects and housing; genetics; the physiology of growth and lactation; the relevance of reproduction to livestock production.

PLUS four further optional modules selected from

Animal welfare

This module will provide a comprehensive appreciation of welfare and ethical issues connected with farm animal practice, animal breeding, transport and slaughter, companion animals, laboratory animals, animals used in competition and wildlife. Subject areas: An introduction to veterinary ethics; the physiology of pain, distress, fear and anxiety; the effects of genetics on animal welfare; welfare issues in animal husbandry systems; transport and slaughter; and specific welfare issues in companion, farmed, laboratory, wild and competitive animals.

View the information leaflet for:

Animal welfare [PDF: 2pgs, 553KB]

Economics for livestock development and policy

The objectives of this module are to stimulate awareness of the socio-economic, political and environmental issues that will affect future livestock development and to provide the tools to analyse the issues confronting producers, their advisers, planners and policy makers. Subject areas: Basic concepts of the economics of livestock production; Extensive, medium intensity and intensive systems of livestock production; Marketing and policy; Further economics for the analysis of livestock development; Tools for livestock economists.

Epidemiology and animal health economics

This module will enable students to understand the role of epidemiology and economics in the design and delivery of effective veterinary services aimed at improved animal health and productivity. Subject areas: introduction to statistics; introduction to veterinary epidemiology - basic principles, descriptive epidemiology, study design, sampling, quantitative aspects of diagnostic testing; animal health economics - principles, partial budgets, decision tree analysis, cost-benefit ratio, economics and project planning.

Management of infectious disease outbreaks in animal populations

This module is designed to teach both the theoretical and practical information required for the management of a major infectious disease outbreak of farm animals. Topics will include epidemiology of infectious diseases, risk and cost-benefit analysis, surveillance, diagnosis and vaccination strategies before and during an outbreak, contingency planning and case studies to illustrate how disease outbreaks could be better managed.

Please view the information leaflet:
Management of Infectious Disease Outbreaks in Animal Populations [pdf: 2pgs, 550KB]

Reproduction and fertility - a species approach

This module will enable students to gain a comprehensive insight into the physiology of reproduction and the management and manipulation of fertility to optimise animal productivity. Subject areas: general principles of reproduction; introduction to reproductive anatomy and physiology; control of breeding; fertilisation, conception and pregnancy; reproductive disorders and disease; embryo transfer and assisted reproduction; reproduction management. Students will be required to specialise in three of the following: cattle; small ruminants; pigs; camelids, rabbits and poultry; equids.

Research design, management and grant application writing

This module will enable students to undertake a research project, with an appropriate study design to validate a hypothesis and analyse the data, including the presentation of results and writing a grant application. Subject areas: introduction to scientific research and how to formulate a hypothesis; literature search, critical analysis of papers and writing a scientific review; experimental and statistical design in project planning; project management; preparing data for analysis - qualitative data, quantitative data; statistical analysis and analysing the validity of findings; report writing, presentation of data and writing a scientific paper; introduction to grant application writing, planning the project and budget; guidelines to writing a good grant proposal.

Research project in livestock health and production

The objective of this module is to enable the students to conduct a research project and prepare a scientific paper for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Students are given guidance and supervision from a distance in the following:

Deriving a suitable hypothesis to base the research project
Writing a critical literature review
Designing the appropriate study with experimental and statistical details
Costing the project and conducting experiments
Managing the project to obtain relevant data
Documenting and analysis of results to achieve a conclusion selecting an appropriate scientific journal to publish the findings and preparing a paper for publication according to author guidelines of the selected journal.
Pre-requisite: It is advisable that students should study ‘Research design, management and grant application writing’(LVM014) prior to registering for this module.

Sustainable livestock farming in the environment

This module aims to provide an understanding of the threats presented by changes in the environment on livestock production and wildlife population, and explains the ways in which global and regional environmental change can impact on sustainability of farming systems, conservation of ecosystems and animal health. It will outline approaches that can used to minimize unwanted environmental impacts of modern farming and land use systems, as well as consider the values academics, researchers, veterinarians and livestock specialists attach to the environment and to conservation issues. The course will also guide students in the approach they take in future when considering animal–environment interactions.

View the information leaflet for:

Sustainable livestock farming in the environment [PDF: 2pgs, 553KB]

Veterinary public health

The module will examine the role of veterinarians and other related professionals in the protection of human health through the safe production of foods of animal origin, control of zoonotic disease and environmental contamination. Subject areas: disease surveillance and risk analysis; zoonoses and their control; disseminating information on veterinary public health; quality and safety assurance in food production (meat, milk and eggs); development of disease control programmes.

Notes:

Internet access is required (56K dial-up modem or broadband) to study Research design, management and grant application writing.

Postgraduate Diploma structure

One compulsory core module

Animal disease (current concepts): This module will enable the student to appreciate the external and internal components of health, agents of disease and how animals respond to them, at an individual and population level. Subject areas: immunology; parasitology; microbiology; introduction to veterinary epidemiology; principles of veterinary pathology.

One further core module from

Developing and monitoring of livestock production systems: This module will adopt a farming systems approach to permit the student to place livestock production within the context of the utilisation of resources. This will allow a critical consideration of appropriate husbandry for different animals in diverse environmental and socio-economic conditions. Subject areas: An introduction to farming systems; Details of major livestock production systems; Developing and monitoring of functioning livestock systems with farmers, including organic farming; Environmental, welfare and breeding issues in sustainable livestock husbandry.
Principles of livestock production: This module will enable the student to understand how feeding, breeding, management and interaction with the environment influence animal production and disease. Subject areas: general principles of nutrition; specialised areas of nutrition (students will select three of the following options which must include at least one ruminant and one non-ruminant choice: feeding dairy cows; feeding dual-purpose, beef and draught cattle; feeding sheep and goats; pig nutrition; poultry nutrition; nutrition of horses, camelids and rabbits. In all the above cases, consideration will be given to the different resources available in temperate and tropical/subtropical regions); environmental studies, including climatic effects and housing; genetics; the physiology of growth and lactation; the relevance of reproduction to livestock production.

Two optional modules chosen from

Developing and monitoring of livestock production systems [if not taken as a core module]

This module will adopt a farming systems approach to permit the student to place livestock production within the context of the utilisation of resources. This will allow a critical consideration of appropriate husbandry for different animals in diverse environmental and socio-economic conditions. Subject areas: An introduction to farming systems; Details of major livestock production systems; Developing and monitoring of functioning livestock systems with farmers, including organic farming; Environmental, welfare and breeding issues in sustainable livestock husbandry.

Principles of livestock production [if not taken as a core module]

This module will enable the student to understand how feeding, breeding, management and interaction with the environment influence animal production and disease. Subject areas: general principles of nutrition; specialised areas of nutrition (students will select three of the following options which must include at least one ruminant and one non-ruminant choice: feeding dairy cows; feeding dual-purpose, beef and draught cattle; feeding sheep and goats; pig nutrition; poultry nutrition; nutrition of horses, camelids and rabbits. In all the above cases, consideration will be given to the different resources available in temperate and tropical/subtropical regions); environmental studies, including climatic effects and housing; genetics; the physiology of growth and lactation; the relevance of reproduction to livestock production.

Animal welfare

View the information leaflet for:

Animal welfare [PDF: 2pgs, 553KB]

Economics for livestock development and policy

Epidemiology and animal health economics

Management of infectious disease outbreaks in animal populations

Please view the information leaflet:
Management of Infectious Disease Outbreaks in Animal Populations [pdf: 2pgs, 550KB]

Reproduction and fertility - a species approach

Research design, management and grant application writing

Sustainable livestock farming in the environment

View the information leaflet for:

Sustainable livestock farming in the environment [PDF: 2pgs, 553KB]

Veterinary public health

PLUS two other modules chosen from the remaining core module and the optional modules of the MSc degree (excluding the Research project).

Postgraduate Certificate structure

One compulsory core module

Animal disease (current concepts): This module will enable the student to appreciate the external and internal components of health, agents of disease and how animals respond to them, at an individual and population level. Subject areas: immunology; parasitology; microbiology; introduction to veterinary epidemiology; principles of veterinary pathology.

One further core module from

Developing and monitoring of livestock production systems: This module will adopt a farming systems approach to permit the student to place livestock production within the context of the utilisation of resources. This will allow a critical consideration of appropriate husbandry for different animals in diverse environmental and socio-economic conditions. Subject areas: An introduction to farming systems; Details of major livestock production systems; Developing and monitoring of functioning livestock systems with farmers, including organic farming; Environmental, welfare and breeding issues in sustainable livestock husbandry.
Principles of livestock production: This module will enable the student to understand how feeding, breeding, management and interaction with the environment influence animal production and disease. Subject areas: general principles of nutrition; specialised areas of nutrition (students will select three of the following options which must include at least one ruminant and one non-ruminant choice: feeding dairy cows; feeding dual-purpose, beef and draught cattle; feeding sheep and goats; pig nutrition; poultry nutrition; nutrition of horses, camelids and rabbits. In all the above cases, consideration will be given to the different resources available in temperate and tropical/subtropical regions); environmental studies, including climatic effects and housing; genetics; the physiology of growth and lactation; the relevance of reproduction to livestock production.

Stand-alone modules for Continuing Professional Development

The individual modules of the degree can also be studied as stand-alone 240-hour short modules for Continuing Professional Development.

On successful completion of the module(s), students may apply to transfer to the degree programme. Please note that there are a maximum number of 240-hour individual modules which may be used for progression purposes. There is also a range of shorter 50-hour and 35-hour individual modules. See individual courses and modules section on our website for more information.

How you study

Although the programme is designed to be followed successfully with a minimum of direct academic support, you are able to receive support in several ways:

Up to three written assignments, chosen from a selection, may be submitted for tutor comment and guidance. The marks for the best of these will count in the formal assessment process. Although the marks obtained for the other essays do not contribute to the overall assessment, students often find it helpful to receive academic feedback on their work to ensure that they are reaching the required standard. In addition, writing essays can be a useful aid in preparing for examinations.
You are offered tutorial support for academic matters through the Programme Office at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC). Your enquiry will be answered by an appropriate member
of the panel of experts from the RVC academic staff who support this programme. However, the RVC is unable to provide support on non-academic matters.
An online discussion board has been introduced which provides the opportunity for students to collaborate with one other. Occasional on-line tutorials are also arranged, when a tutor will be available to answer questions. You will require access to the internet (either dial-up or broadband) to participate. Students are also welcome to request academic assistance by contacting the RVC Programme Office.
Students are invited to allow us to share their contact details with other students studying on the programme in their locality, so that networking and mutual support can be arranged locally if desired.

Study materials

After you register as an student you will receive:

a Student handbook, giving you information on planning your studies, preparing for examinations and study techniques
a Module pack for each module you study. This will contain a study guide, along with a series of readings. The readings will consist of copies of book chapters and articles which have been specially selected from leading academic journals and books. These will present the most concise and readable information and recent developments in the field
Textbooks for certain modules
Samples of past examination papers, and, where a module has previously been examined, an
examiner’s report
CD-ROMs (for certain modules).

In subsequent years of your registration you will receive:

an updated Student handbook (available via the VLE)
the relevant module pack for any additional modules you begin studying
any revisions to modules previously received (but where the assessment has not been completed), and
any examiners’ reports/past examination papers not previously received (available via the VLE).

The programme is designed so that you are provided with all the materials you need to study. The materials are comprehensive so you will be able to complete the modules without access to any additional books or readings. There is, therefore, no need to purchase expensive textbooks, or to spend valuable time in trying to locate journals which may not be available locally.

Period of study and time commitment

Postgraduate Diploma students have a minimum of two years and a maximum of five.

Postgraduate Certificate students have a minimum of one year and a maximum of five.

The ‘study year’ is effectively between February and September, with examinations in early/mid-October. Individuals differ in the number of hours per week they need to devote to study, and in the number of years in which they would like to complete the programme, these factors make it is difficult to be precise about the number of hours’ study required. A rough guide, however, is that to complete in the minimum period you should be prepared for not less than 10 hours of study per week and 15 hours would be recommended. It is very important that the hours given to study, however many they may be, should be given consistently.

What our students say

Sally Gaynor
MSc in Livestock Health and Production graduate, Ireland.

Distance learning gave me the opportunity to gain a postgraduate degree by fitting my studying around a full-time job and rearing three children. I feel it has been a major achievement in my life. It has acted as a refresher module for my primary degree - 25 years after leaving college - giving me renewed confidence. It has also expanded my knowledge and understanding of other areas that impact on my area of work for the State Veterinary Service. I found the course material interesting and very well presented. I am sure the MSc will improve my chances of promotion in the future.

Fees

The fees below refer to the 2014 session only and are effective from 1 November 2013. The closing date for registration and for new modules is 1 January. Fees are subject to annual review.

	2014
MSc registration fee	£ 1,420
Postgraduate Diploma registration fee	£ 1,070
Postgraduate Certificate registration fee	£ 710
Fee per module	£ 1,420
Total MSc*	£ 10,795
Total Postgraduate Diploma*	£ 6,415
Total Postgraduate Certificate*	£ 3,375
*This incorporates a discount for payment in advance

Continuing Professional Development	2014
240-hour individual modules	£ 1,540
50-hour individual modules	£ 565
35-hour individual modules	£ 425






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When to pay

Fees may be paid in one of two ways for the MSc, PG Dip or PG Cert:

Pay the total fee on registration by making a single payment, this covers the registration fee and all module fees.
Or if you prefer to spread out your payments, pay the registration fee plus the fee for each module you want to take in the first year, and then in subsequent years pay the fee for each new module you take.

For Individual modules, which may be taken on a stand-alone basis for continuing professional development, a single fee is payable on registration. This fee covers registration as an International Programmes Students and, as applicable, the first entry for the examination or assessment.

How to pay

All University fees must be paid in pounds sterling (GBP). The University accepts:

Western Union - Quick Pay
Credit/debit card (Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, Electron, JCB)
Sterling banker's draft/cheque
International money/postal order

Further details are given in payment methods.

Other costs

In addition to the fees payable to the University, you should also budget for the fee charged by your local examination centre to cover its costs; this fee will vary.

Note

The University reserves the right to amend previously announced fees, if necessary. For a full list fees that may be applicable, please see the fee schedule.

Academic Requirements

For the MSc degree

Either of the following:

(a) a second class honours degree, or the equivalent, in a scientific subject, veterinary science, animal science, agriculture, biological sciences or medicine, from a university or other institution acceptable to the University of London.
(b) a second class honours degree, or the equivalent, in a scientific discipline which has, in the opinion of the University, included suitable preliminary training, from a university or other institution acceptable to the University of London.

Other Diplomas and Certificates

For the following:

Postgraduate Diploma
Postgraduate Certificate
240-hour individual modules

You will have a degree or a technical or professional qualification and work experience considered appropriate and relevant by the University.

Language Requirements

For awards at FHEQ level 7, students must provide satisfactory evidence showing that they have passed within the previous three years a test of proficiency in English at the following minimum level:

IELTS with an overall grade of at least 6.5 with a minimum of 6 in each sub test; or
TOEFL with a score of 250 on the computerised test plus a Test of Written English (TWE of at least 4.5); or
TOEFL iBT (internet-based Test) with a total score of 92 with at least 22 in both the Reading and Writing Skills sub-tests and at least 20 in both the Speaking and Listening sub-tests.

Where an applicant does not meet the prescribed English language proficiency requirements but believes that they can demonstrate the requisite proficiency for admission the University may, at its discretion, consider the application.

Computer Requirements

All students must have regular access to a computer and the internet. This may be for accessing the Student Portal, downloading course materials from the virtual learning environment or accessing resources from the Online Library.

You will also need suitable hardware capacity on your computer for document storage as well as basic software such as a PDF reader.

We recommend that you use the latest version of Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome and that your screen resolution is 1024 x 768 or greater. JavaScript and cookies must be enabled to access particular online services such as the Student Portal.

Some programmes have courses or modules that use additional software. Where this is the case, information is given with the relevant course descriptions.

Academic leadership - Royal Veterinary College

The Royal Veterinary College (external link) is the UK’s longest established veterinary school and one of the most highly regarded institutions of its kind in Europe. The College has over 1,500 students enrolled on undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing professional development programmes and four state-of-the-art teaching and referral hospitals, providing services to the public and the veterinary profession.

The College’s reputation for excellence and pioneering work in teaching and research makes us stand out from the crowd, and our independent status enables us to innovate and keep at the forefront of theory and practice. Postgraduate students learn alongside experts in their field and are provided with the specialist knowledge and skills required to make it to the very top of their chosen profession. The Royal Veterinary College is one college spread over two campuses, one based in central London and the other in rural Hertfordshire. We are ideally located for all international transport links and within easy reach of London’s many other excellent universities and research hospitals.

Academic leaders

Dr Christine Thuranira-McKeever

Distance Learning Programme Director

Livestock Health and Production (MSc, Postgraduate Diploma & Postgraduate Certificate)

Christine graduated from the University of Kent in Canterbury and went on to read for a Masters degree in Development Economics at the University of Manchester, in 1995. She moved to the International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi and Addis Ababa, and worked there for a number of years before leaving to undertake a PhD at the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine. Her research focused on the costs of livestock disease to small holder farmers in developing countries and the socio-economic factors influencing smallholders' ability to productively keep livestock. After completing her PhD, Christine worked as a research associate for a DFID-funded Animal Health Programme, based at the University of Edinburgh. This was a competitive grants programme that funded research into animal health issues in the developing world. During her time in Edinburgh University, Christine was also involved in teaching undergraduate students. Her research interests remain in the field of international development, mainly from a livestock and agriculture perspective. Christine was appointed to her current post in July 2008.

Dr Silvia Alonso Alvarez

Lecturer in Veterinary Public Health

Silvia graduated in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Leon, Spain, in 2001. She attended the last year of her studies in Bologna, Italy, as an Erasmus fellow. After graduation she started a PhD at the Department of Animal Pathology and Veterinary Public Health of the Veterinary School of Bologna, which was completed in 2005. Silvia was involved in different research projects focused on the epidemiology of foodborne diseases and the biology of foodborne pathogens. She gained experience in microbiology and diagnostic methods and spent 3 months at the E. coli Reference Laboratory in Spain where she was trained in molecular analysis techniques. In the meantime, Silvia also worked as a consultant for a major food industry in Italy.

After her PhD she worked as research fellow at the same Department for one year, while attending part-time an MSc in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which was completed in 2007. Her MSc thesis focused in the use of mathematical modelling to evaluate the effects of farming density in the spread and control of brucellosis in Mongolia. Silvia joined the RVC at the beginning of 2008 as a Lecturer in Veterinary Public Health.

Professor Javier Guitián

Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology

Javier qualified from the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in 1993. He then studied for a PhD in Epidemiology and conducted research as a visiting scientist in the USA, Canada, Brazil and Portugal. In 2002, he was awarded a PhD in Veterinary Epidemiology (European Doctorate). Javier spent three years working for the industry and practicing clinical epidemiology in the context of laboratory diagnostic and herd health in Spain. He returned to academia and the RVC in 2002. Javier is the Deputy Course Director for the MSc in Veterinary Epidemiology and the MSc in Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health by distance learning.

Javier conducts applied research aimed at informing management of health and production of livestock populations. His work integrates field-based observational studies and quantitative methods such as statistical modeling, spatial epidemiology and risk analysis.

A substantial part of his research activity takes place in the developing world and, in collaboration with researchers from the RVC and other research institutions, as well as international cooperation organizations.

Professor Dirk Pfeiffer

Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology

Dirk graduated in Veterinary Medicine in Germany in 1984 and was awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Tropical Veterinary Medicine in 1986. He subsequently worked as a field veterinarian in Colombia and on development projects in Kenya, Somalia, Malaysia and Thailand until 1988 when he moved to Massey University in New Zealand, initially as Lecturer in Production Medicine and Epidemiology, and from 1996 as Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Epidemiology. In 1994, he was awarded a PhD in Veterinary Epidemiology. He has held the Chair in Veterinary Epidemiology at the RVC since 1999 and is also Honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Dirk teaches epidemiology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and has designed and taught international training courses in veterinary epidemiology, risk analysis and spatial analysis in Europe, Australasia and Africa. His particular interest is the epidemiology and control of infectious diseases, and his involvement in bovine tuberculosis research started in 1988 when he commenced his PhD study in New Zealand. His technical expertise includes field epidemiological and ecological research methods, advanced epidemiological analysis, spatial and temporal analysis of epidemiological data, risk analysis, computer modeling of animal disease, animal health economics and development of animal health information systems. Dirk provides scientific expertise to various national and international organizations including the European Food Safety Authority, Defra, the Food and Agriculture Organization, as well as various national governments.

Dr Jonathan Rushton

Senior Lecturer in Animal Health Economics

Jonathan graduated in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University, UK, and then completed a Masters and a PhD in animal health economics from the Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics Research Unit, University of Reading, UK. Dr Rushton has worked on animal health issues in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America for the EU, DFID, IICA, ILRI, DANIDA, GTZ and USAID. His key interests are the role of livestock in the livelihoods of poor people worldwide, impact of livestock diseases, the use of participatory methodologies in veterinary epidemiology and the marketing of agricultural products.

Since 2002, Jonathan has been involved in the RVC’s distance learning courses developing material on animal health economics, data collection and policy. Over the last ten years, Jonathan has run short courses on animal health economics in Portugal, Turkey, Uruguay, Armenia and for the Central Asian countries.

Dr Ayona Silva-Fletcher

MSc Veterinary Education, Course Director

Ayona qualified as a veterinarian from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and then did an MSc in Animal Nutrition and a PhD in University of Aberdeen, UK. Her PhD was on rumen bacteria and she spent most of her time in Aberdeen working with sheep and cattle. Following this Ayona spent several years in post-doctoral and teaching appointments at the University of London (Royal Postgraduate Medical School), University of Leiden, the Netherlands and finally at the Open University in Milton Keynes. Ayona joined the RVC in 2003 as the Director of Distance Learning and played a major role in expanding the programme with the development of a new MSc and a short course framework. In 2008 Ayona moved to her current position in LIVE (Lifelong and Independent Veterinary Education) to take a leading role in developing a new MSc in Veterinary Education.

Ayona is passionate about Distance Education and the International outreach of RVC to the wider veterinary community.

Professor Katharina Stärk

Katharina is a Professor of Veterinary Public Health and Director of the Centre for Emerging, Endemic and Exotic Diseases (CEEED). She is also the coordinator for the Infection and Immunity Research Group.

Katharina was born in Frauenfeld, Switzerland and graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Zürich in 1988. Her Doctoral thesis on the Risk factors for Enzootic Pneumonia Re-infection in SPF Pig Breeding Herds undertaken between 1989 and 1991 was honoured with the Karl-Pfizer-Award in 1992.

Between 1995 and 1998 Katharina undertook a PhD programme at Massey University in New Zealand in information systems for the prevention and control of infectious diseases in pigs. Following this Katharina then worked for 2 years in Denmark as a research officer for the Danish Bacon and Meat Council. She then took a post as a Head of Section of Monitoring, at the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office which she held for 7 years. Parallel to this Katharina worked as part-time lecturer in Epidemiology and Veterinary Public Health at the University of Bern in 2000. From 2002-2006 Katharina was also a Member of the Executive Board at the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office, Bern, with responsibility for 30 staff.

In 2005 Katharina spent 4 months as a Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Agricultural Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Japan. She joined the Royal Veterinary College in January 2007. Katharina has an international role as President of the European College for Veterinary Public Health.

Kim Stevens

Assistant Lecturer in Epidemiology

After completing a BSc and MSc in Agriculture (Animal Science) at the University of Natal in South Africa, Kim worked as a research assistant at University of Pretoria initially for the Department of Veterinary Physiology and, later, for the Equine Research Centre. After moving to the UK, she joined the Epidemiology Division of the Royal Veterinary College as a research assistant before being promoted to the position of assistant lecturer. Kim teaches basic statistics at the undergraduate level and advanced statistical methods and spatial analysis at the postgraduate level.

Her research interests include the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases, the effect of climate change on the epidemiology of disease, risk assessment and spatial modelling. In addition to her full-time job responsibilities Kim is also completing a part-time PhD which focuses on spatial modelling.

Dr Kristien Verheyen

Senior Lecturer in Clinical Epidemiology

Kristien graduated as a veterinary surgeon from the University of Ghent, Belgium, in 1995. After short spells in mixed practice and the pharmaceutical industry, she joined the Epidemiology Unit at the Animal Health Trust near Newmarket, UK, in 1997. Whereas her initial role at the Trust focused on equine infectious diseases, in 1998 she started working full-time on a large-scale epidemiological study of musculoskeletal injuries in thoroughbred racehorses. During the course of this project, she also studied for an MSc degree in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of London, which she completed by distance learning in 2002. She subsequently embarked on a Residency in Equine Epidemiology which allowed her to obtain a PhD on the ‘Epidemiology of fractures in racehorses in training’ from the University of London in 2005.

Kristien joined the Royal Veterinary College as a Lecturer in Clinical Epidemiology in 2005. Her research activities remain in the field of equine epidemiology, with a focus on common diseases that affect equine welfare in the UK and health and welfare of working horses in developing countries. She also teaches evidence-based medicine, epidemiology and biostatistics at undergraduate and postgraduate level, including on the resident MSc course in Veterinary Epidemiology.

Apply online

Academic Inspiration:MSc Livestock Health & Production

Professor Neville Gregory provides an overview of the Sustainable livestock farming in the environment module which is available as part of the MSc Livestock Health & Production

Animal Welfare Module

Martin Whiting form the Veterinary Clinical Sciences Department,Royal Veterinary College, University of London, speaks about the importance of Animal Welfare.

Livestock Health and Production (MSc, Postgraduate Diploma & Postgraduate Certificate)