THE first crop of veterinary science students from the University of Adelaide's Roseworthy Campus will sit their final exams in two months - six years and more than $50 million on from the course's foundation.
It will be the culmination of years of planning and significant investment in infrastructure in the university's most northern campus.
Since it was first announced in September 2007, a $37m vet school has been built at the campus, incorporating state-of-the-art teaching facilities and a veterinary hospital, while a $14m Equine Health and Performance Centre will be completed by the end of the week.
But the course is yet to be signed off by the Veterinary Schools Accreditation Advisory Committee, as this cannot occur until the first cohort of veterinarians graduate.
University of Adelaide School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences head Kym Abbott said he was confident that the campus and students would pass the accreditation.
"I see no reason why we shouldn't be able to pass," Prof Abbott said.
"We were last visited by the accreditation board in May, and there were a few minor things we have since changed.
"We believe it will go well."
He said the 35 sixth-year students were finishing their clinical rotations, then had four-weeks of tutorials focusing on "day one" practice - the transition from students to qualified veterinarians - before sitting their final exams in November.
Despite a TER score of about 98 needed to study the Bachelor of Science (Veterinary Bioscience) and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, Prof Abbott said demand was very high for a place in the course.
He said they planned to adapt the selection process by 2015 to recognise students who had previously worked with animals or were from a rural background.
"Roseworthy certainly has strengths in its large animal focus," he said.
"We want to change so we can produce graduates who are keen to work with large animals."
* Full report in Stock Journal, September 5 issue, 2013.
