The University

Camden campus, Hobday building Choosing the right university for you is as important as choosing which course you want to study. The following information will help you find out about the university and its history, on-site facilities and learning resources should help you decide if the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) meets your individual needs.

Hawkshead campus, Eclipse building The RVC is an independent college of the University of London and offers undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing professional development courses alongside clinical veterinary services. The university is split between two campuses: one campus is in Camden, London and the other is in Hawkshead, Hertfordshire.

Did you know? The Royal Veterinary College...

has a significant international reputation.
is the UK's largest, oldest and only independent veterinary school.
carries out ground-breaking research in state-of-the-art facilities.
course programmes are taught by internationally renowned academics.
uses current research and student feedback to shape a cutting-edge and invigorating curriculum.
has scored consistently well in 2001 & 2008 Research Assessment Exercises.
is accredited by the AVMA.

You can find out more about the university and the research carried out here in the About Us and Research sections of the website.

Clincal skills centre. Foreground: IV bags. Background: Students practising suturing.

Books on shelves in the learning resources centre.

Teaching and learning facilities

At the RVC you will benefit from our state-of-the-art clinical and scientific facilities. A prime example is the Centre for Excellence in Lifelong and Independent Veterinary Education (LIVE). This is the only veterinary-themed Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in the UK, established in 2005 following an award of £4.9 million. It aims to enhance veterinary education through the development of novel approaches to learning through methods such as the Clinical Skills Centre, which was the first of its kind in the UK. This centre allows you to practice the day one skills needed to treat animals with confidence when you graduate.

The RVC Hertfordshire campus is also home to The Mill Reef Pathology Building. This complex accommodates a modern post-mortem hall with annexed containment and specialised areas, a 200-seat lecture theatre with direct video links to the main hall, and a series of pathology service and research labs.

Other fantastic clinical facilities on campus include:

The Beaumont Sainsbury Animals' Hospital
A first opinion hospital that is based in RVC Camden. It provides a professional and caring service since 1932.
The Queen Mother Hospital for Animals
A high quality animal referral hospital based at RVC Hawkshead. It provides state of the art clinical services in a wide range of specialities.
Equine Practice
A first opinion practice serving Hertfordshire and other local areas, carrying out work in your yard or stables.
The Equine Referral Hospital
The Equine Hospital provides referral clinical services to equine practices and horse owners throughout the south of England.
Farm Animal Clinical Centre
A 24-hour referral service for first opinion clinicians for Farm Animals and Camelids.

These clinical facilities provide students with the opportunity to be exposed to around 20,000 cases each year, allowing them to develop and practice their clinical skills.

Additional learning resources

Learning resource centres

You'll have access to our Learning Resources Centres at both the Camden and Hawkshead campuses. These offer high quality open access computers and laptops and a variety of different study spaces for group work or private study. Both libraries are well stocked with books on science and medicine from both a human and a veterinary perspective. Additionally, the RVC provides on siteaccess to almost 3,000 electronic journals and databases and some offsite via the Athens portal.

Educational resources

The RVC is a leading developer in e-learning we will give you access to numerous innovative resources for veterinary education. These include:

Computers in the learning resources centre.

lecture notes.
podcast & lecture recordings.
digital videos of anatomical and clinical procedures.
computer aided assessment.
interactive course materials.
an online learning environment.

You'll also have the opportunity to take a computer-based 'quiz' at the end of each week so you can assess how well you are progressing and focus your studies more effectively. You can find out more about e-learning projects at the: RVC Electronic Media Unit pages.

Network access

As a matter of course our network provides fast access to the Internet both through internal ports and WiFi so that you can stay connected to the internet in most places on campus.

Undergraduate Courses