Access to Higher Education Diploma (Veterinary Science)

Access to Higher Education Diploma (Veterinary Science)

This Course at a Glance

• Save the lives of animals through your career
• Learn how to support and maintain the health of different species
• Study a veterinary degree without A Levels
• Learn on your terms
• 100% online course
• No exams

About Your Diploma

If you’ve always had an adoration for animals and an urge to help them in your career, you can now get on a fast-track route to becoming a Vet or Vet Nurse through online study.

Study a Veterinary Degree Without A Levels

A Levels are the traditional post-school qualification and the typical barrier to entry most learners face when contemplating degree-level study. If you too were put off the idea of a veterinary degree because you didn’t hold multiple A Levels, this course provides the perfect alternative.

As a Level 3 equivalent, you can now meet the requirements for a veterinary science or veterinary nursing degree with one course. That’s because this Access to Higher Education Diploma (Veterinary Science) is designed to build your knowledge ahead of degree-level learning of these subjects. What’s more, it takes most of our learners less than a year to complete.

Learn All About Veterinary Practice

Being a vocational course, this veterinary science diploma concentrates your focus on all the elements involved in the roles and responsibilities of a veterinary professional.

During your studies, you will cover topics like:

• Animal Behaviour and Welfare
• The Digestive and Dietary Needs of Animals
• Animal Physiology, and more!

You will also complete a number of modules that are designed to build up your study skills ahead of your degree, so you can hit the ground running in the next phase of your veterinary education. For more information on what you’ll learn in this course, view the ‘Modules’ tab.

Getting Started

learndirect is the UK’s leading distance learning provider. This Access to Higher Education Diploma (Veterinary Science) is a nationally recognised Level 3 qualification that is regulated by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).

Learn When It Suits

Being online, this veterinary science course can be studied as and when it suits your lifestyle. Should you only be free at night, that’s fine, or if you need to study around your children, simply log on and learn when you’re available. That’s the beauty of having no classes or timetables!

You get up to two years to complete the course but most of our learners have it finished within 9-12 months.

Don’t Lose Track

Once enrolled, you’ll get an Individual Learning Plan that details the submission deadlines for your assignments. This will help you stay on track throughout your studies.

*Please note the entry requirements can be different between universities. It’s always best to check before you enrol that this qualification will be accepted.

Modules

Module 1: Academic Writing Skills

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Be able to structure a written response
• Be able to develop a structured response to a plan
• Be able to present the response appropriately for audience and purpose
• Understand how to apply academic writing principles to own work

Module 2: Reading and Note Making

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Understand a range of reading strategies
• Understand the use of language in terms of the purpose and context of a range of texts
• Be able to use methods for developing notes from a range of sources

Module 3: The Structure and Function of Cells

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Understand cellular structure and organisation
• Understand cellular activity
• Understand the cell cycle

Module 4: Atoms, Bonds and Structure

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Understand atomic structure
• Understand bonding, structure and properties
• Understand intermolecular forces

Module 5: Animal Cells, Locomotion and Senses

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Understand the biology of animal cells
• Understand locomotion of different non-human animals
• Understand sensory organs in non-human animals

Module 6: Cell Division and Genetics

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Understand mitosis
• Understand meiosis
• Understand genetic variation

Module 7: Animal Behaviour and Welfare

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Understand non-human animal behaviour
• Understand non-human animal communication
• Understand animal welfare needs and issues affecting welfare of animals in specific contexts
• Understand the role of animal welfare legislation and the role of animal welfare organisations in the UK

Module 8: Respiration in Cells

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Understand the principles of energy release from respiratory substrates in living organisms
• Understand the aerobic respiratory pathway of glycolysis, Krebs cycle and the electron transport system
• Understand how anaerobic respiration releases less energy than aerobic respiration

Module 9: The Digestive System and Dietary Needs of Animals

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Understand nutrient requirements and sources for an animal
• Understand the need for a balanced diet in animals
• Understand digestive systems of animals and the impact of ruminating
• Be able to calculate the energy requirements of animals at different life stages
• Understand the causes, signs, impact and treatments for issues arising from nutritional imbalance

Module 10: Organic Concepts and Hydrocarbons

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Understand general concepts of organic chemistry
• Understand the chemistry of alkanes
• Understand the chemistry of alkenes
• Understand the chemistry of arenes

Module 11: Animal Physiology

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Understand feeding behaviours of different non-human animals
• Understand the respiratory and circulatory differences between different animals
• Understand reproductive processes and factors of a range of different animals

Module 12: Chemistry of Drugs and Medicines

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Understand the key definitions used in medicinal chemistry
• Understand the significance of the molecular structure of drugs upon their function
• Understand analytic methods used for drug detection
• Understand the importance of isomerism in drug action
• Understand the common processes involved in drug design

Module 13: Numerical Analysis of Statistical Data

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Be able to analyse a set of data
• Be able to analyse data in a frequency table
• Be able to analyse data in a grouped frequency table
• Be able to analyse bivariate data

Module 14: Kinetics, Energetics, Equilibria and Acid-Base Equilibria

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Understand chemical kinetics
• Understand energetics
• Understand chemical equilibria
• Understand acid-base equilibria

Module 15: Ecology and Environmental Science

On successful completion of this module, you will:

• Understand habitats, ecosystems and energy flow
• Understand ecosystem management
• Be able to evaluate the role of the UK government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved with environmental protection

Entry Requirements

To study an Access to HE Diploma you must be resident in the UK and have a UK postcode.

You must hold Level 2 qualifications in both English and Maths, or be working towards them alongside studying your Access to Higher Education Diploma.

University Entry Criteria

It must be reiterated that each university will set its own admission criteria. So, you must check with your desired institution if your Access to HE Diploma and other qualifications will be accepted. In many cases, to get started at university you will need: - A certain number of credits passed with a merit or a distinction grade - A face-to-face interview at the university - Literacy and numeracy assessments provided by the university - Course-related work placements or work experience - GCSE Grade C/4 or above in Maths and English (or equivalent Level 2 such as Functional Skills/Key Skills, etc.) It is your responsibility to check that your Access to HE Diploma will be accepted as part of these entry requirements for your chosen degree. learndirect will not be held accountable if completing this Access to Higher Education Diploma doesn’t secure you a position with a higher education institution.

Minimum age restriction

Access to HE Diplomas are designed to support students to progress to university who have substantial experience of life outside of formal education which they have gained since completing compulsory schooling.

Average completion timeframe

The average time it takes our learners to complete the course is 9-12 months.

Assessment requirements

A range of assessment methodologies are used, including: academic report, essay, presentation (video and audio recording), scenario analysis, illustrated report, series of questions, work sheet, academic writing skills tasks

Exams required

There are no exams included in the assessment of the course.

Is Membership Required?

No membership is required to enrol on this course.

Additional requirements

Learners must be actively studying for a minimum of six months before results can be ratified and certificates ordered. The six month period does not start until you have passed unit 2 of your course and you must be submitting assignments regularly (in line with the deadlines in your Individual Learning Plan) to meet this six month requirement. Certificates can only be issued once your course is paid for in full.

Certification Timeframe

You can expect to receive your certificate 12-16 weeks from your final assignment being marked and graded, depending on the time of year. You will be provided with regular updates throughout the certification process so that you are fully informed of your individual timeframes.

Course Fees

All course fees, inclusive of all payment plans including our Premium Credit Limited option, must be settled before certification can be ordered.

*You will have access to the course for 24 months.

The assessment process of our veterinary science course consists of the following:

Assignments

The assignments for this course aim to prepare you for your next step in higher education while providing the number of credits necessary to achieve your qualification.

At the end of each unit of study, you will need to complete an assignment. Your tutor will then mark this and provide you with feedback and a grade to help you progress.

Credits

To successfully achieve this Access to Higher Education Diploma you will need 60 credits in total. The credits are split into the following two categories:

• Graded – 45 credits come from graded units, which focus on the academic subject
• Ungraded – 15 credits come from ungraded units, such as writing and study skills

As part of this veterinary diploma, UK learners will also receive help as well as guidance with their university application and the research they need to do to get the most out of their diploma.

Skills & Education Group Access

On successful completion of the Access to Higher Education Diploma (Veterinary Science), (QAA aim code: 40014757), you will receive a Skills and Education Group Access, QAA recognised, Access to Higher Education Diploma at Level 3. As part of your programme, you will also receive help as well as guidance on your university application and the research you need to do to get the most out of your diploma.

An access validating agency with a strong social purpose to recognise achievement, particularly for those who have benefited least from their previous educational experiences, Skills and Education Group Access supports the needs of learners, providers, businesses and communities by enabling progression into higher education.

Once you successfully complete this Access to Higher Education Diploma (Veterinary Science), you will be perfectly prepared to study a veterinary science or veterinary nursing degree at university. This will depend entirely on which career path you’re most interested in.

Further Qualifications and Prospects

Once you qualify and become a registered Veterinarian or Veterinary Nurse, your registration needs to be maintained through Continuing Professional Development (CPD). This includes any form of training and education that adds directly to your skillset but doesn’t fall under your mandatory and statutory training.

CPD training can also provide the perfect opportunity to try out a specialist area you might want to explore, as there are many progression paths for Veterinarians and Vet Nurses once qualified.

As a Vet Nurse, you could develop specialist skills in rehabilitation, focus on the care of exotic pets or step into leadership and management roles as you gain experience.

As a Vet, you could study courses on:

• British Wildlife Rehabilitation
• Herpetology
• Marine Biology
• Wild Animal Behaviour
• Zoology

With additional specialist knowledge and qualifications, you could progress into senior roles like:

• Equine Veterinarian – Work solely with horses
• Official Veterinarian – Help manage animals that cross the border
• Veterinary Specialist – Concentrate on a particular specialism like dentistry, surgery or emergency care
• Zoo Veterinarian – Support the health of exotic animals in zoos

Should you choose to complete the necessary postgraduate qualifications, you could teach future Veterinarians and perform research.

Frequently Asked Questions