University of Pretoria (UP) (Onderstepoort Campus) in Onderstepoort, Pretoria, Gauteng

Onderstepoort campus houses the faculty of Veterinary Science of UP and is situated 30 km form the Hatfield main campus, 15 km north of the city centre of Pretoria.

Onderstepoort is the only faculty in South Africa that trains veterinarians as well as veterinary nurses.

The University Of Pretoria Biomedical Research Centre (UPBRC) is also found at this Campus.

The faculty of Veterinary Science is the second oldest institute of its kind in Africa and is proud of its world class facilities. The programmes offered are internationally recognised and many international students make use of these facilities.

Students who qualify at UP are qualified to register with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania and Malaysia.

Programmes

• BVSc (Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Veterinary Science)
• DipVetNurs (Diploma in Veterinary Science) – to be phased out once the new Veterinary Nursing Degree Programme is introduced.

Postgraduate

• BVSc(Hons)
• MMedVet
• MSc (Veterinary Science)
• MSc (Veterinary Tropical Diseases)
• MSc (Veterinary Industrial Pharmacology)
• MSc (Veterinary Epidemiology)
• MSc (Veterinary Reproduction)
• MSc (Ruminant Health)
• MSc (Animal/Human/Ecosystem Health)
• PhD
• DV

Facilities

• Various departmental laboratories,
•  General and student administrative sections, 
• A teaching animal unit 
• Several research centres. 
• The Veterinary Academic Hospital. 
• Residence 

Sports: 

• 1 Rugby/football field with training level floodlights
• 1 Squash court
• 1 Netball court.

Vision 

The faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria strives to be an accredited seat of veterinary excellence by being locally relevant, regionally pre-eminent and globally competitive. Our teaching and learning programmes, research and post graduate training and services shall be recognized for its quality, customer and stakeholder relevance and impact, being community engaged and sustainable. It fully harnesses the diversity of its students, staff, teaching and research.

Mission

• To provide an enquiry-led, cost-effective veterinary and veterinary nursing undergraduate and veterinary postgraduate education that is responsive to local context with national, regional and international recognition
• To provide theoretical, applied and postgraduate academic research that are congruent with international quality standards
• To integrate its community engagement activities into its core academic functions of teaching, learning and research
• In pursuing recognition the Faculty will use quality, relevance, diversity and sustainability being the navigational markers of the University of Pretoria 

History

In 1874 after the appointment of the first Veterinary Surgeon was appointed in South Africa the need arose for qualified veterinarians.

In 1920 the first Colonial Veterinary Surgeon in South Africa Sir Arnold Theiler was appointed as director of Veterinary Education and Research at Onderstepoort and the new facilities were inaugurated at the end of the following year. 

1994 saw the qualification of the first 8 veterinarians trained in South Africa. 

In 1977 the new Veterinary Nursing Diploma was offered for the first time.