Master of Veterinary Studies (Epidemiology)

Join the only veterinary epidemiology speciality programme in Australasia, taught by staff from the only OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) Collaborating Centre for Epidemiology and Public Health at the only OIE collaborating Centre in Asia Pacific.

Massey’s Master of Veterinary Studies (MVS)  is an internationally recognised degree, most suitable for those who would like to undertake a combination of taught courses and a research project. There are a wide range of taught courses for you to choose from, depending on your area of interest and the endorsement that you choose.

Epidemiology is the science concerned with study patterns of health and disease in different populations, or groups.

In-depth analysis skills
With the Master of Veterinary Studies (Epidemiology) you’ll be able to work at a high level in the field. You’ll gain skills in study design and advanced skills in analysis of epidemiologic data.

You’ll learn how to critically evaluate the literature to make evidence-based decisions. The programme will teach you how to design surveillance systems and population studies in order to determine magnitude of health problems. You’ll be able to identify risk factors and evaluate interventions.

Real-world learning
This programme has an emphasis on developing quantitative skills through case studies. You’ll work with data collected during real epidemiological studies. This will help you learn how to interpret results in the light of bias, confounding, effect modification and model error.

Gain from our world-leading expertise
Massey University hosts the EpiCentre - the largest veterinary epidemiology training and research centre in Australasia. It is widely considered to be one of the leading groups in the world.

The EpiCentre is an OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) Collaborating Centre for Epidemiology and Public Health. It is the only such centre in the Asia-Pacific region.

The centre conducts active research in the areas of geographical information systems (GIS), expert systems, multivariate analysis and simulation modelling. It’s active in field work with humans, production animals, companion animals and wildlife in New Zealand, and provides consultancy services and training courses in epidemiology throughout the world.

Wide range of facilities
Massey University hosts the only veterinary school in New Zealand. Its well-equipped facilities include the Wildbase wildlife hospital, an equine hospital, 24-hour pet hospital and sheep, beef, dairy and deer farms, all located near campus. 

Our courses are led by internationally recognised lecturers and have a reputation for their use of real-life case studies and high staff to student ratios. Our staff cover a wide range of veterinary disciplines and collaborate on research projects with other related disciplines including animal production, physiology and nutrition.