Veterinary curriculums of the Estonian University of Life Sciences received international accreditation

The European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE) announced its assessment decision to the Estonian University of Life Sciences on 28 November. The accreditation gives graduates of the Estonian University of Life Sciences' veterinary program the right to work as veterinarians in all European Union countries without additional studies or exams.

Kristel Peetsalu, head of the veterinary medicine curriculum, pointed out that in addition to the benefits this decision gives to future and current students, it is also important for the university as a whole. "The evaluation process began for us about a year ago when we started compiling a self-analysis report. This allowed us to focus on several bottlenecks and take steps to improve them. Considering that there is a shortage of veterinarians in Estonia and the Estonian University of Life Sciences is the only higher education institution in Estonia where you can study this, we must pay constant attention to quality," said Peetsalu, adding that since veterinary education is expensive, the university also needs government support in order to train a sufficient number of doctors.

The accreditation process, based on the guidelines of the European System of Evaluation of Veterinary Training (ESEVT), involved an extensive self-assessment. Among other things, the commission assessed the quality culture, teaching activities, curriculum, competence of academic staff, teaching and student assessment, teaching materials, competence of support structures, as well as research and development activities and lifelong learning opportunities. The evaluation committee visited Tartu for a week in October. Peetsalu noted that the requirement for regular evaluation ensures the continuous development of curricula and the opportunity to compare oneself with other European universities.

The Estonian University of Life Sciences offers both Estonian and English veterinary medicine curricula. The program lasts six years, with 36 students enrolling in the Estonian program and 38 in the English program each year.

ESEVT is a unique evaluation system in the field of education in Europe, where all European veterinary colleges are evaluated according to unified standards. The Estonian Education Quality Agency (HAKA) accepts the EAEVE evaluation and does not conduct a separate evaluation of the veterinary medicine curriculum.