The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine was established in 1985 at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It is the only academic institution in Israel that offers a Veterinary degree. The school regards itself as the center of veterinary knowledge and is distinguished in the fields of clinical veterinary medicine, veterinary research and veterinary services for the welfare of animals and humans in Israel.

The staff is dedicated to maintaining the schools position as one of the best teaching and research veterinary institutes in the world. Graduates of the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine are employed in a wide variety of veterinary practices, as well as in veterinary and biological research laboratories in Israel and around the world. The school is the primary source of knowledge in the fields of veterinary health and welfare which impacts on humans, pets, livestock and wild animals. The teaching of veterinary health and welfare is conducted in cooperation with the Veterinary Services and Animal Health Authorities in Israel as well as veterinarians, physicians, researchers and public health professionals. Animals are an important and meaningful part of human life – both modern and traditional. The school staff and the students are committed to improving the life of animals and of the people interacting with them. This commitment includes caring for pets and livestock, the quality and safety of food animals as well as the protection of the public from diseases transferred by animals to humans.

According to the veterinary law in Israel, a person convicted of a flagrant criminal offense is ineligible to obtain a license to practice veterinary medicine.

Course of studies:

Each year 60 students are accepted, all of them Israeli citizens which have completed a B.Sc. degree in one of the following fields: agriculture (with the exception of hotels and food resource management and tourism, agricultural economics and management), medicine, dentistry, basic medical studies, medical laboratory science, pharmacy, biotechnology, psycho-biology, life sciences (with the exception of Mathematics and courses studied at the School of Engineering and Computer Science).

 

• The duration of study is 4 years. During the first two years the course is conducted mainly on the campus of the Robert H. Smith faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment in Rehovot. The last two  years are conducted mainly at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

 

• The first two years are dedicated mainly to basic and pre-clinical studies, while in the third year the focus is on clinical studies in preparation for clinical practice. In addition, students need to complete a graduate thesis as part of the requirements to obtain the DVM degree.

 

• The fourth year comprises 12 months of study dedicated to all aspects of the veterinary profession. The year is divided into 2 week blocks/rotations. The students rotate through all the departments at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and, in addition, have rotations with production animal clinicians and public health physicians in Israel. During this year, the students are required to dedicate their time to the daily duties required by the various departments as well as after hour duties on weekends and holydays.

 

• At the end of the final year the candidate is expected to pass a series of final exams prior to obtaining a DVM degree.

 

• The DVM graduation ceremony takes place once a year and a personal invitation will be extended to those students who have fulfilled all the requirements of the course.

 

• A license to work as a veterinarian is provided by the Veterinary Services upon presentation of a degree of Doctor in Veterinary Medicine (DVM) certificate.