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Frequently Asked Questions

About the VPHMgt and ABMgt Coursework Programs

Why study veterinary public health?
Veterinary public health is a broad term that encompasses the multiple interfaces between animal and human health; individual animal, herd and animal products; and information and policy in animal health.

Integrating scientific skill and leadership competence, the VPHMgt program has been created to address the increasing need for veterinarians and animal scientists with developed skills to benefit the health of the whole community.

The knowledge and skills required by professionals working in this field include aspects of epidemiology, food safety, zoonoses, disease control, economics, policy development, leadership, project management and research.

Why study animal breeding?
The rapid growth of technological and scientific innovation in genetics, genomics, biotechnology and reproduction has resulted in a need for further training for scientists to support industries that rely on effective animal breeding. These include beef, dairy, poultry and pork industries and also emerging areas such as crocodiles.

The knowledge and skills required by professionals working in this field that are provided in the ABMgt program include animal genetics, animal biotechnology, genetic evaluation and breeding program design, animal reproduction, leadership, project management and research.

Why include management?
Professionals in animal health today must apply technical expertise to complex issues that extend beyond traditional boundaries. This requires the ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams and to manage research and policy processes. Modern professionals in this field require both technical and managerial expertise.

Who are the programs for?
Graduates will be skilled current and prospective employees to government and industry organisations such as Australian state and federal agriculture departments, rural lands protection boards, biosecurity and quarantine services, pharmaceutical and health research organisations, domestic and overseas livestock development projects and international agencies such as FAO.

What is Continuing Professional Development?
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is becoming vitally important for veterinarians to ensure that they maintain competency in their chosen field of work and demonstrate an ongoing commitment to maintaining and enhancing their professional skills and knowledge throughout their career. The VPHMgt and ABMgt programs cover a wide variety of areas impacting veterinarians today, including management, leadership and communication skills, that are essential for CPD.

Australian Veterinary Surgeons Boards (VSB) and the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) are now encouraging voluntary record keeping and a minimum suggested requirement for CPD. The VPHMgt and ABMgt programs contribute to structured CPD units in the points system developed by the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council Inc. For more information about CPD, refer to the NSW Veterinary Surgeons Board - http://www.vpb.nsw.gov.au/Boardtalk/2003/Dec03/December2003_9.htm.

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Online Study

How do you study in the VPHMgt and ABMgt programs?
Study in the VPHMgt and ABMgt programs is through a combination of distance units of study delivered online and short residentials. This means that you can study the programs from anywhere in the world if you have access to the right equipment (see information on the technical requirements below).

What is distance education?
Distance education means that as busy professional people you can study when and where you want to. You will study in small groups and interact with your colleagues and your tutor via a web based classroom. There is no need to be online at a particular time - you can visit the classroom each week at a time that suits you. At the introductory residential held in February each year we will make sure that everyone in comfortable with participating in the online classroom.

What are the technical requirements for studying online?
To study online you need regular access to a computer with an Internet connection. If you are using your home computer the minimum requirements are:

  • PC486 or better running Windows 95, 98 or 2000
  • Mac 68030 or better running at least OS 7.5
  • At least 16Mb RAM and 20MB free disk space
  • Modem 28k bps or faster
  • A web browser IE4 or above or Netscape 4.** or 6.2 (not 6.0 or 6.1)
  • Microsoft Office (or equivalent) Word and Excel
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader
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Residentials

What is a residential intensive block?
Students will attend up to three short residential intensive blocks on campus during the VPHMgt and ABMgt programs. Residentials form part of the requirements for the Leadership and Project Management units of study.

The intensives will be structured to maximise opportunities for skill development, critical enquiry and professional interaction with your peers and facilitator. Group activities such as informal modified lectures, tutorial exercises, discussion groups, small-group tasks and role-plays will be incorporated into the residential programs.

If I am an International student, do I need a visa to attend the residentials?
With the exception of New Zealand citizens travelling on New Zealand passports, all international students who are not Australian citizens must obtain a visa or Electronic Travel Authority before travelling to Australia. Further information is available at the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs website.

International students please note that the expectation is that you will complete this course from your home country and you are not able to use enrolment in the VPHMgt or ABMgt programs to obtain a student visa to enter Australia. Depending on where you are coming from, you may need to obtain a visa for short stays (3-5 days or 1 month) for residential sessions.

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Flexible Enrolment

How do I enrol in the VPHMgt or ABMgt program?
Successful applicants are advised of enrolment and fee-paying procedures via the University's central administration. In addition, correspondence from program management will be sent to all new students, describing the enrolment and fees process and proxy authorisation for distance students.

How do I re-enrol after an absence?
If you have deferred your studies or graduated with a Graduate Certificate and wish to re-enrol, you will need to complete an Application for Re-admission, which can be downloaded in Word or PDF format, and fax it to +61 2 9351 3056, or mail to:

Postgraduate Coursework
Evelyn Williams building, B10
Faculty of Veterinary Science
University of Sydney
NSW 2006 Australia

How do I pre-enrol and/or change my enrolment?
If you are a continuing local student, you can pre-enrol in units of study and withdraw/enrol in units of study on MyUni, http://myuni.usyd.edu.au/. MyUni is your online University information and service centre, tailored to your specific needs. You can also change your contact details in MyUni, but please also notify program management (email ) if you change your address. You will need your UniKey login and password to access MyUni. Continuing international students need to pre-enrol using the Enrolment Form.

How many hours should I set aside for each unit of study?
You should be prepared to spend a minimum of 75 hours studying each 3-credit point unit of study. Some units are studied on-line over a 7-week period. This equates to around 10-11 hours per week. Other units (Leadership 2 & Project Management) are studied on-line over 14 weeks, which is equivalent to around 5 hours per week. Other units are studied at the intensive, residential sessions, which are generally 3-5 days in length.

Do I need to enrol in all units of study offered each semester?
If you do not have the time to commit to a full load of study in a semester, you can enrol in fewer units. This just means that it will take you longer to complete your degree. The maximum number of semesters you can take to complete the three degrees are 4 semesters for the Graduate Certificate, 5 semesters for the Graduate Diploma and 6 semesters for the Masters.

Examples of progression through the VPHMgt program

Examples of progression through the ABMgt program

Note: In the VPHMgt program, 12 credit points per semester constitutes a full load of study.

Can I do the Graduate Certificate now and re-enrol in the Masters degree later?
The VPHMgt and ABMgt programs are set up as nested award courses, so that you can complete the Graduate Certificate course initially and then re-enrol in the Graduate Diploma or Masters courses later. If you are still enrolled in either of the programs, all you need to do is transfer your candidature. If you have already graduated from the Graduate Certificate, you will need to re-enrol. You will receive advanced standing for the units of study you completed during the Graduate Certificate.

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Credit for Previous Study

What, if any, exemptions may I be eligible for?
A candidate who, before admission to candidature, has spent time in graduate study, and within the previous three years, has completed coursework considered by the dean to be equivalent to units of study prescribed for the course, may receive credit of up to:

  • 6 credit points of the requirements of the Graduate Certificate
  • 9 credit points of the requirements of the Graduate Diploma
  • 12 credit points of the requirements of the Masters from within the articulated program.

For information on how to apply for credit for previous study, see Enrolment Information.

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Course Fees

When do I get invoiced for my fees and when is payment of fees due?
You will receive your invoice after you enrol (or pre-enrol, if you are a continuing student). Unless otherwise stated on your invoice, the census dates for paying fees are 31 March for the February semester and 31 August for the July semester.

How do I pay my fees?
For security reasons, the University will not accept cash in payment of enrolment subscriptions and charges. Payment will be accepted only in the form of a cheque or money order (made payable to The University of Sydney) or by credit card (Bankcard, Visa or Mastercard).

If you are a new student (enrolling for the first time) or a deferred student (re-enrolling) and you wish to pay your fees by credit card, please complete an enrolment form for VPHMgt or ABMgt to determine your unit of study and compulsory subscription fees for your first semester and fill out your credit card details on the statement of fees.

If you are a continuing student and you wish to pay your fees by credit card, there are two methods of payment:

  1. Pay by Phone (only in Australia) - 1 300 732 076. Please follow the step by step instructions given on the phone call. You will need to have ready your 9 digit student number, credit card details and the amount you want to pay (this can be found on your invoice).
  2. Pay by Internet (anywhere) - http://www.epay.usyd.edu.au. Please follow the step by step instructions given on the website. You will need to have ready your 9 digit student number, credit card details and the amount you want to pay (this can be found on your invoice).

For more information, see the Course Fees page.

What is FEE-HELP?
FEE-HELP has replaced the old PELS and is a loan given to eligible fee-paying students to help pay part or all of their tuition fees. The deferred payment arrangements for postgraduate fee-paying students that existed under PELS still apply, but will now exist under this new loan scheme.

Please Note: FEE-HELP assistance does NOT cover voluntary subscriptions, including University of Sydney union fees or SUPRA fees.

FEE-HELP began on 1 January 2005 and is available for both eligible commencing and continuing students from that time. For more information, see information in Course Fees.

What scholarships are offered?
VPHMgt: There are 3 VPHMgt scholarships, sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and McGarvie Smith Trust. The value of each of the scholarships covers annual fees for the VPHMgt program. To be eligible for a scholarship, you must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident enrolled in your first year of the program. For more information regarding VPHMgt scholarships, including selection criteria and application form, see Scholarship Information.

ABMgt: With the support of Meat & Livestock Australia and Australian Wool Innovation, it is likely that scholarships for 10 local students to cover ABMgt course fees will be offered in 2007. For more information regarding ABMgt scholarships, including selection criteria and application form, download a Scholarship Application Form.

What is employer support?
Many distance students have varying levels of employer support for study. This is dependent on each organisation's budget and policy for training. Employer support can take a variety of different forms and does not need to be confined to paying course fees if employers are unable to do so.

Some of the ways employers can support students include:

  • re-paying the student all or a percentage of fees on successful completion of each unit of study
  • giving time off work for study at key times during each semester
  • purchase of textbooks
  • covering the costs of travel and/or accommodation at the 3 residential sessions.
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Email

How do I use my student email address?
Email accounts and access are available free of charge to all current students at the University of Sydney. You will receive notification of your email login and password on your Confirmation of Enrolment form.

You can access your email account through the Intranet Web Mail Service at https://www-mail.usyd.edu.au/. You will need your UniKey login and password to access your email account.

All University of Sydney and program email correspondence will be sent to your student email account, so please check that your access or redirection is working correctly.

If you have any questions or problems regarding your email account, visit swITch.

How do I forward my student email address?
You can redirect email sent to your student email address to your home or business email address, or any other email address of your choosing. Redirecting email to a Microsoft Hotmail or other web-based account may experience difficulties in receiving some files due to memory restrictions on those accounts. It is recommended that you redirect your student email to one account that you check regularly.

To set up a forwarding service visit the Mail Options website (http://mailopts.ucc.usyd.edu.au/mailopts.cgi) and follow the instructions. You will need your UniKey login and password to use this service.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your student email account is always re-directed to the correct email address. If your email address changes, please make sure you go to the Mail Options website to update your forwarding service as soon as possible.

How can I read my email when I am overseas?
You can retrieve your email from wherever you are (i.e. overseas), provided you have an account with an ISP (Internet Service Provider). We do not recommend you to dial to our modem pool since it will be a IDD call.

The first method: You can access your UniKey (extro) email via the Web Mail Service at https://www-mail.usyd.edu.au/.

The second method: All you need to do is to set up your email settings. If your email address is your_login@mail.usyd.edu.au, then set the POP server name to pop.usyd.edu.au.

Make sure you DO NOT have "smtp.usyd.edu.au" for the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), which is a protocol used for sending email. You must use your own ISP's SMTP server, otherwise you may have problem sending your email (i.e. relay error).

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Assessments

Where do I find due dates for assessments in a unit of study?
A key dates document is sent to students prior to the start of each semester. This document can also be downloaded from the WebCT forum, which is a forum set up for informal communication with fellow students and to download important documents.

How do I submit assignments?
Assignments are submitted in the WebCT classroom. Students should attach an assignment cover sheet, available in the WebCT forum, to their assignment before submission.

What do I do if I cannot submit an assignment on the due date?
The penalty rate for not submitting an assignment by the due date is 10% per day. If you are experiencing difficulties meeting the demands of one or more units of study due to illness, personal/family matters or misadventure, please contact your facilitator or the administrative manager as soon as possible. You will need to submit a special consideration form and supporting documentation to the program's administrative manager.

How do I access my results?
You can access your results in the WebCT classroom. Your final official marks can be accessed through MyUni and will appear on your annual result notice, which is mailed to you at the end of each semester. Marks for minor components of assessment, which make up the final results, can be obtained from your facilitator.

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