Why study veterinary and animal science in Indonesia?

Seats to public universities are  limited and even more narrowed down for universities that offer animal science and veterinary medicine. Currently, there are only 4 public universities offering this course – Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, and Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin. UPM only offers 80 seats while UMK has 50 seats. With that said, more and more students are venturing overseas to carry on their education in this discipline.

Despite the high demand for veterinary and animal scientists as well as educational funding from government, the number of seats offered in public universities is quite limited in the country. In 2009, Malaysia reported a shortage of 1,600 veterinarians.

To aggravate the situation, graduates of unaccredited courses from foreign universities could not practice as licensed veterinary doctors and are forced to take other jobs.

To practice veterinary medicine in Malaysia, a student must take a JPA-accredited course. Among the foreign universities JPA granted recognition are Bogor Agricultural University (BAU) and Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) of Indonesia.

Entrance gate of Gadjah Mada University

These two public universities have established their veterinary studies longer than any university in Malaysia.  In 1963, BAU's faculty of veterinary medicine became Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), an independent institution from the University of Indonesia. At the time, IPB consisted of five faculties: Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Fisheries, Faculty of Animal Husbandry, and the Faculty of Forestry.  Established in the 1940s, UGM  is the oldest and largest institution of higher learning in Indonesia.

Graduates of these universities can register with the Malaysian Veterinary Council and apply for Annual Practicing Certificate (APC) for those who wish to practice veterinary medicine.

Compared with universities in Australia, which charge up to RM700,000 the cost of studying in these universities is only between RM70,000 to RM80,000.

Medic Pro Link, an official representative for these universities is the first to recruit Malaysian students for veterinary studies back in 2009. With their experience, the placement agency is able to advise and assist students on matters such as minimum qualifications to registration with Malaysian Veterinary Council.

Bogor Agricultural University is known for its agriculture and life science studies

According to Medic Pro Link, graduates of veterinary medicine become doctors and treat and perform surgery to animals. Practicing vets can choose between small (dogs, cats, birds) and large animals (horse, cow, elephant). Animal science graduates, meanwhile, is equivalent to a general science degree and can work as an assistant to the veterinarian.

Aside from treating small pets and large farm animals, graduates of these courses can work as commercial/ academic researchers, food quality control, product development scientist, livestock managers, livestock equipment specialists, and even investment firm advisers.

The job of a veterinarian can be rewarding, according to Medic Pro Link. A fresh graduate can start earning RM2,800. The average salary of a veterinarian is between RM2,000 to RM10,000 a month. But for senior vets who are doing their private practice, their monthly earning can go up to RM60,000.