Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia (Online Learning) MSc, PgDip (ICL), PgCert (ICL), PgProfDev
Awards: MSc, PgDip (ICL), PgCert (ICL), PgProfDev
Study modes: Part-time Intermittent Study
Online learning
Funding opportunities
Programme website: Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia (Online Learning)
In veterinary management of animals, anaesthesia (rendering animals unconscious to permit procedures) and analgesia (reducing the pain an animal is suffering) have vital importance in improving animal welfare, as well as permitting the ongoing developments in medical and surgical advances.
Knowledge and advances in anaesthesia over the last 20 years have been considerable.
We can use techniques to block sensation locally or over a region of the body not just total unconsciousness.
We have an array of drugs and methods of drug administration available to us in our fight against pain.
Anaesthesia has always carried risks, and we have an increasing availability of monitoring equipment to help us monitor the physiological function of the body during anaesthesia with the aim of reducing morbidity and mortality in our animals.
Why Edinburgh?
We are offering this unique opportunity for an entirely online MSc to study these advances, during which you can gain knowledge and understanding in the equipment, drugs and techniques associated with anaesthesia and analgesia.
Our team can provide a wide range of clinical and research experience across many species.
Our award-winning online learning technology is fully interactive and enables you to communicate with our highly qualified teaching staff from the comfort of your own home or workplace.
Online students not only have access to Edinburgh’s excellent resources, but also become part of a supportive online community.
Expert tutors will support you through every stage of the programme and you can engage with fellow students in supportive and constructive online networks.
Your progress will be assessed through the following:
- online presentations
- essays
- critical reviews of literature
- student self-reflection activities
- short-answer questions
- multiple choice questions
- case management plans
Studying online at Edinburgh
Find out more about the benefits and practicalities of studying for an online degree:
The MSc programme is taught part-time over 3 years, but its flexible nature will allow you a maximum of 6 years to complete it.
There are also options to study for a certificate (PgCert) over 1-2 years or a diploma (PgDip) over 2-4 years.
Each year will consist of three 11-week terms, structured as two blocks of five weeks of study, with a week in between for independent study and reflection.
PgCert (1-2 years)
PgCert students must take the following compulsory courses:
- Basic sciences in veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia (20 credits)
- Clinical anaesthesia: equipment and the patient (20 credits)
You can choose a further two elective courses from the following, one of which is recommended to be a species-related course:
- Dogs & cats (10 credits)
- Equidae (10 credits)
- Ruminants, camelids and pigs (10 credits)
- Small mammals (10 credits)
- Chronic pain and advanced analgesic principles (10 credits)
- Ethics for veterinary clinicians and researchers (10 credits)
“Chronic pain and advanced analgesic principles”, and “Ethics for veterinary clinicians and researchers” are only available to PgCert students in their second year of study, or can alternatively be undertaken as part of the PgDip programme.
PgDip (2-4 years)
After meeting the requirements for the PgCert, you can choose from the following elective courses (to total 60 credits):
- Veterinary Techniques and Interventions for Conservation Medicine (10 credits)
- Ethics for veterinary clinicians & researchers (10 credits)
- Professional and Clinical Skills for Advanced Veterinary Practice (10 credits)
- Non-technical skills for safer veterinary care (10 credits)
- Evidence Based Research Methods in Clinical Practice (10 credits) or Research Methods and Data Analysis (10 credits)
- R for Veterinary Epidemiologists (10 credits)
- Chronic Pain and Advanced Analgesia Principles (10 credits)
- Ventilators and Ventilation in Veterinary Anaesthesia (10 credits)
- Advanced Cardiovascular Procedures and Monitoring (10 credits)
- Avian Anaesthesia (10 credits)
In addition, you could choose to select additional species-related elective courses from the PgCert courses listed above. If you intend to undertake the dissertation, we recommend that you take the “Research methods and data analysis” course.
MSc (3-6 years)
After completing the taught elements of the programme (i.e.: requirements for the PgCert and PgDip awards), MSc students will spend their final year completing a dissertation, which is worth 60 credits.
During the written reflective element of the programme you will have the opportunity to further develop your scientific skills and utilise scientific theory. The form of the dissertation may vary to suit individual candidates, subject to approval of a submitted proposal.
The dissertation will be a piece of written work 10,000-15,000 words long, which may take the form of one of the following:
- a research study
- an analysis of techniques used in previous clinical work
- an extended literature review
More information about the programme structure and content
Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD)
Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD) is aimed at working professionals who want to advance their knowledge through a postgraduate-level course(s), without the time or financial commitment of a full masters, postgraduate diploma (PgDip) or postgraduate certificate (PgCert).
You may take a maximum of 50 credits worth of courses over two years through our PPD scheme. These lead to a University of Edinburgh postgraduate award of academic credit.
Alternatively, after one year of taking courses you can choose to transfer your credits and continue on to studying towards a higher award on a masters, PgDip or PgCert programme.
Although PPD courses have various start dates throughout the year, you may only start a masters, PgDip or PgCert programme in the month of September.
Any time spent studying PPD will be deducted from the amount of time you will have left to complete a masters, PgDip or PgCert programme.
Please contact the programme team for more information about available courses and course start dates.
Find out more about compulsory and optional courses
We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.
Award | Title | Duration | Study mode | |
---|---|---|---|---|
MSc | Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia | Up to 6 Years | Part-time Intermittent Study | Programme structure 2024/25 |
PgDip (ICL) | Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia | Up to 4 Years | Part-time Intermittent Study | Programme structure 2024/25 |
PgCert (ICL) | Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia | Up to 2 Years | Part-time Intermittent Study | Programme structure 2024/25 |
PgProfDev | Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia | Up to 2 Years | Part-time Intermittent Study | Programme structure 2024/25 |
This programme enables a variety of veterinary staff, including vets, VN’s and technicians, to gain post graduate qualifications whilst fulfilling Continued Professional Development (CPD) requirements.
Whilst working through the programme you will also acquire skills which are important for your own professional development, but will also enable you to improve clinical practice where you work.
In addition, those completing the MSc dissertation element will learn valuable research tools which will enable them to continue clinical research in the future.
These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.
A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in veterinary medicine or veterinary nursing.
We will also consider your application if you have a degree in a related science with appropriate practical experience.
We may also consider your application if you do not have a degree but are a registered veterinary nurse/technician with a minimum of 3 years experience in anaesthesia and hold additional nursing or technical qualifications. You may be admitted to certificate level only in the first instance. Please contact the programme team to check before you apply.
Students from China
This degree is Band D.
International qualifications
Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:
English language requirements
Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.
English language tests
We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:
- IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
- TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
- C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
- Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
- PTE Academic: total 65 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
- Oxford ELLT: 7 overall with at least 6 in each component.
Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.
Degrees taught and assessed in English
We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:
We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).
If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.
Find out more about our language requirements:
Tuition fees
Award | Title | Duration | Study mode | |
---|---|---|---|---|
MSc | Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia | Up to 6 Years | Part-time Intermittent Study | Tuition fees |
PgDip (ICL) | Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia | Up to 4 Years | Part-time Intermittent Study | Tuition fees |
PgCert (ICL) | Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia | Up to 2 Years | Part-time Intermittent Study | Tuition fees |
PgProfDev | Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia | Up to 2 Years | Part-time Intermittent Study | Tuition fees |
Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.
Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:
borrowing money
taking out a loan
family support
personal savings
income from work
employer sponsorship
- scholarships
Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study
As this is a part-time intermittent programme, also known as invoiced-at-course-level (ICL), it is not eligible for UK government loan funding.
Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:
- Postgraduate Administrator, Stephen Mitchell
- Phone: +44 (0)131 651 7998
- Contact: futurestudents@ed.ac.uk
- Programme Director, Juliet Duncan
- Contact: futurestudents@ed.ac.uk
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute
- Easter Bush
- Edinburgh
- EH25 9RG
Applying
Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.
MSc Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia (Online Learning) (ICL) - 3-6 Years (Part-time Intermittent Study)
PgDip Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia (Online Learning) (ICL) 2-4 Years (Part-time Intermittent Study)
PgCert Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia (Online Learning) (ICL) 1-2 Years (Part-time Intermittent Study)
PG Professional Development in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia (Online Learning) (ICL) - 2 Years (Part-time Intermittent Study)
Programme start dates | Application deadlines |
---|---|
1 April 2025 | 22 March 2025 |
8 September 2025 | 22 August 2025 |
7 January 2026 | 28 November 2025 |
1 April 2026 | 21 March 2026 |
We encourage you to apply at least one month prior to entry so that we have enough time to process your application. If you are also applying for funding we strongly recommend you apply as early as possible.
You must submit one reference with your application.
Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:
Further information
- Postgraduate Administrator, Stephen Mitchell
- Phone: +44 (0)131 651 7998
- Contact: futurestudents@ed.ac.uk
- Programme Director, Juliet Duncan
- Contact: futurestudents@ed.ac.uk
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute
- Easter Bush
- Edinburgh
- EH25 9RG