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REPORTS

Joint Report of the Council and the General Board on the establishment of a degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

The COUNCIL and the GENERAL BOARD beg leave to report to the University as follows:

1. In 1997 the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons reported, through its Committee of Enquiry into veterinary research, that veterinary research in this country needs to be strengthened and developed. In response to this finding, the Faculty Board of Clinical Veterinary Medicine have taken steps to increase the range and the depth of the research carried out in the Veterinary School. The number of Graduate Students in the Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine working for the Ph.D. Degree has grown considerably in the past five years, and an M.Phil. course in Veterinary Science was introduced in 1997. The Faculty Board now wish to enlarge the research base of the Department still further by encouraging members of the veterinary profession to undertake clinical research.

2. There are a significant number of practising veterinarians in the country who carry out clinical research of a high standard in the course of their professional work, but there is at present no Cambridge degree for which they can qualify on the strength of that research. In the field of human medicine the M.D. Degree fills this role, and it is proposed to institute a similar professionally-based degree for work in veterinary science. In professional terms this would serve the same purpose as the M.D., though in academic standard it would be more closely comparable to the Ph.D. and would not rank as a higher doctorate; the title of the degree would be Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (Vet.M.D.). A comparable degree is offered by four out of the other five veterinary schools in the UK.

3. Candidature for the proposed degree would be restricted, as in the case of the M.D. Degree, to those holding an approved professional degree. It is proposed to institute a committee, to be known as the Vet.M.D. Committee, whose function would be to consider applications from prospective candidates for the degree and to ensure that they are properly advised about their research. Intending candidates would apply to this Committee, giving details of the research project on which they propose to work; they would be expected to provide evidence of their ability to carry forward the project, including the informal involvement of a Supervisor if appropriate. Applicants would require the approval of the Committee before being formally registered as candidates for the degree. Research projects undertaken for the degree would be designed to engage candidates' veterinary expertise and would build on their professional experience; the standard of work expected and the level of originality demanded would be high, and the examination procedure would be rigorously administered, so as to ensure that work approved for the degree is genuinely of doctoral standard. The examination would be modelled on the regular Ph.D. procedure; each candidate would submit a dissertation specially composed for the purpose, and would be examined orally by two Examiners. The Examiners would report to the Degree Committee (in this case the Joint Degree Committee for the Faculties of Clinical Medicine and Clinical Veterinary Medicine), and the deciding authority for the award of the degree would be the Board of Graduate Studies.

4. Candidates working for the Vet.M.D. Degree would not necessarily be resident in Cambridge; they would not be classed as students, and would not be liable to pay a University composition fee. As in the case of the M.D. Degree, they would be required to pay an application fee on first applying to be registered as candidates for the degree, followed by a substantial submission fee on submitting the dissertation. These fees would be expected to cover the cost of administering the system.

5. In addition to the class of potential candidates described in paragraph 2 above, candidature for the proposed degree might also be appropriate for members of the staff of the Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine. The Council and the General Board currently have under consideration proposals for the introduction of a part-time Ph.D. Degree and, if these proposals are approved by the University, it will be possible for staff of the Department to undertake part-time research leading to the Ph.D. However, the proposed Vet.M.D. Degree, because of its professional orientation, might in some cases be more appropriate for staff of the Department than the Ph.D. In any case the two alternatives would not be mutually exclusive; a successful candidate for the Vet.M.D. might subsequently wish to embark on an extended research project with a view to qualifying for the Ph.D. by the part-time route.

6. The Council and the General Board recommend:

I. That, subject to the approval of Her Majesty in Council, the Statutes of the University be amended as set out below, and that these amendments be submitted under the Common Seal of the University for the approval of Her Majesty in Council.

Statute B

Chapter III
DEGREES

Section 1.

By amending subsection (c) so as to read:

(c) The degrees of Doctor of Philosophy and Veterinary Medicine;

Section 3.

By inserting after the words 'Doctor of Philosophy' the words 'or Veterinary Medicine'.

II. That, if Recommendation I is approved, regulations for the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, as set out in the Annex to this Report, be approved with effect from 1 October following the date on which the amendments of Statutes proposed in Recommendation I take effect.

III. That, if Recommendation I is approved, certain regulations be amended, with effect from the same date, as follows:

(A) The regulations for admission to degrees (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 179):

Regulation 9.

By relettering sub-paragraph (f) as (g) and by inserting the following as sub-paragraph (f):

(f) Candidates for the degree of Vet.M.D. shall be presented by the Chairman of the Degree Committee for the Faculties of Clinical Medicine and Clinical Veterinary Medicine, or by a Doctor of Medicine, Science, or Veterinary Medicine deputed by the Chairman.
(B) The regulations for forms of presentation for degrees (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 181); see also Reporter, p. 531:

Regulation 1.

By amending the heading of the paragraph relating to doctorates so as to read:

For the degree of Doctor of Law, Letters, Medicine, Music, Philosophy, Science, or Veterinary Medicine

(C) The Schedule appended to the regulations for forms of presentation to degrees and forms of admission to degrees (see Reporter, p. 533):

By adding at the end the following entry:

  For the Vet.M.D. Degree    Doctoris in Veterinaria Medicina

(D) The regulations for the order of seniority of graduates (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 183):

By inserting after the entry 'Doctors of Philosophy' the entry 'Doctors of Veterinary Medicine'.

(E) The regulations for academical dress (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 184):

By inserting under the sub-title BLACK GOWNS, after the entry relating to the Ph.D. Degree, the following entry:

Vet.M.D.: the Ph.D. gown but with a button on each sleeve above the lace;

By inserting under the sub-title HOODS, after the entry relating to the Ph.D. Degree, the following entry:

Vet.M.D.: of black corded silk lined with mid-cherry silk;

By inserting under the sub-title FESTAL GOWNS, after the entry relating to the Ph.D. Degree, the following entry:

Vet.M.D.: the silk M.A. gown but with a facing of mid-cherry silk, four inches wide, the full length of the front.

21 June 1999

ALEC N. BROERS, Vice-Chancellor JOHN A. LEAKE MARK RHINARD
A. L. R. FINDLAY HOLLY LINKLATER JEREMY SANDERS
DAVID HARRISON A. M. LONSDALE M. SCHOFIELD
B. A. HEPPLE M. D. MACLEOD R. B. L. SCOTT
BRIAN F. G. JOHNSON ONORA O'NEILL DAVID M. THOMPSON
DONALD LAMING

2 June 1999

ALEC N. BROERS, Vice-Chancellor BRIAN F. G. JOHNSON ADRIAN POOLE
P. J. BAYLEY JOHN A. LEAKE K. B. PRETTY
JOHN E. CARROLL PETER LIPTON M. SCHOFIELD
A. L. R. FINDLAY N. J. MACKINTOSH

ANNEX
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

1. In order to qualify for the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine a candidate shall be required to provide evidence of a significant original contribution to the study of Veterinary Medicine.

2. Any person may apply to be registered as a candidate for the degree who

either (a) holds the Vet.M.B. Degree of the University,
or (b) holds a University office or an unestablished appointment on the staff of the Veterinary School,

and also holds one of the following qualifications:

either (i) a veterinary degree giving entitlement to provisional or full registration with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons,
or (ii) a degree recognized by the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for the purpose of full registration,
or (iii) a veterinary degree approved by the Vet.M.D. Committee for the purpose of candidature.

No one shall be registered as a candidate for the degree until five years have elapsed since the date of his or her admission to a veterinary degree as specified above.

3. There shall be a Vet.M.D. Committee, which shall consist of:

(a) the Head of the Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine or a deputy appointed by the Head of the Department, who shall be Chairman;
(b) six persons appointed by the Degree Committee for the Faculties of Clinical Medicine and Clinical Veterinary Medicine;
(c) not more than six persons co-opted by the Committee.

Members in class (b) shall be appointed in the Michaelmas Term to serve for three years from 1 January following their appointment. Members in class (c) shall serve for such period as the Committee shall determine at the time of their co-optation.

4. No business shall be transacted at a meeting of the Committee unless four of the members in classes (a) and (b) are present.

5. Any person who wishes to be registered as a candidate for the degree shall submit an application to the Secretary of the Vet.M.D. Committee. The application shall specify:

(a) the applicant's proposed subject of study or research, including a plan of the work to be undertaken and an account of the methods to be used;
(b) the place where the work is to be undertaken;
(c) the method of financing the work;
(d) the name of a suitably qualified person who is proposed as supervisor of the work.

Each application shall be accompanied by an application fee.1

6. Each application shall be submitted to the Vet.M.D. Committee, who may refer it to one or more referees for their opinion and advice before deciding whether to approve or reject the application or to suggest some modification of the applicant's proposals. Each referee appointed under this regulation shall receive a fee.1 The Secretary of the Vet.M.D. Committee shall maintain a record of persons who are registered as candidates for the degree; when an application has been approved, the applicant's name shall be entered on the record. The Committee shall determine the conditions, if any, of an applicant's registration and shall assign to him or her a date of commencement of candidature.

7. The examination for the degree of Vet.M.D. shall consist of:

(a) the submission of a dissertation embodying the results of the candidate's study or research, which shall be submitted in accordance with the provisions of Regulations 9 and 10;
(b) an oral examination on the subject of the dissertation and the general field of knowledge within which it falls.

By special permission of the Vet.M.D. Committee, candidates may submit with the dissertation published work which they wish the Examiners to consider; such work may be considered by the Examiners at their discretion.

8. A candidate may submit his or her dissertation not earlier than two years and not later than six years after the date of registration for the degree, provided that the Vet.M.D. Committee may give a candidate special permission to delay submission until a later date. When submitting a dissertation a candidate shall pay a submission fee.1

9. In submitting their dissertations, candidates shall state, generally in a preface and specifically in notes or in a bibliography, the sources from which their information is derived, the extent to which they have availed themselves of the work of others, and the portions of the dissertation which are claimed as original. They shall also be required to declare that the dissertation submitted is not substantially the same as any that they may have submitted for another degree or for a diploma or similar qualification. A dissertation, apart from quotations, shall be written in English. The Degree Committee for the Faculties of Clinical Medicine and Clinical Veterinary Medicine shall have power to specify a maximum length for dissertations.

10. Two copies of each candidate's dissertation, accompanied by two copies of a summary of about 300 words in length, shall be sent to the Secretary of the Degree Committee for the Faculties of Clinical Medicine and Clinical Veterinary Medicine. Each dissertation shall be referred to two Examiners, appointed by the Degree Committee. Each Examiner shall make an independent report to the Degree Committee on the dissertation. The two Examiners shall jointly conduct the oral examination specified in Regulation 7(b), and shall sign a joint certificate of the result. If the Examiners do not agree in their recommendations or if for any other reason the Degree Committee or the Board of Graduate Studies need a further opinion or opinions on the merit of the work submitted, the Degree Committee may appoint an additional Examiner or additional Examiners, provided that not more than one additional Examiner shall be appointed without leave of the Board of Graduate Studies. Each additional Examiner so appointed shall make an independent report on the dissertation to the Degree Committee. Each Examiner shall receive a fee, and shall be entitled to claim travelling expenses and a subsistence allowance as appropriate.1

11. If a candidate fails to satisfy the Examiners in the oral examination specified in Regulation 7(b), the Degree Committee may permit the candidate to be re-examined by the same Examiners on payment of an additional fee.1 Permission so given shall be communicated to the Secretary of the Board of Graduate Studies and shall not be given on more than one occasion. Each Examiner who takes part in an examination under this regulation shall be paid an additional fee, in addition to any fees to which he or she may be entitled under Regulation 10, and may also claim travelling expenses in accordance with the provisions of that regulation.

12. The Board of Graduate Studies shall be the deciding authority on all recommendations for the award of the degree. If, after considering the reports of the Examiners on a candidate's dissertation and on his or her performance in the oral examination, the Degree Committee are satisfied that the candidate's work is of the requisite standard for the degree, a resolution of the Committee to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Board of Graduate Studies, together with the reports of the Examiners. If the Board, after receiving such communication, at a meeting at which not less than five members of the Board are present, resolve that the candidate be approved for the degree, the Secretary of the Board shall publish a notice of the candidate's approval for the award of the degree.

13. If, after considering the reports of the Examiners, the Degree Committee are of the opinion that a candidate's dissertation is not of the requisite standard for the degree, they may recommend to the Board of Graduate Studies that the candidate be permitted to submit a revised dissertation. The communication conveying such a recommendation shall contain the names of those present and voting on either side, and shall be accompanied by the reports of the Examiners. The Board may permit a candidate to submit a revised dissertation on not more than one occasion.

14. If, after considering the reports of the Examiners, the Degree Committee are of the opinion that a candidate's work is not of the requisite standard for the degree, and if they do not recommend that the candidate be allowed to submit a revised dissertation, their resolution to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Board of Graduate Studies, together with the reports of the Examiners. The Secretary of the Board shall communicate this decision to the candidate.

15. A candidate who is not approved for the degree

(a) shall not be eligible to submit a dissertation which is substantially the same in candidature for the Ph.D. or M.Sc. Degree;
(b) may apply to be registered again as a candidate for the degree; such application may be made on not more than one occasion, after a period of not less than five years from the date of the applicant's original registration.

16. Before being admitted to the degree, a successful candidate shall deposit with the Secretary of the Vet.M.D. Committee two copies of the dissertation and of the summary, both the dissertation and the summary being in a form approved by the Committee. The Secretary of the Committee shall deposit copies of the dissertation and the summary in the University Library and in the library of the Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, where they shall be available for consultation and for making copies for inter-library loan purposes.

17. No fee shall be payable on admission to the degree.

SCHEDULE

Fees to be paid by candidates and payments to Examiners

Application fee (Regulation 5): £165.
Payment to a referee (Regulation 6): £32.
Submission fee (Regulation 8): £385.
Payment to each Examiner taking part in the oral examination (Regulation 10): £100.
Payment to an additional Examiner (Regulation 10): £73.
Additional fee to be paid by a candidate on re-examination (Regulation 11): £100.
Additional payment to each Examiner taking part in a second examination under Regulation 11: £32.
An Examiner may claim travelling and other expenses in accordance with Regulation 11 of the regulations for the Ph.D., M.Sc., and M.Litt. Degrees.

1 See the Schedule to these regulations.


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Cambridge University Reporter, 23 June 1999
Copyright © 1999 The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge.