Why Should You go to Vet School in Iran?
You may be wondering if you can get a good education in veterinary universities in Iran, considering you probably don’t hear much about these veterinary schools in your home country. Actually, Iran has a long history of promoting vet education throughout the centuries. So you may just need to immerse yourself in learning more about this trend.
A List of Veterinary Universities in Iran
Iran has been known to encourage the foundation and growth of veterinary schools for a long time. It means students from many countries may have the chance to attend the best vet schools in Iran if they want to. You may look at the list provided here to see which of these veterinary schools is the right one for you to attend.
Razi University of Kermanshah – Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
If you are interested in studying in Iran, one choice you have is Razi University. This school is run as a non-profit veterinary school and ranks as the 32nd top university in Iran itself (according to EduRank.org). Its Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was formally set up in 2007 when it was licensed to admit students to its Ph.D. program for veterinary medicine. Sadly, the school is temporarily closed to the public for now.
Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz came into existence in 1975. It is currently based in the Khuzestan province of Iran. It is ranked #2617 in World Rankings as part of the school rankings of the EduRank.org site. This veterinary school prides itself on maintaining high-tech equipment and laboratory facilities on campus, which are necessary for the study of vet med. There are four programs related to veterinary science at this veterinary school. These are:
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (which usually takes six years to complete)
- Doctor of Veterinary (simply known as DVSc) that would require immersion in Clinical Pathology, Parasitology, Aquatic Health and Diseases, Avian Health and Diseases, Veterinary Surgery, Large Animal Internal Medicine and Small Animal Internal Medicine
- Ph.D. in Veterinary Parasitology, Comparative Veterinary Histology, Anatomical Sciences, Pathology, Bacteriology, Biochemistry and Food Hygiene, and Quality Control
- MSc in Physiology, Veterinary Histology, Veterinary Parasitology, and Food Hygiene
Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
The Ferdowsi University of Mashhad has maintained its own top-notch Faculty of Veterinary Medicine on campus since 1991. It offers the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (perhaps better known as the DVM degree). This Faculty of Veterinary Medicine also provides two other kinds of academic programs to veterinary students:
- Master of Science (which some may compress into simply M. Sc.)
- Doctor of Philosophy (better known as Ph.D.)
There are four departments under this Faculty, namely:
- Basic Science
- Pathobiology
- Veterinary Clinical Science
- Food Hygiene and Aquaculture
Due to its continuous efforts to contribute to science and technology in Iran, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine now has a sterling reputation for its research contributions. The school is also setting up its Center for Excellence in Ruminant Abortion and Neonatal Mortality. It is also investing in its own Research Farm located in the vicinity of Mashhad.
Furthermore, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is promoting hands-on education by establishing over 23 laboratories. These laboratories will allow the veterinary students to earn their internship while researchers will gain more success in research activities.
Considering the valuable research contributions of this school, it isn’t surprising why the Iranian government itself declared the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad as the third-best university in the country. This kind of recognition may also explain why the university has attracted the biggest population of foreign students within Iran.
University of Semnan
The University of Semnan is located in the Northeast sector of the city of Semnan in Iran. This university has been educating veterinary students since the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was opened shortly before 1994. Although the school itself is considered new by Iranian standards for education, it has five departments already, namely, the following:
- Department of Nutrition, Livestock Breeding
- Department of Aquatics Health and Disease
- Department of Pathobiology
- Department of Clinical Sciences
- Department of Basic Sciences
- Department of Food Hygiene Quality Control
There are 16 members of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. This group should not be confused with the College of Veterinary Medicine, which has only nine faculty members. The latter offers four Educational Departments that are named as follows:
- Department of Basic Sciences
- Department of Clinical Sciences
- Department of Pathobiology
- Department of Food Hygiene Quality Control
As far as school rankings are concerned, the TimesHigherEducation.com website considers the University of Semnan above the #1001 position in World University Rankings for 2021. You may also view this university as gender-fair since there is a 1:1 ratio of male students to female students.
University of Shahrekord
If you are looking for a veterinary school in Iran where you can train as a veterinary technician, this could be the right vet school. The University of Shahrekord has been maintaining its own Faculty of Veterinary Medicine on campus since 1989.
It is notable that the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine now has its own twelve laboratories on site. The laboratories are called as follows:
- Aquatics Laboratory
- Food Quality Control Laboratory
- Food Hygiene Laboratory
- Histopathology Laboratory
- Parasitology Laboratory
- Mycology Laboratory
- Virology Laboratory
- Immunology Laboratory
- Microbiology Laboratory
- Biochemistry Laboratory
- Physiology Laboratory
- Pharmacology Laboratory
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is divided into four departments, namely:
- Department of Clinical Sciences
- Department of Pathobiology
- Department of Basic Sciences
- Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control and Aquatic Animal Health
According to EduRank.org, the university itself has school rankings leveling off at #5040 in World Rankings.
University of Shiraz
The University of Shiraz was formally set up in 1946. It was known as Pahlavi University until the Islamic Revolution of 1979, which resulted in the switch to the new name University of Shiraz. It is located in Fars, within Iran. The university offers the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or DVM degree program among its academic programs.
One significant advantage of studying DVM here is that the university maintains the Shahid Hasheminejad Library for Veterinary Medicine on campus. Another advantage is that the university has very high standards for grading student requirements. This helps the university sustain its reputation for excellent education when compared to other universities in Iran.
In 2017, the school rankings of the best Iranian universities (as checked by the Times Higher Education website) revealed that the University of Shiraz is among the three leading universities in the country.
The School of Veterinary Medicine has nineteen laboratories on campus which are named as follows:
- Anatomy Science Laboratories
- Laboratory of Aquatic Health and Diseases
- Midwifery Laboratory
- Poultry Laboratory
- Protozoan Parasitology Laboratory
- Laboratory Worm Parasitology Laboratory Laboratory Food Microbiology
- Clinical Pathology
- Pharmacology Laboratory
- Physiology Laboratory
- Health Analysis Laboratory
- Microbiology Laboratory
- Biotechnology Laboratory
- Virology Laboratory
- Pathology Laboratory
- Immunology Laboratory
- Central Laboratory
- Biochemistry Laboratory
- Electron Microscope Laboratory
University of Tabriz
The University of Tabriz is located within the city of Tabriz in the East Azerbaijan Province of Iran. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine itself was set up in 1987 and began operating in 1988. There are four academic programs offered by the faculty which are called:
- Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Veterinary Laboratory Sciences, Meat Inspection, and Hygiene
- Master of Science (MSc) in Food Quality Control, Clinical Biochemistry, Veterinary Parasitology, and Veterinary Histology
- Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
- Doctorate in Veterinary Reproductive Biotechnology (Ph.D.)
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine trains its graduates into the next excellent batch of academicians, veterinary medicine practitioners, and research scientists. There are four departments under this Faculty which are:
- Department of Food Hygiene and Aquatics
- Department of Pathobiology
- Department of Basic Sciences
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
There are 45 members of the faculty at the moment. These experts in Veterinary Science topics rely on scientific databases through the University Central Library. Their veterinary students can access these during official hours of 8 am to 6 pm. Examples of the scientific databases that the students can access are:
- Irandoc
- SID
- Sage
- Scopus
- Proquest
- IEEE
- CABI
- Science Direct
- SpringerLink
Students can benefit from the high-speed Internet access of the school during the official hours, which is then connected to the local university network.
According to EduRank.org, the university is ranked #1377 in global school rankings. The same website ranks the university as the top 14th in Iran as well. The University of Tabriz is considered the second-oldest university in the country.
Veterinary Universities’ Final Say
The rulers of Iran have long nurtured the development of the field of Veterinary Science or Veterinary Medicine for a long time throughout its history. Despite the shift to a new form of government during the Islamic Revolution, Vet Med has flourished in the country. So it isn’t surprising that some of the veterinary universities listed here are highly regarded in this field.
Suppose you are looking for the best vet schools in Iran. In that case, it is necessary to seek the ones who are continually expanding their expertise in Veterinary Science or Veterinary Medicine through clinical practice and further research.
You should seek out the right school that recognizes your talents and will hone your skills further. This makes the cost of attending a veterinary school in Iran worth it.