There are altogether eight examinations, on the following topics:
- Small animal diseases
- Equine diseases
- Production animal health care, treatment and reproduction
- Food hygiene
- Environmental health
- Control and legislation
- Practical examination: small animals and horses
- Practical examination: production animals
In addition, seminar work related to the course on environmental health care control and legislation must be completed.
Examination type
Examinations may consist of essays, case studies and multiple choice questions.
Examination requirements
Examination requirements correspond with those of the clinical examinations that are part of the Licentiate degree in veterinary medicine, as well as the examinations on legislation, food hygiene and environmental hygiene completed when pursuing the same degree. Knowing minutiae by heart is not required. Examination requirements are updated annually. Examination material is available for loan at the University Library and for purchase at bookstores. The legislation is available online. Veterinary surgeons completing the licensing examinations will be provided with usernames and passwords for the electronic course platforms of equivalent courses included in the Licentiate degree. This way, they can familiarise themselves with the lecture material and make use of it when preparing for the examinations.
Examination schedule
All theoretical knowledge examinations and the two practical examinations can be completed in one academic year (August–May). Some examinations are arranged only once a year, others more often. Practical examinations are arranged in the spring at the same time as examinations for students pursuing a Licentiate degree. Examinations on clinical subjects must be completed before the practical examinations.
Examination duration
The duration of clinical examinations on theoretical knowledge and legislation is six hours. Examinations on food hygiene and environmental hygiene last four hours.
Language of examination
Examination questions can be provided in either Finnish or Swedish. If the applicant wishes to receive questions in Swedish, notification must be given when registering for the examinations. A general dictionary (not a thesaurus) may be used in the examinations. Examination supervisors will inspect any dictionaries before the examination begins.
Registration for examinations and fee payments
Registration for examinations must be completed no later than four weeks before the examination date. Late registrations will not be accepted. Examination fees must be paid before completing examinations.
Each examination requires a separate registration through a registration form (in Finnish only).
Pass rates and the validity of passed examinations
Results from passed theoretical knowledge examinations are valid for six years. The passing score for the examinations is the same as for students completing a Licentiate degree.
Examination results
All examinations are graded with the scale of pass/fail. Participants will be sent an email notification of the results within six weeks of the examination. Graded examination answers are available for review at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Helsinki/Mäntsälä. No detailed model answers will be provided, but grounds for grading, including concise answer explanations, will be made available. Appeals and appeal procedures for written examinations are governed by Section 55 of the Regulations on Degrees and the Protection of Students’ Rights at the University of Helsinki.
Certificate for passed examinations
Applicants who have passed all examinations will receive a certificate from the Faculty.