Department
The Department of Veterinary Medicine of Sassari, which is the current denomination of the historic "Faculty of Veterinary Medicine", boasts an ancient history and, still today, is the only one in Sardinia. Since its origins, the Department has been deeply linked to the traditions of breeding of local animals, based on the productive characteristics of Sardinia, and considering the large number of animals raised on the island.
It was established as the Royal Higher Institute of Veterinary Medicine in 1928, and the first Degree Diplomas were awarded in 1932. It was transformed into a Faculty in 1934, initially located in the city center, but in 1972 construction of the current headquarters began: they were completed in 1982 with the addition of the last quarters.
The Department of Veterinary Medicine of Sassari is located in a large green space available to students, within a campus well served by public transportation and a few minutes' walk from the city center. In the immediate vicinity there are also a number of primary stores and services (supermarkets, post office, banks, pharmacies, refreshment points and bars). The Department has ample parking available for both students and staff
Overall, the site is divided into 5 intercommunicating quarters, for a total of approximately 9,500 square meters of surface area where the teaching rooms and research facilities are located. The Department has large rooms and modern services to support learning activities, whether theoretical or practical. Amongst the main educational infrastructures, there are: shared spaces for students, classrooms dedicated to each year of the course, well-equipped educational laboratories, dissection and sectoring rooms, microscope room, computer room, a mini-dairy farm and mini-didactic salami factory.
Still within the campus, nearby the classrooms, there is the Veterinary Teaching Hospital structured to welcome students and teaching in small groups (link). The Veterinary Teaching Hospital is equipped with modern healthcare facilities (overall 960 square meters, of covered and uncovered surfaces), such as clinics and operating rooms for small and large animals, where practical educational activities can be carried out in small groups. There is also state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment such as CT (Computerized Axial Tomography), Magnetic Resonance (MRI)and a modern Radiology Department.
In the same space and still nearby the classrooms, there are various educational infrastructures such as enclosures for the shelter of livestock animals and pets, with some grazing parcels, used for educational activities in the field for a total of over two hectares.
The Department of Veterinary Medicine carries out practical teaching activities in affiliated external structures (livestock farms, and food industries). The renovation of the buildings of the Department's didactic zootechnical company located eighteen kilometers from the headquarters in La Crucca, is near completion.
The Department of Veterinary Medicine of Sassari operates daily on the complex and delicate issues of animal healthcare, veterinary public health, food safety, quality of animal production, animal welfare, biology and management of wild species, animal biotechnology and the human-animal relationship. In its activities, the Department considers issues related to the evolution of society's perception of the animal, the principles of veterinary bioethics and the One World, One Health approach.
In May 2013, the Department of Veterinary Medicine of Sassari obtained approval from the international standard EAEVE, European Association of Establishment for Veterinary Education (link). The design and the delivery of the single-cycle master's course in Veterinary Medicine (LM42 class) complies with the EU directive 2005/36/EEC and subsequent amendments, which regulate the recognition of professional qualifications in the European community.
• The Department and the Degree Course in Veterinary Medicine obtained a positive evaluation as part of the periodic accreditation visit of the National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research System (A.N.V.U.R.) in 2018.
• The Department of Veterinary Medicine of Sassari is a member of the association for the development of cooperation between veterinary training structures REEV-Med, Réseau des Établissements de l'Enseignement Vétérinaire de la Méditeranée (link) supported by the OIE.