Unit of Study VETS2014 Production Science (2026)

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Unit Snapshot

Unit type

UG Coursework Unit
Credit points

12
Faculty & College

Faculty of Science and Engineering
Placement

No

Pre-requisites

ANIM1002 - Animal Production, Husbandry and Handling AND VTEC1001 - Anatomy and Physiology for Veterinary Technologists OR VBIO1004 - Anatomy and Physiology 4

Enrolment information

1. To pass the unit, students must submit all assessment tasks and obtain at least 50% of the overall assessment marks for this unit. 2. This unit includes components of programmatic assessment and will be linked to other key content and assessments throughout the course. 3. Attendance: It is important to recognise the relationship between attendance, participation, student success and retention. Please take advantage of all classes and engagement activities as it will increase your opportunity for learning, progression in the course, and success as a veterinarian or veterinary technologist. For units with practicals and other learning activities that directly relate to developing AVBC day one competencies that are required for veterinary accreditation, additionally VNCA day one competencies required for AVNAT registration, attendance is required. These will be identified within each unit and attendance requirements clearly communicated to students.

Unit description

This unit aims to develop an integrated understanding of livestock production systems by examining how genetics, breeding design, reproductive management, pasture utilisation, and meat science interact to influence enterprise performance. Students will explore production science as a systems-based discipline in which biological processes, environmental conditions, animal welfare, and economic drivers are interdependent. The unit emphasises population-level reasoning, moving students beyond individual animal care toward analysis of herd and flock productivity. Through the interpretation of production, reproductive, and genetic data, students will develop the capacity to identify system constraints and understand how management decisions affect efficiency, sustainability, welfare and product quality across diverse production contexts. Ethical responsibility, risk awareness, and professional judgement are embedded throughout, reinforcing the veterinarian’s advisory role in balancing welfare, productivity, and societal expectations. This unit provides foundational knowledge and analytical skills that prepare students for advanced study in production medicine and herd health management in later stages of the veterinary program.

Unit content

Quantitative genetics & genetic improvement in production systems
Breeding systems & enterprise design
Theriogenology in production systems (applied reproduction)
Meat science & product quality including animal welfare aspects
Pasture, grazing & land-based production systems
Systems integration module - an enterprise model

Availabilities

Not currently available in 2026

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

integrate and apply advanced theoretical knowledge of quantitative genetics, breeding systems, pasture-based production, meat science, and theriogenology to explain productivity and performance outcomes in livestock enterprises

critically analyse and interpret production, reproductive, meat quality and genetic data to identify system-level and economic constraints and propose evidence-informed management strategies within diverse production contexts

evaluate the interactions between biological processes, environmental factors, sustainability, ethic production, risk management and economic drivers in the design and optimisation of sustainable livestock production systems

describe factors influencing meat quality, including tenderness, pH, taste, and colour, and apply Meat Standards Australia (MSA) guidelines in assessing meat products.

Fee information

Domestic

Commonwealth Supported courses
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