The College of Veterinary Science was established in year 1948 at Nagaon as the erstwhile Assam Veterinary College. The Assam Veterinary College offered 3-year diploma course leading to Graduate in Veterinary Science (GVSc). The number of students admitted in the first batch was 33. Soon after independence, with just 33 students admitted in the first batch of the three years’ Diploma course (GVSc), the college poised for a long march to grow as a premier institute. The increased realization of the importance of the veterinary profession coupled with the man power need to handle the veterinary and animal husbandry activities of the region was the driving force in the growth and development of this institution that was to follow in the coming decades. Since then the institute has grown leaps and bound in the past. The College became a constituent college of Assam Agricultural University in 1969. The college under the Assam Agricultural University introduced Trimester System of education and started Postgraduate courses in five disciplines. Intake capacity to B.V.Sc. & A.H. course was also raised from 65 to 90. In 1977, Semester System of education replaced the Trimester System and in the year 1982, the intake capacity to B.V.Sc. & A.H. course was again increased to 130 from 90, and subsequently to 150 in 1985. Out of the total of 14 departments existing at that stage, 12 departments started Ph.D. degree programme by the year 1985. Academic Regulations and syllabus as prescribed by the Veterinary Council of India for the B.V.Sc. & A.H. degree programme were adopted by AAU in 1995. Presently, the number of students enrolled in the first year B.V.Sc. & A.H. degree each year is 100 and enrolment capacity of each department in M.V.Sc. and Ph.D. degree programme is 10 and 4, respectively.
Besides imparting teaching, the institute carries out field oriented researches in animal husbandry and veterinary, and also provides extension services to the farmers with the aim of technology transfer. The college also provides expert services to the state govt. departments of the entire North Eastern region of the country, primarily in formulation of developmental plans and policies in animal husbandry sector. It also provides expert services in management and healthcare of wildlife in state zoos, sanctuaries and national parks of the region.The institute strives for human resource development to cater to the needs of the farmers and breeders for bringing about sustainable improvement in the livestock and poultry production through improved breeding, feeding, management and health care.
Presently, the college has 18 departments, one library and a number of instructional as well as research farms (cattle, buffalo, pig, goat and poultry). There are 5 boys’ hostels and 2 girls’ hostels, a multipurpose sports complex and a medical unit catering to the residential needs of the students and the faculty. Another girls’ hostel is under construction. As on January 2007, the strength of teachers (excluding those under Directorates of Research, Extension Education and Students’ Welfare) is 139 and the total number of UG students is 602.
The college has a Directorate of Clinics with a full-fledged Veterinary Hospital (Teaching Veterinary Hospital). Besides providing yeoman services to the farmers by way of treating their animals, it also provides hands-on practical training to the students on clinical disciplines. Under the Dean’s establishment, the college also has an ARIS (Agricultural Research Information System) Cell, which provides the teachers and the students an easy access to information through 24-hr Internet connectivity. Under the ARIS cell, there is a central server and a faculty LAN connecting computers of different departments. A Bioinformatics Infrastructure Facility (BIF) is in the process of establishment in the faculty with the financial assistance from Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt. of India. The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, ICAR has also offered a Core Laboratory for genetic characterization of livestock biodiversity of the North-East.
