Department of Animal Health Economics and Management

The roots of veterinary medicine education in Turkey date back to the Military Veterinary School, which opened its doors in 1842. In 1921, the Higher Veterinary School was established with the merger of military and civilian educational institutions; this institution was transferred from Istanbul to Ankara in 1933 by being included in the Higher Agricultural Institute. By 1946, education continued under the name of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Ankara University.

When examining the historical process of the veterinary medicine education curriculum; it is seen that from 1842 to 1965, courses such as "Buying-Selling" and "Scientific Economics" were offered to students to help them understand the economic dimension of the profession. Considering the place and importance of animal production in the Turkish economy, the first "Animal Husbandry Business Economics Chair" was established on May 29, 1965, within the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Ankara University, providing a corporate identity to economics education in veterinary faculties. The chair was headed by Prof. Dr. Cumhur FERMAN, who also served as the Rector of Ankara University for two terms between 1965-1969. Prof. Dr. FERMAN continued his role as the Chair of the Department until 1978 without interruption. 

The specialization area of the chair and the development of its academic staff gained momentum in 1967. On June 20, 1967, one of the 14 specialization areas within the Animal Breeding and Health Sciences Graduate School opened at Ankara University, the "Animal Husbandry Business Economics and Statistics" program laid the groundwork for scientific studies in this field. In the same year, Veterinarian Yücel AKINCI and Sadi ARAL started their assistantship in the department; both completed their doctoral studies on March 30, 1971. The year 1978 is a significant turning point in the administrative history of the department. In this year, Assoc. Prof. Sadi ARAL became the first president of the unit with a veterinary background. In line with the modern development of the institutional structure, the name of the department, originally called "Animal Husbandry Business Economics," was changed to "Animal Health Economics and Management" in 2006.

With the appointment of Cevat SİPAHİ as an assistant in 2008, the Department of Animal Health Economics and Management at Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKÜ) Faculty of Veterinary Medicine became active. Within the department, in addition to the undergraduate courses of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Animal Husbandry Economics and Management, Organization and Cooperativism in the Animal Husbandry Sector, Entrepreneurship, Clinical Management, VEHİP), the Master's and Doctoral programs in Animal Health Economics and Management at the Institute of Health Sciences are actively conducted. As of the 2025-2026 academic year, there are 3 doctoral and 6 master's students continuing their education in the department.

Animal Health Economics and Management is an interdisciplinary field that applies basic economic principles to animal production and veterinary services. The main aim of this field is to protect animal health and ensure the economic sustainability of animal production by using limited resources in the most efficient way. In this context, the department conducts studies on various topics such as the economic efficiency and optimization of animal husbandry enterprises, calculating economic losses due to animal diseases and economic analyses, disease modeling, cost-benefit analyses, partial budget analysis, establishment and planning processes of animal husbandry enterprises and clinics, feasibility, management of stock and supply processes, and marketing of animal products.

As of January 2026, there are 1 professor, 1 associate professor, and two faculty members working in the department.