Animal behaviourist
Full-time
- BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour and Welfare
- BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour and Welfare (including Foundation Year)
- BSc (Hons) Canine Clinical Behaviour (Top-Up)
- BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation and Ecology
- BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation and Ecology (including Foundation Year)
- BSc (Hons) Animal Management (Behaviour and Welfare) (Top-Up)
- BSc (Hons) Zoo Management (Top-Up)
- BSc (Hons) Veterinary Nursing
- Foundation Degree Animal Management (Behaviour and Welfare)
- Foundation Degree Zoo Management
- Foundation Degree Canine Behaviour and Training
Our Animal Science degrees are industry focused, to prepare you for work in the animal science sector after you graduate. We achieve this through excellent industry links, industry-standard facilities and subject specialist teaching staff.
Facilities
Benefit from industry-standard facilities
You’ll gain hands-on experience working in our industry-standard facilities, such as our £2.4 million Animal Management Centre and fully-licensed zoo, dedicated canine facilities and commercial farm.
Wildlife conservation and ecology facilities
Our professional-standard facilities are set amongst 330-hectares of farm, park and woodland. The campus has been carefully designed with conservation in mind by maintaining and creating wildlife habitats. This also creates lots of student research opportunities.
Animal and zoo management facilities
Inside our specialist Animal Management Centre, you will have access to a BIAZA accredited licensed zoo facility, home to over 250 different animal species. Your studies will take place in our dedicated aquatics, exotics and mammal rooms and newly-refurbished laboratories.
Industry
Teaching
Reaseheath has magnificent facilities and not only provides an excellent home for a range of species found in national zoo collections but is using them to train the biologists of the future.
Get ready for a great career in the animal science industry. Enhance your career prospects outside of lessons by going on overseas field courses* and by completing additional courses with us.
Enhance your employability with field courses*
Join optional field courses to locations such as South Africa, Costa Rica and South West Britain, to increase key employability skills to enhance your career potential. They can be studied for academic credit and are great fun! You will also be able to join a study tour to Edinburgh, to develop your practical knowledge.
Gain extra experience
We run optional courses and workshops, such as the marine mammal medic course led by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue organisation and a week-long wildlife film-making course with Wildeye International School of Film-Making*. This extra experience will really make your CV stand out.
Exciting career opportunities
Animal Science graduates have lots of career options open to them once they graduate.
A science degree gives great career flexibility due to the transferable skills you will develop during your studies.
Careers in the animal science industry range from researching animal behaviour and nutrition, to working hands-on with animals or educating future generations. Many of our students have gone on to fantastic internships too, including Chester Zoo and field work in South Africa.
Some of your career options include:
*Field courses, study tours and extra courses incur an additional cost.
As the range of responsibilities held by veterinary nurses increases, practices are looking for RVN nurses qualified at degree level to fulfil this requirement. If you have the motivation and commitment to build a career within the veterinary nursing profession, this degree is for you!
Provisionally accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), this course enables you to develop a range of professional skills, knowledge and competencies through a unique combination of academic study with practical learning at our animal centre and dedicated clinical training facility. This will be reinforced through the completion of a clinical placement* in an approved veterinary training practice.
Our veterinary nursing department has specialist practical study areas with clinical skills suite, diagnostic imaging suite and modern laboratories that reflect a genuine veterinary practice.
You’ll be working with our industry-standard anaesthetic, radiography and theatre equipment, as well as kennel, ultrasound imaging, endoscopy and prep facilities.
*Travel arrangements at your own cost.
With over 12.5 million dogs in the UK and 33% of households having a dog (Pet Food Manufacturers Association, 2021) there has never been a better time to pursue a role within the canine industry!. If you have the dedication and commitment to work not only with dogs, but also with their owners, this is the degree for you!
By studying the FdSc Canine Behaviour and Training or a BSc (Hons) Canine Clinical Behaviour (Top-Up) with us, you will have access to our dedicated canine training areas (both an all-weather outdoor training arena, and custom-built covered training arena) in addition to our kennelling facilities and commercial-standard grooming parlours. Both courses enable you to develop a range of practical and theoretical skills, with emphasis placed on understanding canine behaviour and the principles of training in the first year of the FdSc, before applying these to understanding how canine behaviour can be modified, how to progress training and working within different canine disciplines in the second year of the FdSc. In the BSc top-up year, you will enhance your knowledge by moving into clinical behaviour, cognition, the human/dog bond, ethics, welfare, business start-up and running, and completing your dissertation project!
Chloe Harris
BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation and Ecology (First Class) 2019
I’ve always wanted to work with animals but not in a captive situation. This degree has been exactly what I wanted and it’s really delivered!
I’ve had lots of opportunities for research, including field trips and using camera traps, and my final dissertation was on small mammals, which I’m hoping to get published. My lecturers have been awesome, so supportive. They’ve gone out of their way to encourage me.
I want to help British species because many are in such sharp decline. I’m planning to become an ecologist or work in wildlife rehabilitation and I’m currently sharing my home with Harriet, a three- legged hedgehog!
Luci Newell
FdSc Canine Behaviour and Training 2020
This degree is a perfect fit for me. I’m thinking of becoming a customs dog handler and trainer, which is a niche area so I need very specific skills.
The best thing about the course is the hands on experience you gain with a wide variety of dogs. We have sessions training, handling, observing behaviours, health checking and even preparing them for shows. We have a dedicated training arena and really experienced staff, so we’re out there whatever the weather! For my research project I’m looking into public perception of the Dangerous Dogs Act.
I’m going to do the BSc (Hons) Canine Clinical Behaviour top up for a further year, then I’ll be truly ready to follow my passion!
University Centre Reaseheath – Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 6DF
Tel: 01270 613284 | Email: UCR@reaseheath.ac.uk
