Animal Behaviour, Welfare and Conservation (with Foundation Year)

Why choose this course?
This broad-based course is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills required to enter a variety of professions within the animal sector.

You will:
Develop and advance your existing knowledge in the core themes of animal welfare, behaviour and conservation
Design and implement a research study of their choice
Gain personal and professional development to maximise employability within the industry
Have access to a veterinary clinical suite, bespoke training area and Cruft’s standard agility course
Enjoy off site visits to animal charities, wildlife centres and other industry related venues

Key Course Features:
Develop high-level knowledge of animal physiology, behaviour, training, welfare, and conservation
Urban and rural study environments - split your study time between the Northop campus set in the stunning North Wales countryside and our Wrexham campus, on the edge of the largest town in North East Wales
Excellent links with industry
Opportunities to carry out your own research project in a specialism of your choice within a variety of settings
Industry-active staff with specialist academic and practical skills, and experience of working with a range of domestic, and wild animals
Join our zoological society and enjoy a range of events, activities and trips throughout the year
Progression from the BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour, Welfare and Conservation Science includes employment or post-graduate study

YEAR 1 (FOUNDATION YEAR)
The Foundation Year is an integrated year where you will study core modules with a broad range of students from across the Faculty of Social and Life Sciences, giving you access to different perspectives and networking opportunities.
The modules will equip you with key skills needed for Higher Education and beyond. They will give you the chance to explore your subject area and available careers, allowing you to adapt your reading and assessments to be relevant to your degree pathway.
Alongside teaching from the broader faculty staff, you will be able to meet with staff and other students from your main degree pathway and get involved with events and opportunities that they are running.
• Study Skills for Success (Core)
• Resilience in Higher Education and Beyond (Core)
• A Day in the Life (Core)
• Life and Work in the Welsh Context (Core)
• Welsh for First Time Learners (Optional)
• Numeracy (Optional)
• Professional Communication in the Workplace (Optional)
• Maths and Experimental Design (Optional)

YEAR 2 (LEVEL 4)
In the second year, you are introduced to the concepts of biology, animal behaviour and welfare that you will use throughout the rest of your course. Laboratory skills are essential to science and you will receive a foundation in these. You will develop animal husbandry skills and knowledge. You will also undertake a period of work experience so that you become familiar with the animal sector and develop the practical skills necessary for the workplace.

MODULES
• Biological Concepts
• Husbandry
• Ethology and Anthrozoology
• Ethics and Welfare
• Academic and Personal Development
• Professional Practice

YEAR 3 (LEVEL 5)
In the third year, you will build upon knowledge gained in your second year and develop your understanding of a variety of topics in more detail. You will learn about nutrition, physiology, conservation, and population biology. You will also learn research skills and report writing within research methodologies.

MODULES
• Research Methodologies
• Nutrition and Feeding Practice
• Anatomy and Physiology
• Learning and Training
• Survey Skills for Conservation
• Population Biology and Genetics

YEAR 4 (LEVEL 6)
The final year provides students with the opportunity to complete their own unique piece of research, thus enabling them to focus on a topic of choice. Conservation, stress and welfare are concentrated on, together with methods of behaviour modification. Career development is also a central theme, and final year students are expected to complete additional professional development activities alongside their degree to enhance their chances of employment.

MODULES
• Conservation Policy
• Research Project
• Stress and Animal Welfare
• Animal Behaviour Modification
• Research Skills and Professional Development

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the programme that will take the form of either core or option modules. Modules are designated as core or option in accordance with professional body requirements and internal academic framework review, so may be subject to change.

Teaching & Assessment
Modules are assessed in a wide variety of ways. This includes academic essays, research posters, presentations, seminar discussions, exams, portfolios, reflective practice and practical assessment. The balance between the different forms of assessment is determined by the different aims and learning outcomes of the modules.

Teaching and learning

Module delivery is achieved through a combination of theoretical lectures, seminar discussions, guest lectures, educational visits, and practical work. Between lectures, students are expected to read around their subjects making use of the detailed reading lists published in Module Guides.

Wrexham University is committed to supporting our students to maximise their academic potential.

We offer workshops and support sessions in areas such as academic writing, effective note-making and preparing for assignments. Students can book appointments with academic skills tutors dedicated to helping deal with the practicalities of university work. Our student support section has more information on the help available.

In terms of particular needs, the University’s Inclusion Services can provide appropriate guidance and support should any students require reasonable adjustments to be made because of a recognised prevailing disability, medical condition, or specific learning difference.