Animal Training and Performance (with Foundation Year)

Course overview

Develop the skills and expertise to transform your passion for training animals into a fulfilling career with this Animal Training and Performance degree.

The foundation year entry provides an alternative route into degree-level study. It’s ideal for those who need to gain subject-specific knowledge and skills in order to progress with the full BSc qualification.

You’re joining the rapidly growing animal sector at an exciting time. Almost 85 million households in the US have a pet – that’s increased from 56% to 68% over the past 30 years.* Your skills and expertise in animal training will be in high demand.

Emerging science and technology allows us to understand animal performance like never before. Training methods place priority on the physical and psychological needs of an animal to maximise wellbeing and performance.

You’ll learn from the latest advances in the field and use industry-standard technologies. Develop your expertise with access to our 70-species animal collection and benefit from our connections with animal trainers, scientists and behaviourists across the UK.

All training is underpinned by the strictest ethics and supported by the latest scientific evidence. This degree doesn’t qualify you to become a behaviourist or trainer. It exposes you to the key scientific principles underpinning animal training, performance and rehabilitation.

*Forbes 2018

What you'll study

You’ll gain an in depth understanding of the key topics in the field of animal training and performance. Core subjects will range from management and training of the animal, to animal biomechanics.

This course is comprised of both compulsory and optional modules, which you'll be able to choose from to suit your interests and career goals. Optional modules change each year in line with student, industry and research demands - you'll find recent topics studied below. You can attend introductory sessions for optional modules before deciding which ones to study.

Level three foundation year (year one)

Develop the knowledge and skills to succeed in the remaining three years of the degree. You’ll focus on the key subjects including animal studies, academic skills and biological science, and work with animal students from across the department.

Level four (year two)

Your second year will focus on fundamental topics, including animal behaviour and animal nutrition, to help you gain fundamental skills and knowledge. You’ll develop essential transferable and practical skills, and gain the underpinning knowledge required to study the rest of your degree.

Level five (year three)

You’ll learn about concepts such as animal locomotion and the principles of assessing animal performance. You’ll also explore themes such as management and training of the animal, allowing you to develop your interests at a higher level. You can also select optional modules in areas of interest, such as ethics and welfare, and animal therapy.

Optional integrated placement year

An optional integrated placement year between your third and final years gives you the opportunity to put your knowledge and skills into practice and gain valuable industry experience.

Level six (final year)

Your final year allows you to focus on areas that are of particular interest to you and will support you in your future career.

You’ll undertake a substantial research dissertation project, enabling you to experience the responsibility of planning, implementing and reporting on a specialist topic.

In addition, you’ll be exposed to contemporary challenges in the subject area and more advanced theory and practice, including gaining an insight into current research in the field of animal training and performance.

Please visit our document library for more module information.

How you'll study

We're committed to supporting you to fulfil your unique potential, which is why you'll receive a minimum of 15 hours of scheduled teaching time per week in your first two years (level three foundation year and level four) - this is 25% above the UK average.

Your support network

You'll benefit from a strong support network from day one to be the best you can be. This will range from your personal tutor and specialist academic support team (our Achievement and Success Centre) to dedicated wellbeing and employability (Innovation, Careers and Enterprise) centres.

Your learning experiences

You'll experience a range of teaching methods to strengthen your digestion of topics, including lectures, workshops and practical sessions, as well as supported work placement learning as part of many courses.

Your career

Each year of your course will be made up of two semesters, within which you’ll study compulsory and optional modules on different industry-focused topics, enabling you to develop your own unique portfolio of knowledge, skills and experience, ready for your career. The course is taught in English.

Further details

Field trips and guest lecturers

Field trips and industry professionals in lectures form an important part of your learning, enabling you to experience different businesses, careers and best practices.

Recent field trips have included visits to places such as Cotswold Wildlife Park, Crufts and Guide Dogs for the Blind. Extra fees are required – please see the fees tab.

Our students have heard from a range of guest lecturers, which have included dog training professionals, animal biomechanics researchers and zookeepers.

Graduate destinations

As an Animal Training and Performance graduate, you may go on to work in zoos, charities, animal rescue centres, boarding kennels or laboratories. You’ll also have the transferable skills you need for other graduate careers. Our careers team can support you to find and prepare to secure your perfect role.

You may go on to work as a trainer or behaviourist, and progress on to:

• Service dog handling
• Animal warden/officer
• Performance analyst for competitive sports (such as agility, greyhound racing, cani-cross or across equestrian sport)
• Assistance work
• Rescue and rehabilitation

Canine and equine therapy centres

Our on-site commercial equine and canine therapy centres feature both equine and canine water treadmills alongside a hydrotherapy pool for dogs. These facilities are used as part of the animal therapy and rehabilitation modules and for dissertation research projects. You can also volunteer to help in the therapy centres to gain experience in the field.

Study spaces

Our University Learning Centre has books, journals, ebooks, computers and breakout study spaces. In addition, we have a Study Lounge – an informal space with sports equipment, study booths and chill-out spaces to support both studying and relaxation.

Tuition fees and financial support

Please visit our student finance page for information on tuition fees and student loans, as well as non-repayable grants, bursaries and scholarships, eligible to different groups, to support with study costs.

Below, you'll find extra costs associated with studying this course.

Clothing and footwear

You’ll need to purchase appropriate clothing and footwear before you enrol, or during enrolment week. We’ll let you know exactly what you need to purchase in your enrolment guide – everything is available from our supplier’s online shop for approximately £100.

Optional field trips (up to circa £150)

Opportunities may require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which you'll need to pay for. You're encouraged to engage in various trips and visits as part of the programme. While many of these are included in the course fees, there is the opportunity to engage in optional trips with additional costs involved.

Accommodation and living costs

Please visit our student accommodation page for details.