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Animal Behaviour [with Foundation Year]

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About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Animal behaviour

Learn how and why animals behave the way they do and gain the skills you’ll need to contribute to important discoveries. Our four-year course includes a foundation year when you'll build up your scientific skills, before moving onto our BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour

We understand more than ever before about the behaviour of animals – but with so much more to learn, could you be the one to discover one of the major scientific breakthroughs of the 21st century?

You’ll spend your foundation year covering a broad range of subjects including biology, chemistry and maths, helping you to prepare for higher-level study. You’ll then move on to the first year of our BSc (Hons) in Animal Behaviour.

Our degree is the longest-established animal behaviour course in the UK, and it’s recognised by the Society of Biology. Learn how and why animals behave the way they do, and how this can impact on the management and conservation of wild and domesticated creatures. You’ll develop the skills you’ll need to investigate animals and contribute to important discoveries in the future.

By studying animal behaviour, you’ll learn how we can manage and protect species. The development, physiology and evolution of species will form the basis of this course, but it’s not all theory. It’s a practical subject and we give you plenty of opportunities to learn and practice both in the lab and the field. In your second year you’ll take a series of half day trips to learn about and practise advanced behavioural data collection, the costs of which are included in your course fees. On our optional field trips you might experience rutting red deer on the island of Rum; marine biology in Scotland; world-class zoos in the Netherlands; wildlife and ecology in Africa; and diving and marine biology in the Red Sea. You’ll need to pay for these trips.

Our staff are involved in field and captive studies internationally and in the UK, and have research links with organisations studying British wildlife and at Britain's most respected zoos.

Studying animal behaviour could make the difference between future generations seeing live examples of a species, or reading about them in a history book. It could help you to manage and enhance the habitats of zoo animals, or to educate the public on the importance of animal welfare. What you’ll learn on this course could take you into a career relating to domestic and captive animal management, animal training and behavioural rehabilitation, or zoo education to name but a few. The transferable scientific skills you’ll develop could also open up a career in the field or the laboratory – perhaps for a government agency or an environmental consultancy.

Modules

Year 1:
Core modules
Interactive Learning Skills and Communication
Information and Communication Technology
Critical Thinking
Maths for Scientists
Cellular Biology
Biology – Physiology
Chemistry
Physics for Life Scientists
Year 2:
Core modules
Animal Physiology and Behaviour
Introduction to Ecology and Conservation
Principles of Biology
Quantitative Techniques and Tools for Biologists
Personal and Professional Development - Level 4
Year 3:
Core modules
Animal Learning and Training
Biological Bases of Behaviour
Vertebrate Biology
Ruskin Module
Practical Skills for Animal Behaviour
Evolutionary Bases of Behaviour
Biological Research Skills
Personal and Professional Development - Level 5
Optional modules
Animal Health and Disease
GIS and Spatial Ecology
Mammalogy
Year 4:
Core modules
Behavioural Ecology
Cognition, Evolution and Behaviour
Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare
Undergraduate Major Project
Optional modules
Population Ecology and Wildlife Management
Tropical Ecology and Management
Zoos and Zoo Animal Management
Human-Animal Interactions
Wildlife Conservation
Animal Communication

Assessment methods

We’ll assess you in a number of ways, with most modules including a combination of written assignments and exams. For some modules, you may be asked to present or produce a poster, portfolio or workbook.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Cambridge Campus

Department:

Life Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

46%
Animal behaviour

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Animal science

Teaching and learning

50%
Staff make the subject interesting
57%
Staff are good at explaining things
71%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
36%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

71%
Library resources
71%
IT resources
54%
Course specific equipment and facilities
36%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

74%
UK students
26%
International students
18%
Male students
82%
Female students
76%
2:1 or above
27%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Animal science

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

94%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

57%
Animal care and control services
9%
Health professionals
9%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

These stats refer to the prospects for graduates from both general animal studies courses and those for particular animals (such as equine science). Graduates don't generally get jobs as vets when they graduate; much the most common jobs tend to be roles caring for animals, such as veterinary nurses. Some of these jobs are not currently classified as professional level occupations, but in reality, you need a degree to get these jobs (and probably always have done), and graduates in them report that they got the jobs that they wanted. So the stats you see might not completely represent just how useful these degrees are for getting into animal care careers.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
University of Plymouth | Plymouth
Animal Behaviour and Welfare
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 112-128
Same University
Anglia Ruskin University | Cambridge
Animal Behaviour
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 112

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

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It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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