University Centre Sparsholt
UCAS Code: CD34 | Foundation Degree in Science - FdSc
Entry requirements
A level
Including a relevant subject/science @ C or above (64 UCAS tariff points)
Access to HE Diploma
Pass in a relevant subject/science, with science units at Merit (74 UCAS tariff points)
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Including a relevant subject/science at H4 or above with Maths and English at S3 if no GCSE or equivalent (74 UCAS tariff points)
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Including one in a relevant subject/science (72 UCAS tariff points)
OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma
In a relevant subject/science (64 UCAS tariff points)
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
In a relevant subject/science (80 UCAS tariff points)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
In a relevant subject/science (64 UCAS tariff points)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
In a relevant subject/science (80 UCAS tariff points)
Scottish Advanced Higher
In a relevant subject/science (74 UCAS tariff points)
T Level
Pass (C and above)
In a relevant subject/science (96 UCAS tariff points)
UCAS Tariff
Dependent on qualifications
About this course
**Why choose this degree?**
- Benefit from working with expert lecturers and a diverse and exciting collection of animals in our **BIAZA-member centre**.
- A focus on zoo culture, promotion of natural environments and behaviours to support conservation and meet the growing awareness of the needs of exotic species collections, taught by industry experts.
- Extensive industry contacts and development of employability skills.
- Use tools such as record-keeping software that are used by zoos and aquaria globally.
**What makes UCS special?**
As a UCS student you will benefit from lecturers with a wealth of industry experience that comes from working with **BIAZA and EAZA** research committees/ working groups and a wide range of zoos. UCS is also supporting member of the **ABTC** and staff are members of the **Fellowship of Animal Behaviour Clinicians**. Our teaching staff have experience and expertise in all areas of animal work including veterinary nursing, health and welfare, research, zoo industry and husbandry and animal behaviour and training.
UCS has an unrivalled collection of animals and species in its purpose-built **Animal Health and Welfare Research Centre** and was one of the first colleges in the country to be awarded a zoo licence and is part of **The National Zoo Academy.** The centre offers a wide variety of habitat styles and management systems to maximise the student learning potential and experience.
**What will I learn?**
You will develop research techniques in aspects of zoo animal welfare, behaviour and population management and consider the wider roles of the modern zoo in conservation and education.
Students undertake a work placement in each year of the programme and will develop their theoretical knowledge through practical application. Previous student placements have included* Finkley Down Farm, Cotswold Wildlife Park, Birdworld* and the **New Forest Wildlife Park**.
You will have the opportunity to develop your academic research through the Year 2 module on Applied Industrial Research, collecting data on a current exotic animal project.
**HOW WILL I BE ASSESSED?**
Much of the assessment is coursework based, i.e. essays, reports, practical portfolios and seminar presentations. Practical activities, in-class assessments and a limited number of exams also play a part.
**WHERE CAN I GO FROM HERE?**
This programme will provide progression to **BSc (Hons) Zoo Biology Top-up** and potentially onto **MSc Applied Zoo Biology**.
Sparsholt graduates now work in a variety of roles in the zoo and conservation sectors including keeper, nutritionist, education, media and marketing.
Modules
LEVEL FOUR
Academic Skills,
Anatomy and Physiology,
Principles of Biology,
Industrial Experience,
Exotic Animal Management,
Zoo History and Culture.
LEVEL FIVE
Animal Health,
Applied Industrial Research,
Population Biology,
Industrial Development,
Zoo Industry Ethics and Legislation,
Zoo Animal Nutrition,
Exotic Animal Behaviour, Welfare and Husbandry (optional)*,
Aquarium Design and Husbandry (optional)*.
*subject to demand
Assessment methods
Much of the assessment is coursework based, i.e. essays, reports, practical portfolios and seminar presentations. Practical activities, in-class assessments and a limited number of exams also play a part.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
If your household income is under £32,960 you could receive a bursary of up to £750 per annum. This can be used to help towards travel costs, books and equipment or anything else that will help you during your course.
Depending on the financial information disclosed in your Student Loan application, UCS may make an automatic bursary award based on specific criteria as set out in our Access and Participation Plan. If this is not the case you may still be able to apply for financial support to the UCS HE Hardship fund by completing a Bursary Application Form (available from end of |Term 1).
For more information please [email protected].
The Uni
University Centre Sparsholt
Animal Management and Zoo Biology
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Animal management
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Applied zoology
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
Animal management
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.
Top job areas of graduates
About 70% of the UK's land area is given over to agriculture, so this is a subject representing an important part of the country's economy. Typical starting jobs for graduates in agriculture include agricultural science, farming and farm management, but graduates also go into other areas, such as the horticulture trade, auctioneering and conservation. Agriculture graduates are also in increasing demand for one of the hardest-to-fill jobs in the country - surveying. Jobs for agriculture graduates are often in rural areas - in 2016, areas like Essex, Lincolnshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Yorkshire and Kent were all important for agriculture graduates.
Applied zoology
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.
Top job areas of graduates
Unsurprisingly, the most common job for a zoology graduate on leaving is to work in a zoo or similar organisation - but there are a lot of other options available if you take this subject. Nearly a quarter of graduates take some kind of further qualification when they leave — mostly Masters degrees in zoology or related subjects, like biology or ecology — but a graduate from a zoology course can go into pretty much anything, with science, conservation, management, finance and marketing some of the most popular areas. Zoology graduates are also rather more likely than others to get a job overseas so if an international career appeals to you, this might be a degree to consider.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Animal science
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£19k
£20k
£21k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Agriculture
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£19k
£20k
£21k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Applied zoology
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£16k
£19k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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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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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
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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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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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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