Overview
Why do animals behave the way they do – and how can you use this knowledge to manage, conserve and protect species? Find out on the UK’s longest-established animal behaviour degree. Recognised by the Royal Society of Biology, our Cambridge-based course offers an integrated, scientific approach, with hands-on lab experience, field trips in Europe and Uganda, and an optional placement year. You could make the difference between future generations seeing species live or reading about them in history books.
Naked mole rats can run as fast backwards as they can forwards. Male penguins propose to their partners with the gift of a stone. Elephants bury their dead.
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?
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 practise 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.
Careers
We work with employers to make sure you graduate with the knowledge, skills and abilities they need. They help us review what we teach and how we teach it – and they offer hands-on, practical opportunities to learn through work-based projects, internships or placements.
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.
Our Animal Behaviour degree also acts as a foundation for you to become a Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CCAB). To follow this career path you’ll also need to undertake practical training under the supervision of practising CCABs before presenting case studies and a further clinical examination prior to certification. For more information please also see: www.asab.org/ccab, www.abtcouncil.org.uk, www.apbc.org.uk
Graduation doesn’t need to be the end of your time with us. If you’d like to continue your studies we offer a range of full-time and part-time postgraduate courses including Masters in Animal Behaviour: Applications for Conservationand Applied Wildlife Conservation.
Modules & Assessment
Year one, core modules
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Origins of Life
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Introduction to Wildlife and Conservation
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Introduction to Animal Behaviour
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Biomeasurement
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Ecology
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Animal Form and Function
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Introduction to Marine Biology
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Evolution and Biodiversity
Year two, core modules
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Biological Bases of Behaviour
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Evolution of Behaviour
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Animal Learning and Training
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Biological Research Skills
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Practical Skills for Animal Behaviour
Year two, optional modules
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Animal Health and Nutrition
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Invertebrate Biology
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Vertebrate Biology
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Parasitology
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Principles of Genetics and Evolution
Year three, core modules
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Behavioural Ecology
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Cognition, Evolution and Behaviour
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Applied Ethology and Animal Welfare
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Undergraduate Major Project
Year three, optional modules
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Advanced Approaches in Animal Management
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Mammalogy
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Human Behaviour Change for Animal Welfare
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Zoos and Zoo Animal Management
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Tropical Ecology and Management
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Animal Communication
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Population Ecology and Wildlife Management
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Practical Marine Biology
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Wildlife Conservation
Assessment
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.
Where you’ll study
Your faculty
The Faculty of Science & Engineering is one of the largest of the four faculties at Anglia Ruskin University. Whether you choose to study with us full-time or part-time, on campus or at a distance, there’s an option whatever your level – from a foundation degree, BSc, MSc, PhD or professional doctorate.
Whichever course you pick, you’ll gain the theory and practical skills needed to progress with confidence. Join us and you could find yourself learning in the very latest laboratories or on field trips or work placements with well-known and respected companies. You may even have the opportunity to study abroad.
Everything we do in the faculty has a singular purpose: to provide a world-class environment to create, share and advance knowledge in science, technology and engineering fields. This is key to all of our futures.
