Pursue your passion for animal behaviour and welfare and gain the skills needed to grow, progress and become the specialist you aspire to be.
Discover how the study of animal behaviour is providing us with a fresh insight into how animals communicate and learn, what they feel and how they interact with their environment. The study of animal behaviour and welfare is changing attitudes towards animals, informing protection legislation, and providing us with a better understanding of how to meet animals’ needs.
Throughout your first year of study, you will be introduced to animal behaviour, animal welfare issues and behavioural data analysis. Through practical sessions in our licensed zoo, you will explore key principles in animal husbandry, including animal health and welfare, enclosure design and nutrition.
You will also study fundamental scientific principles in the animal sciences such as animal anatomy, cell structure and genetics, working in our dedicated science laboratories.
Please note: Students are based at University Centre Reaseheath during their first year, and then at the University of Chester during the second and third years. Residential students will live in halls of residence at University Centre Reaseheath during their first year.
As a student studying this programme, you will have regular access to the zoo-licensed animal centre, kennel and farm facilities by which to reinforce taught elements of the programme ad hone your practical skills. Additionally, students can expect an interactive and personable learning experience that draws upon the expertise of our team of dedicated staff, with whom students can engage in study through the use of our first class facilities across the University Centre Reaseheath and University of Chester campuses, but also via overseas study opportunities.
Delivered at University Centre Reaseheath
Delivered at University of Chester
Delivered at University of Chester
* Denotes optional modules
† Dissertation is a double-weighted module, worth 40 credits. Therefore, only five modules are selected for study at Level 6 (Year 3).
Please note that availability of optional modules is subject to availability of subject-specialist staff and the recruitment of the minimum viable student number (7 individuals). Should a module not be deemed viable for operation then all students who selected that module will be communicated to in writing in advance of the academic year, and will be informed of the alternative options available to select from.
Students will be expected to make their module choices for the following academic year during March/April, via a module selection service. Confirmation of module selections will be provided via email following approval.
Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity, plus field trips. Your actual contact hours may depend on which optional modules you select, but the following information gives an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each year of the course:
15% of your time is spent in timetabled teaching and learning activity
Teaching, Learning and Assessment: 174 hours
Independent Study: 1026 hours
Class sizes average between 8-35 for modules exclusively delivered on the programme. For those modules offered across several programmes, class size could be as high as 90 individual learners.
Assessment Methods
Assessments are designed to encourage both academic skills and skills valued in the workplace. They include a combination of coursework and examinations. Coursework may take many forms including: essays, reports, data processing, presentations, academic posters, seminar discussions, interviews, critical reviews, portfolios of evidence and practical competency assessments. The examinations vary, depending on the nature of the module, but may take the form of multiple-choice papers, essays, practical assessments, data handling questions, short answer quizzes, and in class examinations.
The balance of assessment by examination and assessment by coursework depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessed by coursework is as follows:
80% coursework
20% written exams
Feedback
Feedback is supplied via Turnitin or directly from the module tutor. The majority of submissions are made via Turnitin and feedback for coursework is provided within twenty working days after the submission date.
Written feedback will be supported verbally should the student require clarification. Formative assessment feedback will be provided at the time of completion where possible, with more detailed summative feedback for reports.
Students will be able to access course timetables for the academic year in September.
Timetables are subject to change, but most students can expect to spend 3-3.5 days per week on campus.
Students are given the opportunity to study an optional module at level 5 (Year 2) entitled Enhancing your Employability through Work Based Learning. Students are expected to source their own placement, and complete a minimum of 150 hours of work, completed in a 5-week block period. When selecting a placement, students should consider the financial implications associated with accommodation, travel/commuting and the possible need for a Disclosure Barring service (DBS) check, as the University of Chester may not be able to subsidise such costs.
Tuition Fees
As a student at UCR, you will have two main costs to meet; your tuition fees and living costs.
Our full-time tuition fees for UK and EU students, entering University, can be found on our student finance page. These fees are charged for each academic year of a course and are set by the college annually.
Tuition fees for international students can also be found on our student finance page.
Additional Costs
You may have the opportunity to attend day trips or study tours within the UK and overseas. These trips vary each year and costs would be confirmed prior to booking. Examples of tours include 3 day visit to Edinburgh Zoo and Scottish National Museum costing £200 (not including personal expenses) in 2019.
Students may also wish to purchase their own personal copies of recommended set-texts to assist them with their studies. A full list of recommended texts is made available prior to enrolment. However, our campus library boasts sufficient stocks of all major texts to support student learning, frequently in e-book format, and the purchasing of texts is therefore not enforced.
Equipment Costs
Prices of equipment are subject to change dependent on retailer.
Apply directly through UCAS
A minimum of 112 UCAS points
September 2022
September 2023
Full-time: 3 years
Here you will find useful information about the services and support available at University Centre Reaseheath. Click to expand each item:
University Centre Reaseheath is committed to providing additional financial support to those who need it. To find out about the bursary schemes available visit the additional financial support pages.
For students to get the best out of their time at University Centre Reaseheath, we must both recognise that we owe obligations to each other. These obligations are set out in our UCR Student Contract. Before you accept an offer of a place at University Centre Reaseheath, it is important that you read these contract conditions. If you are going to be living in Halls of Residence, you will also need to read the Student Accommodation Licence Conditions. Both of these contracts can be found here.
Click here to view the University Centre Reaseheath Student Protection Plan.
All UCR students are given the opportunity to apply for residential accommodation. First year students are guaranteed accommodation and this offer is made to all applicants who live more than a reasonable daily travelling distance from Reaseheath (providing you have applied before the UCAS equal considerations deadline. For full details on our halls of residence visit our accommodation page.
We have a team of dedicated professionals on hand to offer you support. These include our Student Services Team, Inclusive Learning Team, Library and Learning Resources Team and the Reaseheath Careers Service. You can find more information on the support provided at Reaseheath on our support page.
University Centre Reaseheath is proud to welcome international students. For more information, please visit our international students page.
