Animal Management (Animal Behaviour and Welfare) Higher National Diploma - HND

Welcome to the Animal Management course, where you will have the opportunity to enhance your education through applied learning across a variety of units. This qualification is designed to provide a solid professional and technical education pathway for those looking to advance their skills before pursuing specialized further studies or entering the workforce. Throughout the course, you will gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary for success, building a core foundation in your first year and progressing to more specialized areas of study in your second year. Students will study a variety of units, covering a wide range of subject areas and animal species, such as health, welfare, husbandry, anatomy, business, nutrition and ecology.

Students benefit from access to our specialist Animal Management Centre, located at our North Star Campus. Facilities include:
• Enclosures for exotic and domestic species



• Outdoor habitats including a lorikeet aviary, raccoon haven, and prairie dog den



• Dedicated areas for waterfowl, sheep, and chickens



• Live animal cams and interactive training spaces



• Partnerships with organisations such as Cats Protection for real-world experience



These facilities provide hands-on learning with a wide variety of animals, helping students develop practical skills in husbandry, welfare, and behavioural observation.

Teaching will take place through practical and theoretical classes, lectures, seminars, workshops, data analysis sessions, discussions, tutorials, industry and community visits. Students will learn through these and through individual and small group self-managed activity including resource-based learning and online learning support through the VLE. Teaching is linked directly with professional practice and research, both of which directly inform and enhance course content and delivery. Visiting professionals will contribute to the course delivery with full-time staff and are vital to providing students with access to current professional practices and issues developing employability skills and knowledge. There is a breadth of expertise in the team, all of whom compliment their theory sessions with practical examples, which will be relevant to each student's individual interest and needs on the course.

Seminars and tutorials make up a supportive network, which is complimented by the virtual learning centre. Whether at home or on campus, help is not far away. On successful completion of the programme students will be able to demonstrate the ability to:  


• Produce written work with appropriate scholarly conventions  



• Use information and communication retrieval skills involving the ability to gather, sift, synthesise and organise material independently  



• Set realistic targets, identify own goals, plan appropriately, and how to reflect and evaluate your own performance  



• Demonstrate how to develop and adapt own work ethics to fit in with specific restrictions



• Construct and present arguments  



• Communicate using a variety of visual, oral and performance media  



In addition to classroom activities, students will take part in trips, for example to Cotswold Wildlife Park, local pet stores and animal businesses. Talks will also be given by industry guest speakers. Students will also carry out practical tasks, working with the wide range of animal species in the College Animal centre, for example carrying out husbandry tasks such as health checking and maintaining accommodation, as well as diet plan design and implementation.

Graduates of this course can progress into roles such as:


• Animal Behaviourist



• Welfare Officer



• Zookeeper or Wildlife Ranger



• Veterinary Support Roles



• Conservation Project Coordinator



• Animal Charity and Advocacy Work



You may also choose to continue your studies with a Top-Up Degree in Animal Behaviour, Zoology, or a related field.