Animal Behaviour and Welfare

Animal behaviour and welfare is the scientific study of how animals act in the world and what conditions allow them to live well. It is a field that has gained significant importance as public awareness of animal welfare has grown and as legislation, farming practice, zoo management, and conservation policy have increasingly been shaped by evidence about what animals need and what they experience. The discipline draws on ethology, neuroscience, psychology, ecology, and veterinary science to ask fundamental questions about why animals behave as they do and what their behaviour reveals about their inner lives.

At Hartpury University, this four-year programme exposes you to the latest research in animal behaviour and welfare while developing the practical skills needed to work professionally with animals. You will learn to assess welfare using recognised frameworks and indicators, measure and interpret behavioural data, apply training techniques grounded in learning theory, and manage the care of domestic, exotic, and wild species. The programme is set within Hartpury's specialist agricultural and animal science campus, giving you access to a wide range of species and facilities that support genuinely hands-on learning.

The programme includes a foundation year, which provides an additional year of preparation before the main degree begins, making it suitable for students who want to build their scientific and practical foundations before engaging with the full degree curriculum.

Graduates from animal behaviour and welfare programmes pursue careers across a diverse range of fields. Common destinations include zoo and wildlife management, animal welfare inspection and enforcement, conservation science, veterinary nursing support, animal training, research and laboratory animal care, farming and agricultural welfare, and education. Some graduates go on to postgraduate study in animal behaviour, conservation biology, veterinary science, or welfare science.

The combination of scientific literacy and practical animal care skills is valued by a wide range of employers, from wildlife organisations and government agencies to companion animal services and the pharmaceutical sector.