Animal Science

Animal science with a focus on pet behaviour and welfare addresses the rapidly growing field of understanding, improving, and advocating for the wellbeing of companion animals. Pets are central to the lives of millions of households, and the science of their behaviour and welfare has become an important professional and academic discipline, drawing on ethology, psychology, veterinary science, and welfare ethics to address questions about what animals experience, what they need, and how their behaviour can be understood and modified humanely.

At Anglia Ruskin University, you will study animal science with a specific emphasis on the behaviour and welfare of companion animals over three years full-time. You will develop a scientific understanding of animal cognition, learning, communication, and social behaviour, alongside the welfare frameworks that guide ethical decision-making about how animals should be kept, trained, and treated. The programme builds your practical skills in behavioural observation and assessment, and you will engage with the evidence base for different approaches to training and behaviour modification in the context of dogs, cats, and other companion species.

The typical entry tariff is 120 UCAS points.

Graduates of animal behaviour and welfare programmes work in veterinary practices, animal shelters, companion animal training, pet industry roles, zoo and wildlife settings, and local authority animal welfare services. Animal behaviour consultants, welfare officers, and education and outreach roles in welfare organisations are also common destinations. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in animal behaviour, comparative psychology, veterinary physiotherapy, or conservation biology, building specialist expertise on the foundation the undergraduate degree provides.