Animal Management Foundation Degree (FdSc) Level 5 (part-time)

Entry requirements

You will need:

• 32-48 UCAS tariff points including a relevant science area OR
• Animal Management BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma OR
• Equivalent Level 3 qualification including A-Levels
• GCSEs in English, Maths & Science at Grade C or above.

We also welcome students with relevant work experience.

Course content

This course is based around a framework of units core to animal management disciplines, ensuring that you will gain a detailed understanding of animal management, including the underlying principles of biological sciences. Additional units will broaden the scope of the course by including animals in a wider context within the business sector, which is strongly linked to work and employment.

Units you can study on the course will include: 

• Business and the Animal Industry Experience
• Scientific Methods
• Animals: Their Environment, Management and Sustainability
• Animal Husbandry
• Animal Health and Behaviour
• Business Enterprise in the Animal Sector
• Physiology and Biochemistry
• Investigating Animals and their Welfare

Work-based learning is fundamental to this course, as it will bridge the skills, knowledge and attributes gained in the classroom and the working environment, and support your development of wider employment skills. Obtaining placements for work-based learning will help you to apply your learning and help you to demonstrate core competencies. You will need to undertake 100 hours of work-based learning for each of the two years (200 hours in total). A one-week field trip occurs during the first year of the course, which will help to contextualise your learning. Students have previously visited Holland with the trip costing around £350 (paid in instalments).

Assessment methods

All assessments will be undertaken as described in each unit’s learning outcomes, and will be both formative (e.g. computer based exercises, non-assessed presentations, class exercises etc.) and summative (e.g. examinations, computer-based assessments, practical reports, practical skills assessments, seminar presentations, laboratory skills, project report etc.)

Further study and career options

On successful completion of this course you can progress on to a third year top-up course at the University of Bedfordshire to to achieve a BSc in Animal Management or Animal Science. You can also progress to employment in a relevant field: recent graduates have obtained employment at zoos and animal parks, in animal and medical research, in administration and in the teaching of animal related subjects.

Additional information

At this level you will be expected to commit yourself to conducting research and carry out a significant amount of additional study outside College. You will need to purchase overalls and steel toe capped boots. These can be purchased through Bedford College at an approximate cost of £45. There are also optional educational trips available, which could occur a cost of up to £900. You will need to study six hours per week Mon-Wed 9.00am-4.45pm. The days and times will depend on the units your study.