BSc (Hons)

Animal Science and Conservation

D300

Are you passionate about protecting animals and the environment? If you want to make a difference and aim to end animal suffering then our progressive animal science degree is for you.

Peacock

Course overview

This multidisciplinary programme, led by animal welfare experts, follows the Planetary Health and One Welfare philosophies, where welfare of both captive and wild animals is considered alongside ecosystem health and biodiversity conservation. This is one of the broadest and most inclusive animal welfare programmes in the UK, seeing all animals and ecosystems as equal.

As you progress through this dynamic programme you will investigate our treatment of captive animals and the environmental impacts of animal trade and production. Human-induced biodiversity loss will be considered while continuously exploring theories of animal welfare and the application of animal welfare science.

Our supportive team of academics will help you to investigate welfare in production systems, understand welfare needs, and reconsider the boundaries of welfare science by discussing welfare for wildlife, considering anthropogenic influences on wild populations, and embedding welfare and ethics into conservation practice. This three-year degree course will equip you with a unique skill set that allows you to create sustainable solutions to issues throughout the animal industry.

In Year 1, studying foundational subjects will allow you to understand animal evolution, diversity, physiology, and behaviour. You will explore principles of planetary health and environmental sustainability allowing you to embed this knowledge in future years. Crucially, you will learn the fundamentals of animal welfare science, both concepts of welfare and welfare assessment. We will teach you key skills of academic writing and practice.

In Year 2, you will learn about welfare and sustainability issues in animal production and conservation systems and we will inspire you to question the very notion that welfare is relevant only to animals directly under human control. You will explore anthropogenic causes of biodiversity loss while gaining knowledge of natural mechanisms of animal population/community growth and decline. You will also develop a portfolio of practical skills and research methods knowledge, ensuring you are employment-ready upon graduation. From report writing to ecological surveying techniques, consultancy skills to GIS mapping, this module will develop and evidence your skills as a student, applied scientist and job applicant.

In your final year, you will seek sustainable solutions to welfare and conservation issues by studying conservation ethics and welfare, and applying sustainability principles to traditional welfare practices. You will undertake an independent research project in an area of animal welfare and conservation that especially interests you and can tailor your degree, selecting two optional modules from a diverse range including environmental and animal advocacy, wildlife crime and trade, and animal welfare during emergencies and disasters.

On this distance-learning programme, you are typically taught through a combination of lectures and seminars, delivered online. Live lectures provide you with core knowledge, while real-time seminars allow you to discuss and develop your understanding and foster a sense of community. Remotely guided fieldwork and practical sessions will be a feature of skills-based modules while individual or small-group online tutorials will help support you with your studies.

Pre-approved for a Masters

If you study a Bachelor Honours degree with us, you will be pre-approved to start a Masters degree at Winchester. To be eligible, you will need to apply by the end of March in the final year of your degree and meet the entry requirements of your chosen Masters degree.

What you need to know

Course start date

September

Location

Distance learning only

Course length

  • 3 years full-time

Apply

D300

Typical offer

104-120 points

Fees

From £9,250 pa

Course features

  • Join an innovative programme that explores the dynamic relationships between animal welfare science, conservation biology and environmental sustainability
  • Learn to define and assess animal welfare, investigate ecosystem health and question the sustainability of animal production and conservation systems
  • Create sustainable solutions to animal welfare issues spanning a wide range of contexts and species including farm, zoo and wild-living animals
  • Boost your employability by completing a ‘Skills for Biological Scientists’ module
  • Get involved with the University’s Centre for Animal Welfare, a high-impact centre dedicated to the advancement of animal welfare science
  • Join our distance-learning degree and study flexibly, with live lectures and seminars online. There is no campus-based teaching.

Course details

Learning and teaching

Our aim is to shape 'confident learners' by enabling you to develop the skills needed to excel in your studies here and as well as onto further studies or the employment market.

You are taught primarily through a combination of lectures and seminars, allowing opportunities to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups.

In addition to the formally scheduled contact time such as lectures and seminars etc., you are encouraged to access academic support from staff within the course team and the wide range of services available to you within the University.

Independent learning

Over the duration of your course, you will be expected to develop independent and critical learning, progressively building confidence and expertise through independent and collaborative research, problem-solving and analysis with the support of staff. You take responsibility for your own learning and are encouraged to make use of the wide range of available learning resources available.

Overall workload

Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity.

While your actual contact hours may depend on the optional modules you select, the following information gives an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each level of the course.

Year 1 (Level 4): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*

Teaching, learning and assessment: 180 hours
Independent learning: 1020 hours

Year 2 (Level 5): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*

Teaching, learning and assessment: 204 hours
Independent learning: 996 hours

Year 3 (Level 6): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*

Teaching, learning and assessment: 156 hours
Independent learning: 1020 hours
Placement: 24 hours

*Please note these are indicative hours for the course.

Location

This is a distance learning course only. This course involves limited or no face-to-face contact between students and tutors.

Teaching hours

As this is a distance learning course, lectures and seminars will be scheduled in the afternoons and evenings.

Assessment

Our validated courses may adopt a range of means of assessing your learning. An indicative, and not necessarily comprehensive, list of assessment types you might encounter includes essays, portfolios, supervised independent work, presentations, written exams, or practical performances.

We ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve module learning outcomes. As such, where appropriate and necessary, students with recognised disabilities may have alternative assignments set that continue to test how successfully they have met the module's learning outcomes. Further details on assessment types used on the course you are interested in can be found on the course page, by attending an Open Day or Open Evening, or contacting our teaching staff.

Percentage of the course assessed by coursework

The assessment balance between examination and coursework depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessed by different assessment modes is as follows:

Year 1 (Level 4)*:

37% coursework
38% written exams
25% practical assessment 

Year 2 (Level 5)*:

50% coursework
25% written exams
25% practical assessment

Year 3 (Level 6)*:

46% coursework
8% written exams
46% practical assessment

*Please note these are indicative percentages and modes for the programme.

Feedback

We are committed to providing timely and appropriate feedback to you on your academic progress and achievement in order to enable you to reflect on your progress and plan your academic and skills development effectively. You are also encouraged to seek additional feedback from your course tutors.

Further information

For more information about our regulations for this course, please see our Policies and Regulations.

Modules

Please note the modules listed are correct at the time of publishing. The University cannot guarantee the availability of all modules listed and modules may be subject to change. The University will notify applicants of any changes made to the core modules listed. For further information please refer to winchester.ac.uk/termsandconditions

Modules

Animal Welfare Science: Concepts and Assessment 15 Credits

Animal welfare science is a fast-changing field in which welfare is defined, welfare concept is debated, and assessment of welfare across lifespan, species and context is undertaken. Linking physiology, behaviour, and emotional welfare indicators, with context (husbandry and management), to consider how an animal perceives they are doing is the central function of this academic discipline. This module will introduce students to some of the many welfare definitions. We will focus on progressive animal welfare concepts by considering positive welfare states and emotional states, while acknowledging historical focuses of stress, pain, and suffering. Students will learn about indicators of welfare (specific indirect measures considered relevant to welfare) and will discuss and apply (in a range of online practical tasks) specific welfare assessment frameworks including the Five Freedoms, Five Domains, Animal Welfare Assessment Grid, and Quality of Life scale. Links between welfare definitions and assessment frameworks will be explored.

Animal Welfare: Biology 15 Credits

To understand animal welfare, it is essential that a student also understands animal biology. This module will introduce the student to the anatomical and physiological systems in a range of vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Learning will take a systems-based approach, starting with cell systems and homeostasis and progressing through nervous, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, reproductive, skeletal, and endocrine systems. The focus of learning will be the relationships between structure and function of the anatomical and physiological features. The influence of living environment and husbandry (including nutrition) on animal biology will also be discussed. This is a theory-based module required to provide background knowledge needed to understand welfare. While methods of assessing functionality of anatomical and/or physiological features may be discussed, practical laboratory skills are not part of the teaching and learning strategy of this module.

Environmental Sustainability and Global Health 15 Credits

This module underpins the philosophy of the BSc (Hons) Animal Science and Conservation. Finding sustainable solutions to animal welfare/conservation problems is essential not only for the wellbeing of individual animals, but for entire ecosystems, humankind, and the planet. This module will introduce the student to the Global Health approach and sustainability. The pillars of sustainability (economic development, social development, environmental protection) will be explored with particular emphasis on environmental sustainability – finding long-term solutions to biodiversity loss, global warming, and system-level conservation of natural resources, which starts with the welfare of individual animals. The historical context of sustainability will be considered with a focus on development of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainability issues (e.g. biodiversity loss, urbanisation, social inequality) and solutions (e.g. food sovereignty, ecological, environmental and social justice) will be introduced as will topics including governance of sustainability, people empowerment and global citizenship in relation to animal welfare.

Academic Skills 15 Credits

Academic skills are an essential part of completing a degree. Employers require graduates to demonstrate clear and precise written communication and verbal communication skills. In the field of animal welfare science and conservation, even concerning private consultation work, a graduate must demonstrate reliance on academic, trustworthy and authentic information sources and reference that information appropriately given academic convention. In this module, which is run as an independent study module, students will independently complete a range of 10 academic skills tasks that will combine to form an online portfolio. Learning will be supported by drop-in tutorial sessions every other week.

Animal Welfare: Health and Disease 15 Credits

Health is a major component to animal welfare and the field of animal welfare science originated in the discipline of veterinary medicine. For both welfare and conservation, it is imperative students understand noteworthy diseases, the symptoms, treatment, and causes of disease, and ramifications for welfare and conservation. In this module students will learn about the mechanisms of disease, routes of transmission and how health is related to animal husbandry. The ways in which health is related to welfare will be explored as will health in relation to conservation. Given disease is a natural modulator of population size, disease transmission and the ramifications of disease will be discussed at population and individual level.

Animal Welfare: Behaviour 15 Credits

Animal behaviour is an important part of holistic welfare concepts. It is vital those studying animal welfare science and conservation understand both the types and causes of behaviour and the relevance of behaviour to animal welfare. In this module animal behaviour will be studied from both ethology (behaviour of wild-living animals) and behavioural ecology (interaction between animals in a population and their environment) perspectives. Students will explore proximate and ultimate causes of behaviour and consideration of Tinbergen’s Four Questions will inform students. Key topics will include learning, sexual selection/mating systems, social evolution and kin selection, artificial selection, natural selection and genetics.

Types of behaviour will be discussed in a range of species, including social behaviour and social organisation, communication, feeding, predator avoidance, territories and migration, reproductive behaviour. Abnormal behaviour will be discussed as a specific indicator of welfare and inhibitor of successful conservation. Students will learn how to measure behaviour.

Animal Diversity 15 Credits

Taxonomic classification and systematics of animals reveals the extensive diversity of the Animal kingdom. By understanding animal taxonomy, morphology and evolution, students will be able to better understand the welfare needs of animals and how to conserve them. In this module students will examine the Animal kingdom from simple animals through to the Mammalia class. While mammals will be preferentially discussed, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects will be considered in some detail to evidence a One Welfare and Global Health approach of inclusivity across the Animal Kingdom. For each taxa, classification, morphological diversity, and adaptations to natural habitats will be investigated. Form and functions will be the central focus throughout this module.

Principles of Ecology 15 Credits

Ecology seeks to investigate and explain how individuals, populations and communities interact within ecosystems and how the spatial and temporal distribution of species is affected by the biotic and abiotic environment. This module will help students understand why animal species exist in the natural environments in which they are currently found. How animals adapt and interact with other organisms will be discussed in relation to behavioural and genetic processes.  Evolutionary history and succession will therefore be discussed as will physiological ecology (the behavioural and physiological adaptations of animals because of environmental change) and the life history strategies of an organism.   Ecosystem types, and abiotic and biotic characteristics of the physical environment will be investigated. The influence of humans on ecosystems (anthropogenic influence) will be discussed at an introductory level including habitat destruction, pollution, disease and agriculture.

Modules

Animal Welfare Issues: Domestic Animal Management 15 Credits

Having learnt in the first year how to define and assess animal welfare, this module will comprehensively discuss welfare issues across a broad spectrum of domestic animal management. Welfare issues occurring during breeding, rearing, housing, handling, training, transport and slaughter/euthanasia will be examined across farming, horse riding, sports, pet keeping, working animals, performing animals, hobbyist farming, scientific procedures, and illegal activities involving domestic species. The Five Domains and Five Freedoms models will be used consistently across contexts to identify welfare issues and assess the ramifications on health and wellbeing. Husbandry standards, codes of practice, regulations and the Animal Welfare Act 2006 will be considered to determine husbandry practices. Students will leave this module with comprehensive knowledge of industry practices and ramifications on welfare of domestic species.

Animal Welfare Issues: Wild Animal Management 15 Credits

Having learnt in the first year how to define and assess animal welfare, this module will comprehensively discuss welfare issues across a broad spectrum of wild (non-domesticated, in captivity or wild-living) animal management. Welfare issues occurring during breeding, rearing, housing, tracking, trapping, handling, training, transport, translocation, rehabilitation, reintroduction, and slaughter/euthanasia will be examined across zoos, farming, circuses, sports, pet keeping, sanctuaries, scientific procedures, and illegal activities involving wild species. The Five Domains and Five Freedoms models will be used consistently across contexts to identify welfare issues and assess ramifications on health and wellbeing. Husbandry standards, codes of practice, regulations and the Animal Welfare Act 2006 will be considered to determine management practices. Students will leave this module with comprehensive knowledge of industry practices and welfare ramifications in wild animals. The module demonstrates a Wildlife/One Welfare approach – extrapolating animal welfare to include wild-living animals and animals across all invertebrate/vertebrate classes.

Animal Welfare: Ethics and Legislation 15 Credits

For graduates wishing to work in the fields of animal welfare/conservation biology it is essential to develop comprehensive knowledge of relevant legislation, to maintain professional standards and integrity. It is similarly important to demonstrate ethical practice. This module, which runs as an independent study module, will inform students about the legislation underpinning the animal management industry and environmental protection (both global and domestic legislation), who and how the law is enforced, and will help students to understand what legal and ethical practice is and how to achieve it. The comprehensive canvas classroom for this independent study module presents fact-based information with a series of mini-tasks to complete which are formative and help students prepare for an end-of-module written timed assessment. Students will be supported by weekly drop-in online tutorials hosted by the Module Leader, though otherwise will rely on the guided canvas activities.

Research Methods for Animal Welfare 15 Credits

Planning and conducting research are defining aspects of both academic skill and industry practice – those working with animals should take an evidence-based approach, conducting valid and creditable research, faithfully interpreting that research and producing research reports. In this module, students will therefore progress their academic skills and employability.

Students will learn about research design and planning, including ethics and risk assessment. They will also discuss, in some detail, a range of pertinent qualitative and quantitative research methods, considering validity, reliability, creditability, authenticity and trustworthiness. Here students will further develop critical thinking skills in relation to research design. Both qualitative and quantitative data analysis will also be explored. In lectures students will learn the theory behind inferential and descriptive analysis, coding and qualitative analysis, while sample data sets will be provided to guide students in seminars to apply analytical techniques. Results interpretation and report writing will also be explored.

Animal Welfare Issues and Sustainability 15 Credits

Poor welfare is a sustainability issue, but modern animal productions systems are unsustainable on multiple levels. In this module, students will consider animal welfare issues raised earlier in Year 2 in relation to environmental sustainability. Lectures will focus on the conceptual relationship between poor animal welfare and unsustainable practice at individual animal and population level, and students will consider those practices in terms of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Over several weeks students will examine the literary evidence linking animal production systems with key topics in environmental sustainability including biodiversity loss related the habitat disturbance/destructions, climate change, direct capture/hunting/killing of wild animals, and pollution. Subsequently, each week students will examine unsustainable practice in specific systems including beef and dairy farming, egg/broiler production, zoo populations, domestic pet populations, illegal exotic animal trade and use, and the equine industry. These system-focused sessions will be delivered by specialist guest lecturers.

Conservation Biology: Diversity Loss 15 Credits

Conservation Biology is a relatively young area of study that takes a multidisciplinary approach to investigating and reducing global loss of biodiversity related to human activity. In this module students will learn about the conceptualisation, development, and importance of conservation biology. The scale and scope of human-induced environmental change will be discussed in relation to biodiversity loss and the Anthropocene. Causes of human-induced biodiversity loss will be comprehensively discussed including invasive species, pollution, climate change, and habitat loss/fragmentation, as well as direct threats to animals like hunting and other causes of human-wildlife conflict. Real-world case studies will be used to examine interconnectivity between human causes of biodiversity loss. Biodiversity loss will also be examined from a societal and economic perspective, to further embed knowledge on the significance of biodiversity loss on the globe and life as we know it. Solutions to biodiversity loss will be discussed in Year 3.

Population and Community Ecology 15 Credits

Having learnt about species ecology in Year 1, students will now study population and community ecology – how species interact in time and space and in relation to the physical resources in an ecosystem. The natural causes and relationship between natural regulators of population growth and decline will be discussed. Specific topics to be explored in detail include interspecific competition within populations, predator-prey interactions, action of decomposers and detritivores, parasitism and disease, symbiosis and mutualism, and abundance. At community level, students will learn about trophic structure, complexity and ecosystem dynamics and changes in community structure, influences on species richness and measurement of species richness. The causes and ramifications of natural ecological disturbance and succession will thus be considered. Over the course of the module, students will develop comprehensive understanding of the natural processes that influence biodiversity. This module will inform learning on module Conservation Biology: Biodiversity Loss.

Skills for Biological Scientists 15 Credits

Employers require animal welfare/conservation graduates to evidence a range of practical skills, in addition to theoretical knowledge, academic skill and research skill. To ensure our graduates evidence practical skills, you will undertake this independent study module. Students will independently complete 12 practical tasks, some desk-based, some outdoors, and students are strongly encouraged to engage with local facilities like nature reserves, to provide context which can often promote learning. The 12 practical guided tasks, detailed in the canvas classroom, will combine to form an online portfolio (the summative assessment for this module). Learning will be supported by drop-in tutorial sessions every other week throughout semester 2, otherwise the student will rely on information in the canvas classroom and self-guided study. To ensure students have sufficient time to complete the tasks, the portfolio will be submitted after spring break. To support students further online study groups will be formed.

Modules

Animal Science and Conservation Dissertation 30 Credits

The dissertation is an extended piece of independent research in animal welfare science and/or conservation biology and/or environmental sustainability. The specific research topic/question must be agreed with the dissertation supervisor, though the project is always led by the student who must work diligently throughout Year 3 to complete this large piece of work. You will select/be allotted a supervisor who will provide up to 6 hours supervision. In addition, there will be taught introductory sessions and a comprehensive Canvas classroom. Students will be given Dissertation Guidelines at the beginning of Year 3 which discuss types of dissertations, the dissertation process, and structure/formatting of a dissertation. This is the pinnacle of an undergraduate degree; it is the student’s chance to consider a topic more comprehensively than in other coursework. It is also an opportunity to grow, as a student, academic and professional, preparing you well for further study or employment.

Conservation Ethics and Welfare 15 Credits

Conservation biology can no longer focus on animal populations, individual animals matter. In this module students will critically explore application of One Welfare, wildlife welfare and Global Health to conservation biology. The concept of welfare applied to wild-living animals (native and exotic) will be critically explored as we increasingly acknowledge that even if not directly under human control, wild-living animals are affected by human activity and our moral duty to treat animals well therefore extends to the wild. The relationship between animal welfare science and conservation biology will be systematically investigated to identify areas where an animal- rather than a population- or genetic-approach could be advocated. Development of sustainable, ethical conservation practices are of primary importance. Students will learn to re-think current conservation ideologies and practices and consider the feasibility of aligning conservation and welfare by development of conservation ethics.

Conservation Biology: Applied Solutions 15 Credits

Having discussed conservation biology from the perspective of threats to biodiversity in Year 2, in this module the strategies available to conserve biodiversity will be discussed. The type and range of strategies, and the strengths and weaknesses of each strategy will be examined. Both in-situ and ex-situ strategies will be discussed, ranging from translocation to rewilding, captive breeding programmes to zoo education.

Biodiversity conservation will also be examined from a societal and economic perspective, to further embed knowledge on the significance species conservation on the globe and life as we know it.

Conservation Genetics 15 Credits

Conservation genetics is the application of genetics to preserve animals at species level as these are ‘dynamic entities capable of coping with environmental change’ (Frankham et al, 2002). In this module students will learn about the effects of ecosystem/habitat disturbance/destruction and captive husbandry/management on the genetic diversity of species. Multiple mechanisms and the ramifications for conservation will be examined. Genetic techniques used in conservation biology are discussed. Hence genetics in small, captive or declining populations is comprehensively considered. Students will calculate changes in gene frequency due to factors such as inbreeding, genetic drift and fragmented populations. Forensic techniques reliant on genetics will also be discussed. Students will gain insight into the genetic management of populations and the genetic consequences of biodiversity loss therefore. Lastly, species concept will be debated – will species remain as the unit of conservation?

Sustainable Solutions and Animal Systems 15 Credits

Here animal welfare science, conservation biology and environmental sustainability are concurrently considered to determine sustainable solutions to poor animal welfare, poor animal population viability, and biodiversity loss. A focus on farm animal production will be essential – agriculture is one of the world’s biggest causes of biodiversity loss and animal suffering, yet it is also one of the biggest fields of employment and source of economic revenue. Students must develop understanding of sustainable agriculture that benefit the environment, prioritise good welfare and sustain human populations. Sustainability at every level of production will be explored. Other areas of animal management will be examined, including the viability of zoo populations and poor welfare of captive exotic animals. Here a revolutionary change in perspective is advocated – that behavioural skill rather than genetic diversity become the new unit of conservation. Strategies to reduce wastage, pollution and animal suffering in other systems will be considered also.

Optional Modules Credits
  • Applied Animal Behaviour - 15 Credits
  • Animal Welfare: Disasters and Emergencies - 15 Credits
  • Applied Zoo Biology - 15 Credits
  • Conservation Education and Society - 15 Credits
  • Environmental and Animal Advocacy - 15 Credits
  • Wildlife Crime and Trade - 15 Credits
  • Animal Science and Conservation Volunteering - 15 Credits

Entry requirements

104-120 points

Our offers are typically made using UCAS tariff points to allow you to include a range of level 3 qualifications and as a guide, the requirements for this course are equivalent to:

  • A-Levels: BCC-BBB from 3 A Levels or equivalent grade combinations (e.g. CCC is comparable to BCD in terms of tariff points).  A-level grade C or equivalent in a Science subject, such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Human Biology, Zoology, Psychology, Environmental Science/Studies, Marine Science or Applied Science is encouraged.
  • BTEC/CTEC: MMM-DMM from BTEC or Cambridge Technical (CTEC) qualifications
  • International Baccalaureate: To include a minimum of 2 Higher Level certificates at grade H4 and a minimum of grade H5 in a science is encouraged
  • T Level: Pass (C or above on the core) in a T Level
  • Applicants without a science background but with relevant experience in the animal management industry may also be considered for entry

 

Additionally, we accept tariff points achieved for many other qualifications, such as the Access to Higher Education Diploma, Scottish Highers, UAL Diploma/Extended Diploma and WJEC Applied Certificate/Diploma, to name a few. We also accept tariff points from smaller level 3 qualifications, up to a maximum of 32, from qualifications like the Extended Project (EP/EPQ), music or dance qualifications. To find out more about UCAS tariff points, including what your qualifications are worth, please visit UCAS.

In addition to level 3 study, the following GCSE’s are required:

GCSE English Language at grade 4 or C, or higher. Functional Skills at level 2 is accepted as an alternative, however Key Skills qualifications are not. If you hold another qualification, please get in touch and we will advise further.

If you will be over the age of 21 years of age at the beginning of your undergraduate study, you will be considered as a mature student. This means our offer may be different and any work or life experiences you have will be considered together with any qualifications you hold. UCAS have further information about studying as a mature student on the UCAS website which may be of interest.

 

Our offers are typically made using UCAS tariff points to allow you to include a range of level 3 qualifications and as a guide, the requirements for this course are equivalent to:

  • International Baccalaureate: To include a minimum of 2 Higher Level certificates at grade H4 and a minimum of grade H5 in a science is encouraged

If English is not your first language, a formal English language test will most likely be required and you will need to achieve the following:

  • IELTS Academic at 5.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all four components (for year 1 entry)
  • We also accept other English language qualifications, such as IELTS Indicator, Pearson PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and TOEFL iBT.

If you are living outside of the UK or Europe, you can find out more about how to join this course by contacting our International Recruitment Team via our International Apply Pages.

2025 Course Tuition Fees

  UK / Channel Islands /
Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland 

International

Year 1 £9,250 £16,700
Year 2 £9,250 £16,700
Year 3 £9,250 £16,700
Total £27,750 £50,100
Optional Sandwich Year* £1,850 £3,340
Total with Sandwich Year £29,600 £53,440

Additional tuition fee information

If you are a UK student starting your degree in September 2025, the first year will cost you £9,250**. Based on this fee level, the indicative fees for a three-year degree would be £27,750 for UK students.

Remember, you don’t have to pay any of this upfront if you are able to get a tuition fee loan from the UK Government to cover the full cost of your fees each year.

UK Part-Time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £77.08 and a 15 credit module is £1,156. Part-time students can take up to a maximum 90 credits per year, so the maximum fee in a given year will be the government permitted maximum fee of £6,935.

International part-time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £139.14 and a 15 credit module is £2,087.

* Please note that not all courses offer an optional sandwich year.

**The University of Winchester will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year.

Additional costs

As one of our students all of your teaching and assessments are included in your tuition fees, including, lectures/guest lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities. You will also have access to a wide range of student support and IT services.

There might be additional costs you may encounter whilst studying. The following highlights the mandatory and optional costs for this course:

Mandatory

Core Texts

Core texts are available from the University Library as ebooks or echapters; however, some students prefer to purchase their own paper or electronic copies. These can be bought second-hand, which can often reduce this cost. Indicative cost is £50-£250 per academic year.

Skills for Biological Scientists

In year 2 you will complete a mandatory ‘skills for biologists’ module and develop an online portfolio of skills and knowledge you will need to successfully work in the bioscience sector. This will involve following a series of online tasks, but you are strongly encouraged to engage with your local community and visit local open spaces to fulfil the practical elements of the tasks. You will need to cover the costs of local travel and consumables like notebooks and clipboards.

Volunteering

In Year 3 you have the option of completing a volunteering module (30 hours volunteering with an animal welfare/conservation/sustainability related organisation). This may be done remotely [online – given Covid or other restrictions] or in person. Costs of travel, equipment and uniform (PPE), or any other associated costs will need to be covered by you and you should budget for such costs if you elect to undertake this optional module.

SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES AND AWARDS

We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course. To see if you’re eligible, please see our Scholarships and Awards section.

CAREER PROSPECTS

The animal industry is full of diverse, exciting, and challenging careers for well qualified graduates. Our graduates will possess the theoretical knowledge and practical skill to pursue many employment pathways spanning animal management, animal conservation and environmental sustainability.

National and international advocacy roles in NGOs or Government departments, or developing a consultancy business are all possible career goals. Job roles, for example, include research assistant, science and policy officer, conservation and research officer, sustainability manager, campaigns and marketing coordinator, community/wildlife ranger, farm adviser/liaison officer, and education officer.

The University of Winchester ranks in the top 10 in the UK for graduates in employment and further study according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2021, HESA.

OUR CAREERS SERVICE
Student with careers staff member
"I think this subject is fundamental in its impact to the world." Dr Lisa Riley, Programme Leader

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30 November 2024