Anglia Ruskin University
UCAS Code: DF21 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
GCSE/National 4/National 5
5 GCSEs at grade C, or grade 4, or above, including English and Maths.
UCAS Tariff
from A Level (or equivalent).
About this course
Develop your understanding of animal biology and its relationship to animal health, disease, growth and development, in theory and practice.
Our Animal Science degree combines both pure and applied sciences in the study of animals, while also incorporating practical animal management skills.
As a student at ARU in Writtle, you’ll develop a sound understanding of scientific principles and practical competence with a range of animal species. You'll take part in animal handling practicals involving work with a range of domesticated and captive animal species, as well as laboratory classes.
In years 2-3, you have a choice of modules so that you can focus on particular animal groups. These could include zoo animals, companion animals, wildlife conservation, and farm livestock.
Meanwhile, the final-year dissertation is an opportunity to develop your research skills.
As a graduate, you’ll have the ability to communicate your knowledge to others, practical animal management skills, and broad scientific training.
There are a number of ways to study this Animal Science Degree. As well as our 3-year full-time degree, you have the option of studying over:
- 6 years part-time
- 1 year to gain a Certificate in Higher Education
- 4 years including a foundation year, to gain a BSc
You can apply through UCAS (UK students) or directly to us (part-time and international students).
All BSc students study the same modules (with the addition of foundation year modules for those taking the 4-year course). Cert HE students study Year 1 BSc modules.
Modules
Year 1:
Academic and Personal Management Skills (20 credits)
Biological Concepts (Introduction to Laboratory Skills) (20 credits)
Maths for IT and Science (15 credits)
Chemistry for Life Sciences (15 credits)
Applied Industry Techniques (30 credits)
Independent (Themed) Project (20 credits)
Year 2:
Professional Skills for the Animal Industry (30 credits)
Animal Biology (30 credits)
Ethics of Animal Use (15 credits)
Introduction to Biochemistry (15 credits)
Animal Husbandry (15 credits)
Ecology and Evolution (15 credits)
Year 3:
Research Methods (15 credits)
Commercial and Professional Skills for Animal Science (15 credits)
Behaviour (15 credits)
Nutritional Biochemistry (15 credits)
Animal Health Science (15 credits)
Reproduction and Development (15 credits)
Year 4:
Capstone Project (30 credits)
Applied Nutrition and Feeding (15 credits)
Advanced Animal Health Science (15 credits)
Genetics and Genomics (15 credits)
Applied Behaviour and Animal Welfare (15 credits)
Assessment methods
This course provides a mix of assessment methods including: Practical assessments with companion and zoo animals, farm livestock and horses Examinations - both multiple choice and essay questions Presentations - both individually and in small groups Essays and technical reports Assessed seminars Case studies Experimental work and laboratory reports Poster presentations Debates Dissertation
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Writtle Campus
Writtle School of Agriculture, Animal and Environmental Sciences
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Animal science
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Animal science
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
These stats refer to the prospects for graduates from both general animal studies courses and those for particular animals (such as equine science). Graduates don't generally get jobs as vets when they graduate; much the most common jobs tend to be roles caring for animals, such as veterinary nurses. Some of these jobs are not currently classified as professional level occupations, but in reality, you need a degree to get these jobs (and probably always have done), and graduates in them report that they got the jobs that they wanted. So the stats you see might not completely represent just how useful these degrees are for getting into animal care careers.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Animal science
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£18k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
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Course location and department:
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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