University Centre Bishop Burton
UCAS Code: Not applicable | Certificate of Higher Education - CertHE
About this course
Are you ready to transform your passion for dogs into a rewarding career in canine behaviour and training?
This Higher Education Certificate offers a unique blend of theoretical knowledge and practical experience relating to canine behaviour and training, designed to promote positive reinforcement training techniques equipping the next generation of canine behaviourists. Delve into a competitive field applying knowledge of training to canine behaviour, essential for effective training.
On this programme, you will have opportunities to acquire basic knowledge of canine behaviour, training, and health and wellbeing whilst in the comfort of your own home through the online nature of the programme. You will also study learning theory, developing knowledge of a range of training techniques and investigating the inner workings of the anatomy and physiology of canines, underpinning your skills to start your career in this sector.
Key features of the programme include:
- Industry-ready knowledge, applying theoretical skills to professional situations.
- Practical skill development, planning effective training sessions catering to the dog's individual needs, applying theoretical knowledge.
- Developing professionalism, equipping you with the tools to be successful in the industry, enhancing career progression.
Join our passionate community of aspiring dog behaviourists turning your passion for dogs into a meaningful career. At University Centre Bishop Burton, you will gain the knowledge, skills and experience needed to make a real difference in the dog training sector such as a behaviourist, dog walker or training instructor, or progress to the FdSc Applied Canine Behaviour and Training level 5 programme.
Click on the Apply now button below and get your journey at UCBB started. If you would like more information about the programme, click the Enquire today button and a member of the team will be in touch.
**What will I study?**
Year 1:
- Academic Research and Professional Skills
- Principles of Canine Psychology and Basic Training
- Employment Skills in the Industry
- Progressive Dog Training
Year 2:
- Canine Development
- Consulting and Coaching.
**Learning and Teaching Approach**
This programme is delivered with a variety of learning and teaching approaches to include all students’ learning styles and preferences.
For all modules, theory lectures are delivered that aim to deliver the core content and provide the underpinning knowledge. Using the webinar software, staff are able to monitor engagement to ensure participations.
To complement all theory lectures, students have asynchronous seminars that are used to reinforce concepts delivered theoretically. Online webinars focus on facilitating a student centred approach to enhance the independent learning that takes place outside of the webinar lecture sessions.
**What is the contact time?**
Lectures are delivered in three-hour sessions per week in the evenings, 6-9pm. On occasions, this may be split over two evenings.
In addition to the three hours in class, you will have additional tasks / activities set each week which need to be completed at a time to suit you during that week.
In total, contact time will be approximately eight hours a week to include lectures, seminars, asynchronous sessions, support sessions.
Students are also expected to carry out private study in addition to contact time (as a guide, each 20 credit module requires 200 hours of study time inclusive of lecture time).
Attendance is encouraged at block sessions onsite at University Centre Bishop Burton. However alternative provision will be offered if you are unable to attend. Dates for the 2025/26 academic year are as follows:
Thursday 18th September 2025 (Induction)
Friday 19th September 2025 (Induction and first lectures)
Saturday 20th September 2025 (first lectures)
Saturday 21st March 2026 and Sunday 22nd March 2026 (lectures)
Assessment methods
Assessment includes written assignments, presentations, practical demonstrations and project work. There are no formal examinations. Opportunities for feedback on assessments are available prior to the final submission to support your development and achievement. Staff aim to return assessed work within a 20 working day timeframe (not including holidays) so that you can most benefit from the feedback.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
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
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 behaviour
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
£19k
£22k
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.
Explore these similar courses...
Higher entry requirements
Lower entry requirements
Nearby University
Same UniversityThis is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Course location and department:
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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?
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
