Animal welfare is an important global issue in todays society – with many people expressing concerns about how we treat farm, companion, laboratory, and wild animals. Increasingly, those concerns are part of a wider debate about sustainability and environmental impact.

Protecting and improving animal welfare requires an ability to understand animals and assess welfare based on sound scientific principles. This programme will give you a contemporary understanding of the issues and provide the knowledge and skills to enable you to develop a career in this area. You will gain a thorough grounding in animal biology and animal management, followed by a specialised understanding of animal behaviour, animal welfare, human-animal interactions and the ethics of animal use.

What you'll learn

The degree programme is taught by world-leading animal welfare researchers working in one of the largest groupings of animal behaviour and welfare scientists in the world. By joining the programme, you will gain access to cutting edge research in animal welfare and hear from staff who actively work to improve animal welfare around the world – including by working with governments and industry. The course content and connections with staff will leave you well placed to follow your own path to helping make a positive difference to the lives of animals

What's the course like?

As an applied science, your learning will take you from the classroom to the lab, farm, zoo and other places where animals live. We will help you apply your theoretical understanding of animal welfare to real world problems, to develop the ability to make persuasive arguments for improving the lives of animals, and to explore methods to change practices in relation to animal welfare.

In year 4 you will have the opportunity to carry out a research project in animal welfare, working alongside internationally recognised animal welfare scientists, where you will contribute to the development of scientific knowledge on animal experience and welfare.