Course overview

Our understanding of the behaviour of other animals has flourished over recent decades. Yet the discipline still presents many challenges and is set to provide some of the major scientific breakthroughs of the 21st Century. There has never been a more exciting and important time to be a student of animal behaviour. Our course is the longest-established degree course in animal behaviour in the United Kingdom and attracts students from throughout Europe.

You will gain a thorough understanding of how and why animals behave in the ways they do, and learn how this knowledge can be applied in areas such as the management and conservation of wild and domesticated animals. You will also acquire the skills needed to carry out your own investigations in order to contribute to future discoveries.

Members of our lecturing team are able to draw on their extensive experience from studying the behaviour of animals living on all five continents, as well as in many of the surrounding oceans and seas, to bring exciting examples and opportunities to their teaching. Our team includes, for example, the Director of the Animal Behaviour Research Unit in Mikumi National Park (Tanzania). Staff are also involved in field and captive studies closer to home and have research links with a range of organisations studying British wildlife as well as at Britain's most respected zoos.

Additional course information

The core theme of our animal behaviour course is the study and interpretation of the natural behaviour of animals and reflects the development of the discipline from both psychological and zoological origins. Our course covers the study of behaviour across the range of wild, farm, companion and laboratory animals.

At the start of the course, you will be given a comprehensive introduction to animal behaviour within a broader scientific, especially biological, context. This enables you to fully explore your specialist subject at higher levels. You will then go on to study the developmental, physiological, and evolutionary aspects of animal behaviour in more detail and practise observational study skills. In addition, the application of animal behaviour to areas such as welfare and pest control is developed.

The final phase of our course sees students extending their understanding of the evolution and function of animal behaviour in advanced topics such as behavioural ecology and sexual selection. All honours students are required to undertake a research project during the second half of their degree.

Module guide

Assessment

Modules are assessed in a variety of ways. Most are a mix of written assessments, computer-based assessments and written examinations. Additional methods of assessment may include spoken presentations, posters, portfolios and workbooks. Generally, written examinations have a higher weighting in Year 3, but all modules include a coursework component.

Facilities

As well as good teaching facilities, our department is fortunate to be located in Cambridge. The city provides a wealth of opportunities for attending lectures and visiting museums and libraries. Cambridge is increasingly becoming a world centre for the theory and practice of wildlife conservation, with prestigious organisations like Fauna and Flora International, Birdlife International and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre being based in the city. The Cambridge Natural History Society (established 1857) holds its meetings at Anglia Ruskin. We are corporate members of the Cambridge Conservation Forum and the Tropical Biology Association. Students interested in captive animal behaviour can benefit from the animal facilities available at College of West Anglia at Milton in Cambridge.

Study abroad options

Our department does have exchange links with two North American universities. An exchange for one semester may be possible as part of your programme of study. This does depend, however, on the availability of equivalent modules at the host university. There may also be issues of accreditation requirements.

Special features

Our Animal and Environmental Biology Programme, which hosts this course, lays a special emphasis on the importance of fieldwork. You are given the opportunity to attend a range of day trips (funded by the department) as well as a wide range of residential field courses in the UK and abroad (cost covered by students). Highlights of the optional trips available include Rum National Nature Reserve in Scotland, the Farne Islands in Northumberland, the Red Sea to learn to dive and to survey the biodiversity of its stunning coral reefs, one of Europe's only remaining 'primeval' forests at Bialowieza in Poland, and a safari field course in Africa. For animal behaviour students taking our Behaviour and Management of Zoo Animals module there is a study tour of four state-of-the-art Dutch zoos.

Work placements

There are no formal requirements for a work placement as part of the course. Nevertheless, the flexibility of the course enables you to take a break of a year to undertake a work placement, if you choose to do this.

Associated careers

The practical skills you will acquire through our course will be useful in a variety of professional fields, although this degree will be of particular value to anyone wishing to pursue a career within wildlife conservation or zoo education. Our course also provides excellent general training as a scientist, enabling you to work in the field or in the laboratory for a wide range of organisations. Potential employers include: government agencies, environmental consultancies, wildlife conservation organisations, and educational and research establishments. Our course may also lead on to further postgraduate study and a research career.

Tariff points:	260
Entry requirements:	Required subject(s): GCE A-level Biology or Psychology (or equivalent qualification) GCSE(s) Preferred: 3 GCSEs at grade C including English and Maths

We welcome applications from International and EU students. Please select one of the links below for country-specific entry requirement information.

• International students
• EU students