Animal Welfare Science BSc Hons | University of Chester

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Course Summary

Explore the ways in which biological sciences are applied to animal welfare science, in what is an exciting and ever-changing field.

Our Animal Welfare Science course offers a multidisciplinary approach to the study of the theory and practice of animal welfare science, offering key employability skills essential for a future career as an animal welfare scientist.

This course combines academic skills development and the enhancement of wider graduate employability skills, drawing on staff expertise in teaching, research and industry. You will be taught by a range of tutors, who are nationally and internationally recognised as subject specialists. Students will study at the University of Chester’s Exton Park learning site for the full duration of the course.

Why you'll Love it

Multidisciplinary and holistic approach to animal welfare science

A female student working in a teaching laboratory.

Strong focus on captive animal welfare

Closeup portrait of a captive Cougar also known as Puma in a Zoo

Real life experiences

A male student and zoo keeper are examining a small animal, from a cage in a enclosed shed.

What you'll Study

The Physical and Natural Sciences Foundation Year route is an ideal place to begin your journey in academic sciences.

The Foundation Year is designed to give you a strong knowledge and skills base aligned with your chosen four-year degree. Following a solid grounding in scientific principles or behavioural sciences in your first block of teaching, you will study bespoke modules aligned with your discipline. This could involve studying the human body in health and disease and how to encourage healthy and sustainable behaviours, or the biology of terrestrial and marine animals and the impacts of their interactions with humans, or you might focus on the physical sciences and how they can help change the world for the better. Whatever you aspire to, we can offer you a supportive and incremental introduction to your science degree.

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If, during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

Year 1 involves studying fundamental principles and concepts, and developing the core technical skills required for progression of study in Years 2 and 3. Students will develop key employability skills for working in the animal care industry, including core scientific skills in animal science, data handling, and animal husbandry and management.

Year 2 involves studying concepts and methods in welfare assessment, where students will have the opportunity to explore and learn about the science of animal welfare and how to carry out welfare assessments using robust methodology. Students will also explore the links between animal health and welfare, learning about common diseases that affect domestic species and how these can be effectively managed. Students will also explore other relevant concepts in animal welfare science, particularly focusing on animal minds, sentience and welfare in more depth. This year will also involve a work placement or optional field trip, which will help to develop the student’s professional and key employability skills in the specialist area of animal welfare science.

In Year 3, you will specialise in a more critical approach to animal welfare topics, such as human animal interactions and human behavioural change, where you will learn about current issues at the forefront of human animal interactions and psychological models for effective human behavioural change. Students will develop relevant knowledge and understanding in the field of animal ethics and welfare law, understanding key principles for ensuring continued improvement of animal welfare and current legislation. You will learn about managing your own business in the animal care sector and explore topics on applied conservation to broaden your understanding of animal welfare science. You will also carry out an independent research project on a topic of your choice under the supervision of a tutor.

This course is delivered in three terms of ten weeks each. In each term, students study 40 credits comprised of either one or two modules. Scheduled contact hours range between approximately six and ten hours per week, depending upon the level of study and the complexity of the material being taught. This course is delivered through a mix of in-person and online learning. Students can expect to take part in lectures, workshops and peer-led seminars.

Students should expect to spend an average of 30-34 hours per week on independent study, which might include following asynchronous learning material on the University’s VLE, tutorial time with staff, using the University’s library, working with peers and preparing work for assessment.

Teaching by experienced academics and practitioners in the subject will be supplemented by occasional guest lecturers and speakers.

There will be a broad range of assessment methods so that students are exposed to the different types of task they might encounter in the workplace. These will include coursework in the form of professional skills portfolios, written pieces in the form of reports or essays, and poster and oral presentations.

We also continuously review the assessment methods used to ensure they adequately prepare students for graduate level employment.

All teaching is delivered by experienced academics and practitioners, with the fundamental principles of the Chester Future Skills Curriculum at its core - building your subject competence, confidence and key transferable skills to shape you into a world ready Chester graduate.

Entry Requirements

112UCAS Points

UCAS Tariff	112 points
GCE A Level	Typical offer – BCC-BBC; either Biology or Psychology is essential
BTEC	BTEC Extended Diploma: Animal Care/Management or Applied Science; typical offer – DMM
International Baccalaureate	28 points including 5 in HL Biology or Psychology
Irish / Scottish Highers	Irish Highers: H3 H3 H3 H3 H4 (including H3 in Biology)
Irish / Scottish Highers	Scottish Highers: BBBB (including Biology or Psychology)
Access requirements	Access to HE (Science) Diploma, to include 45 credits at level 3, 30 of which must be at Merit. We will also consider an Access to HE Diploma with sufficient Psychology credits.
T Level	T Level Science – Merit
OCR Cambridge Technicals	OCR Extended Diploma (Applied Science): DMM
Extra Information	Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A Level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs.

Students from countries outside the UK are expected to have entry qualifications roughly equivalent to UK A Level for undergraduate study and British Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) for postgraduate study. To help you to interpret these equivalents, please click on your country of residence to see the corresponding entry qualifications, along with information about your local representatives, events, information and contacts.

We accept a wide range of qualifications and consider all applications individually on merit. We may also consider appropriate work experience.

English Language Requirements

IELTS Academic: Undergraduate: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each band)
Postgraduate: 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each band)

For more information on our entry requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.

72UCAS Points

UCAS	72 Points
GCE A Level	72 points from GCE A Levels, including grade D in Biology or Psychology
BTEC	BTEC Extended Diploma: Animal Care/Management or Applied Science; typical offer – MMP
International Baccalaureate	24 points, including 4 in HL Biology or Psychology
Irish / Scottish Highers	Irish Highers: H4 H4 H4 H4 H4, including Biology Scottish Highers: CCDD, including Biology or Psychology
Access requirements	Access to HE Diploma (Science): Pass overall. We will also consider an Access to HE Diploma with sufficient Psychology credits.
T Level	T Level Science - Pass (D or E on the core)
OCR Cambridge Technicals	OCR Extended Diploma (Applied Science): MMP
Extra Information / General Entry Requirements	Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A Level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs. If you are a mature student (21 or over) and have been out of education for a while or do not have experience or qualifications at Level 3 (equivalent to A Levels), then our Foundation Year courses will help you to develop the skills and knowledge you will need to succeed in your chosen degree.

Fees and Funding

£9,535per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

Our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for Home students entering University in 2025/26 are £9,535 a year, or £1,590 per 20-credit module for part-time study.

You can find more information about undergraduate fees on our Fees and Finance pages.

Students from the UK, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland are treated as Home students for tuition fee purposes.

Students from countries in the European Economic Area and the EU will pay International Tuition Fees.

Students who have been granted Settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans.

Students who have been granted Pre-settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans.

£14,450*per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

The tuition fees for international students studying Undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 are £14,450 per year for a full-time course. This fee is set for each year of study.

The University of Chester offers generous international and merit-based scholarships, providing a significant reduction to the published headline tuition fee. You will automatically be considered for these scholarships when your application is reviewed, and any award given will be stated on your offer letter.

For courses with a Foundation Year, the tuition fees for Year 1 are £10,750 and £14,200 for Years 2-4 in 2025/26.

For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.

Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes.

Compulsory field trips are covered by tuition fees. However, the course will involve additional costs not covered by tuition fees. Students are currently required to purchase a lab induction pack with a lab coat and other required equipment. The current price is £30.00, but this may be subject to price increases depending on purchase costs. Students are also required to have waterproof clothing and boots. The quality and cost of these are at the students’ discretion, but must be suitable for fieldwork/trips in the UK in the winter months.

Other additional costs may include the purchase of books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and travel to placements.

Students who are living away from home during their time at university will need to cover costs such as accommodation, food, travel and bills.

Who you'll Learn from

Dr Kelly Gouveia

Lecturer in Bioveterinary Sciences, Programme leader BSc Animal Welfare

Dr Emmeline Howarth

Programme Leader for Animal Behaviour

Dr Sonya Hill

Deputy Head, Natural Sciences

Prof Tessa Smith

Professor of Biological Sciences

Dr Lottie Hosie

Senior Lecturer

Where you'll study Exton Park, Chester

The location

Modern learning resources and library

Seaborne library, seating and reception area.

Student Services

Fitness facilities

A male student wearing goggles is swimming in the training pool between the red rope lane marker lines.

Chapel, chaplaincy and multi-faith spaces

Accommodation

Catering

Your future Career

Job Prospects

Previous graduates have gone on to do a range of job roles, including working as zookeepers, animal welfare officers, education officers, research assistants, or working with animal or conservation charities. Transferable employability skills also equip our graduates for a wide range of graduate careers outside of the animal sector. Some graduates also go on to do postgraduate study, including at Master's and PhD level.

Careers Service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service, which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course, and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.

Animal Welfare Science BSc (Hons)

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