Animal Management Degree Courses

Animal welfare is a hot topic now with lots of opportunities cropping up in this expanding industry.

There are jobs in animal management to suit everyone, from consultant through to education officer and everything in between.  Although the hours are not usually 9 – 5, the trade off is that a career in animal management is incredibly rewarding.

It goes without saying that you need to love animals if you want to work with them every day. But you also need to be passionate about caring for animals too. People skills are just as important, particularly when you’re dealing with an animal’s owner and the public.  You should be interested in science and having an analytical mind helps too.

Take a course in animal management and you’ll find out all about animal biology, conservation and behaviour.  Some degrees give you the chance to examine particular areas in depth, whilst others are more generalist. Look for specialist facilities to give you the best possible training and if possible choose a college or university that focuses on this area, rather than one where it is part of a much wider curriculum.  This way, you should get the best experience and have the best opportunity to succeed.

John Pemberton, the Programme Leader for animal management degrees at Hadlow College states:

“As an animal management graduate you can expect to start working at a supervisory level and quickly progress to a management role within a couple of years.  Overall the sector has coped pretty well with the recession. This has a lot to do with environmental issues becoming increasingly important. Also there’s a need for education to promote awareness of species and how to protect them, this means more job opportunities with conservation groups and zoos.”