A young university student in blue scrubs examining a calf with a stethoscope in a university animal teaching facility, representing the hands-on animal care and welfare focus of Animal Sciences degrees

DEGREE GUIDE

Animal Sciences

What do Animal Sciences degrees involve?

Animal Sciences degrees teach you how to understand, care for, and manage animals in a range of settings, from agriculture to conservation and veterinary science. You will explore key areas such as animal physiology, genetics, nutrition, behaviour, and welfare. Some courses also focus on veterinary sciences, preparing you for roles in animal healthcare, disease prevention, and research. These degrees help you develop strong analytical, research, and practical skills while studying how animals interact with humans and their environments. You will also gain hands-on experience through laboratory work, field studies, and placements in farms, zoos, or veterinary settings. With a mix of scientific study and applied learning, you’ll be prepared for careers in animal health, welfare, conservation, and agricultural management.

Example
Modules

Animal Nutrition: Study how nutrients affect growth, reproduction and health across species, and learn to formulate balanced diets for optimal performance.

Animal Physiology: Explore how body systems such as the heart, lungs and reproductive organs function and adapt in different environments.

Veterinary Anatomy: Examine animal bodies through tissue and organ structure, building core knowledge for clinical and scientific work.

Common Degree Names

💼 Placement years are widely available, often in farms, wildlife centres, zoos or animal health labs.
🌍 Study abroad is offered at some universities.

BSc (Hons) Animal Science
BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour
BSc (Hons) Animal Science (Animal Nutrition)
BSc (Hons) Animal Science and Conservation
BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour and Welfare
MSci Animal Science

MSci is a four-year integrated Master’s with advanced research or placement.

A microscope alongside blood and hair sample vials from different animal species, nutrition charts and a tablet displaying animal health data, illustrating the scientific research and laboratory skills developed in Animal Sciences degrees

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)

Animal Sciences explores the biology, welfare, and management of animals – from farm livestock to companion species. Because you'll need to understand animal biology, universities look for a solid science foundation.

You'll need:

Biology – almost always essential

Subjects that strengthen your application:

Chemistry – often required or strongly preferred, especially for health or lab-based courses
Maths or Physics – useful for data handling and lab work
Psychology or Environmental Science – may be accepted as a second science

✨ Biology and Chemistry together keep the widest range of options open. Many universities also accept Biology with another science or Maths.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC Extended Diplomas in Animal Management or Applied Science (being phased out), often with specific grade profiles and science-related units
BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside A-levels that meet the subject requirements above
T-Level in Animal Care and Management, both the Animal Management and Science pathway and the Animal Management and Behaviour pathway are relevant.
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with Biology and ideally Chemistry at Higher Level among your IB subjects (minimum two, ideally three), alongside your Career-Related Study; an Animal Care or Applied Science pathway would be directly relevant

Entry criteria can vary, especially between academic and land-based colleges, so it’s always best to check individual course requirements on university websites.

Level 2 (GCSE / MYP / Nat 5)
You’ll usually need:

GCSE English and Maths at grade 4/C or above, or equivalent qualifications such as National 5s or MYP
Science – either Combined Science or separate subjects like Biology and Chemistry, typically at grade 4/C or above

📘 Some universities may ask for higher grades in science (e.g. 5/B or 6), especially if you don’t have it at A-level (or equivalent).

Having subjects like Geography or Environmental Science can also support your interest in animal ecology and welfare.

💬 Interviews

Formal interviews aren't usually part of the application process. However, some universities may invite you for a short conversation, either online or in person, to learn more about your interest in the subject.

🔍 Work Experience

Not essential, but very helpful. Experience with animals, whether on a farm, at a kennel, in a zoo, or through volunteering, can make your personal statement stand out and show genuine passion.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

What interests you about the science behind animal health, behaviour, and welfare? Animal Sciences applies biology, genetics, nutrition, and other disciplines to understand how animals function and how we can care for them better. If you've spent time with animals - on farms, in stables, through volunteering, or with your own pets - think about what you observed and what questions it raised about how animals live and what they need. Reading about animal welfare research, following developments in sustainable farming, or exploring areas like animal nutrition or genetics can show genuine engagement. Admissions tutors want to see scientific curiosity about animals, not just a love of being around them.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Science, Animal Science or Agriculture

Many universities offer a foundation year if you don't have the required science subjects or grades. This adds an extra year but leads directly into the full degree.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (Science or Land-Based Studies)

Accepted by many universities offering Animal Science degrees. Look for courses with strong biology content, and aim for good results in your graded units.

💼 Level 3 Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships such as Animal Care and Welfare Officer or Animal Technician carry UCAS tariff points from 2026 and can support a university application. Animal Science degrees are offered broadly, including at land-based universities with flexible admissions policies.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

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Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with an Animal Sciences degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Animals: Animals sit at the centre of the degree. You'll study animal behaviour, nutrition, welfare assessment and husbandry across farm, companion, equine and zoo species, and explore the ethics of how humans manage and use animals.

The Environment & Sustainability: Sustainable management of animals runs through the curriculum. You'll explore how animal production systems can become more efficient and welfare-friendly, how climate change affects livestock and feed supply, and how the sector is responding to environmental pressures.

Students who thrive in an Animal Sciences degree are often motivated by

Sustainability and Environmental Care

You're energised by work that makes things better for the planet: developing green technology, reducing waste, protecting ecosystems, restoring habitats, or helping people and organisations shift to more sustainable ways of living. You feel most engaged when your effort is doing something measurable about environmental problems, not just thinking or caring about them. Seeing a real-world result, whether that's cleaner energy, less waste, or an ecosystem that recovers, is what carries you through the harder parts of the work.

Research and Discovery

You're excited by the idea of uncovering something genuinely new: being at the cutting edge, running experiments, and contributing knowledge that didn't exist before. You want to discover, not just learn what others have found. The prospect of adding something original to human understanding is what drives you, and you're willing to spend long periods on uncertain work for that possibility.

Practical Problem-Solving

You're energised by finding fixes to real-life issues, whether they're mechanical, technological, or social. You're motivated by problems you can see, touch, or experience directly, and you get satisfaction from solutions that work in practice, not just in theory. You'd rather build a prototype than write a report about one.

Analysing and Investigating

You're energised by making sense of information, looking for evidence, spotting patterns, and piecing together how things connect. Whether it's pulling apart data, questioning assumptions, or tracing a problem back to its source, you find energy in the process of understanding what's really going on. You'd rather dig into the details than accept things at face value.

Curiosity and Learning

You're energised by the activity of learning itself: diving into a subject you've never explored, watching documentaries, taking apart how something works, or constantly asking "why?" The process of learning gives you energy, not just the outcome. You don't just want the answer; you want to understand how things connect, why they matter, and what's underneath the surface explanation.

What makes Animal Sciences click for the students who love it?

Animal Sciences is for people who want to put the science of how animals live and stay healthy to work. Some arrive through biology, others through food and farming, but all of them want it to be useful, not only interesting. They like a problem with a workable answer, judged by whether it holds up on a working farm, not just on paper. Producing food without wrecking the land matters to them too, along with the species and habitats those animals depend on. Plenty follow the new research changing how it is all done.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

Skill Name

Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Do you enjoy hands-on work with animals — not just being around them, but actually learning how to handle, care for, and assess them properly?
Do you like understanding the science behind how animals' bodies work, rather than just knowing what to do on a practical level?
Do you care about how animals are treated and want to understand what good welfare actually looks like in different settings?
Do you enjoy investigating things — collecting information, looking for patterns, and figuring out what the evidence means?

Careers an Animal Sciences degree could lead you to

Animal Sciences

What do Animal Sciences degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Careers an Animal Sciences degree could lead you to

Example
Modules