FdSc – Foundation Degree in Science Animal Behaviour and Welfare
Explore why animals behave as they do and how scientific understanding can support their health and welfare.
Key facts
- Duration
- Full time: Full time: 2 years (3 days per week in year 1, 2 days per week in year 2)
- Part time: 3 years (at Solihull College)
- Starts
- September 2027
- Level
- Undergraduate
- UCAS code
- C866
- Location
- Solihull College & University Centre
- School
- School of Biological and Medical Sciences
About this course
The FdSc in Animal Behaviour and Welfare is designed to prepare you for a career in a wide range of animal-related industries. Skills gained on this course allows you to progress into a wide range of animal-related careers. Within this course there are opportunities to develop your practical animal handling and management skills, carry out work experience within animal-related industry and to develop research skills through an industry-related research project.
On completing this course, you may progress on to our BSc top-up course or move into employment.
This course is for people who might have current or previous experience working with animals or who have gained further education qualifications in animal-related studies. However, we also welcome applications from those of you with a desire to gain qualifications which would equip you to work in an animal-related industry.
This course is taught at Solihull College. Therefore you may need to consider travel costs depending on your proximity to the campus.
Study abroad
You may be able to go on a European or international study exchange while you are at Brookes. Most exchanges take place in the second year. Although we will help as much as we can with your plans, ultimately you are responsible for organising and funding this study abroad.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
| Qualification | Typical offer |
|---|---|
| UCAS tariff points | 80 |
| Contextual offer tariff points | 64 |
| A-level | BB |
| BTEC Extended Diploma | MMP |
| International Baccalaureate | 24 |
| GCSE English Language | Grade 4 or above |
| GCSE Maths | Grade 4 or above |
It may be possible, in certain situations, to gain accreditation of prior learning to enable students to enter the course with advanced standing or gain exemption from an element/ elements of the programme. This is assessed on an individual basis and is awarded in line with Oxford Brookes University’s regulations on accreditation of prior learning.
Students who obtain sufficient CAT points at level 4 in appropriate modules from alternative institutions may be granted entry at Level 5.
Students must be at least 17½ years of age.
We seek students who have the potential to make good scientists and accept that qualifications are not the only indicator of future potential. Entrants to the programme should normally possess the following:
Either: A minimum of two years' relevant work experience and a current role in an appropriate workplace setting, and a line manager's letter of support.
Or: A BTEC Subsidiary Diploma, Diploma, Extended Diploma or other equivalent qualifications, e.g. GNVQ/NVQ or other Level 3 vocational qualifications. A minimum of one pass at A-Level or 6-unit Vocational A-Level, plus 3 passes at GCSE (grades A - C), or O-Level (grades A - C) normally including Mathematics, English Language and Science.
International students requiring a Student visa cannot study this course at Solihull College.
Fees and funding
Fees
| Fee types | 2026/27 | 2027/28 |
|---|---|---|
| Home full-time | £7,700 | £8,400 |
| Home part-time | £5,140 | £5,600 |
Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.
For further information please see our tuition fees FAQs.
Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page.
Questions about fees?
Information from Discover Uni
Full-time study
Part-time study
How to apply
Our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, so module availability and course structures may vary from what is listed here. On rare occasions, we may also need to make updates to our course programmes after publication; for full details, please visit our changes to programmes page (opens in a new tab)