BSc (Hons) Animal Science (SW) Lucy Clarke.

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1 BSc (Hons) Science (SW) Lucy Clarke Hello, As your programme manager I will be there throughout your course to support you in all aspects of your academic life, assisting with study skills, decisions about what you study and careers advice. I will teach modules you will study too, so we ll see each other regularly. I have been programme manager for this course for two years now, and particularly like the amount of choice students have you can specialise in different areas related to animal science, be it nutrition, animal production, wildlife, health and disease or behaviour and welfare. As it has an optional sandwich year (after two years of study you can spend a year in industry if you want) it has great opportunities to try out your dream job! Before becoming a lecturer I completed a Masters by Research in Biodiversity and Conservation at the University of Leeds and a Bachelors degree in Science at Nottingham Trent University. This, coupled with field work experience in the UK and overseas, has led me to teach modules in evolution, ecology and anthrozoology (Human- Interaction). I also lead the South Africa Field Course. My main research interests are mammal ecology (currently mainly focussing on hedgehogs and water shrew) and conservation and education in zoos. In this booklet you ll find all the information you need to prepare for starting your course in September, including the kit you need to buy, books you will find useful and the added extras you need to plan for. We arrange visits and short courses throughout the year that you might want to get involved with too. The programme team are really looking forward to welcoming you to Hartpury. Your first week will be a great time to get to know everything you have been looking forward to. You ll get a copy of your timetable, detailed programme handbook and a diary so you know what s coming up. There will also be plenty of time to ask questions. In the meantime, please do get in touch with me if you have any questions at all. Lucy Lucy Clarke MRes SFHEA PGCE Programme Manager: BSc (Hons) Science Hartpury College Gloucester GL19 3BE Telephone: Extension: lucy.clarke@hartpury.ac.uk Website: lucyclarke

2 BEFORE YOU ARRIVE PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING! Having the right kit: Essential - For your course you ll need: a white laboratory coat; a green overcoat (laboratory coat style for animal unit practicals); a set of green overalls (boiler suit style for farm based practicals); and a pair of steel toe-capped safety Wellington boots. This equipment will be needed for the first time in your first week, so please make sure you arrive prepared. You can purchase all these items either individually, or as a bundle, on our online shop. Please make sure you select the HE BUNDLE or HE ANIMAL identified kit. Optional we sell a range of Hartpury branded clothing. If you d like to buy a hooded sweatshirt or fleece please visit our online shop: All clothing purchased via our shop will be available to collect on arrival at the college (if ordered by 28 th August) or within 7-10 days if ordered later. Please bring a copy of your receipt along to enrolment. You will also need: a scientific calculator; pens and pencils; folders to stay organised and a pile of paper for making notes in lectures. Reading for your degree: Here are some books that will be useful throughout your course if you want to buy some. You aren t expected to buy them all or read anything before you arrive though! Aspinall, V. (2009) Introduction to Veterinary Anatomy and Textbook, 2 nd edition. London: Butterworth- Heinemann. Breed, M.D. and Moore, J. (2012) Behavior. London: Academic Press Pond, W.G. (2005) Basic and Feeding. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons Studdert, V. P., Gay, C.C. and Blood, D.C. (2007) Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary. London: Saunders *** The Hartpury College Learning Resource Centre liaises closely with staff and has several loan and at least one reference copy of core texts available. You may therefore wish to start off using the books from the loan collection and decide to purchase those texts that are of use across a number of modules. If you decide to purchase text books, you will find a list of all recommended texts here: then select your programme, and a full list of recommended texts will be shown.*** Budget for those extras: Each year we offer short courses to complement your programme, such as micro-chipping, livestock foot trimming and animal first aid. We do have to charge extra for these, although they are run at cost and are usually heavily subsidised. None are compulsory. You will find out much more about this enrichment programme when you arrive. During your first year there will be a programme based trip to an animal-based attraction. This will carry a small charge of between 8-10 and will depend on where the group want to go (e.g. Bristol Zoo, International Centre for Birds of Prey). In your second year you could choose to complete the Field Course module, which involves a 12 day trip to South Africa at a cost of approx This is entirely optional though and offers a great experience studying in the African bush. In your third year you could choose to take the module Wildlife and Zoo management which includes a three day trip to a UK zoo at a cost of approximately 100. There may be other trips related to your modules throughout your time at Hartpury. You ll be given plenty of notice these are happening and usually are either free of charge or require a small contribution towards admission fees (if applicable). Transport will usually be provided free of charge.

3 COME AND SEE US If you would like to come to visit Hartpury, to arrange a personal visit. ARRIVING AT HARTPURY: WELCOME WEEK Welcome Day on 13 th September is a great way to meet other students and get familiar with the campus and move in (residential and non-residential). It is also the start of Hartpury Freshers Week, kicked off by a live band in the Hartpury Bar and the start of our legendary Freshers experience! You ll need to be available Monday-Thursday for academic matters, although there are social activities all week. Don t forget to visit the Freshers Fair and sign up to one of our clubs or societies, such as the Land & Biology Society (LABSoc) or the Veterinary Society. Welcome week is also very important for your course too. You ll have plenty of time to get to know your course colleagues and tutors, to get a copy of your timetable, to explore the campus with the help of current students and to find out what you ll be studying. There will also be a trip to Oxford Natural History Museum with others from your programme. This will be a great time to start making friends and to find your way around before teaching starts. AND THEN THE WORK STARTS So teaching will start on Monday 21 st September. You ll get a copy of your timetable during Welcome Week. In the first year you ll study a range of compulsory modules to provide a grounding in all aspects of animal sciences, including;, Welfare, Behaviour, Biodiversity,, Health & Disease and Genetics. Each week you ll have 9-10 hours of lectures and 2-3 hours of practical sessions (usually in the laboratory, in the animal house or at the farm), so 12 hours in total. You will also have work to do, such as preparatory reading, writing assignments or revising for exams, so in total you should expect to work hours a week towards your course. There will also be a session once a week with your personal tutor, when you ll get support developing your study skills. This is essential to help you find your way around the huge amount of published material we have access to through the University Learning Centre, assignment presentation, revision skills and careers advice. Your tutor will also meet with you individually on a regular basis to see how you re getting on. At least one day each week will be free on your timetable. We do not have lectures on Fridays, and there may be other days when you have no lectures, depending on your module choices. This is to give time to do your work placement or to spend time working on assignments. It definitely isn t a day off! Whilst volunteering isn t a compulsory part of your programme it is very helpful to gain some practical hands on experience in the work place and can be a good way of finding out more about the sorts of jobs that are available. We have lots of links with local organisations so if you want to do some voluntary work please ask once you have settled into your course. MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR DEGREE This degree is a really exciting way to get into a host of different careers in the animal industry. After the first year you have a lot of choice, so can focus on one of the pathways depending on what you are most interested in. The first year will help you develop grounding in all necessary subjects, so it is really important you use this time to learn as much as you can. This will help you to make informed choices in your second year and to develop a deeper knowledge as your course progresses. This course is particularly special as it has a sandwich year. This means you can spend a year in industry after you have spent two years studying with us. You d then return for your final year once your sandwich year is complete. This is a great opportunity to work in any aspect of the industry you choose, either in the UK or overseas. Students have completed placements in UK zoos, with a major animal welfare organisation, in wildlife management organisations in the Seychelles and in research posts in South Africa and Kenya. As you re still a student during this time you have access to all the usual support, can use the library and may be able to get some funding too. You don t have to decide on whether you want to do a sandwich year yet; we ll talk you through it around spring time in your first year. There are also lots of opportunities to get involved in additional activities on site. We have a working farm, the animal collection, the canine and equine therapy centres and the equine yard where you can volunteer: every year we have about 30 students get involved in lambing, for example. These opportunities will be advertised at the appropriate time, so look out for them on notice boards and in lectures so you don t miss out.

4 We are committed to developing our graduates and provide a programme of workshops and enrichment activities to help develop academic skills and employability. Study support will be offered via your personal tutor and the Success & Achievement team who will assist you with skills to make the most of your potential. Our Innovation, Careers and Enterprise centre, provides assistance, guidance and opportunities to help you to build your CV and prepare for your future career. PLACEMENTS If you decide to do the sandwich year you ll need to complete the equivalent of 40 weeks, full time work in a suitable placement. Staff at the college support students looking for sandwich year placements by advertising opportunities that they are aware of, putting students in touch with organisations who have offered placements previously and putting students in touch with different people, such as finance or careers advisors. How are placements managed? You will be assigned a Placement Tutor who will act as your central contact throughout the placement. They are allocated to support you throughout your placement. The College also has a designated HE Work Placement Coordinator (WPC) who is there to oversee the placement process they are here to help you, from sign posting you to where to look for placements, highlighting the bank of placements we already have established and of course being someone on the end of the phone / throughout the placement. Been there, done that, got the Placement T-shirt! We asked students what tips they would give future work placement students; these were the most common responses: Start looking for the placement early and don t leave it until the last minute. When trying to find a placement it is sometimes better to phone or visit in person rather than ing. This could be before you even start on the course! Find something that is really relevant to your career aims it s a great time to test out what your career could be like! Leanne completed her sandwich year at Colchester Zoo, followed by 3 months in South Africa

5 DREAMS START HERE The following shows how your module choices can lead to careers in different areas. The course fits into five main strands that link to this huge range of possible careers. Graduates from this course could start careers in a wide range of different aspects of the animal industry, including: animal managers and zoo keepers, teachers at schools and colleges, laboratory or research scientists, nutrition and pet care advisors for feed/insurance companies, research and development for nutrition or pharmaceuticals companies. NUTRITION & PRODUCTION BEHAVIOUR & WELFARE HEALTH & DISEASE LABORATORY SCIENCES WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 Genetics Applied Production Reproductive Introduction to Behaviour Introduction to Welfare Management of Domestic s Behavioural Measurement Ethics and Welfare Health & Disease Applied Health & Disease Therapy I Genetics Microbiology Management of Domestic s Ethics and Welfare Biodiversity Field Course LEVEL 3 Production Anthrozoology Psychology Epidemiology Therapy II Pharmacology Microbiology Wildlife & Zoo Management Biodiversity & Conservation FINAL WORD TOP TIPS FROM THOSE WHO KNOW! I quickly realised that everyone else was in exactly the same position as me and therefore I wouldn't be alone. I've learned so much already and I haven't even finished my first year yet! So don't worry, if you love animals, you'll love learning about them too!" Casey, BSc (Hons) Science 1 "I was quite nervous before I got to Uni, I wasn't sure I would make any friends. The first day I arrived I sat in the kitchen with a cup of tea and waited. After a few minutes I met other students and sure enough they felt the same way. Now I have a solid group of friends that I will know for life. Don't be anxious, everyone is in the same boat, just be yourself and friends will come to you " Kristian, BSc (Hons) Science 2