Animal Behaviour MSc (with optional Placement/Project year)

Program Overview

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Animal Behaviour (with optional Placement/Project year) MSc

Overview

This course is available in Clearing for 2025 entry.

Level

Postgraduate

Start date

Oct 2025, Oct 2026

Duration

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time

Location

Exton Park, Chester

UK fees

£9,630 for the full course (2025/26)

International fees

£15,000 for the full course (2025/26)

Optional 2-year Master's To Suit Your Needs

Choosing a Professional Placement MSc is a win-win for your career, giving you the chance to get real experience, apply your cutting-edge skills in the workplace and stand out to future employers.

In the first year you will have help from the University to find a placement, whilst developing your expertise. You will then spend your second year out in industry on placement, getting the chance to work with industry professionals and grow your network of industry contacts. Bringing your university-acquired knowledge and insights to industry, you will get to make a difference to the workplace and make lasting links with your employer.

Students need to find and secure their own placement, supported by the University. A preparation module will also help you to get ready for your placement.

Please note, this course is available as a one-year master degree course, or as a Two-Year Master's Course with a Professional Placement or Project. Please carefully consider your options when applying for our one year or Two-year routes as successful international applicants will not be able to change between courses after a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) letter has been issued or after arriving in the UK.

Course Contents

• Course Summary
• Optional 2-year Master's To Suit Your Needs
• Why You'll Love It
• What You'll Study
• Who You'll Learn From
• How You'll Learn
• Entry requirements
• Fees and funding
• Where You'll Study Exton Park, Chester
• Your Future Career

Course

From newts to bats, gorillas to cats, there’s always more to learn about the mechanisms underlying behaviour. On this course, you will get to grips with cutting-edge techniques used by top scientists to uncover the secrets of the natural world.

You will explore how our most recent findings can be applied to solve real-world problems, such as enhancing captive animal management or mitigating the effects of climate change. You will gain an understanding of key ethical dilemmas in the field, improve your research skills, and explore a topic of specific interest to you in a personal dissertation project.

At Chester, you will learn directly from leaders in the field of animal behavioural research. Our School is a friendly, welcoming community, where students from a range of backgrounds will experience thought-provoking research seminars and approachable, supportive staff. From hormone assays to genetic analysis, we have the facilities you will need to develop key laboratory skills. Chester is also well placed to enable you to hone your field-based skills as nature reserves, zoos, and national parks are closely located.

You can expect a diverse range of dissertation opportunities and the chance to directly participate in ground-breaking research as you get involved with long-term research projects led by our staff, both in the UK and abroad. Our teaching team has strong links to industry, and your dissertation project could provide you with valuable networking opportunities, such as experience in a specialist fields like wildlife monitoring or animal management. We have close links with zoos, aquaria, charities, and NGOs. These connections will be invaluable for you to take advantage of as you start your future career path.

Practical application is a key focus in this course. Authentic coursework will target your problem-solving skills and you will have the opportunity to build an online careers portfolio with help from a designated tutor. The assessments we set, which evidence your ability to communicate information with a variety of audiences, using a range of media, are both engaging and highly applicable to a range of employment opportunities. No exams are included in this degree.

Modules

• Conservation Genetics
• Research Dissertation
• Biodiversity Informatics
• Human-Animal Interactions and Animal Welfare
• Contemporary Issues in Animal Behaviour
• Behavioural Ecology in a Changing World
• Animal Welfare & Ethics
• Conservation Physiology

Module Aims

• Conservation Genetics: This module aims to provide an introduction to cutting-edge genetic and genomic techniques that are used to inform conservation actions.
• Research Dissertation: To provide the student with an opportunity to investigate systematically, and in depth, a topic of direct relevance to the programme of study and his/her personal interests.
• Biodiversity Informatics: This module will provide a forum for engagement with and critical discussion of issues at the forefront of the field of Animal Behaviour.
• Human-Animal Interactions and Animal Welfare: This module will advance student understanding of the impact that human knowledge, experience and behaviour have on the welfare of the animals they interact with.
• Contemporary Issues in Animal Behaviour: To engage with areas of research at the forefront of animal behaviour, understand how these have arisen, their current significance and likely future development.
• Behavioural Ecology in a Changing World: To critically discuss how behavioural ecological principles can be used to solve real-life problems within the fields of conservation and wildlife management.
• Animal Welfare & Ethics: This module will advance students' understanding on the breadth of animal characteristics and plasticity of animal traits that are potentially morally relevant, and that merit consideration for the humane and effective management of different species reared for human purposes.
• Conservation Physiology: The aim of the module is to give students a critical appreciation of the practice, ethics and underlying science of Conservation Physiology - an newly emerging field.

Who You'll Learn From

• Dr Christina Stanley
• Dr Kelly Gouveia
• Dr Lottie Hosie
• Dr Krista McLennan
• Professor Tessa Smith
• Dr Emmeline Howarth
• Dr Matt Geary
• Dr Nicola Beesley
• Dr Sonya Hill
• Helen Taylor-boyd
• Dr Jodie Gruber
• Dr Candice Owen

How You'll Learn

• Teaching is via seminars, workshops, practicals and discussion groups
• Assessment is via coursework (no exams)
• This course is designed around in-person study
• There may be some online learning activities

Entry Requirements

• Home Students: Applicants should normally possess an honours degree (minimum 2:2) in a biological/behavioural/ecological science (e.g. animal behaviour, conservation biology, zoology) including components of experimental design and statistical analysis.
• International Students: Applicants should normally possess an honours degree (minimum 2:2) in a biological/behavioural/ecological science (e.g. animal behaviour, conservation biology, zoology) including components of experimental design and statistical analysis. Applicants will also have relevant animal-related experience.

Fees and Funding

• Home Students: £9,630 for the full course (2025/26)
• International Students: £15,000 for the full course (2025/26)
• Additional Costs: Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials, specialist clothing, travel to placements, optional field trips and software.
• Bursaries: The University of Chester supports fair access for students who may need additional support through a range of bursaries and scholarships.

Where You'll Study

• Exton Park, Chester
• Modern learning resources and library
• Fitness facilities
• Student Services
• Chapel, chaplaincy and multi-faith spaces
• Accommodation
• Catering

Your Future Career

• Job Prospects: Our course is specifically targeted at giving you the skills you need to pursue a successful career. Whether this is in a behaviour-related field (perhaps managing wild or captive animals, providing behavioural consultancy services, or in academic research) or in a broader career (journalism, teaching or policy-making perhaps), we will help you stand out from the crowd in your applications.
• 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.