Course overview
This course will help you seek answers to some of the big environmental questions today – questions around wildlife conservation and ecological sustainability. Sharing many common elements with our Animal Behaviour degree, it also provides a good grounding in the main aspects of Wildlife Biology.
Key to this degree is the drawing together of a number of diverse disciplines, from physiology to wildlife management, into a coherent and above all, relevant programme. You will learn about scientific research: how to test theories by experiment and field study. You will be taught by staff who have extensive experience of wildlife research in many parts of the world – and the chance to take part in a number of self-funded field trips means you will have the opportunity to put your new skills to the test.
The study of Wildlife Biology will introduce you to the biology of higher vertebrates, particularly birds and mammals. It will equip you with the field methods needed to study wildlife and provide an understanding of population ecology and wildlife management. You will learn about the habitat requirements of populations and the consequences of habitat loss and habitat degradation. The scientific understanding of approaches to management will be reinforced by studying the ecology of species, communities, and ecosystems.
Our understanding of the behaviour of other animals has flourished over recent decades. Yet the discipline still presents many challenges and is set to provide some of the major scientific breakthroughs of the 21st Century. There has never been a more exciting and important time to be a student of Animal Behaviour. This programme at Anglia Ruskin is the longest-established degree course in Animal Behaviour in the United Kingdom and attracts students from throughout Europe.
You will gain a thorough understanding of how and why animals behave in the ways they do and learn how this knowledge can be applied in areas such as the management and conservation of wild and domesticated animals. You will also acquire the skills needed to carry out your own investigations in order to contribute to future discoveries.
Methods of Teaching and Learning
Hands-on practical classes and field trips form a significant part of the teaching of this degree, in addition to more traditional lectures, seminars and active learning sessions. The methods of learning and teaching focus on the development of knowledge, academic and transferable skills, including an awareness of moral and ethical issues related to the subject of the degree. Lecturing staff and tutors aim to promote the personal and academic development of students and to provide flexible and accessible approaches to learning and knowledge which will contribute to employability of graduates.
Module Guide
Year one core modules:
Core Biology
Biomeasurement
Ecology
Introduction to Animal Behaviour & Welfare
British Wildlife and Conservation
Animal Behaviour in Context
Animal Form and Function
Year two core modules:
Practical Biodiversity
Practical Biology
Preparation for Research
Concepts in Animal Behaviour
Year three core modules:
Population Ecology & Wildlife Management
Wildlife Management & Conservation
Undergraduate Project
Behavioural Ecology
Advanced Topics in Behavioural Ecology
Associated careers
The Animal Behaviour and Wildlife Biology pathway is designed to provide you with the specialised skills required to work as a professional in the discipline of animal behaviour and wildlife conservation and management. The programme also provides a very good general training as a scientist, enabling you to work in the field or in the laboratory for a wide range of organisations. Potential employers include: zoos, animal training specialists, government agencies, environmental consultancies, wildlife conservation organisations, educational and research establishments. The course may also lead on to further postgraduate study and a research career.
Assessment
This course uses a wide range of methods of assessment including essays, practical reports, computer based assessments, presentations, debates, steeplechase tests, reviews of scientific papers and examinations. The weighting of different assessment methods varies between modules and levels of study.
Special features
Field Trips – The Department organises a wide range of one-day and residential field trips to a variety of exciting locations both in the UK and abroad. Residential field trips currently include deer watching in Rum, Scotland; marine, terrestrial and freshwater ecology and animal behaviour in Devon; seabirds and seals in the Farne Islands; marine biology in western Scotland; Bialowieza primeval forest in Poland; zoo design and management in the Netherlands; tropical wildlife and ecology in Kenya, and diving and marine biology in the Red Sea (Note: residential field trips require a significant financial contribution from the student)
Other areas of interest
Staff within the department are engaged in a range of research activities – such as primate ecology, invertebrate biogeography, ecology of ground beetles, breeding ecology of blue tits, elephant ecology and behaviour and insect-plant interactions, national monitoring schemes, ladybird behaviour and ecology.