Learn why animals behave in the ways that they do and how it influences the management of companion, domestic, captive and wild creatures.
in the East of England for undergraduates employed as managers, directors or senior officials.
Source: GOS 2025
Animal Behaviour is a practical subject with plenty of opportunities to hone your skills, both in the lab and out in the field.
You'll observe and undertake animal handling and training and practise advanced behavioural data collection in the field and within captive environments.
There are opportunities to attend residential field trips to North Devon, and day trips to locations including the Norfolk coast, Wimpole Home Farm and Banham Zoo.
Study at an award-winning university
We were named Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023. We've also been awarded a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework – a reflection of the outstanding education we offer our students.
Being at ARU helped crystallise my love for the natural world. Today I'm here surrounded by papers on primate genetics and schedules for filming another BBC piece.
Studying Animal Behaviour could give you the opportunity to help future generations see species live and in the flesh, not just read about them in a history book.
This degree also acts as a foundation for you to become a Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CCAB). You’ll need to undertake practical training under the supervision of practising CCABs before presenting case studies and a further clinical examination prior to certification. For more information, visit the CCAB Certification website.
While gaining field, lab-based, and analytical skill sets you’ll discover how and why animals interact with other organisms and their physical environment.
You’ll start by learning the fundamentals of animal behaviour study, the form and function of animals, and evolution and biodiversity.
You’ll also consider how animals live, and challenges such as invasive species, climate change and habitat loss.
In years 2 and 3, you’ll deepen your knowledge of animal behaviour, and skills in researching it. You’ll also discover how animals learn and can be trained, and how we can leverage this to address common problems across a range of species.
Finally, you’ll complete a substantial research project on a relevant topic of your choice.
Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.
To prepare you for university study, you can take a foundation year at the start of this course. Find out more about foundation years.
You can choose to take an optional placement year as part of this course. Placements typically happen in Year 3, and your course will take four years overall. Find out more about placement years.
As a student at ARU, you’ll learn from staff who are involved in field and captive studies internationally and in the UK, and have research links with a range of organisations including some of Britain's most respected zoos.
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As a student at ARU, you’ll be able to take advantage of state-of-the-art facilities.
These include a 200-station biosciences laboratory in our Science Centre in Cambridge, an award-winning library and IT resources.
UK students, apply through Clearing for a September 2025 start
Call our Clearing line