Animal Care

The animal care industry is worth around £1 billion to the UK’s economy

The ability to care for animals is a skill required in a wide range of organisations and nationally recognised qualifications are now required by the majority of employers.

Studying Animal Care at SRUC can lead to a wide variety of roles in institutions such as:

animal welfare societies
zoos
wildlife parks and sanctuaries
city farms
boarding kennels and catteries
veterinary practices
grooming salons
pet superstores

Graduates have also gone on to become dog handlers for the police, prison service and armed forces while some entrepreneurs have opened their own businesses.

All of our courses have a clear progression route, enabling you to gain further qualifications after completing your course to help improve your career prospects.

Study animal care at SRUC

Discover all the animal care courses we offer.

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Virtual Experience

Take a look around the SRUC Virtual Experience for lots of great student videos and examples of what it's like to study our animal care courses.

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From classrooms to care homes

SRUC has been donating supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the NHS, care homes and charities across the country.

Finding the positives in animal welfare

Researchers at SRUC have found a significant overlap between the views of farmers and scientists on positive animal welfare. In the first study of its kind, livestock farmers were asked directly what

Animal welfare app scoops another award

A groundbreaking animal welfare app developed by an SRUC scientist has led to another major award for Waitrose.

Raising the bar on positive animal welfare

A review of positive animal welfare has found it represents an important evolution from the wider concept of animal welfare. Researchers at Scotland’s Rural College led a critical review of the

Cathy to champion animal welfare

An animal welfare expert at Scotland’s Rural College has been named as chair of the first-ever independent Scottish Animal Welfare Commission.

Health versus natural behaviours in farm animals

Farmers and members of the public want animals to be both healthy and able to express their natural behaviours, according to research comparing the views of both groups.

Open days

We have online and in-person open days coming up! Come visit our campuses, talk to course tutors and students, and find out why studying at SRUC is such a unique experience.

Book your place

Download our prospectus

Find out more about all the courses we have on offer at SRUC.

Request a prospectus

Animal Sciences

Animal scientists will play a critical role in the future of our planet.

Equine & Horse Care

With the equine industry continuing to grow year-on-year, there has never been a better time to study and work in this field.

Poultry

A dynamic, competitive and multi-billion pound industry.

Veterinary Medicine

Our expertise and investment in top-class facilities will help you train as the veterinary professionals of the future.

Veterinary Nursing

Forge a career caring for a wide variety of animals.

Student life

Explore what life is like at SRUC from before your arrival all the way through to graduation. Find campus and accommodation information, tips, checklists and helpful information on getting started at SRUC. You can also find information on student support services, term dates & timetables, Moodle and more.

Courses for schools

Your journey starts here.

Apprenticeships

Skills Development Scotland Modern Apprenticeship (MA) and Technical Apprenticeship (TA) programmes offer individuals and employers a package of Vocational Training designed to meet the demands of today’s land-based industries as well as nationally recognised qualifications, equivalent to NC up to HND/Degree level.

How to apply

Whether you fancy an undergraduate, postgraduate, part-time or training course, here you'll find all the information you need to enrol and start.

Fees & funding

The area of student finance can be a complicated and ever-changing one. But don't worry, funding, including bursaries and loans to help with tuition fees, living, and travel costs, is available to help you complete your studies.