Animal Science and Welfare (with Foundation Year)

Big data – it's a phrase that a lot of people would argue is overused, or at least not always used in the appropriate context. So, what is it really? How is it made and how do we make sense of it?

You learn how big data is not just abundant but a growing field in so many aspects of our society from policing and conservation to health and bioinformatics. You explore how groups and communities use and share big data to help keep themselves safe in disaster zones around the world. You begin to value the role data plays in helping to make sense of community relationships in society, from uncovering criminal networks, tracking disease outbreaks to developing a deeper understanding of our ecology.

Data might end up in a data-frame spreadsheet format but it doesn't begin there. It is often created with people and animals engaging with each other and technology. You explore how search engines collate and store the data we need to help make predictions, enhance decision making, or simply to better understand society's needs.

This module is based around a series of laboratory sessions. The first sessions emphasise important foundation skills, such as how to work safely in a practical environment and how to properly document practical work. These are followed by a series of sessions based on your wider academic interests including the basics of microscopy, handling microorganisms, safe handling food, using volumetric glassware and investigating acid base titrations.

You focus on how science can help address some of the global grand challenges that face society. A group project enables you to develop innovative answers to some of the biggest issues of our time based on health and wellbeing, resilient and secure societies, digital and creative economy, sustainable environments and learning for the 21st century. The themes reflect the University's focus on externally facing research that makes a real, practical difference to the lives of people and the success of businesses and economies.

Study animal science from the perspective of domesticated animals including farm animals, horses and companion animals.

Whilst reviewing animal science from an interdisciplinary perspective you develop an understanding of recent developments in animal science, the underlying scientific principles and how these can be applied to animal nutrition, breeding, fertility, health, behaviour, physiology and anatomy. Practical sessions are delivered at the East Durham College Houghall Campus and focus on the methodologies used to safely handle animals. You gain hands-on experience of animal husbandry, nutrition and health.

You explore the diversity of life on earth and the concept of evolution. You consider Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection to demonstrate relationships between species, the principles of taxonomy and speciation, and how they relate to the evolutionary tree.

You are introduced to the physiological processes, cellular organisation, homeostasis, metabolism, growth, reproduction, response to stimuli and adaptation - all hallmarks of living organisms equipping diverse species to survive and thrive.

You gain an appreciation of how knowledge of issues in health and disease relate to modern society. You focus on the life sciences from a human perspective, develop an understanding of human biology and explore the role of different but interconnected life science disciplines in modern life. While reviewing life science from an interdisciplinary context, you examine the major human body systems – cardiovascular, respiratory, excretory, endocrine, nervous, digestive, skeletal and reproductive.

This module focuses on multicellular organisms such as animals and plants to introduce physiology, population biology, ecology and the complexity of ecosystems. You gain a thorough introduction with the lecture series and develop these themes during seminars integrating discussion, problem solving and quantitative techniques.

Lectures and practical seminars are also an opportunity to comprehend the relevance of the biological processes introduced to our human societies. Learning is also supported by a field trip within the local area, a first-hand experience of animal and plant biological surveying in the natural environment.

You are introduced to animal welfare, developing your understanding of how the impact of the environment on both farmed and companion animals can affect animals' wellbeing. You discuss the complex issues of animal welfare from a scientific, ethical and practical perspective as well as being aware of the relationship between the animal and the environment and how it can influence the overall welfare of the animal. Practical sessions are delivered at the East Durham College Houghall Campus and focus on animal welfare together with the relationship between the animal and the environment in which it lives.

You study the concept of evolution and how it led to the development of biodiversity and the world we now inhabit. You discuss evolution by natural selection and our development from the common ancestor, along with the principles of taxonomy, speciation and the evolutionary tree to demonstrate relationships between species. We highlight the impact of modern molecular methods of taxonomy in the form of phylogenetics, particularly the discovery of the domain of archaea. We discuss the complex biodiversity of the microbial, plant and animal worlds and their importance in ecological balance for the earth, human kind and society in the form of conservation. Lectures and tutorial sessions provide an insight into the theoretical aspects of evolution and biodiversity, and you discuss and analyse problem-based exercises to affirm your theoretical knowledge.

You increase your understanding of biological processes at the cellular level. You will explore eukaryotic cell architecture and function with a molecular and mammalian focus, and learn about cell division and the cell cycle, genetic organisation of cells, DNA replication and gene expression. Your exploration of these aspects of cell and molecular biology will be supported by a series of laboratory-based sessions.

Humankind faces environmental challenges which are severe and varied. Threats as diverse as climate change, the supply of fresh water, soil fertility and plastic waste pose problems which differ in immediacy and scale. You will be introduced to the careful appraisal of information relating to these challenges, how the scale of the problem and its consequences may be measured and where the solutions might lie.

You learn about animal anatomy and physiology, basic nutrition and digestion, as well as husbandry, management and production systems of these large animals. You explore subjects such as the growth and welfare of farmed animals and horses, protein evaluation systems for ruminants and non-ruminants, and comparisons to wild animals where applicable. Practical sessions are delivered at the East Durham College Houghall Campus and focus on the methodologies used to safely handle large animals. You gain hands-on experience of animal husbandry, nutrition and health.

You develop your knowledge of animal behaviour, a discipline that encompasses both the mechanisms and evolutionary function of the way animals interact with environment and with each other. We provide you with a comprehensive introduction to the scientific approach of studying, quantifying and interpreting animal behaviour including how captivity can change behaviour. Practical sessions are delivered at the East Durham College Houghall Campus and focus on the methodologies used to observe and analyse animal behaviour, looking at how captivity and humans can change the behaviour of a range of species.

You learn about domestic and exotic animal physiology, basic nutrition and digestion, husbandry and management. You also explore how the application of scientific principles can govern the nutrition, health and welfare of major companion animal species including dogs, cats and rabbits as well as exotic species and zoo animals. Practical sessions are delivered at the East Durham College Houghall Campus and focus on the methodologies used to safely handle domestic animals and exotic animals as well as providing an opportunity to apply your knowledge of animal husbandry and management.

You will explore ecology and how complex interactions shape the distribution and abundance patterns of species in the natural environment. You examine the ecology of populations and communities, and how the integration of powerful new molecular biology technologies can inform the study of ecology and ecological interactions. You also explore the underlying theories used to explain the observed spatial and temporal patterns of diversity observed and the measurements which can be used to quantify diversity.

These topics are aligned to current issues, enabling you to appreciate the environmental, ethical and socio-economic concerns raised by ecological studies. As part of this module, by sampling natural environments you will have the opportunity to develop your ecological fieldwork, laboratory and data interpretation skills.

You gain a solid foundation of the immune system and its role in protection against microorganisms and maintaining human health. You will learn about the functional organisation of the immune system, the immune cells and chemical mediators, antibodies, and cellular processes related to the innate and adaptive immune responses.

This module introduces you to a range of modern molecular biology concepts and techniques. General molecular biology, molecular biology of genetic diseases and the use of molecular biology for applications such as the production of recombinant proteins and biomedical science forensic applications will be addressed. The new age of molecular biology is underpinned by gene/genome sequencing, sequence analysis and sequence manipulation. You will be given a thorough introduction to the principles of sequence analysis and how these techniques have revolutionised all areas of molecular biology. Particular attention will be paid to the technique of PCR. The module will also introduce bioinformatics concepts around visualising and analysing DNA sequence data, as well as basic molecular data analysis. The module content will be delivered via a series of interactive lectures that will allow students to gain insight into the theoretical aspects of molecular biology and bioinformatics. A series of laboratory practical sessions will introduce the basic techniques that lie at the heart of modern molecular biology such as DNA purification, PCR, restriction digestion, nucleic acid analysis via agarose gels, and sequencing.

You are introduced to the complexity of biological conservation science using practical examples and case studies at local, national and international scales. You will learn about the co-existence of a variety of approaches, aims and justification under the same overarching term of conservation. You will have a thorough introduction of conservation biology and how this field informs practical conservation measure undertaken on the ground to preserve endangered species, biodiversity at large, ecosystems services and the natural environment. In addition to lectures, the learning is enhanced by seminars and field trips where different aspect of practical conservation will be studied and discussed.

You have the option to spend one year in industry learning and developing your skills. We encourage and support you with applying for a placement, job hunting and networking.

You gain experience favoured by graduate recruiters and develop your technical skillset. You also obtain the transferable skills required in any professional environment, including communication, negotiation, teamwork, leadership, organisation, confidence, self-reliance, problem-solving, being able to work under pressure, and commercial awareness.

Many employers view a placement as a year-long interview, therefore placements are increasingly becoming an essential part of an organisation's pre-selection strategy in their graduate recruitment process. Benefits include:

· improved job prospects
· enhanced employment skills and improved career progression opportunities
· a higher starting salary than your full-time counterparts
· a better degree classification
· a richer CV
· a year's salary before completing your degree
· experience of workplace culture
· the opportunity to design and base your final-year project within a working environment.

If you are unable to secure a work placement with an employer, then you simply continue on a course without the work placement.

Develop your entrepreneurship skills and understand the process of business start-up and learning to manage animal production and care ventures. Connect to the real-world experience of launching a new business venture and product development. Experience the challenges similar to those encountered in the launch of either a large or companion animal welfare or management product from concept to application. You learn about product development, regulatory control and intellectual property rights. You are also taught how to write and produce a business plan.

Develop a detailed understanding of the applied aspects of nutrition and its interaction with growth and other physiological activities of domestic animals. You consider the formulation of diets for a range of animals (farm livestock and companion animals) such as devising diets, considering nutritional requirements for animals at different life stages, monitoring the impact of diet in practical situations (farms and kennels), as well as discussing the differential maturity of individual carcass components. Practical sessions are delivered at the East Durham College Houghall Campus and focus on the methodologies used to formulate a food ration for different species including observing how rations are mixed on the college farm using different feeds to formulate the ration for beef cattle (with silage grains and protein concentrate and vitamins and minerals) and/or pigs (barley beans, vitamins and minerals).

Natural ecosystems provide numerous benefits to humanity. Despite this knowledge, ever increasing pressure is being placed on ecosystems and many are under threat. In this module, you will explore how the benefits provided by ecosystems can be viewed as services and natural capital and, subsequently, how these concepts have been used to drive policies relating to biodiversity conservation. Through a series of case studies, you will examine the positive relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function, the mechanisms which underpin this relationship and, consequently, the impact of biodiversity loss on ecosystem services. In addition, you will, also explore how human activities can be mitigated and made more sustainable.

This module is ideal for you if you're interested in the biogeographical distribution of species and how this information can inform conservation practices.

Biogeography, with its focus on the distribution of species at a range of scales, provides an important theoretical framework within which ecosystem services, and the increasing impact of human activity on global biodiversity and ecosystem functions, can be evaluated.

You explore the contribution of habitat destruction and fragmentation and invasive species to biodiversity losses. You examine underlying principles in biogeography, including the historical development of the discipline, and investigates how these principles can inform effective conservation practices targeted at preventing biodiversity losses. You explore how endangered species are characterised, the selection and design of conservation areas, and the legal and policy frameworks in place to support conservation efforts.

You complete an in-depth, independent investigation into a specialist aspect of your field of study. In your project you will bring together a range of practical and academic skills developed in previous years of study. Regardless of the nature of the project, this process acts as a capstone experience requiring analysis and critical evaluation of data as well as critical reflection on the potential risks, moral and ethical issues. This piece of work will involve a significant individual contribution on your part. You will be supported by the appointment of an academic staff member as your research supervisor. They will act as a mentor and guide you through the development and completion of your research project.

Finally, you will communicate your independent research by producing a research poster and journal article to allow you to develop essential skills which mirror professional practice when research is presented at scientific conferences and for publication.