Veterinary Nursing and Companion Animal Behaviour, BSc

If youre passionate about animal welfare, this exciting degree can lead to a range of careers; from working as a veterinary nurse in general practice, to opportunities in the field of behaviour and welfare for animal charities or the commercial sector.

Accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), the course allows you to begin gaining the practical experience needed for certification as a Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CCAB). This is due to provisional validation by the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) as fulfilling the academic requirements for accreditation as a CCAB*.

Your first two years are based predominantly within the vibrant cultural hub that is Bristol city centre, where our pre-clinical facilities are situated at the UK's only School of Anatomy. You will also spend time at the nearby Bristol Veterinary School, located at our rural Langford campus, where you will be hands on with animals from day one.

Bristol Veterinary School is home to an extensive range of clinical facilities, including a small animal hospital and first opinion practices. Students can also enjoy the onsite café, gym, student barn and abundant green spaces, alongside our much-celebrated welcoming and supportive community of staff and students.

*For more information, please visit the

Course structure

Year one: you will learn the fundamentals of anatomy and mammalian physiology, the underlying principles and practice of veterinary nursing along with an introduction to professional practice.

Year two: you will continue to study anatomy, whilst a clinical veterinary nursing unit introduces anaesthesia and fluid therapy, surgical nursing and theatre practice, medical nursing, diagnostics and therapeutics. You will study the principles of animal ethology, behavioural development and behaviour 'first aid' in practice.

Placement: to meet the clinical placement requirements of the RCVS, you will spend time in clinical practice during the vacation in years one and two, usually close to your home.

Year three: placement year spent in a first-opinion veterinary practice (currently within a 50-mile radius of Langford) and on rotations in the on-site referral hospital. You will also study professional veterinary nursing practice through lectures and online tutorials.

Year four: units in applied clinical veterinary nursing, clinical skills in companion animal behaviour and a ten-week research project on a topic of your choice, supervised by one or more of our expert academic team.

Full details about the course structure and units for this course can be viewed in the programme catalogue.

You can apply for undergraduate courses through theUniversities and Colleges Admissions Service(UCAS). The UCAS institution code for the University of Bristol is BRISL B78.

Entry requirements vary for each course. Please check our undergraduate course listings for details of specific requirements.

Students who have successfully completed either the University of Bristol International Foundation Programme or an appropriate foundation/bridging programme such as those offered by our partners, and have met the entry requirements for their chosen degree, will be considered for admission to undergraduate courses.

• Applicants with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or A-Levels will be considered for direct admission to our undergraduate degree programmes. Entry requirements are listed in ourUndergraduate Prospectus.
• If you have studied the American curriculum, entry requirements are listed on ourUSA country page.
• Applicants who have completed the Tawjihi (Certificate of General Secondary Education) with required grades, combined with the successfully completed American tests, a total of THREE in any combination from the list provided on ourUSA country page, will be considered for admission to our Bachelor degree courses.
• Applicants who have successfully completed the first year of a Jordanian university degree with a GPA of 3.5 out of 5.0 (or 3.0 out of 4.0)will be considered for admission to the first year of our Bachelor degree courses.