College Certificate Principles of Animal Care

Course overview

This course has no start date- it is open and you can start it at any time in the year.

This distance learning course teaches the basic principles of animal care, and is specifically designed for anyone who would like to know more about the subject an/or gain a college qualification. Some experience of caring for animals will help your learning, but it's not essential.

For more information feel free to email the course staff at animaldistance@sruc.ac.uk.

If you are a school pupil, please apply through the schools link.

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 courses, along with campus and facility tours.

SRUC holds open days regularly. Visit our listings page for details of our up-coming events.

Entry requirements

No formal qualifications required.

Entry is by interview, where you'll be expected to show your commitment to the course.

What you'll learn

The course is delivered through 11 Online learning packs, each of which contains quizzes to practice your knowledge and assessments to complete. You'll also have the support of a personal tutor.

Modules cover the primary principles of animal health care, accommodation, feeding and exercise. It is an ideal entry course for further study.

Modules include:

• Feeding and Watering Small Animals
• Small Animal Accommodation
• Health and Safety
• Moving and Handling Animals
• Training Animals
• Working with Others
• Health Care of Small Animals
• Environmental Enrichment & Exercising Animals
• Grooming Animals
• Record Keeping
• Companion Animal Anatomy

Meet the lecturer

Amie Miller

BSc (Hons) Animal Care

Amie is one of the first graduates from Aberdeen University with a BSc Honours degree in Animal Care. Gathering much practical experience including specialist cage and aviary bird knowledge and veterinary nursing she was an ideal manager for the Scotland Wildlife Hospital (SOSWH) based on Barony campus. The hospital handles all aspects of wildlife casualty from swans to badgers, bats and deer. It liaises closely with SSPCA inspectors.

Having been employed by SRUC Barony campus since 2005 her roles have included: Animal Care instructor, Animal Care lecturer and Course tutor for the SVQ2 which assessed work based competence in the Animal Care industry.

She has managed the Principles of Animal Care course since 2008 and has developed it to become the online course it is now.

“I’m driven to help those that continue or return to education, that it can be rewarding to up-skill and re-train. To allow them to be able to follow a career path that they love. To open a door for them to experience just some of the diverse animals journeys I have had the pleasure to be a part of”.

Student experience

Hannah Strang went to school at Queen Margaret Academy, and while she was still at school had been looking for college courses. She found the Animal Care Distance Learning course and was able to take this as part of the school curriculum. She completed all 11 units.

Hannah said: “Some units took me longer than others to complete but it was really interesting. It helped me make my mind up that I wanted to do a full time Animal Care course, so progressed onto a National Certificate at Barony Campus. It was useful to have done the distance learning course as I had more background knowledge on things like grooming, accommodation and health and safety.”

It helped me make my mind up that I wanted to do a full time Animal Care course.

Hannah Strang