Degrees in Companion Animal

Behavior: Program Information

Animal behavior is an interdisciplinary field that combines psychology and
biology to translate animal movements and actions into terms that humans can
understand. Training programs in companion animal behavior are available as
seminars for professionals working in the field of animal welfare and individual
stand-alone courses designed for pet parents. Degree programs are offered in
animal behavior at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels.

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Bachelor's Degree in Animal Behavior

Students in animal behavior programs - also called animal science at some schools
- use observation, dissection and classroom instruction to deepen their
understanding of animal interactions. Students can learn about animal
management, animal-based industries, working with animals and animal genetics.
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees may be awarded
to graduates; B.S. degrees require students to take additional classes in the natural
sciences.

Research projects may be a required component of the curriculum. Although

companion animal behavior does not specifically exist as a bachelor's-level
degree, some schools offer it as a concentration. Applicants are not expected to
meet any additional prerequisites other than graduating high school or earning the
GED.

Course Topics

Students typically enroll in biology, chemistry, statistics, psychology and research

methods courses. Classes focusing on dogs, cats, horses, birds or other animals
commonly kept as pets may be offered through companion animal concentration
options. Other undergraduate topics of study include:

Behavioral neuroscience
Animal nutrition
Vertebrate morphology
Physiology of domestic animals
Reproduction of domestic animals
Psychology of learning
Animal welfare

Popular Career Options

Though an advanced degree is required for most positions related to animal
behavior, a few entry-level positions are options, typically in assisting those with
higher degrees and levels of experience. Bachelor's degree-holders are qualified to
work as:

Children's science coordinators

Field assistants
Research assistants
Assistant zoo director

Certification Information

The Association of Companion Animal Behavior Counselors' (ACABC) Board of

Professional Certification (BOPC) administers various levels of certification for
those working in the companion animal field.

Bachelor's degree-holders who find employment working with dogs might

eventually become Certified Dog Training Instructors or Certified Canine
Behavior Counselors. Applicants are required to prove at least three years of
professional experience and a certain amount of continuing education experience.
Recertification requires the completion of a certain number of continuing
education credits; credentials must be renewed every three years
(www.animalbehaviorcounselors.org).

Master of Science in Animal Behavior

Graduate students may specialize in the animal behavior of domestic animals.
Students can learn about topics like stress physiology and social behaviors. Some
schools provide a residency option, allowing students to learn behavior
assessment and rehabilitation in a hands-on setting. These full-time, 2-year
programs can prepare students for work in private facilities, museums, zoos,
universities and the government. Programs do not discriminate with regard to
undergraduate academic discipline, but a background in biology and psychology
is required.

Course Topics

Graduate students build a comprehensive working knowledge of animal behavior

through training in variety of disciplines like neurobiology, evolution and
environmental science. Subjects a master's degree student might study through
coursework are:

Animal conservation
Neuroethology
Mammalogy
 Primate ecology
Advanced statistical analysis
Comparative physiology

Employment Outlook and Salary Information

Master's degree-holders might find employment in animal science research. They

often work as full-time assistants, since a doctoral degree is usually required for
an independent position. Animal scientists focus on the nutrition, genetics,
development and reproduction of domestic animals. According to the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics, employment of animal scientists was expected to grow 13%
between 2008 and 2018. These professionals earned a median annual wage of
$58,250 in May 2010 (www.bls.gov).

Certification Information

The ACABC offers the Board Certified Companion Animal Behaviorist credential
for graduates of master's degree programs with a certain amount of college credit
in behavioral science. Candidates for this credential must also go through a
BOPC-approved internship with a mentor or have an experience review. As with
the other certifications available through the ACABC, applicants seeking
recertification must meet a continuing education credit requirement every three
years.

Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Behavior

Doctoral students partake in laboratory work and field research. These programs
take 4-6 years to complete, including the research and writing of a dissertation.
Doctoral-level programs allow students to focus on a specific research area of
interest, like companion animal behavior. Coursework and research can be
tailored to emphasize these animals.

Education Prerequisites

Applicants are required to have earned a bachelor's degree from discipline

relevant to biology or psychology. GRE scores and letters of intent commonly
must be submitted. Schools typically require background coursework in animal
behavior, ecology, evolution, genetics, physiology and statistics to begin doctoral
training.

Course Topics

Ph.D. students take advanced courses in a variety of subjects, such as scientific,

physiological and evolutionary bases of animal behavior. Other topics that might
be included in the curricula are:
 Biometry
Mating system structure
Environmental physiology
Chemical communication
Visual communication
Social foraging
Sensation and perception

Popular Career Options

The majority of jobs within the animal behavior field require a doctoral degree.
Animal behavior professionals can work in research and academic settings within
the fields of behavioral ecology, comparative psychology, ethology or
sociobiology. Ph.D. holders are qualified to take positions as:

Animal behavior professors

Animal ecology consultants
Directors of zoo research
Head zookeepers
Museum curators

Certification Information

Doctoral degree-holders in animal behavior with at least five years experience

working in a professional field may apply to become Certified Applied Animal
Behaviorists. This designation is granted through the Animal Behavior Society.
Companion Animal Nutrition
Our newest non-degree Diploma in Companion Animal Nutrition is the only one
of its kind in Illinois and the United States.

If you have an interest in companion animals and want to learn about how to care
and feed your cat, dog, fish or reptilian pet, this one-year online program is the
program for you.

Discover the nutrient needs of companion and exotic animals.

Learn about their nutrition, behavior and animal welfare.

Experience advanced, rigorous, science-based education, using a distance learning

format to help you develop, expand and advance your skills in the field of
Companion Animal Nutrition.

Our game-changing diploma provides an identified concentration for students

pursuing Bachelor degrees in Animal Science, Veterinary Science, Zoology and
related fields. The certificate program also enhances the career prospects of:

High school graduates pursuing jobs in local animal facilities and pet
stores
Community college students who intend to work with companion animals
upon completion of an associates degree
Professionals working in pet food industries
Sales representatives
Quality assurance managers
Research assistants
Professionals working in veterinarian clinics and hospitals
High school Agriculture teachers
Dog trainers
Pet store employees, managers and supervisors

What will I study?

Course Sequence:

Fall

ANS 115: Introduction to Companion Animal Nutrition

ANS 215: Introduction to Nutrition

Spring

ANS 316: Ration Formulation for Companion Animals

ANS 365: Canine and Feline Nutrition
Summer

ANS 445: Companion Animal Clinical Nutrition

ANS 481: Recent Topics in Companion Animal Nutrition

Non-degree completion in one year.

The fast and steady growth in the pet industry in the last few decades has
increased demand for professionally trained personnel in areas such as pet
nutrition and feeding, marketing, husbandry, and training.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in the fields of

animal care is expected to grow 21 percent by 2016, much faster than the average
for all occupations.
The veterinary degree a travelers
companion

The world certainly is an oyster, with many treasures waiting to be found. Every
now and again curiosity leads me to look beyond the twisted, contorted,
calcareous shell of life, and go looking for these pearls.

Those of us that have slogged through a veterinary degree (or two) and managed
to survive sleepless on-call shifts need to balance our lives and seek to find
beauty.

Your own pearl might be a worthwhile dig in your backyard, spending time with
your family, painting, photography, reading, or going to the opera. Pearls are
precious and you need to cultivate them.

I find pearls at conferences, and especially in cultivating visits with veterinary

colleagues in developing countries. Many years ago Vets Beyond Borders (VBB)
began in my living room among the clutter of appreciated donations from Provet,
Zebravet, Cenvet, IM3, Animal Wellness and Lyppard. Three intrepid pioneers,
including two vets and a photographer, became pearl hunters off to Bodhgaya,
India. We survived, and VBB grew, with the help of Catherine Schuetze and other
volunteers. More information about these adventures is available at
www.vetsbeyondborders.org.

The vet is a portable person. Locum work, teaching, mingling with education
facilities, and sharing knowledge comes easily once you have passed the ivory
tower hurdle.

The companionship and solidarity of belonging to a (some would say) struggling

and relatively low income profession perhaps has an advantage. It teaches us how
to travel light, to travel for the experience and to enjoy helping others.
Some of my most prized pearls are in Bali in the curious faces of the kids I
sponsor and teach. My amazing friend Drh Bayu, who is responsible for rescuing
the Bali Starling from extinction by coordinating a captive breeding program, has
the most pearlescent smile. You can read about his work and others at the
Friends of National Park and Forests on their website www.fnpf.org.

Ross Perry and Pat MacWhirter have also done some amazing supportive work
helping this organisation. This is a remarkable achievement on a shoestring
budget not bad for a poor veterinary profession! Drh Bayu has also performed
extensive work educating local people to prevent deforestation in orangutan
country and aiding Proboscis monkey populations and turtle conservation. He
understands that a team effort is required, where everyone achieves more. Its a
win-win situation, where locals gain eco-tourist dollars and habitats and wildlife
are rescued.

The exciting thing about this pearling business is everyone can do it! Sure you
might get a little oyster cut here and there the flight might not connect, the
camping bed might be uncomfortable and the meals not standard Aussie fare, not
to mention the toilet facilities (or lack of them!). This is all part of culturing your
life.

Before my recent trip, which took many evenings on the internet to plan and book
the coordinating connecting flights, my husband commented to me that the world
is like a real Disneyland to you. Quite right, I said.

It feels right to be able to communicate with so many different people around the
world especially through the conduit of fellowship provided by veterinary
medicine.

As pet carers we talk the same language of animal husbandry, and walk the same
path so to all of you reading this, I thank you for being part of this integrated
circle.

We speak of a global economy, world financial situations, and environmental

interconnectedness, yet for me, there is no better way of feeling this connection
than to sponsor a child in a developing country, visit them and help teach and
share knowledge with them. And there is so much to learn from other cultures.
Who knew you could eat the stalk of the banana or the banana flower, and that
noni juice mixed with coconut oil, garlic oil and onion juice could quickly cure
swimmers ear when there is no pharmacy around?

When one reacts with joy while attempting to thrash rice on a primitive but highly
functional foot driven wooden mechanical thrasher, plant rice, join in to make
batik in poorly lit sheds, go night fishing for squid, and carry handmade bricks up
steep bamboo ladders all for less than two dollars a day, one realises the true value
of life.
Life is about sharing and caring and smile exchanges, not the bottom dollar
although one does need the bottom dollar often to do this escapade.

Truly we vets should celebrate with gratitude our lot, for I have found that we are
the pearls! One of my favourite expressions is Today is a gift, thats why it is
called the present so open up and live out of your shell!