Animal Behaviour (with optional Placement/Project year) MSc

This module provides you with an overview of essential field methods in animal research and a basis for developing career-relevant practical skills. This includes planning, study design and a focus on developing your skills in estimating animal abundance and distribution, species identification, monitoring behaviour and quantifying habitats. 

This module will provide you with a solid foundation in key laboratory techniques used in modern animal research, helping you to develop the practical skills and scientific understanding required for independent research and applied scientific careers. You will gain experience that integrates theory, hands‑on laboratory work, and data analysis, reflecting the way these methods are used by researchers and practitioners.

Throughout the course, you will be introduced to techniques commonly applied in molecular biology and animal physiology. You will progress from understanding core concepts to applying methods such as DNA extraction, PCR, and genetic marker analysis and physiological assays including cortisol ELISAs. The module also explores how these tools are used in evidence‑based conservation, wildlife monitoring, and animal management.

Emphasis is placed on developing good scientific practice, critical thinking, and attention to detail. You will be encouraged to understand not only how each technique works, but why it is used, and how to communicate your findings clearly and effectively in a scientific context.

This module explores the theory and practice of communicating science to a diverse range of audiences in contemporary contexts. Students will critically examine how scientific knowledge is translated across formats including written media, live engagement, and digital platforms such as podcasts and social media while developing their own communication and leadership skills.

Through a combination of workshops, interactive theory sessions, and hands-on experience (including engagement with external partners such as science education providers at Chester Zoo), students will learn to design and produce a range of science communication outputs. Emphasis is placed on developing a tool kit to allow adaptability in response to audience awareness, creation of effective and impactful narratives, clarity of language, and will encourage students to critique the role of the media and the ethical responsibilities of science communicators.

Another key aspect of this module focuses on leadership and professional development. Students will explore career pathways across academia, industry, media, and public engagement, while developing skills in project management, collaboration, and strategic communication. Opportunities for reflective practice and portfolio building will support students in articulating their expertise and preparing for careers in science communication and beyond.

By the end of the module, students will be equipped to critically evaluate science communication strategies, demonstrate leadership in collaborative communication settings, and create accessible, engaging, and impactful content tailored to different audiences and professional contexts.

This module provides advanced exploration and discussion of wild animal behaviour in a range of contexts, covering a wide taxonomic range. You will critically consider how natural selection and anthropogenic-induced changes to the environment have shaped the behaviour of wild animals via extensive examination of contemporary research. 

Various topics in animal behaviour will be covered such as migration, communication, social behaviour, animal cognition, sensory ecology, sexual selection and foraging strategies, using approaches from behavioural ecology and other fields to predict and explain behaviour. These will provide context for applications of theory to practical interventions such as reintroductions, translocations, reserve management and conservation.

This module provides an advanced exploration of captive animal behaviour and welfare across a range of professional contexts, such as laboratory, companion, equine, farm and zoo systems. You will examine how captivity, management practices, and human–animal interactions influence behavioural expression and welfare, drawing on contemporary behavioural science, welfare assessment methodologies, and ethical theory. Through a combination of lectures, practicals, including behavioural observations and welfare assessments, and sector-specific case studies, the module develops critical skills in observation, evaluation, and evidence-based reasoning. A strong emphasis is placed on ethical analysis and debate, culminating in a structured ethical debate in which you will construct, defend, and reflect on informed positions on contested animal welfare issues.

This module introduces postgraduate level approaches to data analysis, integrating statistical and spatial techniques using R programming language and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). You will develop skills in data exploration, statistical modelling, and the analysis of spatially explicit ecological data, including both raster and vector formats.

Alongside analytical training, the module focuses on key considerations in scientific research, covering key research approaches (descriptive, analytical, and experimental). Emphasis is placed on project design, including hypothesis development, experimental structure, and methodological rigour, as well as critical consideration of ethical issues in research practice. The module will also provide guidance on the ethical and professional use of Generative AI within research and assessment, including academic integrity, transparency, critical evaluation of AI-generated outputs, and responsible use within scientific and professional contexts.

By the end of the module, you will be equipped to design, analyse, and interpret studies using advanced quantitative and spatial tools within a robust ethical and scientific framework.

In this capstone module you will design and carry out an independent research project within a related field to your degree. It will provide you with an opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge and methodological skills to a focused, discipline-relevant research question developed in collaboration with an academic supervisor.

The project will require you to undertake a critical review of current scientific literature, refine a research question or hypothesis, and select appropriate experimental design approaches that you will have learnt from your other modules. Projects can include field-based observational, laboratory-based or desk-based studies.

The module emphasises scientific rigor, ethical research practice and the practical realities of conducting research in laboratory, field, or industry settings. You will be expected to manage all stages of the research lifecycle, including planning, ethical and health and safety considerations (including ethical consideration in regards to Artificial Intelligence), data collection, statistical analysis, interpretation, and academic writing, with guidance from your supervisor.

One-to-one supervisory support is provided through regular meetings to guide you in project development, to ensure methodological robustness, and support your development in analytical and writing processes, while maintaining your independence. The final output is a dissertation that demonstrates originality, critical thinking, and the ability to contribute meaningfully to knowledge in your field.

This module prepares you for careers in research, industry or progression to doctoral study.