City & Guilds Level 3 Animal Management

The number of units you study will depend on the qualification size you choose. Examples of units on offer include:

Mandatory units

• Animal health, disease prevention and welfare
• Animal anatomy, physiology and biology
• Animal nutrition and feeding management
• Safe animal handling and professional working practices
• Designing and managing animal accommodation
• Animal behaviour and communication
• Work experience within the animal industry
• Research and investigative project work

Optional units

• Animal nursing principles
• Exotic animal care and husbandry
• Zoo animal management
• Wildlife conservation and rehabilitation
• Animal breeding and genetics
• Kennel and cattery management
• Pet store management
• Dog grooming
• Ecology and wildlife surveys
• Business planning within the animal sector

Practical experience
You'll complete work experience within an appropriate animal care setting, allowing you to apply your learning in real-life situations while developing the hands-on skills and confidence valued by employers.

You will complete assignments, written tests, and practical assessments in the workplace.

Our online learning courses can be started at any time. You will work through online course materials and be supported by a personal tutor.

In order to undertake this programme you should:

• Hold a Level 2 animal-related qualification at merit grade or above, OR 5 GCSEs at grade C/4 or above (including English, Maths and a Science subject).
• Be employed, or have a voluntary work placement arranged, in a suitable animal care environment for a minimum of 4 hours per week.
• Have a mentor in your workplace that has a level 3 or above animal care qualification, or a minimum of 4-5 years of relevant experience within the animal industry.

Applicants that do not meet the academic entry requirements, but can demonstrate a high level of commitment and previous animal-related experience, are welcome to apply and will be considered on an individual basis.

International Applicants

If you are studying this programme overseas, please be aware that the programme is delivered in English and therefore you must be competent in reading and writing English language.

Please note: As our courses include online learning components, students are required to have access to a PC or laptop with a reliable internet connection.

• City & Guilds Level 3 Certificate in Animal Management - £4,450 (UK students), £5,995 (overseas students)
• City & Guilds Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Animal Management - £5,180 (UK students), £6,995 (overseas students)
• City & Guilds Level 3 90-Credit Diploma in Animal Management - £5,870 (UK students), £7,925 (overseas students)
• City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Animal Management - £9,390 - or two annual payments of £4,695 (UK students), £12,676 - or two annual payments of £6,338 (overseas students)
• City & Guilds Level 3 90-Credit Diploma in Animal Management - £12,950 - or two annual payments of £6,475 (UK students), £17,500 - or two annual payments of £8,750 (overseas students)

Awarding Body Fees - £133.90
All students or employers are required to pay the awarding body fees in addition to the course fees. Please note that these are recharged at cost and may be subject to change.

CAW Loans2Learn
Course fees must be paid in full before the course begins. If you are unable to do so, we offer a personal loan scheme (Loans2Learn) that can help you to spread the cost into manageable monthly payments over a period of up to five years, subject to eligibility. It can be used to fully, or partially, cover your course fee (but does not cover any awarding body fees, such as enrolment and examination fees which are payable on top). More information can be found here.

The current rate of interest for a CAW Loans2Learn is 9%. Click on the calculator icon to calculate your monthly repayment options based on different repayment term lengths.

Example repayment - a Loans2Learn loan for the full course fee of £4,450 for the Level 3 certificate for UK students over a 5 year period would equate to monthly repayments of approximately £92 per month (please note this is an indicative price based on current fees and interest rates).

General Advice
Sources of financial help can be found on our student finance page. Before making any financial decision it is recommended that you seek advice from an independent source, for example the Money Advice Service.

These are current figures and may be subject to change. The differences in course fees reflect the level of funding that is available as a result of government policies and priorities. These may be as a result of age, employment status, previous education achievements, or location for example, and are outside the control of The College of Animal Welfare.

If you have not achieved your qualification by the planned end date detailed in your individual learning plan, your employer will be able to pay monthly direct debit payments to allow you to continue to receive support and access to your course until certification of your award.

After you have achieved this qualification you could pursue work in a variety of fields in animal care, for example: animal rehoming, dog training, pet sitting, dog walking, animal research, conservation or zookeeping. Take a look at our career profiles

You could also consider going on to train as a veterinary nurse. The Level 3 Extended Diploma in Animal Management (180 credits required), in combination with a full level 2 qualification in Maths and English Language (e.g. GCSE Grade A*-C or Level 2 Functional Skills) will allow you to apply for the Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing or Veterinary Nurse (Level 3) Apprenticeship programmes.

The Level 3 Extended Diploma in Animal Management (180 credits required) is equivalent to up to 3 A-levels, which means students may also progress (subject to meeting specified entry requirements) into higher education. Degree study paths include animal behaviour, zoology, animal science, conservation, ecology and veterinary nursing.

No, as a private further education provider fees are applicable to all students. We do have a Loans2Learn scheme that can help you to spread the costs of study into manageable monthly payments.

No, you don’t need to be in paid employment, but you will need to be working with animals in some way – this can be via regular volunteering/work experience.

We have learners working in a variety of places, such as rescue centres, pet shops (which have animals), boarding kennels/catteries, animal charities, exotics/wildlife centres, zoo/wildlife parks, farm/livestock and wildlife/ecological conservation sites.