Applied Animal Behaviour and

Animal Welfare

MSc

Dr Tamsin Coombs BSc, MSc, PhD

Programme Director

MSc Applied Animal Behaviour &

Animal Welfare

• First MSc in Animal Welfare in the UK

• Established in 1990 by the late Prof.

David Woodgush

• A joint venture between the University

of Edinburgh and SRUC

• On-campus (25 – 30 students in total

per year)

• Usually 1 yr full-time but can be done

over 2-3yrs

Easter Bush Campus

Programme Aim

• To provide students with a knowledge and understanding

of animal behaviour and welfare that can be applied

effectively in science and in practice

Programme content

Taught Element (120 credits -September to March)

•Introduction to Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare

•Biology of Suffering

•Animal Cognition and Consciousness

•Scientific Methodology

•Animal Welfare Applications

Learn through practice: visits to farms, laboratories, the zoo

Lecturers and Tutors

Zoo Project

How do we teach?

• Live lectures

• Lecture recording facilities

• Materials hosted on University Virtual

Learning Environment- Blackboard Learn

• Assignment submission through Turnitin

• Practicals and visits

• Opportunities for extra curricular practical

experience

Programme content

• Dissertation Element (60 credits- March to August)

‒ projects can be done in the UK or abroad

‒ we provide a list to choose from

‒ or help students to build own project

‒ Students can claim research expenses

Example Dissertations 2019- 20

Welfare impact

of accidental

electric shock of

slow loris from

power lines

The effects of

prebiotics on the

brain development

of artificially

reared lambs

Assessing welfare

and pain of street

dogs undergoing

Capture-Neuter-

Release in Colombo,

Sri LankaCan we use infrared

thermography for assessing

emotional states in mice? -

A comparison between

handling-induced stress by

different techniquesAttitudes towards

'naturalness' in leisure

horse management

and the subsequent

effect on welfare

The effect of

maternal

investment

on milk yield

in dairy cattle

How do the dogs feel?

Qualitative Behaviour

Assessment of working

dogs during training

Influence of social

factors and

experience on the

propensity to

cooperate in farm

pigs

2019 – 20 Students

• 21 Students

– UK: 6 students

– EU (Germany, Slovenia, Spain & Ireland): 4 students

– North America (USA & Canada): 6 students

– Africa (Uganda, Kenya & Zimbabwe): 3 students

– Saudi Arabia: 1 student

– Australia: 1 student

– Backgrounds (Undergraduate degree)

• Vet Medicine

• Biology/ Zoology

• Psychology

• Other (Animal Science, Conservation, Animal behaviour and welfare etc.)

• Some non-science backgrounds

Where are our students from: 2014 – 2019?

What do graduates go on to do?

• PhD

• Government

• NGO’s / Charities

• Teaching / Advisory

• Industry

What do graduates go on to do?

Impact of the MSc-

publications

Impact of the MSc-

Award winning

Asking questions

Always use the hand raise

icon to queue up your

question.

When called upon to ask

your question, type a

question in the “Text Chat

Area”

Once your question is

answered, please lower

your hand. www.ed.ac.ukapplyedinburgh