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At Reading, we focus on farm, domestic and captive animals, their biology and health, and the science behind how humans manage them to ensure they thrive in our society.
This includes the study of their physiology, reproduction, nutrition, environment and behaviour and how these may be optimised to improve animal health, welfare and productivity.
View our undergraduate Bioveterinary Sciences brochure (PDF, 896 KB)
The Department of Animal Sciences is part of the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, which is made up of five academic departments. Our departments work collaboratively to deliver teaching and research across the School.
New for 2024, BSc Bioveterinary Sciences provides a holistic and scientific approach to understanding factors underlying animal health and wellbeing, together with visits to our working farms and animal and veterinary-related organisations in the local area ensuring you'll meet the industry's expectations for highly qualified University of Reading graduates.
Our degrees give you a sound grounding in the veterinary biosciences, including cell biology, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology and the health and welfare sciences, which includes animal nutrition and understanding influence of the environment. You’ll apply your knowledge to livestock, companion animals, zoo and exotic animals, and a range of industry challenges.
Our broad-based BSc Agriculture course covers everything that impacts production in the supply chain while considering global goals relating to sustainability.
The course is taught by the Departments of Crop Science, Animal Sciences, Agri-Food Economics and Marketing, and Sustainable Land Management in the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development.
There is a variety of funding support available to our undergraduates. You may be eligible for government loans, grants or bursaries.
Students from the UK can receive government loans to help towards tuition fees and living costs. They may also be eligible for grants and bursaries depending on their circumstances.
Our programmes are ideal if you're interested in a career in animal health, welfare, nutrition or research. Studying one of our programmes gives you a wide range of options for working with animals, but it also gives you many transferable skills that are highly desirable with employers in any sector.
Many of our graduates have taken up posts in research, advisory and managerial services at commercial firms concerned with animal nutrition and health, and with commercial firms in allied areas such as the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and food industries.
In addition, many Reading graduates go on to higher-level study such as master's programmes in specialist fields like conservation science or nutrition, or a PhD in Animal Sciences. Others have gained places to study veterinary medicine and science.
Our programmes offers great employability and careers support. We're proud to equip our graduates with the skills needed to gain top industry jobs, and we offer focused careers advice and networking opportunities.
You will complete a career planning module to develop skills for effective career decision-making and there are plenty of opportunities to build vital experience and skills from volunteering activities through the Reading Experience and Development (RED) Award.
During our regular careers fairs, you'll have the opportunity to establish good contacts among potential employers, and we provide you with advice on CV writing and job application strategies to increase the chances of getting the job you want. In fact, many of our students graduate having already received job offers.
Benefit from our links with the animal science community including the British Society of Animal Science, and our excellent large animal research facilities. Gain the skills you need for a career in animal health, nutrition, welfare or research.
