Course description
The MSc is a 180 credit course of which 120 credits are part of the taught programme (equivalent to Post-Graduate Diploma) and 60 credits are part of the research project.
The course commences in December and will run full-time until the end of November, the following year allowing for maximum flexibility for part time students (two years or more). Master level modules will be delivered in five one-week blocks spread over seven months.
How do you study?
Students learn through a combination of advanced research and academic skills. You will also develop complementary applied science skills for practical application within the equine industry. The latest scientific research findings will be presented and you learn to interpret and critically evaluate these in a practical context. Modules will be delivered through lectures including guest speakers who are specialists within their field and involved in current research as well as through laboratory classes, demonstrations, eLearning, conference attendance and project work.
Assessment
Performance is assessed by written assignments, dissertation, oral presentation and formal examinations.
Your future career
The course will provide you with the professional skills, experience and knowledge necessary to pursue a wide range of careers within the area of equine science, health and welfare. Potential positions and fields include Research Assistant in Animal or Biological Sciences; Nutritionist; Medical Marketing and Sales; Scientific Journalist; Lecturer; Equine Consultancy, Rehabilitation, Sports Psychology and Coaching; and Equine Behaviourist. In particular students wishing to pursue the MRes course may continue their career in research.
Why study at Nottingham Trent University?
* NTU offers these unique courses focussing on animal health and welfare.
* NTU boasts major new investment in general teaching and laboratory facilities. The specialist resources for the equine courses include a 60 x 40 metre floodlit outdoor arena, a horse walker, round pen and group housing pens, as well as a brand new Veterinary Nursing unit.
* Modules will be delivered by who are currently research active in their area of expertise with international research links, providing opportunity and scope for research projects in the area of equine health and welfare.
Place of study
Brackenhurst campus is a 200-hectare estate in a beautiful rural setting, 14 miles north-east of Nottingham centre, close to the market town of Southwell. Our equestrian centre provides excellent facilities for practical work and will shortly be supported by a veterinary nursing facility. The well-established equestrian centre with its top-flight instructors, lecturers, facilities and horses, offers some of the best training available in the UK. The centre offers a full range of facilities, including a 60 x 40 metre indoor school and a 60 x 40 metre floodlit outdoor arena. There is a full range of stabling for up to 60 horses, a horse walker, solarium, weighbridge, treatment stocks, round pen and crew yards. A variety of forms of livery are available for horses owned by students, allowing them to take advantage of these extensive facilities.
Brackenhurst campus is well-served by public transport. There is a frequent bus service from Nottingham, and Newark Northgate station is on the high-speed East Coast mainline train service, with connecting buses which stop outside Brackenhurst.
Students have access to both the onsite facilities of a library, careers service, computer suites, cafe and bar, along with the extensive facilities at the University’s other campuses, at the City site and Clifton campus (Sports Science Department).
What do you study?
Sports horse health and welfare:
* genetics and reproduction (genetic selection and welfare, reproduction methods and technology, reproduction and health)
* nutrition (gastrointestinal system and processes, nutrient requirements, recent advances in equine nutrition, nutrition and metabolic disorders)
* disease and sickness (aetiology and epidemiology of disease, immunology, pathogenic agents, global disease factors and legislation).
Sports horse training and health:
* physiological effects of exercise (muscoskeletal and cardiovascular adaptations, nutrition and energy metabolism, immunology, physiological stress)
* injury and rehabilitation (veterinary diagnosis, injury prevention, veterinary treatment and management, therapy, drugs,)
* performance horse management and welfare (training methods and schedules, nutrition, sports horse transport and legislation, effect of rider, international legal implications).
Ethics of horse use and consultation:
* ethics (principals behind ethical discussion, ethics and morality, use of the horse and perception of horses in societies; equestrian sports and ethics, recent advances in welfare perception within society – conference attendance)
* consultation (consultancy techniques, communication, confrontation and negotiation, applied science, case study field work case history evaluation, case reporting and recommendations, treatment follow up, professional liability).
Ethology and welfare:
* identification of the range of Equus species
* worldwide dispersal, features of habitat
* management of feral and wild populations
* conservation projects
* behavioural adaptations of species
* ethological methods and their application.
Research methods and knowledge dissemination:
* philosophy of science
* experimental design
* literature analysis
* project management
* statistical analysis
* knowledge dissemination (conference presentations, lecturing, scientific paper writing, dissertation, conference attendance in relation to one of the previous modules)
