Graduate Certificate in Animal Welfare

• Course structure
• Advanced standing
• Inquiries

This course is offered by the Department of Psychology in off-campus learning mode, however students will be required to attend seven hours of on-campus workshops at Caulfield campus per unit. Access to course content as well as academic and other support will be provided primarily by printed materials. Additional academic support will be provided by telephone, email, fax and face-to-face contact at the weekend workshops.

Graduates of the course will:

• understand animal welfare and ethics within the disciplines of science, history, sociology and politics
• be able to assess animal welfare issues objectively
• be able to apply the knowledge gained in this course effectively in theory and practice in areas such as animal well-being, welfare inspection and assessment, research management, and the preparation and updating of welfare codes, legislation and regulations
• be able to communicate the knowledge gained articulately in written and spoken form
• be aware of the complexity of debate concerning animal issues and able to distinguish between fact and value, examine factual claims for accuracy and address conflicts between different value systems
• be able to identify problems, areas of controversy and areas of agreement, in particular with regard to duty of care to animals, animal housing, animal husbandry, animal rights, conservation and biodiversity, and ethics and welfare
• be able to implement Standard Operating Procedures in their area of practice with a focus on the three Rs (replace, refine and reduce) and quality of life
• be able to design and conduct research contributing to knowledge and/or practice in the field of animal welfare and ethics
• have furthered their educational, personal and professional development and lifelong patterns of learning.

Applicants must have a bachelors degree, or equivalent, or three years relevant work experience at an appropriate level (to be determined at the discretion of an academic selection panel). There are no formal unit prerequisites.

Course structure

The course is offered on a part-time basis and can be completed in two to four semesters. It comprises four six-point units - GAW3010 and GAW3020 will be offered in the first semester and GAW3030 and GAW3040 in the second semester.

• GAW3010 Ethics and welfare
• GAW3020 Biology and ethology
• GAW3030 Domestication and management
• GAW3040 Research project

The contents of units GAW3010, GAW3020 and GAW3030 will have a major component of material presented to students in printed form that is teacher-designated. However, students will be responsible for directing the pace of their learning. In addition, students will be required to undertake projects, deliver oral and poster presentations and participate cooperatively in electronic group discussions and on-campus workshops. Successful participation in these discussions and workshops will rely on students general knowledge, which they will be encouraged to expand by reading and interpreting popular discussion, magazines and newspapers and listening to the radio and watching television.

In GAW3030, students are required to undertake an industry placement (10-20 days) whereby the focus is on experiential learning.
The unit GAW3040 requires students to undertake a research project. Each student's project will be unique, with the content to be negotiated between teacher and student. This research component of the course will require students to undertake independent investigation, analysis and research. They will also be required to read and critique academic papers
Although the units are offered as part of a course, students may elect to undertake, and be credited for completing, one or more units as single units.

Advanced standing

Provision of up to 50 per cent will be made for credit transfer or advanced standing for previous post-secondary study or recognised prior learning (to be determined at the discretion of an academic selection panel).

Inquiries

Inquiries should be directed to the School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, telephone (03) 9905 4359 or (03) 9905 9587.

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