Graduate Certificate in Animal Welfare

Course code: 3430 + Course abbreviation: GradCertAnWel + Total credit points required: 24 + 4 semesters part-time

Study mode and course location

Off-campus (Clayton – P/T only)

Course description

The course, offered by the School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, provides a knowledge and understanding of animal welfare and ethics within the disciplines of science, history, sociology and politics. Students will develop the skills required to assess animal welfare issues objectively and be able to apply their knowledge effectively in areas including animal well-being, welfare inspection and assessment, research management, and the preparation and updating of welfare codes, legislation and regulations. They will also develop awareness of the debate surrounding local and international animal issues and be able to identify problems with regard to duty of care to animals, animal housing, animal husbandry, animal rights, conservation and biodiversity, and ethics and welfare.

Students will be required to attend a single seven-hour on-campus workshop at Caulfield campus per unit.

Course objectives

On completion of this course, graduates will: 1. understand animal welfare and ethics within the disciplines of science, history, sociology and politics; 2. be able to assess animal welfare issues objectively; 3. 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 also to communicate the knowledge gained articulately in written and spoken forms; 4. 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; 5. be able to identify problems, areas of controversy 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; 6. be able to implement standard operating procedures (SOP) in their area of practice, with a focus on the three R’s (replace, refine, reduce) and quality of life; 7. be able to design and conduct research contributing to knowledge and/or practice in the field of animal welfare and ethics; and 8. have furthered their educational, personal and professional development and lifelong patterns of learning.

Course structure

The course comprises four 6-point core units:

GAW3010 Ethics and welfare.
GAW3020 Biology and ethology
GAW3030 Domestication and management: urban management of domestic animals
GAW3050 Animal welfare in a global community

Units GAW3010 and GAW3030 are usually offered in first semester and GAW3020 and GAW3050 in second semester.

GAW3010 and GAW3020 will have a major component of material presented to students in printed form that is teacher-designated. Students will be responsible for directing the pace of their learning, however they will be required to participate cooperatively in electronic group discussions and on-campus workshops. In GAW3030 and GAW3050 students will be required to undertake group and individual projects and deliver oral presentations. Successful participation in these activities 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.

Contact details

Telephone +61 3 9903 1482; email: gcaw.enquiries@med.monash.edu.au or visit www.med.monash.edu.au/spppm/pgrad/

Course coordinator

Dr Pauline Bennett

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