Nicole Pfaller-Sadovsky – BSc (Hons) Applied Animal Behaviour graduate
I was working full-time as a professional dog trainer in Austria when I applied to Sparsholt. The distance education and blended learning part-time study route offered by the Applied Animal Behaviour course was very attractive to me – due to business and other commitments, I could not have conducted a degree course otherwise. The fact that obtaining this qualification fulfils the requirements for becoming a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist – if you wish – was also important to me and I felt the degree would set me apart from colleagues also working in this field.
The Applied Animal Behaviour course gives students a broad background in a lot of animal-related fields (i.e. domestic animals and animals living in captivity under human care). The strengths of the course definitively lie in the emphasis placed on applied work, the facilities (e.g. boarding kennels and Animal Management Centre) and the distance education route with block weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed the block weeks with lectures, some practical work, meeting staff in person and spending time with fellow students.
I found learning about how to professionally conduct behavioural consultations and how to write reports for owners and veterinary practitioners very helpful. Sparsholt also offers the possibility to work hands-on with different species in the on-site facilities.
I am now running my own training and behavioural services company and have recently graduated with an MSc in Applied Behaviour Analysis with Distinction. Without the First Class Honours degree obtained from Sparsholt, I would not have been able to achieve this.
It is safe to say that Sparsholt’s Applied Animal Behaviour course sparked my interest in science again, and without the re-discovered passion for science and evidence-based practice it would not have been possible to further my academic career
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