Certificate in Basic Animal Care Science

To provide students with the skills and knowledge required for employment or further training in the animal care sector.

The programme is made up of the following local papers:

ACS1.1 - Cat identification and health (Level 2) 5 credits

This unit consists of two assignments.  One assignment is about the identification of cats, the signs of health and behaviour, zoonoses, feeding of cats and safe handling techniques.  The other assignment consists of a visit to a cattery and researching the requirements for the care of a cat in a cattery.

ACS1.2 - Dog identification and health (Level 2) 5 credits

This unit consists of two assignments.  One is about the identification of dogs, the signs of health and behaviour zoonoses, feeding of dogs and safe handling techniques.  The other assignment consists of a visit to a boarding kennel and researching the requirements for the care of a dog in a boarding kennel.

Both the dog and cat units require students to find a kennel/cattery and view these, then write a report on these facilities based on the requirements of the boarding code.  

ACS1.3 Ornamental fish identification and health (Level 2) 2 credits

This unit consists of two assignments.  One is about the identification of ornamental fish and their care, including aquarium requirements for keeping fish.  The second assignment is about signs of health, behaviour, handling and transportation of fish.

ACS1.4 - Horse identification and health (Level 2) 5 credits

The horse unit has six assignments, consisting of various horse breeds, methods of identifying individual horses, zoonoses, signs of health, safe handling techniques and ideal housing requirements.  The housing requirements are covered in two assignments. In one, students have to design an ideal stable and describe why this is ideal. The other relates to viewing a horse in a paddock and commenting on its suitability for the horse.

ACS1.5 - Poultry identification and health (Level 2) 4 credits

This unit has two assignments.  These assignments cover the following topics - identification of poultry breeds and species, safe handling, storage of feed, nutrition, housing requirements, waste disposal and signs of health and diseases.

ACS1.6 – Reptile and amphibian identification and health (Level 2) 2 credits

This unit has three assignments which cover the following topics – identification of reptile and amphibian species, safe handling, nutrition, signs of health and diseases, zoonoses and appropriate housing.

ACS1.7 – Rodent and rabbit identification and health (Level 2) 4 credits

The rabbit and rodent unit has three assignments.  These cover identification of breeds and species, safe handling, nutrition, signs of health, behaviour, zoonoses and housing requirements.

ACS1.8 Ruminant identification and health (Level 2) 5 credits

This unit has four assignments which cover - identifying breeds and species, identifying individual animals from each other, safe handling methods, nutrition and feed storage, signs of health, behaviour, paddock design and maintenance.

ACS1.9 Demonstrate knowledge of zoonoses and their control (Level 2) 3 credits

This unit has one assignment.  The second part of this unit takes place as a discussion on Blackboard, discussing zoonotic questions.  The unit covers identification of zoonotic diseases, lifecycles, control measures, prevention, exotic diseases and legislation.

ACS1.10 Understanding anatomy and physiology of animals (Level 2) 10 credits

This unit has 15 assignments, which are all on different anatomy subjects.  These include: the cell, diffusion, Tissues, Special Senses, Integumentary, Bones, circulatory system, respiratory system, lymphatic, digestion, reproduction, kidney, endocrine, homeostasis and the nervous system.  These are mainly multi-choice, word match and naming diagram type questions.

ACS1.11 Demonstrate knowledge of ethical behaviour in relation to animals (Level 2) 3 credits

This unit consists of two assignments which cover the Animal Welfare Act and how it relates to animal care and handling.  One of the assignments requires students to research an animal related facility and to record the relevant codes and guidelines they must follow in relation to the animals in their care, and how they follow these in practice.

At the successful completion of this programme, students will have the required competencies to function successfully and effectively at operational levels within the animal care sector. Graduates could go on to employment as assistants at boarding kennels, stables or a veterinary practice, or further study in SIT's Certificate or National Diploma in Veterinary Nursing.

SUGGESTED STUDY PATH/COMBINATIONS

• Papers may be studied in any order.  If you are studying full time, allow plenty of time for assignments, as there may be several assignments due each week. 

• To complete this Certificate, you need to obtain 40 credits from any of the subjects.  The papers are worth varying credits and this reflects the amount of work required for each paper, with the anatomy section requiring the most work.

• If you are starting this course and planning to study a few papers at a time, we suggest that you start with the Cat, Dog, Fish, Poultry, Zoonoses, or Ethics papers as each of these papers consist of only two assignments.

• The Rodent and Rabbit, Reptile and Amphibian, Ruminants, and Horse papers all have between three and six assignments each. 

• The Anatomy paper is the largest of the course and has the most assignments - 15 in all, but it is worth the greatest number of credits.  In order to have enough credits to pass this Certificate, paper ACS1.10 must be completed. This paper provides a good basic understanding of the way in which the animal’s body functions, information which is needed to understand the health of the animal. This will take the most amount of time and each week there are either one or two assignments due, so please allow time for this. 

• The anatomy paper will take about three to four times the amount of work of most of the other subjects so if you are planning on splitting this certificate over two intakes, we strongly suggest that you do 4 papers (including the anatomy paper) in one intake and then study the other 7 papers in the other intake.  The order in which you study these papers may depend on what subjects you prefer.  Commencing your study with a subject that you are particularly keen on, makes it easier to make a start on the assignments.

• And remember that you only need to do enough papers to complete a total of 40 credits to gain the certificate.  The total number of credits for the papers listed is 48 so you can leave some of them out (up to a total of 8 credits) and still complete the certificate.

CROSS CREDITS/ RECOGNISIOTN OF PRIOR LEARNING (RPL)

Students who have previously completed any NZQA unit standards relating to the above papers can apply to have the unit(s) recognised on their record of learning at SIT2LRN.  This is done by filling in a ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ (RPL) application form and attaching proof of achievement. The RPL application form is available on MySIT or from the Programme Administrator on 0800 748 257 ext. 3320.

LITERACY AND NUMERACY ASSESSMENT

The Tertiary Education Commission requires all learners enrolled in programmes at Levels 1-3 to complete literacy and/or numeracy testing.  This is a Level 2 programme therefore you will be required to complete at least one reading or numeracy assessment during the course of your studies.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• As a guideline, one credit equates to approximately 10 hours study within an intake period.  Click HERE to download a Study Load Calculator (spreadsheet).
• All papers selected within a particular intake must be completed within that intake unless a transfer is requested (conditions apply; see FAQs).
• Application forms are filled out on a year by year basis and students are welcome to apply for multiple intakes on the one application form.  Further enrolment is the responsibility of individual students.  There is no automatic enrolment rollover.

Assessments for this programme typically include short answer and multi-choice questions and some short written reports. There are no external exams for this programme.

The Zero Fees Scheme applies to this course, so there are no tuition fees as long as you are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident (residing in NZ), BUT there is a student direct material cost of $6.50 per credit of study undertaken, plus a non-refundable administration fee of $50.00 for each application processed, and the required textbook/s listed below.  You must maintain satisfactory academic progress to retain your Zero Fees Scheme entitlement.

Fees must be paid by the due date shown on the invoice.

All SIT2LRN courses are approved by Studylink.  Any queries regarding Studylink allowances, loans, and terms and conditions should be made directly to Studylink on 0800 88 99 00 or www.studylink.govt.nz.

Please check the textbook list to see if you need a textbook for the unit(s) that you are applying for. The list is available here:

http://www.sit.ac.nz/documents/pdf/textbooklist.pdf

All SIT2LRN courses require you to have a computer and internet access. Students are required to use their SIT webmail only for all SIT2LRN communications. All course materials and information, including assessments and due dates, are located on the online Blackboard system. Once you have been accepted into a programme you will receive a Welcome Kit that includes information that you can use to familiarise yourself with our online Blackboard learning environment. From the intake start date you will have access to the online course materials to work through.

Facilitator Assistance:  During the enrolled intake period, students have email access to Facilitators, who endeavour to respond to emails within 48 hours (week days only).  All students are required, within the first two weeks of an intake, to send an email to their Facilitator confirming their start on the programme of study.  Students who have not emailed their facilitator or embarked upon their course of study by the end of the 2^nd week of an intake, will be Faculty Withdrawn from the programme.  Such withdrawals may impact on future access to SIT Zero Fees Scheme and Student Direct Material Costs are still liable for payment.

We recommend students new to SIT2LRN read through the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section of our website at http://www.sit.ac.nz/pages/FAQs for further study and enrolment information.

All applicants should demonstrate a keen interest in caring for animals and possess academic attributes which demonstrate that applicants have a reasonable likelihood of successful completion of the programme.

For students to be considered to have satisfactorily completed this programme, and be eligible for the awarding of the qualification Certificate in Basic Animal Care Science (Level 2), they must have completed all scheduled course work requirements and assessments and successfully completed assessment requirements for all local units, and achieved a total of 40 credits as specified in the programme schedule.