Students pursuing animal-related careers and opportunities, such as in veterinary medicine, conservation, and research, may benefit from a new college program.
Offered by the Lyon College, an undergraduate liberal arts college in Batesville, AR, the Animal Behavior minor is interdisciplinary and combines courses in biology and psychology. The program is different from those in Animal Science, which emphasizes husbandry procedures (i.e. nutrition, milk and meat productions, breeding and management).
According to Britt Florkiewicz, PhD, psychology professor in Lyon College, the Animal Behavior minor aims to offer a “distinct but complementary perspective on animal-related professions.” Dr. Florkiewicz, who is involved in creating the program, says students can learn about various topics in animal behavior, cognition, and ecology.
“Students will receive theoretical and practical training through required courses such as Principles of Biology I and II and Animal Behavior I and II. Upon completion of required coursework, students can specialize in various animal-related topics (and species) through elective courses in Biology and Psychology,” says Florkiewicz. “Elective courses such as evolution, zoology, parasitology and comparative physiology, for example, will give students essential knowledge to fully comprehend animals’ behavior.”
For more information, check the official website of the Lyon College.