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Animal Care

Opportunities in the Animal Care sector are immense and the work is rewarding when you have a love for animals. Our qualifications equip you with the practical skills to manage and care for animals skilfully.

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Love animals? We have a wide range of qualifications and courses for you. From specialist programmes in avian wildlife to companion animal care and rural animal technology, you have an array of options.

Gain significant industry-related work experience during your studies. We’ve partnered with the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, equipped with a veterinary clinic, surgical preparation area, kennels and a laboratory, so you can learn and work with real animals who need urgent care.

We are also the first New Zealand Polytechnic to hold the Certified Low-Stress Handling for Dogs and Cats Award. So you’ll graduate knowing the best way to handle and care for an animal.

Animal Care qualifications

Agriculture & Animal Healthcare

This programme is great for testing interest in this area as it'll give you a taste of the wider range of animal-related qualifications available and allow you to get a feel for tertiary study before attempting a higher-level qualification. It's also a great first step if you want to enter an animal-related profession, such as SPCA work, pet shop work or kennel and cattery animal care.

Duration

20 Weeks Full-time

1 Year Part-time

Delivery

Online with a work placement

Location

Online

Career potential

Animal Education, Animal Trainer, Kennel and Cattery Management, Pet Grooming, SPCA Work, Wildlife Management

Agriculture & Animal Healthcare

Gain the skills and knowledge you need to become an entry-level dog and cat groomer. You'll need to organise access to a pet groomer so you can do a 240-hour work placement, which can be started after you complete the first course in the programme.

Duration

1 Year Full-time

2 Years Part-time

Delivery

Flexible facilitated, Online

Location

Online with block courses, Dunedin

Career potential

Pet Grooming

Agriculture & Animal Healthcare

Designed to create a training pathway for those wanting a rewarding career as an Animal Healthcare Assistant, this new programme recognises the role as distinct from a Veterinary Nurse or Veterinary Technician.

Duration

1 Year Full-time

2 Years Part-time

Delivery

Flexible facilitated

Location

Distance

Career potential

Animal Healthcare Assistant

Agriculture & Animal Healthcare

This programme is designed to provide a clear, industry-relevant pathway for those wishing to start a career as a Rural Animal Veterinary Technician. As a graduate you will work directly and indirectly with veterinarians in rural practice to meet the healthcare needs of our primary production animals.

Duration

2 Years Full-time

4 Years Part-time

Delivery

Flexible facilitated

Location

Distance

Career potential

Rural Animal Technician

Study Veterinary Nursing

Study Veterinary Nursing

Our programmes focus on promoting the health, husbandry and welfare of animals.

Chris Neville

Chris Neville

After graduating, Chris now supervises at a dog-care facility, interacting, playing with and monitoring the dogs in his care.

Specialise in Avian Wildlife

Specialise in Avian Wildlife

Our specialist avian wildlife courses are tailored to qualified veterinary nurses and vets.

Discover our Te Kura Oraka Kararehe | School of Animal Health

Get a taste of what it's like to study this field at Otago Polytechnic:

  • See all programmes offered 
  • Meet your lecturers and find out what makes them leaders in their chosen area  
  • Hear about our latest news and events  
  • Learn first-hand what it’s like to study with us from real students and graduates  
  • Read about our postgraduate research and projects

Te Kura Oraka Kararehe | School of Animal Health

Contact us

If you’re not sure what to study and would like some guidance, we’re here to help. Feel free to chat to us directly about any questions you may have.