New Zealand Certificate in Animal Care (Rural Animal Strand) (Level 3)

Cultivate your love for animals with the New Zealand Certificate in Animal Care (Rural Animals). Become a vital part of your local animal shelter or clinic, learn to care for your own animals, or pave the way to a higher qualification in animal care.

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SIT Online
Campus
SIT Online
Qualification
Certificate
Level
3
Credits
70
Duration

One year (over two intakes)

Part-time study also available – up to 4 years

Intakes are 17 weeks long

Dates
TBC
Fees
This programme qualifies for SIT Zero Fees. Terms and Conditions apply. Click here for more information.
Tuition Fees

Zero tuition fees

Direct Material Costs

$8.00 per credit (incl. GST)

International Fees

$100.00 per credit (incl. GST). See International.

Course Outline

The purpose of this qualification is to provide individuals with the skills and knowledge to care for animals within welfare standards and practices. 

This qualification is intended for people who want to work in a role assisting with the care of animals in non-production contexts such as rural blocks, animal rescue centers, boarding facilities, and animal recreation businesses. Graduates will have the skills, knowledge, and attributes to assist with the care of animals under limited supervision. This qualification is designed to recognize the specialist skills required for assisting with care and husbandry within the contexts of companion animals, equine, and rural animals.

Course Content

Course Content

All courses below are compulsory for the Rural Animal Strand:

  • ANML3301 – Introduction to Professional Skills when working with rural animals
  • ANML3302 – Behaviour, handling and transportation for rural animals
  • ANML3303 – Introduction to form, function and preventative health for rural animals
  • ANML3304 – Introduction to Husbandry for rural animals
  • ANML3305 – Rural Animals Practicum

This qualification must include at least 40 hours of Practicum in a workplace environment that provides opportunities for learners to practise and apply the skills and knowledge inherent in the qualification outcomes.


Transition Plan

Transition to follow this table, however, the Programme Operations Manager has the discretion to approve variations to these based on the intention that ākonga should not be disadvantaged by these transition arrangements.

SIT | Te Pūkenga Version

  • ANML3301 – Introduction to Professional Skills when working with companion animals (15 credits)
  • ANML3302 – Behaviour, handling and transportation for rural animals (15 credits)
  • ANML3303 – Introduction to form, function and preventative health for rural animals (15 credits)
  • ANML3304 – Introduction to Husbandry for rural animals (15 credits)
  • ANML3305 – Rural Animals Practicum (10 credits)

SIT Version

  • ANML3301 – Introduction to Professional Skills when working with companion animals (RPL for work experience or previous learning/RPL for transition arrangements is free of charge)
  • ACS102 – Ethical and legal behaviour in relation to Animals (7 credits)
  • ACS107 – Horse identification health and housing (10 credits)
  • ACS109 – Rodent identification health and housing (10 credits)
  • ACS108 – Poultry identification health and housing (10 credits)
  • ACS111 – Ruminant identification health and housing (10 credits)
  • ACS100 – Zoonoses and their control (8 credits)
  • ACS101 – Animal anatomy and Physiology (10 credits)
  • ACS103 – Normal and abnormal animal behaviours (5 credits)
  • ACS104 – Basic animal health procedures and first aid (5 credits)
Career Opportunities

Graduates will be able to work as assistants involved with the day-to-day care, and welfare of animals at pet stores, animal rescue centres, pet grooming, animal day care, kennels and catteries, animal breeders, animal training, pet boarding facilities, horse recreation, animal laboratories, and rural blocks.

Application Criteria

Open Entry if the delegated authority at the campus/site is satisfied that the applicant has the capability to complete the requirements of the programme. International applicants are required to have an IELTS score of 5 (general or academic) with no individual band lower than 5 from one test taken in the preceding two years, or an equivalent described in NZQA Rules.

Additional requirements

All application needs to meet or submit the following:

*Convictions of any offence may not necessarily exclude applicants from enrolment. Any decision is made on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the delegated authority.

Selection processes may apply where the number of applications exceed the number of available places.

English Language Requirements

Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following

NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or

an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English; or

Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA),or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL);or

Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand,,Australia,Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or

Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or

Successful completion of a Bachelor's Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters' Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States or

Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment


IELTS test - General or Academic score of 5 with no band score lower than 5
TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 500 (with an essay score of 4 TWE)
TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 35 (with a writing score of 14)
Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools with a score of 154. No less than 154 in each skill.
OET - Minimum of Grade C or 200 in all sub-tests
NZCEL - Level 3 (General)
Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE (Academic) score of 36 with no band score lower than 36
Language Cert - B1 Achiever International ESOL Written (LRW) PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS
Trinity ISE - ISE I with no less than distinction in any band

Qualification Pathways

This qualification may build on the National Certificate in Educational Achievement (Level 1) [Ref: 0928] or the National Certificate in Educational Achievement (Level 2) [Ref: 0973], both with Vocational Pathways Primary Industry endorsement, or the New Zealand Certificate in Primary Industry Skills with optional strand in Self-Management and Employability Skills [Ref: 2218].


This qualification may lead to the New Zealand Certificate in Animal Management (Level 4) with strands in Canine Behaviour and Training; Companion Animals; Fish, Amphibians and Reptiles; and Zookeeping [Ref: 2489]; or the New Zealand Certificate in Animal Healthcare Assisting (Level 4) with strands in Companion Animal Healthcare, Equine Healthcare, Rural Animal Healthcare [Ref: 4388].

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