In September 2022, the new Associate degree Animal Management will start in Velp

The associate degree (Ad) Animal Management has passed the ‘New Programme Assessment' with flying colours. On Wednesday 15 September, the NVAO’s visitation panel assessed the new two-year HBO programme with a maximum score on all 10 standards.  

Every new programme is approved by the NVAO (Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders). A panel inspects the plans by means of a New Programme Assessment and either grants or denies accreditation. Heinz Evers, programme manager for Ad Animal Management: ‘We were delighted and proud to introduce our new programme to the panel. The development team has extensively demonstrated how we will prepare our prospective students for the professional field.’ 

Connection to practice

The panel gave many glowing compliments about the programme and its consistency between didactics and testing. This consistency is appropriate for an Associate degree programme because of its focus on practical assignments. Heinz Evers on this: ‘Because an animal manager (Ad) is a connector between theory and practice, we also take our students right from day one into the field to work on practical issues.’ 

The professional field is demanding these graduates 

Furthermore, the panel expressed great appreciation for the cooperation between the education team, the Examining Board and the management: in good partnership with each other, but clearly based on different roles and responsibilities. Finally, the panel noted that there is a clear demand for this programme from the professional field. And thanks to the excellent cooperation with the professional arena, the new programme satisfies this need in an admirable way.  

Great interest in new study programme 

Ronja Wagenknecht, coordinator Ad Animal Management. ‘There has already been a lot of interest shown by prospective students in this wonderful study programme. So I look forward to welcoming students in September 2022 and working with them on issues from our professional field.’ 

Where does an animal manager (Ad) work?  

The primary job of a graduated animal manager (Ad) is to responsibly manage animals that are not part of the food chain. These include sports and recreational animals, companion animals, zoo animals and petting zoo animals. It also includes wildlife and animals that play a role in care. Animal managers (AD) are professionals who are able to translate animal knowledge and expertise into specific application situations. They build bridges between different disciplines, people and organisations and can work together to find sustainable solutions.