Not at all - factual accuracy.

The Msc requires completion of a dissertation.That in itself does not necessarily give any experience of practical behaviour counselling or dog training. A dissertation is always an in depth look at a very narrow area, which need not even involve dogs, just a "Companion animal"

The Southampton diploma is not, and never had been, a degree and it covers a narrower area (180 hours over two years, some of which is self study time) than a full time degree would do (particularly if it were a older degree when more teaching time was generally provided), making it perfectly feasible for a BSc (Hons) course to cover in the areas covered in the Diploma, plus some, as some did.

There are plenty of trainers and behaviourists working, and insured, without any academic training, to degree level or otherwise. Neither are those all "accredited" to any organisation, often for their own reasons.

Conversely I would think most of those with degrees would consider it to be a combination of their degree and their acquired experience that qualified them to do what they did, not the degree alone.

Point on AP's course remains valid in spite of red herrings.

The course doesn't qualify him for what he is doing as he keeps telling us it does.

Well done on defending him and his 'degree'.

rune

I have no idea what course he may, or may not have done so I am not in a position to defend his degree



However I do not think it appropriate or helpful to use half truths and distortions by selective quoting (which I cannot help but get the impression is personal rather than factual). The "red herrings" referred to are the facts

Different people get different things out of the same course, not least depending on what else they bring with them in terms of ability, application, prior experience and interests. This course could leave one person totally unprepared to be a trainer or behaviourist but someone could combine their own experience with "the tools to work in the areas of animal welfare, training & management" provided by this course.

It does not say that the course does not equip a graduate to work as a trainer or behaviourist, just that formal "accreditation" in that area is not within their remit, nor is it within the remit of other courses, as I have explained.

Most degrees generally aim to prepare you for work, as a starting point, rather than to necessarily directly qualify you for it, as the finished product.

To give an example in a totally different area e.g with a friend of mine, a geology degree was highly influential to apply to an oil company for a job but it didn't make them an oil exploration expert, nor was it specialised for the petroleum industry, that came with applying their degree in that field and gaining the expertise and experience over time from the starting point of your degree.

I don't think my course is still run, remember I did it several yrs ago and uni courses are always updated.

So if you want to find out my excat course you'd have to go back to when it was being run.

I'd also like to point out I have only ever brough my qualifications up when questioned about them.

Adam

How much of it was related to 'canine', Adam?

When qualifications are used to 'qualify' what you do, then I would think that you would be happy to discuss that part of the course and the depth of learning that took place

Originally Posted by Adam Palmer
I don't think my course is still run, remember I did it several yrs ago and uni courses are always updated.

So if you want to find out my excat course you'd have to go back to when it was being run.

I'd also like to point out I have only ever brough my qualifications up when questioned about them.

Adam

Not quite true that is it Adam? You haven`t been a member that long. I remember you mentioning your degree course `in animal science` at the outset. And you`ve never ever mentioned the name of the course, the year taken, the modules studied or the pass grade you got.
In my profession I rely heavily on the underpinning knowledge from my Uni days. True - you`ve never mentioned what you learned during yours. Why?