Final Phase Equine, Leisure and Sports
Bachelor in Animal Husbandry
Content programme
This two-year programme combines an international placement with an academic scientific or business-oriented thesis, the opportunity for studying abroad, and subject-specific theory taught in-house by experienced specialists. As well as covering sports nutrition and the study of the rider and equine sports, courses link business management with reflective self-development and theories on effective learning.
First year
During your first semester, you get to grips with improving performance in the horse-rider combination, and also develop your understanding of business and event management. The topics include Equine Science and Human Sports Science, and business subjects such as Project and Event Management, Creative Entrepreneurship, Sports Marketing, and Enterprise Analysis.
The second semester consists of a 20-week work placement, which you will spend at an equine organisation or enterprise outside your country of origin. Examples of organisations for work placements are: the National Equine Sports Federation (KNHS), event organising businesses, feed producers, breeding associations, equestrian magazines, import or sales companies and equestrian education institutes.
Second year
During the first semester of the second year, you choose a minor; a topic you wish to study more intensively over the period of one semester. One of the minors offered at Van Hall Larenstein is in Equine Sport Science, which focuses on training horses to achieve top sporting results. However, it is also possible to select another minor programme from Van Hall Larenstein's own range of majors, such as Applied Animal Science or Livestock Management. Or you might prefer a programme at our sister institution Wageningen University - focusing for example on business, marketing, or communication.
Another possibility is to use this 20-week period to study abroad at one of our partner institutions in the UK, Sweden or New Zealand. Topics to choose from include Event Organisation, Stud Management, Leisure Management, and even Journalism.
You spend your last term of study working with an equine business on a project which you ultimately write up as your thesis. Used as a graduate's 'calling card' when applying for further academic study or employment, the thesis is often considered to be the pinnacle of a student's academic achievement.