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Wildlife Care and rehabilitation Certificate Courses

The certificate is four courses taken fully online, starting with the animal studies field and ending with a capstone in habitat and experience design.

AB 101: Foundations of animal studies 

In this course, you will examine different fields and occupations within the animal studies field as well as the types of work that are included in each of these industries. You'll also explore emerging perspectives in the field and the future of animal science in the global community.

AB 201: Animal Behavior 

In this course, you will study animal behavior through biological and psychological lenses. Deep exploration into the behavior of a species of your choosing complement examples of many species through the coursework. You'll design and conduct an ethogram study on a species informed by factors that impact behavior, types and categories of behavior, applied behavior, and animal emotion and cognition. 

AB 321: Introduction to Wildlife Care and Management 

In this course, you will learn about the care and management of wildlife in captive settings. The course is structured around the theme of animal welfare. Through the course, you’ll gain perspectives on the principles of animal welfare and how these are applied to wildlife management strategies. Each week, you'll explore relevant content, examine contemporary use cases, and apply knowledge to proposing solutions to problems. 

AB 421: Designing Captive Wildlife Experiences 

In this course, you will learn about the design of captive wildlife experiences. The course functions as the capstone for the Wildlife Care and Rehabilitation Certificate program. Through the course, you’ll gain perspectives on the history and epistemology of habitat design for all types of animals. You'll also explore the theories of behavioral enrichment and applied animal cognition. 

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Where the Certificate is Used

The credential supports hands-on animal care roles in zoos and aquariums, rehabilitation centers, sanctuaries and rescues. Common titles include animal care technician, keeper assistant, enrichment aide and wildlife rehabilitator. Many of these roles are open to candidates without a bachelor's degree, and a certificate helps you compete against applicants whose experience is volunteer only.

Faculty Spotlight

Haley beer, ph.d.

Haley Beer, Ph.D., M.S., is an animal scientist and entrepreneur whose work focuses on improving animal welfare in human-managed environments, particularly in zoological settings.

Haley earned both her M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Science from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her graduate research examined stress physiology in giraffes and behavioral assessment in cheetahs, which included international fieldwork and collaborations across zoological institutions.

Before beginning her graduate studies, Haley worked as a zookeeper, where the realities of daily animal care helped shape her long-term interest in improving welfare through both research and applied practice. She now serves as an instructor and continues to collaborate with Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium on innovative research exploring the use of machine learning for noninvasive, autonomous monitoring of animal behavior in western diamondback rattlesnakes.

Haley is also the co-founder and chief science officer of Etholytics, a company focused on developing tools that help animal care teams monitor behavior and assess welfare more consistently. Her goal is to translate emerging technologies into practical solutions that support earlier, more informed management decisions and ultimately improve quality of life for animals in human care.

In her free time, Haley enjoys preparing fresh “chop” (a finely mixed blend of fresh vegetables, grains and legumes) for local parrot owners, including her own lively flock of five parrots.

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