Animal Services Management Certificate

Animal Services Management Courses

Our career-focused curriculum delivers a combination of foundational animal studies and advanced business management. To earn your certificate, you will complete the following 12 credits:

Core Requirements:

ab 101: Foundation of animal studies

In this course, you will examine different fields and occupations within the animal studies field and 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.

ba 232: the animal services industry 

This course introduces you to a range of businesses associated with the animal services industry, including businesses dedicated to animal food production, grooming, boarding, sheltering, and training. Businesses in the animal services industry are explored for their unique and shared concerns. Their rise in modern markets is explored with cultural trends relevant to emerging and established economies.

Electives (choose two):

ba 310: Organization and management

This course focuses on how to design organization systems and effectively manage them. Students completing the course should understand the universal process of management and key terminology in the language of management. You will be encouraged conceptually to blend contributions from the various schools of management thought into an integrated perspective of what managers do and why.

BA 441: Entrepreneurship I - New Venture development

You will be introduced to the practical application of classic and contemporary business theory as it applies to the early stages of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, opportunity recognition, innovation, and new venture development. Course topics include types of entrepreneurs, opportunity recognition, marketing, cash and other resource requirements, financial statements, planning, franchising, intellectual property, success/failure/resilience, and growth.

BA 443: entrepreneurship II - Business plans

This class builds on BA 441 - New Venture Development. The focus of this class is on the early stages of formalizing and growing a venture. Topics include business plan writing, fund raising and cash flow, measuring and conveying financial position, core strategy development and competitive advantage, sustainability, international entrepreneurship, supply chain, growth, and exit.

Faculty Spotlight

Elizabeth Guzman

Elizabeth is the owner and operator of an equine campground in southwest Virginia. Her work focuses on the practical application of business and management principles within animal-related industries, particularly in the equine and outdoor recreation sectors.

Elizabeth is an avid horseback rider and lifelong animal lover, and she has traveled extensively across the United States and Canada trail riding with horses. She grew up on a small grain farm in the Delmarva region, where assisting with managing the farm included caring for animals, operating machinery and equipment, and dealing with ins and outs of farming practices. Owning horses and being involved in agriculture became a central part of her life and developed into a lifelong passion.

Elizabeth's love of horses ultimately guided her education and career path, eventually leading her to own and operate a business centered around the equine industry. Through this work, She has gained hands-on experience in animal services operations, rural entrepreneurship, and business management.

Husson University has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements.