Do I need experience with livestock before I start?

No. The course starts from the basics and needs no prior study. You don't need your own animals or land either: most assessment is written work completed online. If you already work with stock, you can apply each unit straight away.

How long does the Advanced Certificate in Livestock Management take?

Most students finish in 15–20 weeks part-time. The three modules add up to about 300 study hours, at your own pace. You have 12 months' access, and extensions of up to 12 months are available on application (an extension fee may apply).

Will this qualify me to treat animals or work as a vet nurse?

No. This is a non-accredited short course, not a nationally accredited VET qualification or a veterinary qualification. It gives you practical knowledge of disease, treatment and nutrition for managing stock. Veterinary, vet-nursing and some animal-health roles need specific accredited qualifications, so check with the employer or licensing body. Our course consultants will be upfront about what the course can and can't do.

Does this course focus on one species?

No, it isn't tied to one species. The health, nutrition and pasture principles apply across grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. For species-specific detail, add Beef Cattle Farming or Sheep Farming as an add-on module.

Why do I need to calculate rations?

A ration calculation tells you whether a feed mix gives an animal the energy, protein and minerals it needs, and at what cost. It matters most in drought, when finishing stock and when you're buying in feed. Animal Feed and Nutrition spends three units on it, from the basics to applied problems.

Livestock & Farm Management Courses

Advanced Certificate in Livestock Management Course (Online)

Keep stock healthy, well fed and on good pasture, whatever you run.

Learn to spot illness early, work out what a feed is really worth, calculate a ration and manage the pasture your animals depend on. It's online, self-paced and backed by a tutor 6 days a week.

100% online
3 core modules
approx. 300 study hours
12 months' access
Tutor support 6 days a week
Certificate + transcript

Download the brochure Speak to a course consultant

Angus cattle lined up in a steel race at the stockyards

What is the Advanced Certificate in Livestock Management?

The Advanced Certificate in Livestock Management is a self-paced online course in the three things every stock manager answers for: animal health, feed and nutrition, and pasture. You'll learn how disease is recognised, diagnosed and treated, how to evaluate feeds and calculate rations, and how to establish and manage grazing pasture. It suits livestock workers and managers on any grazing enterprise.

Course overview

Healthy animals, the right feed, good pasture

Is that steer just quiet, or is it crook? Is the hay you bought worth the money? Will the paddock carry the mob through winter? Stock managers make calls like these every day. This course gives you the knowledge behind them, and because it isn't tied to one species, it applies to cattle, sheep or a mix.

Read the signs of ill health – Recognise symptoms, understand how diseases are classified and caused, and know how they're diagnosed and treated.
Understand how animals heal – Learn how inflammation, fever, immunity and tissue repair work, and how wounds are cared for.
Value a feed and build a ration – Break feeds into their components, judge digestibility, classify feeds and work through three units of ration calculations.
Manage the feed base – Select pasture species, manage soil, water, pests and weeds, and establish and renovate pasture for grazing.

If you're the one answerable for how the stock are going, this course is built for you.

Who this course is for

Stock hands and feedlot workers who want to understand the health and feeding decisions they carry out.
Livestock overseers and managers responsible for herd or flock health, feed budgets and pasture.
Small-acreage owners with a few cattle, sheep or other grazing animals who want to look after them properly.
People heading into rural supply or animal-health product work who need a grounding in disease and nutrition.

What you'll study

You'll start with a short Student Induction module that sets you up on the learning platform. Then you'll complete three core modules.

Module 1: Animal Health (approx. 100 hours)

The health side of stock management: how to tell an animal is unwell, what's likely causing it and what happens next.

Introduction to Animal Health – health versus disease, and the scope of animal health.
Signs & Symptoms of Diseases – recognising ill health in livestock.
Disease Classification – how diseases are grouped, such as infectious and metabolic.
Causes and Diagnosis of Disease – disease agents and how diagnoses are made.
Treatment of Disease – treatment options and principles.
Inflammation – how the inflammatory process works.
Fever and Immunity – fever and how the immune system responds.
Tissue Repair – how damaged tissue heals.
Wounds – wound types and their care.
Cell Changes – how cells change in disease.

Module 2: Animal Feed and Nutrition (approx. 100 hours)

The calculation-heavy module. You'll learn to judge a feed on what it delivers, not what it costs, and build rations step by step.

Introduction to Animal Foods – the role of feed and the types of animal food.
Food Components: Carbohydrates and Fats – the energy sources in feed.
Food Components: Proteins, Minerals and Trace Elements – protein and mineral nutrition.
Evaluating Foods and Digestibility – measuring what a feed is worth to the animal.
Classifying Foods Part A – feed classes, part one.
Classifying Foods Part B – feed classes, part two.
Classifying Foods Part C – feed classes, part three.
Calculating Rations Part A – the basics of ration formulation.
Calculating Rations Part B – ration calculations continued.
Calculating Rations Part C – applied ration problems.

Module 3: Pasture Management (approx. 100 hours)

Grazing animals get much of their feed from the paddock. This module turns nutrition theory into a pasture you can manage.

Introduction to Pasture Management – why pasture matters, and site requirements.
Pasture Anatomy – the structure of pasture plants.
Pasture Selection – grass and legume species for site and purpose.
Soil Management – soils and fertility for pasture.
Water Management – water supply and use for pasture.
Pest, Disease, and Weed Management – identifying and controlling pasture threats.
Machinery and Equipment – equipment to establish and maintain pasture.
New Pasture and Growth Management – sowing and early growth.
Existing Pasture Growth and Management – renovating pasture and managing grazing.

How you'll learn and be assessed

Study online, any time – materials, quizzes and assignments are on the learning platform 24/7, on any device.
A quiz and an assignment for every lesson – in Animal Health and Animal Feed and Nutrition, each lesson has a short quiz and a written assignment (some with checkpoint tasks), marked by your tutor with personalised feedback.
Ration calculations you'll actually use – three units of step-by-step ration problems, plus pasture establishment and grazing management tasks.
Competency-based, no exams – if something isn't quite there yet, your tutor tells you what to improve and you resubmit.

Tailor your course with add-on modules

Any certificate can be tailored with add-on modules from our catalogue, so you can apply your health and nutrition knowledge to a specific enterprise. Ask a course consultant about adding modules at enrolment or during your studies.

Beef Cattle Farming

The full beef enterprise: breeds, breeding and calving, low-stress handling, nutrition, health and disease, production systems and feedlots, through to transport, records and supply chains. Puts your health and ration skills to work on a beef herd.

Farm Management

Run the farm as a business: farm and business planning, budgets and cash flow, staff, operations, business structures, WHS, land, water and soil management, and diversification. For managers who also carry the budget. If beef is your focus, our Advanced Certificate in Beef Cattle Farming combines Farm Management with Beef Cattle Farming and Pasture Management.

Sheep Farming

Commercial sheep production for wool and meat: breeds and breeding, lambing, nutrition, health, handling, infrastructure, wool, prime lamb, transport and flock management. Applies what you've learned to a flock. Want sheep, beef and the business side as well? Our Agriculture Certificate in Livestock includes all three alongside Pasture Management.

Agricultural Marketing

Sell what you grow for a better return: marketing strategy, target markets, produce handling, customer relationships, market research and promotion. Helps you get a better price for well-managed stock.

Ask a course consultant about adding modules when you enrol.

Career pathways and earning potential

Health, nutrition and pasture skills sit at the centre of most livestock roles. Roles graduates often explore include:

Livestock manager or overseer – running stock health programs, feed budgets and grazing plans on a property. Livestock Manager median $110,000 (typical $105k–$120k, advertised salaries), SEEK.
Stock hand or feedlot hand – daily checks, feeding, treating and moving stock. Stockperson average $67,500 (most common $65k–$75k, advertised salaries), Jora.
Rural merchandise sales – advising producers on feed, supplements and animal-health products.

Figures are advertised salaries (SEEK, Jora) or median full-time earnings (Jobs and Skills Australia), accessed October 2026. Pay varies with experience, location and employer. Figures are a guide only.

Course details

Study mode: 100% online, self-paced
Core modules: 3 (plus Student Induction)
Study time: approx. 300 hours at your own pace (most students finish in 15–20 weeks)
Access: 12 months
Support: tutor support 6 days a week
You'll receive: Certificate of Completion, Certificate of Attainment and transcript
Payment: upfront or interest-free payment plan

Download the brochure Speak to a course consultant

Download your Advanced Certificate in Livestock Management brochure

Every unit, how assessment works and your payment options.

Frequently asked questions

A livestock manager is responsible for the health, feeding and welfare of the stock on a property. Day to day that means checking animals for illness, organising treatments, planning feed, managing pasture and grazing, and handling stock with low stress. On larger properties it includes supervising staff and keeping records.