Zoology

You will be given a general introduction to all aspects of modern biology and encouraged to acquire general scientific skills.

You will be introduced to the study of animal diversity and ecology. You will also be able to choose from a wide range of other courses.

You will also study other subjects in years 1 and 2: see Degrees in Arts, Life Sciences, Science and Social Sciences.

If you progress to Honours (years 3 and 4) fieldwork becomes an important component of your study mix. Specific topics you may study include invertebrate and vertebrate biology; ecology; molecular ecology; animal physiology; parasite biology; and marine biology. There are also courses on experimental design, data collection and analysis.

A major component of your final year is an independent research project. This project will give you the chance to research something new, and the results sometimes contribute to scientific publications.

You can take Zoology as an MSci, which includes an additional placement year, between the third and final years of the degree. This is normally spent doing research in industry or some other organisation such as a research institute
in the UK or overseas.

The list of available final-year optional courses is subject to change each year. In addition, places in optional courses may be limited, so students are not guaranteed a place on a particular final-year option.

Research projects may be undertaken on a wide range of topics in a variety of international locations: recent examples include marine turtle breeding in Cyprus and tree frog behaviour in Trinidad. You may also have the opportunity to take an optional overseas field course.