Zoology (with Placement year)
Anglia Ruskin University
UCAS Code: C303 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Anglia Ruskin University
UCAS Code: C303 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
GCSE/National 4/National 5
3 GCSEs at grade C, or grade 4, or above, including English and Maths.
UCAS Tariff
We accept A Levels, T Levels, BTECs, OCR, Access to HE and most other qualifications within the UCAS Tariff. Must include a pass in Biology at A level or equivalent level.
About this course
Explore and understand the diversity of animal biology – from amoebae to zebras, and from world-class zoos to the rainforests of Africa and beyond.
- Study in Cambridge, a hub of expertise and wildlife institutions' headquarters.
- Get hands-on using world-class equipment in our SuperLab.
- Join field trips around the UK, with the added opportunity to study ecology in the tropics and zoos in the Netherlands.
- Study on an accredited course developed in line with industry standards.
- Bring the world of work to life through Live Briefs; designed, developed, and run with local employers such as the Wildlife Trust, giving you exposure to ‘real life’ problem-solving.
- Gain valuable experience by applying for internships supporting research, or opt for our placement year.
Our Zoology BSc (Hons) course will see you joining the likes of Charles Darwin, Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall and David Attenborough in exploring and explaining the diversity of animals from all over the globe.
You’ll build an understanding and skill set in anatomy and physiology, behaviour, genetics, ecology and evolution, and the importance of wildlife conservation.
As part of your studies, you’ll get the opportunity to learn hands-on zoology skills – with plenty of time in our labs in Cambridge, as well as on field trips around the UK and beyond. Develop the scientific training and practical skills you need for a career in wildlife conservation, environmental consultancy or in zoos.
Take part in cutting-edge research in our specialist labs, closely linked to Cambridge University, and study zoology in marine and terrestrial systems, in both laboratory and field settings.
There are opportunities to attend residential field trips. Field trips that are a compulsory part of your course are covered by your fees. There are also optional field trips (either extra-curricular or an integral part of an optional module you select to take) that you would have to pay for.
Fast becoming a world centre for wildlife conservation, Cambridge is home to Fauna and Flora International, Birdlife International and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. During your time with us, you’ll have opportunities to attend lectures and visit specialist museums, such as the Cambridge Museum of Zoology, and libraries in the University of Cambridge.
Accredited by the Royal Society of Biology, our BSc (Hons) Zoology degree is a practical subject with plenty of opportunity to learn and practise new skills, both in the lab and out in the field.
As a student at ARU, you’ll learn from staff who are involved in field and captive studies internationally and in the UK, and have research links with a range of organisations including Shepreth Wildlife Park, Woburn Safari Park, FrogLife, and Natural England.
Similar courses you might study at our Cambridge campus are BSc (Hons) Ecology and Conservation and BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour.
Going to university can offer you a series of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. As part of your course, you could study abroad with one of our short-term Global Experience programmes. Opportunities include summer schools and placements, lasting from one to four weeks and funded by ARU’s UK Turing Scheme grants.
Modules
Year 1:
Animal Physiology and Behaviour (30 credits)
Introduction to Ecology and Conservation (30 credits)
Principles of Biology (30 credits)
Quantitative Techniques and Tools for Biologists (30 credits)
Professional and Personal Development - Level 4
Year 2 Core Modules:
Invertebrate Biology (15 credits)
Vertebrate Biology (15 credits)
Principles of Genetics and Evolution (15 credits)
Ruskin Module (15 credits)
Biological Research Skills (15 credits)
Field Skills in Biology (15 credits)
GIS and Spatial Ecology (15 credits)
Professional and Personal Development - Level 5
Year 2 Optional Modules:
Animal Health and Disease (15 credits)
Evolutionary Bases of Behaviour (15 credits)
Year 3:
Work Placement
Year 4 Core Modules:
Undergraduate Major Project (30 credits)
Comparative Ecophysiology (15 credits)
Wildlife Conservation (15 credits)
Year 4 Optional Modules:
Population Ecology and Wildlife Management (15 credits)
Tropical Ecology and Management (15 credits)
Behavioural Ecology (15 credits)
Biogeography (15 credits)
Zoos and Zoo Animal Management (15 credits)
Professional Field Ecology (15 credits)
Sustainable Land Management (15 credits)
Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare (15 credits)
Human-Animal Interactions (15 credits)
Cognition, Evolution and Behaviour (15 credits)
Assessment methods
Throughout the course, we’ll use a range of assessment methods to help you measure your progress. Besides exams, these include essays, practical reports, computer-based assessments, presentations, debates, classroom- or laboratory-based tests, and reviews of scientific papers.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Cambridge Campus
School of Life Sciences
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
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Zoology
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
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Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Zoology
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Unsurprisingly, the most common job for a zoology graduate on leaving is to work in a zoo or similar organisation - but there are a lot of other options available if you take this subject. Nearly a quarter of graduates take some kind of further qualification when they leave — mostly Masters degrees in zoology or related subjects, like biology or ecology — but a graduate from a zoology course can go into pretty much anything, with science, conservation, management, finance and marketing some of the most popular areas. Zoology graduates are also rather more likely than others to get a job overseas so if an international career appeals to you, this might be a degree to consider.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Zoology
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£18k
£24k
£26k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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