Animal & Conservation Biology

Animal and conservation biology sits at the junction of the life sciences and one of the most urgent applied challenges of our time. The global biodiversity crisis, driven by habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, pollution, and overexploitation, threatens a significant proportion of the world's species. Conservation biology applies the methods of ecology, genetics, behavioural science, and evolutionary biology to understanding that crisis and to designing evidence-based responses to it.

This is a discipline where scientific rigour and applied purpose are inseparable.

This four-year full-time programme at Edinburgh Napier University includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study at an international partner institution and to engage with conservation challenges in a different ecological and cultural context. Conservation is inherently global, and encountering the work being done in different regions of the world, from tropical ecosystems to Arctic environments, deepens your understanding of what effective conservation requires. With a typical tariff of 152 points, the programme attracts students with strong scientific foundations and genuine commitment to animal welfare and conservation.

You will study animal physiology, ecology, genetics, behavioural biology, and conservation science, developing both the theoretical understanding of how animal populations function and the practical skills, fieldwork, data analysis, laboratory techniques, to contribute to conservation research and practice. The year abroad adds an international dimension to this formation and often opens connections with conservation organisations and research groups that prove useful throughout your career.

Graduates from animal and conservation biology programmes move into careers in wildlife conservation, ecological consultancy, national parks and nature reserve management, governmental environmental agencies, international conservation organisations, animal welfare bodies, and research. Further study at postgraduate level in conservation biology, ecology, or wildlife management is a common path for those who want to specialise or move into research careers.