Zoology

Zoology is the scientific study of animal life in all its astonishing diversity, spanning every environment from mountain forests and deep oceans to underground burrows and urban landscapes, and every taxonomic group from single-celled parasites to the great mammals and birds. The discipline asks how animals are built, how they function physiologically, how they behave, how their populations change over time, and how they interact with other species and the ecosystems they inhabit. Understanding animal life in these terms is not only intellectually compelling but practically urgent: many species face serious threats, and effective conservation depends on the kind of rigorous biological knowledge that zoology develops.

This four-year full-time degree at the University of Aberdeen includes a year abroad.

You will develop strong scientific foundations across zoological biology, covering behaviour, population dynamics, physiology, ecology, evolution, and the methods used to study them. Aberdeen's research expertise in zoology, which spans terrestrial and marine ecosystems and draws on outstanding Scottish natural environments for fieldwork, enriches the programme with a genuine research culture that you can access from your undergraduate years. The year abroad takes your scientific education into a different environment and academic community, broadening your perspective and building international research experience.

A typical entry tariff of 168 UCAS points reflects a moderately selective programme. Graduates from zoology at Aberdeen move into careers in conservation and wildlife management, environmental consultancy, ecology research, marine and terrestrial science, scientific communication, zoo and aquarium management, veterinary science, and education. Many continue to postgraduate study in zoology, ecology, conservation biology, or related life sciences.