Zoology with Professional Experience
Zoology is the scientific study of animals in the full richness of their biology: their evolution, physiology, behaviour, ecology, and the conservation challenges they face in a rapidly changing world. It is a discipline that combines fieldwork and laboratory science, requiring practitioners to be as comfortable observing animals in their natural habitats as they are analysing data or dissecting specimens. Understanding the animal kingdom matters not only for its intrinsic scientific value but because animal ecology underpins ecosystem function and human wellbeing.
At the University of Reading, this four-year full-time programme includes a professional experience component, which gives you direct engagement with the working world of zoology and conservation during your degree. You will develop expertise across the core areas of the discipline, including evolutionary biology, animal physiology, animal behaviour, ecology, and conservation science, building both the theoretical knowledge and the practical field and laboratory skills that professional zoologists use. The professional experience element connects you to employers in conservation, research, environmental management, and related fields, giving you a head start in understanding what a career in this area actually involves and how to prepare for it.
Graduates go on to careers in conservation organisations, wildlife management, environmental consultancy, scientific research, zoos and aquaria, government agencies, and education. The combination of biological knowledge, fieldwork competence, and professional experience that this programme provides is well matched to the growing demand for people who can contribute to biodiversity monitoring, habitat restoration, species recovery programmes, and environmental impact assessment. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in ecology, conservation biology, wildlife management, or related life sciences, developing the specialised expertise needed for research or senior professional roles.