The Marine Biology element of this course covers animals, seaweeds, plants and microbial life in the seas and their interactions. The Zoology element covers all animals whether on land or in water. This degree therefore gives a wide overview of the diversity of animal life and ecosystems on this planet, ranging from the mountains to tropical coral reefs and deep sea trenches. On this course you will learn how interactions between animals, such as elephants and sharks, and their environments apply equally to marine, terrestrial and freshwater habitats. You will be introduced to the fundamentals of biology, ecology, and evolution of marine organisms and all animal groups. We also cover more applied aspects such as aquaculture and fisheries, parasitology and immunology.

Why choose Bangor University for this course?    

• This course is unique to Bangor.
• Bangor’s location makes it an ideal place to study terrestrial and aquatic habitats, with easy access to both the mountains and the sea for field trips.
• The lectures who will teach you are carrying out research across the planet.
• Facilities include a research ship, workboats, tropical marine, temperate marine and freshwater aquaria, an underground laboratory for the study of soil fauna, and a zoological museum.
• Our teaching laboratories are a few metres from the sea, enabling you to collect marine animals and study them in the laboratory in the same lab session.

This course typically involves up to 30 hours per week of lectures, practicals in the laboratory and the field, private study, tutorials and project work. Many modules include day field trips. In year two there is a day trip and a field course based on the research vessel and in year three you will undertake hypothesis testing exercises during the intertidal field project. These are free and compulsory. You also have the option of an overseas field course in Virginia, USA. Your practical work is continually assessed, and examination of each module is by multiple choice questions, laboratory tests and written examinations. The dissertation is assessed by a presentation and a report.

• We have a £3.5m ocean-going research ship and three smaller inshore vessels. You may be able to collect data for your year 4 project aboard the Prince Madog and have access to the smaller vessels.
• Our excellent facilities include tropical marine and temperate marine aquaria, analytical laboratories, flow and particle transport simulators and computing capabilities.
• We have unrivalled local access to the ocean and numerous intertidal habitats for undertaking experimental work, including rocky shores, sandy shores and saltmarshes.
• The Snowdonia mountains are also on our doorstep, providing a range of terrestrial habitat types to study.

This course is ideal preparation for careers in research, conservation, fisheries and aquaculture, government advisory bodies, the scientific media, ecotourism and other leisure industries and pressure groups.

Zoology encompasses animal behaviour, animal physiology, evolution, the interactions between animals and the environment and wildlife conservation. Nestled between the mountains and the sea, Bangor University is the obvious choice for anyone wanting to study Zoology as our location presents the best natural laboratory in the UK.