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Animal Behaviour

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B-B,C,C

To include B in A-level Biology.

The University welcomes undergraduate applications from students studying the Access to Higher Education Diploma, provided that relevant subject content and learning outcomes are met. We are not able to accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas as a general qualification for every undergraduate degree course.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

28-30

To include 5 points in Biology at Higher Level.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDD-DDM

In a specified subject.

UCAS Tariff

104-120

To include B in A-level Biology.

Aberystwyth University welcomes the Welsh Baccalaureate as a valuable qualification in its own right and considers completion of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate to be equivalent to an A level grade.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Behavioural biology

Animal behaviourists apply their scientific skills to understand how and why animals behave in the ways that they do, in order to improve animal welfare, enhance conservation, and further our knowledge of the natural world. On the BSc Animal Behaviour degree at Aberystwyth University you will develop a solid foundation of transferable scientific skills, as evidenced by our Royal Society of Biology accreditation. Equipped with these skills, you will investigate the mechanisms, development, function, and evolution of animal behaviour in a range of pure and applied contexts. You will develop advanced skills in animal behaviour research and ultimately conduct your own independent behaviour research project. You’ll do all this within the wild and beautiful setting of West Wales, which is home to bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic grey seals, pine martens, otters, ospreys and red kites. In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to intensively investigate animal behaviour on residential field courses further afield.

Our course:
- provides a solid foundation of skills and knowledge in the biosciences which will be invaluable to you within and beyond the field of animal behaviour.

- is accredited by the Royal Society of Biology in recognition of its quality.

- includes lots of specialist animal behaviour content taught by staff who conduct scientific research into animal behaviour.

- includes an optional residential field course dedicated to the investigation of animal behaviour through small group project work.

- places behaviour in context with modules addressing health and welfare taught by practising veterinarians, and optional modules developing knowledge and skills in conservation.

- includes a substantial, independent research project in your final year, during which you will benefit from one-to-one academic supervision.

- is highly suited to students wishing to improve their employability within fields such as animal conservation, animal care and welfare, or animal behaviour research, but also develops skills desirable in a broad range of other graduate professions.

Aberystwyth has excellent facilities for animal behaviourists, including:
- a modern aquarium housing cold-water and tropical, marine and freshwater species .

- access to a range of small and large domestic animals for animal behaviour research purposes via our university farms, riding school, and veterinary education centre.

- access to an extensive woodland neighbouring our campus with over 100 purpose-built nest boxes supporting the study of birds and other wildlife.

- wild and beautiful habitats on our doorstep, including marine, moorland, mountain, grassland and coast, providing a huge variety of fieldwork and recreational opportunities.opportunities to view common and rare UK animal species such as bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic grey seals, pine martens, otters, ospreys and red kites.

- an extensive collection of zoological specimens housed within our museum.

Modules

Your first year will provide a broad grounding in biology, and training in the skills needed to succeed in your studies. Subject areas will include: The evolution and diversity of life; Animal physiology; Diagnosis and control of animal diseases; Wildlife forensics; Study and communication skills; and many others. In your second year you will undertake specialist modules in animal behaviour, and gain essential scientific skills. Subject areas will include: Ethology, The scientific study of animal behaviour; Modern zoo science; Veterinary health; Quantitative and qualitative procedures for data analysis; Good research design and planning. In your final year, subject areas will include: The behaviour and welfare of domesticated animals; The physiological mechanisms behind animal behaviour; Compulsory dissertation research project; and optional modules.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,000
per year
England
£9,000
per year
EU
£18,830
per year
International
£18,830
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,000
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,000
per year
Scotland
£9,000
per year
Wales
£9,000
per year

Extra funding

Aberystwyth University offers a valuable package of scholarships and bursaries to support students. Our long-established Entrance Examination competition means you could get up to £2,000 a year towards your living and study costs. You can combine that with any or all of our other awards, to make your financial package more valuable. Our awards include Sport and Music Scholarships, Bursaries for Care Leavers/Young Carers/Estranged Students and a range of department specific awards. Please visit our website for full details.

The Uni


Course location:

Main Site (Aberystwyth)

Department:

Department of Life Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

80%
Behavioural biology

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below 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

Teaching and learning

85%
Staff make the subject interesting
90%
Staff are good at explaining things
90%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
73%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

80%
Library resources
89%
IT resources
90%
Course specific equipment and facilities
75%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

81%
UK students
19%
International students
16%
Male students
84%
Female students
80%
2:1 or above
8%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
C
A

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.

£14,763
low
Average annual salary
93%
med
Employed or in further education
67%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

16%
Animal care and control services
15%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
9%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

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

£18k

£22k

£22k

£23k

£23k

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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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

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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