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Royal Holloway, University of London

UCAS Code: C300 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

B,B,B-B,B,C

Where an applicant is taking the EPQ alongside A-levels, the EPQ will be taken into consideration and result in lower A-level grades being required. Socio-economics factors which may have impacted an applicant's education will be taken into consideration and alternative offers may be made to these applicants. Required subject: Biology, plus a Pass in the practical element

Access to HE Diploma

D:24,M:21

Including all Biology units at Distinction. Please note that the Access to Higher Education Diploma will only be acceptable if the applicant has had a considerable break from education.

Applicants with the Cambridge Pre-U are strongly encouraged to apply to Royal Holloway. Offers will be made on the basis of equivalent A-Level grades as can be found on the Royal Holloway website.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

We require at least five GCSEs at grade A*-C or 9 - 4 including English and Mathematics.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

30

5,5,5 at Higher Level including Biology, with a minimum of 32 points overall.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H3,H3,H3,H3,H3

Including Biology.

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

DM

In Applied Science plus grade B in A-level Biology. A Pass is required in the practical element of all Science A-levels taken.

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

D

Plus A-levels grade BB including Biology. A Pass is required in the practical element of all Science A-levels taken.

Scottish Advanced Higher

B,B,B-B,B,C

Including Biology.

Scottish Higher

B,B,B,B,B

Including Biology.

T Level

M

T-Level should be in a Science Pathway with Merit achieved overall, Merit in the occupation specialism and B in the Core Component.

Requirements are as for A-levels where one non-subject-specified A-level can be replaced by the same grade in the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.

UCAS Tariff

112-144

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2025

Subject

Zoology

It’s hard not to marvel at the diversity of the natural world. From the smallest insect to the largest mammal, Zoology at Royal Holloway, University of London explores how each and every creature has a role to play in the ecology of our planet.

The programme examines animal evolution, physiology and diversity, developing your understanding of how animals behave, how they function and how they interact with their environments. A combination of field and lab-based learning lets you make the most of our state-of-the-art mass spectrometry, proteomics and metabolomics facilities, while our marine and freshwater aquaria, glasshouses and plant and animal cell culture facilities mean you can study a diverse range of animal specimens.

Nearby sites of national scientific importance including Windsor Great Park, Box Hill and Chobham Common give you access to biodiverse habitats ideal for fieldwork, while a flexible programme structure lets you choose from a range of courses to personalise your learning experience in years 2 and 3.

The Royal Holloway School of Biological Sciences was ranked 25th in the UK for influential research output by the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014, and you’ll become a part of this renowned research culture as you complete your third year research project. Zoology students join a friendly, welcoming learning environment with a high staff-to-student ratio, allowing for small group and even one-on-one tuition to maximise your learning.

The transferable skills you’ll learn studying Zoology will make you an attractive prospect to employers in a range of sectors, helping you to join Royal Holloway alumni in areas including environmental monitoring and practical conservation.

Field courses in marine biology, practical field ecology, and Mediterranean conservation and ecology.

Flexible programme structure with a range of courses to personalise your learning.

Learn how ecologists investigate the behaviour of animals and recent advances in behavioural ecology research.

Enhance your skills in scientific illustration, microscope use, identification and animal handling.

Learn how to organise data in a logical, presentable and persuasive way.

Modules

Please refer to our website for information:
www.royalholloway.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/biological-sciences/zoology.aspx

Assessment methods

Your course will be assessed by a combination of examinations and in-course assignments in the form of essays or presentations.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£28,900
per year
International
£28,900
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni

Course location:

Royal Holloway, University of London

Department:

Biological 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.

78%
Zoology

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

94%
Staff make the subject interesting
89%
Staff are good at explaining things
78%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
72%
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

83%
Library resources
67%
IT resources
78%
Course specific equipment and facilities
78%
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?

96%
UK students
4%
International students
28%
Male students
72%
Female students
84%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
D
B

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.

£21,000
high
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

12%
Natural and social science professionals
12%
Animal care and control services
12%
Other elementary services occupations

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.

£21k

£21k

£27k

£27k

£31k

£31k

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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place
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BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2025
UCAS Points: 128-152
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Zoology with Foundation
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2025
UCAS Points: 96-141

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here