Zoology with Foundation Year
University of Roehampton
UCAS Code: C301 | Bachelor of Science - BSc
About this course
**Unlock the secrets of the animal kingdom, learn how animals survive in the wild, and understand how important they are to the world’s eco systems, on Roehampton's Zoology degree.**
Zoology explores the biology of a wide range of fascinating animals from the smallest organisms to birds and primates. You will study the evolution, anatomy, physiology, behavior and ecology of animals, along with how to care for and conserve them. You will gain an understanding of modern biology in all its forms from conservation management to paleoanthropology to molecular biology.
This programme includes a foundation year, which will provide you with a sound introduction to key elements needed for studying Zoology at degree level. The Foundation year is carefully designed to build your confidence in your abilities, develop essential academic and study skills, and provide you with subject specific knowledge as a basis for success in your following three years.
Throughout your time at Roehampton, you’ll be supported by a welcoming and diverse community of staff and students in high-quality facilities on a beautiful parkland campus. You'll have access to our excellent facilities and modern laboratories, along with the opportunity to conduct field work both locally and overseas, with partner organisations and field trips in locations as diverse as London, Wales, and South Africa.
We offer innovative modules such as ‘Biodiversity’ where you will learn about the key aspects of evolution in animals, ‘Comparative Biology’ where you will gain as strong foundation in the evolutionary history, physiology, and behavior of vertebrates, and ‘Conservation, People and Wildlife: South African Field Course’ where you will learn directly from people living and working in conservation and related fields in South Africa, and study its wildlife first-hand.
Taught on our south-west London campus, on this degree you will have access to excellent facilities and many opportunities for work experience through our Careers Team, and access to face-to-face and 24/7 online careers support, whether you choose to live on campus or commute to us.
**This course offers all students the option of a one-year paid work placement, to boost your employability even further. If you choose this route, you will take the placement following year two of your course, and then return to complete your degree. A placement year is the perfect opportunity to gain valuable work experience, to build on the career skills we will teach you on this degree. The connections you make on the placement will improve your career prospects further, and equip you with the skills you need to secure graduate-level employment.**
Modules
During the foundation year, you will complete core modules in English and Mathematics, as well as an extended project which will develop your skills in carrying out research, using scholarly sources, drawing comparisons between your own research and that of others and documenting your findings. You will study two modules in Life Sciences which will give you the opportunity to explore methods of scientific thinking and reasoning in an enquiry-based way. You will also be introduced to key concepts in human physiology that are common cornerstones of the different degree programmes.
In your first year, you will explore the diversity of life on our planet, learning about the evolution and biology of vertebrate and invertebrate animals, vertebrate physiology, cell and plant biology, basic biochemistry, and how to analyse and interpret your data.
In your second year, you'll carry out further studies in key aspects of animal biology, building on the knowledge gained during your first year. You will have the option to take specialist modules on ecology, molecular biology and ethology, and develop a research proposal on a zoological topic of your choice. A residential field course in rural south Wales will provide you with a week-long immersion into field and lab data collection.
In your final year, you will undertake an independent research project during which you will collect original data. You will also take advanced modules of your choice that focus on key aspects of zoology such as animal cognition, aquatic biology, palaeoanthropology, and conservation. An optional self-funded module based in South Africa will provide you with an opportunity to observe wildlife and learn from the conservation experts based in the field.
Tuition fees
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What students say
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How do students rate their degree experience?
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Zoology
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After graduation
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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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
£16k
£23k
£29k
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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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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