Zoology is at the core of our understanding of the natural world. At Swansea University, you will enjoy unique opportunities to dedicate yourself to the scientific study of animals, from their physiology and anatomy, ecology and behaviour, to their evolution and conservation. You will acquire the skills needed to play a major role in many sectors, from terrestrial and marine biology to agriculture, conservation, medicine and veterinary science.
Our Zoology undergraduate programme is designed to equip you with the scientific expertise and transferable skills needed to make meaningful contributions towards solving current environmental and societal challenges. The breadth of the curriculum allows you to develop a broad understanding of ecosystems and the biological principles that govern life on our planet.
The programme encourages you to consider the impact of human activity on the environment, and to explore sustainable approaches to conservation and resource management.
Through a blend of fieldwork, lab research and theoretical study, you will develop the skills to investigate life, becoming an effective communicator and collaborative leader, that is ready to tackle global issues such as biodiversity loss, climate change and other environmental crises.
Our degree uses ethical, sustainable and innovative approaches to fully prepare you for a range of meaningful careers in academia, conservation, consultancy, and policy development.
Why Zoology at Swansea?
Zoology at Swansea University has a strong reputation, and draws students from all over the world. You will be based on our Singleton Park Campus, set in beautiful parkland overlooking Swansea Bay, where your learning will be shaped by inspirational and internationally-recognised academics.
You will be studying on one of the leading Zoology programmes in the UK, which is currently ranked:
4th in the UK Overall (Guardian University Guide 2026)
4th in the UK for Overall Positivity (NSS 2025)*
5th in the UK for Graduate Prospects (Guardian University Guide 2026)
5th in the UK for Teaching Satisfaction (Guardian University Guide 2026)
11th in the UK for Research Quality (Complete University Guide 2026)
14th in the UK for Research – assessed under ‘Biological Sciences’ (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026)
* Based on the overall positivity score for questions 1 - 26 in the NSS 2025, when ranked against universities as featured in the Times Good University Guide.
Your Zoology Experience
Fieldwork is an essential part of the course, allowing you to apply your learning in real-world settings, including within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on our doorstep. Lab work is also a crucial element, and you can develop your skills in our cutting-edge laboratories.
Your first year will deliver a solid grounding in zoology, encompassing the diversity of life, cellular and microbial biology, animal behaviour, ecology, evolution, genetics and the importance of the oceans to life on Earth. You will also learn the core skills of scientific writing, and data presentation and analysis.
Your second year is curated to ensure that you have access to the breadth and depth of zoological topics that can provide a platform for you to succeed in your final year. The second year also includes a residential zoology field course, and topics include animal behaviour, animal physiology, evolution and entomology, and the opportunity to undertake specialised learning covering subjects from pathogens and parasites to microbiology to conservation.
In year three, teaching spans the breadth of zoology, with themes ranging from molecular biotechnology through to global challenges, and opportunities to study whole organism biology, evolution, ecology and animal behaviour.
This programme includes opportunities to undertake a Year Abroad, offering invaluable life experience.
This course also offers you the opportunity to spend a Year in Industry, in the UK or overseas, enabling you to gain valuable workplace experience. The University advocates for paid-only placements, which on average have a salary of over £20,000. Unpaid placements are considered on a case-by-case basis.
The Year in Applied Research enables you to develop advanced research skills. You will be housed in our research groups, on exchange with our partners in Exeter or Aberystwyth, or can be linked with industry, or a combination of these options.
The optional Foundation Year for this programme can give you an exciting introduction to higher education, setting you up with the skills, confidence, and knowledge that you’ll need to be successful in your undergraduate degree. It’s ideal if you need a little more support after further education, or are returning to education after a gap. Following successful completion of the Foundation Year, you will progress onto Year 1 of your BSc.
Zoology Employment Opportunities
Our department has strong connections with national and international organisations such as Natural Resources Wales, The British Mammal Society and The National Wetlands Centre Wales, which all add value to your studies.
If you are passionate about our planet and the environment, and see your future career in the field of biosciences, you will have the opportunity to learn from, and work with, staff who are involved in world-leading research projects. These include the conservation of our oceans and their ecosystems, the development of sustainable aquaculture and the innovative uses for algae as a solution to the global challenges of climate change.
In your second and third years, you will have the opportunity to attend a careers conference, where employers are invited to provide talks and workshops, to enhance your knowledge of employment opportunities, enabling you to work towards a dedicated career goal. In your final year, you will have the opportunity to undertake professional skills modules that allow you to experience work-simulated learning, enhancing your skills ready for the workplace.
You will also have the opportunity to gain work experience with our research groups across the department, who offer short work placements, and dissertations are often aligned with employers where possible. Industrial partners also provide regular training courses. Employability is interwoven within the Personal Tutoring System, and you will be encouraged to create a personal development plan and discuss your aspirations with your Personal Tutor.
Our degrees are accredited by the Royal Society of Biology. Some of our staff are Members of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Ecological Management, and use this network to develop the curriculum and optimise student employment skills and opportunities.
Our graduates are well placed to enter roles in fields aligned to the Zoology specialism; you may discover that your future lies in a career as a:
Biotechnologist, Conservationist, Animal Health Expert or Nutritionist, Environmental Consultant, Science Writer, Zookeeper, Environmental Manager, Lecturer or Teacher, Toxicologist, Veterinary Nurse or Surgeon, or as a Wildlife Photographer or Videographer.
Zoologists also have a major role to play in conservation but also often influence developments in sectors such as agriculture, marine biology, medicine, public health and veterinary science. Some of our recent graduates have gone on to become:
Ecologists, Project Officers, Hydrometry and Telemetry Officers, Benthic Taxonomists, Wildlife and Education Officers, Animal Keepers and Crop Technicians.
Find out why our students love studying Bioscience at Swansea.
Professor Rory Wilson talks about how his research helps tackle major global challenges
Modules
We're currently reviewing our curriculum to enhance your learning experience and embed skills that will benefit your future career. This means that some modules may be subject to change.
Choose Minimum Of 20 credits from the following Modules:
NOTE : You can select a minumin of ONE module, and a maximum of TWO.
If you choose TWO modules, you must ensure that you only select ONE PER SEMESTER
You must only select ONE overseas course.
Choose Maximum Of 40 credits from the following Modules:
NOTE : No more than 70 credits can be selected from any one semester.
**Important Notice: Module Clash – BIO327 and BGP300 The field trip for BIO327 (Tropical Marine Ecology) overlaps with the assessment date for BGP300. You can still take both modules, but you must submit the BGP300 assessment early, before the BIO327 trip. If you choose both modules, you will need to complete a consent form.. Please contact quality-scienceengineering@swansea.ac.uk**
Choose Minimum Of 20 credits from the following Modules:
NOTE : You can select a minumin of ONE module, and a maximum of TWO.
If you choose TWO modules, you must ensure that you only select ONE PER SEMESTER
You must only select ONE overseas course.
Choose Maximum Of 40 credits from the following Modules:
NOTE : No more than 70 credits can be selected from any one semester.
**Important Notice: Module Clash – BIO327 and BGP300 The field trip for BIO327 (Tropical Marine Ecology) overlaps with the assessment date for BGP300. You can still take both modules, but you must submit the BGP300 assessment early, before the BIO327 trip. If you choose both modules, you will need to complete a consent form.. Please contact quality-scienceengineering@swansea.ac.uk**
Choose Minimum Of 20 credits from the following Modules:
NOTE : You can select a minumin of ONE module, and a maximum of TWO.
If you choose TWO modules, you must ensure that you only select ONE PER SEMESTER
You must only select ONE overseas course.
Choose Maximum Of 40 credits from the following Modules:
NOTE : No more than 70 credits can be selected from any one semester.
**Important Notice: Module Clash – BIO327 and BGP300 The field trip for BIO327 (Tropical Marine Ecology) overlaps with the assessment date for BGP300. You can still take both modules, but you must submit the BGP300 assessment early, before the BIO327 trip. If you choose both modules, you will need to complete a consent form.. Please contact quality-scienceengineering@swansea.ac.uk**
Choose Minimum Of 20 credits from the following Modules:
NOTE : You can select a minumin of ONE module, and a maximum of TWO.
If you choose TWO modules, you must ensure that you only select ONE PER SEMESTER
You must only select ONE overseas course.
Choose Maximum Of 40 credits from the following Modules:
NOTE : No more than 70 credits can be selected from any one semester.
**Important Notice: Module Clash – BIO327 and BGP300 The field trip for BIO327 (Tropical Marine Ecology) overlaps with the assessment date for BGP300. You can still take both modules, but you must submit the BGP300 assessment early, before the BIO327 trip. If you choose both modules, you will need to complete a consent form.. Please contact quality-scienceengineering@swansea.ac.uk**
ABB-BBB to include A Level Biology or Human Biology
BTEC
DDD In either Applied Science, Countryside Management Environmental Sustainability, BTEC Level 3 Nationals in Countryside Management, C& G Level 3 Extended Diploma in Countryside Management
UK Access
in Biomedical/Forensic/Applied/Bio/Natural/Biophysical Sciences - minimum of 24 Distinctions (3 must be Biology) and 15 Merits in Science at Level 3
T Levels
N/A
Mixed Qualifications
120 UCAS tariff points from 3 highest qualifications, to include 40 UCAS tariff points in Biology/Human Biology
International Baccalaureate
32 to include 5 at Higher Level or 6 at Standard Level Biology
ABB-BBB to include A Level Biology or Human Biology
BTEC
DDD In either Applied Science, Countryside Management Environmental Sustainability, BTEC Level 3 Nationals in Countryside Management, C& G Level 3 Extended Diploma in Countryside Management
UK Access
in Biomedical/Forensic/Applied/Bio/Natural/Biophysical Sciences - minimum of 24 Distinctions (3 must be Biology) and 15 Merits in Science at Level 3
T Levels
N/A
Mixed Qualifications
120 UCAS tariff points from 3 highest qualifications, to include 40 UCAS tariff points in Biology/Human Biology
International Baccalaureate
32 to include 5 at Higher Level or 6 at Standard Level Biology
ABB-BBB to include A Level Biology or Human Biology
BTEC
DDD In either Applied Science, Countryside Management Environmental Sustainability, BTEC Level 3 Nationals in Countryside Management, C& G Level 3 Extended Diploma in Countryside Management
UK Access
in Biomedical/Forensic/Applied/Bio/Natural/Biophysical Sciences - minimum of 24 Distinctions (3 must be Biology) and 15 Merits in Science at Level 3
T Levels
N/A
Mixed Qualifications
120 UCAS tariff points from 3 highest qualifications, to include 40 UCAS tariff points in Biology/Human Biology
International Baccalaureate
32 to include 5 at Higher Level or 6 at Standard Level Biology
ABB-BBB to include A Level Biology or Human Biology
BTEC
DDD In either Applied Science, Countryside Management Environmental Sustainability, BTEC Level 3 Nationals in Countryside Management, C& G Level 3 Extended Diploma in Countryside Management
UK Access
in Biomedical/Forensic/Applied/Bio/Natural/Biophysical Sciences - minimum of 24 Distinctions (3 must be Biology) and 15 Merits in Science at Level 3
T Levels
N/A
Mixed Qualifications
120 UCAS tariff points from 3 highest qualifications, to include 40 UCAS tariff points in Biology/Human Biology
International Baccalaureate
32 to include 5 at Higher Level or 6 at Standard Level Biology
At Swansea, you will benefit from a high-quality, research-informed
education that combines a range of effective and inclusive teaching methods,
carefully tailored to suit the needs of your course. Most courses are taught
in person, on campus, giving you the opportunity to
actively engage with other students, academic staff, and the wider
university community.
You can expect a mix of
lectures, seminars, workshops, and practical sessions -
including laboratory work, skills training, or studio-based teaching where
relevant to your discipline. These sessions are designed to encourage active
participation, collaboration, and the development of both subject-specific
and transferable skills.
Digital learning tools are also used to enhance your
learning experience. These may include:
Recorded lectures to support flexible study and
revision.
Virtual labs or simulated environments, particularly in
science, healthcare, and technical disciplines.
Online resources on the university’s virtual learning
environment (Canvas), including videos, reading materials, quizzes, and
discussion forums.
This approach enables you to engage with and review content at your own pace
while benefiting from the structure and support of in-person teaching.
This course may offer some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or
bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh
speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh
Provision expander below.
N.B If you are an international student studying with a Student Route
Visa, please note that your timetabled activity, along with any
additional supervisory activity (with Swansea University staff present)
will take place on campus. In line with UKVI protocol, these sessions
will be monitored and data made available on request.
There are opportunities for Welsh speakers to study at least 40 credits of this course through the medium of Welsh.
Academi Hywel Teifi is here to support you throughout your time at Swansea
University. We can offer you:
Access to modules taught wholly or partly in Welsh.
A Welsh-speaking Personal Tutor.
One-to-one support through the medium of Welsh to improve your academic skills.
An opportunity to gain an additional free qualification that serves as evidence
of your Welsh language ability for future employers, namely the WJEC and Coleg Cymraeg’s Welsh Language
Certificate.
This programme has been accredited by the Royal Society of Biology following an independent and rigorous assessment. Accredited degree programmes contain a solid academic foundation in biological knowledge and key skills, and prepare graduates to address the needs of employers. The accreditation criteria require evidence that graduates from accredited programmes meet defined sets of learning outcomes, including subject knowledge, technical ability and transferable skills.
Fees for full time undergraduate UK students may increase in subsequent years of study in line with the maximum regulated fee level set by the Welsh Government
You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.
You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.
To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.
Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.
You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.
To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's
scholarships and bursaries
page.
Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually.
For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page.
Access to your own digital device/the appropriate IT kit will be essential during your time studying at Swansea University. Access to wifi in your accommodation will also be essential to allow you to fully engage with your programme. See our dedicated webpages for further guidance on suitable devices to purchase, and for a full guide on getting your device set up.
You may face additional costs while at university, including (but not limited to):
Travel to and from campus
Printing, photocopying, binding, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks)
Purchase of books or texts
Gowns for graduation ceremonies
Lab coat and dissection kit (level 1 for all degree programmes) – approximately £30
Costs associated with overseas field trips
We also advise all students to have suitable outdoor clothing and sensible footwear (such as wellington boots).
As well as subject specific support by college teaching staff and your
personal tutor, the Centre for Academic
Success provides courses, workshops and one-to-one support in areas
such as:
Academic writing
Maths and statistics
Critical thinking
Time management
Digital skills
Presentation skills
Note taking
Revision, memory and exam techniques
English language skills (if English is not your first language).
In addition, if you have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), disability,
mental health or medical condition, the Centre for Academic Success have
Specialist Tutors to support your learning, working alongside the Disability Office and Wellbeing Service to support all your needs and
requirements whilst studying at Swansea University.
Our lecturers operate an ‘open door’ policy so you can chat with them about any concerns you may be having. These do not have to be just course related; our academic staff are there to help you with anything at all during your time in Swansea.
Each course has a student rep. They are there to make sure that every student voice is heard. Their role is to listen and feedback on your opinions, attend regular meetings and make sure that the people who can make changes listen to the people who really matter - you!
We offer both a Personal Tutor and peer mentoring.All students on our undergraduate courses are assigned a Personal Tutor who will offer you not only Academic Guidance, but advice on finding and accessing help with personal issues.
To learn more about study abroad, visit our
Go Global webpages. Enrolment on a
programme with a semester/year abroad does not guarantee you a semester/year
abroad placement. Spaces are limited and subject to a competitive selection
process. In the event you do not secure a semester/year abroad placement,
you will be transferred to the standard variant of your degree scheme
without a semester or year abroad.
International summer programmes are open to students from all schools.
Programmes typically range from 2 to 6 weeks, across destinations such as
Sri Lanka, South Korea, Fiji, Bali, the USA and across Europe. For more
information about programmes and eligibility visit our
Summer Abroad webpages.
We recommend that you submit your application to our courses as early as you can in advance of our application
deadlines. Courses will close earlier than the application deadlines listed if all available places are filled. You can
find further information on our Application Deadlines webpage.
The University will seek to deliver each course in accordance with the
descriptions set out in the relevant course web pages at the time of
application. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable
or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision,
either before or after enrolment.
The information below is for students starting their courses in 2016 or
later.
The University will not normally make very substantial changes to courses
(for example, a change to the course title, significant restructuring,
substantial change in course content, or the introduction of a progression
hurdle) which would impact on students who have already begun their course.
In exceptional circumstances, it may be necessary for the University to make
such a change after acceptance of a place by an offer-holder. This will not
happen less than 5 months before enrolment. The offer-holder will be
notified of the change and will have the opportunity to withdraw their
application and apply elsewhere.
Other changes could be made to course content, study location, delivery and
teaching provision because of developments in the relevant subject,
enhancements in teaching or assessment practice, requirements of external
accreditation processes, changes in staffing, resource constraints or
changes in the availability of facilities. Such changes will take account of
the reasonable expectations of prospective and current students.
Summary of Changes
Date of Change
23/01/2026
Course Title(s)
Zoology,
BSc (Hons)
3 Year
Full Time
(C300)
Zoology
With a Year Abroad,
BSc (Hons)
4 Year
Full Time
(C301)
Zoology
With a Year in Applied Research,
BSc (Hons)
4 Year
Full Time
(C30R)
Zoology
With a Year in Industry,
BSc (Hons)
4 Year
Full Time
(C384)
Zoology
With a Foundation Year,
BSc (Hons)
4 Year
Full Time
Material Change
There are changes to this programme’s credit structure at more than one level of study plus extensive changes to the programme’s structure that impact whether modules are compulsory and optional.
Reason for Change
These updates are designed to make your learning experience more streamlined, relevant and manageable.
