Lancaster University has launched a new Zoology degree, offering students the opportunity to study animals and how they function from the cellular to the societal level.

The Zoology degree will span animal biology to animal behaviour, and include modules covering anatomy, embryology, biodiversity and conservation, and plant-animal interactions.

“There is a lot of interest in zoology at the moment with the so-called ‘David Attenborough’ effect so we decided to create a new degree, building on the expertise we have in areas like coral reef science, animal behaviour and political ecology,” said Dr Mike Roberts, programme director of the new degree, which is run jointly with the Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences.

“We are an excellent place to study zoology because our expertise goes beyond biology to include conservation and social science, providing a much broader perspective as well as the in-depth science that zoologists need..

Lancaster excels in plant science, and so there are modules that cover plant-animal interactions and which compare and contrast how the environment impacts the biology and behaviour of animals and plants. “At the cellular level plants and animals have a lot in common: understanding the relationship between them and between animals and humans is key to understanding our ecosystem,” Mike, a plant scientist, explains.

Fieldwork is central to the degree, and there are many opportunities to study local wildlife in the beautiful and varied landscape near to Lancaster including the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and Bowland Fells. Trips further afield include the UK’s last remaining wilderness in Scotland and the Doñana National Park in south west Spain, a biodiversity hotspot which is home to the world’s most endangered cat, the Iberian lynx. The annual trip to the Rift Valley in Kenya gives students an opportunity to study larger mammals, and to contribute to an expert-led study, evaluating how to achieve a balance between tropical conversation and human activity.

As with other Lancaster degrees, students can apply to study abroad for a year, and still complete their course within three-years – in most other universities study abroad options mean a four-year-course.

“We have partner institutions in Canada, America and Australasia which we match students up with depending on their interests,” said Professor Martin McAinsh, admissions tutor for Zoology.

“Studying abroad gives students access to different specialisms and academic content and a different learning environment. They come back enriched as human beings and changed in very positive ways.

“There is also the option to take a year out in a work placement. These are all ways for students to stand out from the crowd when they graduate, in addition to getting an excellent degree from a top ten university.”

A Zoology degree from Lancaster can lead on to a wide range of careers both from the specialist knowledge students gain and from the skills embedded in the degree course including work in zoos and wildlife conservation, consultancy work and ecology more generally, as well as research, teaching and scientific publishing.

The Zoology degree is recruiting now for 2020 entry.