Course summary

This five-year course is designed to give you the best start for a career in industrial or academic research. You'll combine the research-focused integrated masters with a year-long, paid work placement as part of your degree. We study everything from anatomy and physiology to behaviour and evolution, whilst also studying the impacts of biodiversity, conservation and trade. Our courses in Zoology span microbes, invertebrates, birds, fish, mammals and humans and allow you to focus on tropical, urban, terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems. You’ll learn how all kinds of animals evolved and why there are so many species, how their physiology works, how they behave, and how they respond to global change. You’ll discover how they transmit disease and how their biodiversity is maintained and lost. You’ll use this knowledge to help us to address important issues such as global wildlife trade, the conservation of biodiversity, disease outbreaks and maintaining ecosystems that deliver freshwater, recreation and food to humans. Our students have found placements within industry with organisations such as GSK, Atkins Environmental Consulting and EMEC Ecology; with charities like the Wildlife Trusts, Newquay Zoo, and the Field Studies Council; or in government with the Environment Agency. You could even apply your scientific knowledge and transferable skills within or outside of the bioscience industry in areas including market research, communications or business development. It's a great opportunity to test out a career path that you're considering and many students are offered a graduate-level job at the end. You'll pay reduced fees for the year you're on placement and you'll still have the support you need from your tutor and the University. The majority of your final year will be devoted to a major research project where you'll develop advanced laboratory and fieldwork skills, working alongside our world-leading zoologist academics focused on everything from genetics to biodiversity and climate change. You'll cover three main themes at Sheffield:

• Comparative physiology - the functional characteristics of animals;

• Evolutionary biology - how animals adapt to their environment, and their genetics,

• Behaviour, ecology and conservation - how animals interact with their environment and each other to support biodiversity on the planet.