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Zoology with Placement Year at University of Sheffield - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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University of Sheffield has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Open days

21Jun
University of Sheffield - Undergraduate Open Day
Undergraduate
5Jul
University of Sheffield - Undergraduate Open Day
Undergraduate

Course summary

Study animals and biodiversity at every scale. Combining a placement year with our MBiolSci course allows you to gain work experience in industry, before adding an extra year of research training back in the lab in your final year. Why study this course?

  • Top 10 in the UK for zoology (Guardian University Guide 2025)
  • Get out of the classroom: You'll be learning in the lab, the Peak District, zoos, aquariums and embark on a once-in-a-lifetime field course in the UK or abroad.
  • Five-year course: The ultimate kick-start to your career. Gain real-word experience with a placement year, and graduate with a masters degree.
Our five-year MBiolsci Zoology with Placement Year course is about animals, their evolution, and their interactions with each other, the environment and biodiversity conservation. Kick-start your career by spending a year on placement, and then complete a major research project in your final year (known as an integrated masters). You'll study microbes, invertebrates, birds, fish, mammals, and humans and learn how they evolved, how their physiology works, how they behave, and how they respond to global change. You’ll even discover how their biodiversity is maintained and lost, and use this knowledge to help us address important issues such as tropical wildlife conservation, disease outbreaks, and maintaining functioning ecosystems. At Sheffield, you’ll be encouraged to be creative, think independently, and express your ideas. You'll be in the lab completing in-depth practicals, and studying animal anatomy and physiology in our Alfred Denny Museum of Zoology. You'll learn off campus too, carrying out fieldwork in the Peak District, visiting zoos, aquariums, and other scientific spots around the country, and embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime field course in the UK or abroad. As you progress through your degree you’ll have the option to specialise in key areas such as biodiversity conservation, evolutionary biology, genetics or ecological modelling. No matter what areas of zoology you choose to study, you'll develop practical laboratory and transferable skills that make our graduates attractive to employers, including project management, problem-solving, communication skills, and data analysis. Your placement year will give you the chance to test out a career path that you're considering. This will take place in year three. Our students have found placements in science and non-science-based roles with a range of organisations including GSK, Wildlife Trusts, the Field Studies Council and the Environment Agency. Some students have even been offered graduate-level jobs at the end of their placement. All this experience will prepare you for your research project in year four, where you could be laboratory-based, field-based, focus on computer modelling, or even science communication. Your final year is designed to equip you with advanced laboratory or field research skills, ready for a rewarding career in science. You'll spend the bulk of this year focussed on a major research project in an area of zoology of your choice, and graduate with a masters degree.

How to apply

29Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
C304
Institution code:
S18
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

To find out if you're eligible for additional consideration or an alternative offer, visit: ww.sheffield.ac.uk/undergraduate/apply/access-sheffield

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/undergraduate

English language requirements

You must demonstrate that your English is good enough for you to successfully complete your course. For this course we require: GCSE English Language at grade 4/C; IELTS grade of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component; or an alternative acceptable English language qualification

English language requirements for undergraduates

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/undergraduate/apply/english-language

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
60%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
100%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
International £30570 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

The annual fee for your course includes a number of items in addition to your tuition. If an item or activity is classed as a compulsory element for your course, it will normally be included in your tuition fee. There are also other costs which you may need to consider. Further guidance can be found here: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/undergraduate/fees-costs
Zoology with Placement Year at University of Sheffield - UCAS