Zoology (with integrated foundation year)

Turn your passion for animals, wildlife conservation, and the natural world into a fulfilling career with our hands-on Zoology with Integrated Foundation Year degree.
Your journey begins with an introductory foundation year, designed to develop your skills, confidence, and core knowledge in a supportive environment. This year helps you build strong academic foundations and practical skills, ensuring you’re fully prepared to progress smoothly into the undergraduate degree.
Our strong connections with a variety of local, national, and global wildlife organisations offer you numerous opportunities. Through our research and partnerships, you will have the chance to engage with local groups such as the Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Tullie House Museum, and the Cumbria Natural History Society. There is also the opportunity to volunteer with national and international wildlife organisations studying animals such as beavers, brown bears, dolphins, and snow leopards, deepening your knowledge and skills and providing invaluable experience for your CV.
Cumbria is the ideal place to study zoology. The uniquely diverse environments of the county include mountains, moorlands, river valleys, salt marshes, urban habitats, beaches, and rocky shores, all of which are home to a range of species. You will spend a substantial amount of time learning in these environments, putting your zoological knowledge into practice.
Your learning will be guided and nurtured by expert academics who share your passion for animal conservation, behaviour, evolution, and ethics. You will benefit from personal support from your tutors, allowing you to get the most from your degree.

Module Examples

• Vertebrate and Invertebrate Zoology

• Ecology and Environment

• Animal Form and Function

• Animal Conservation Practice

• Zoological Monitoring Techniques

• Animal Behaviour

• British Wildlife

• Professional Skills in Zoology

• Behavioural Ecology

https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/zoology-with-integrated-foundation-year/

Analysis of zoological data, writing of formal reports and careful design of scientific methods particularly with regards animal surveying are all key transferable skills, which translate into a range of careers in biological sciences. Formal work is assessed throughout the degree, and you are encouraged to keep lab books which contain working documents of lab practicals, observations and illustrations of dissection work for example. Personal development and reflective practice will take place throughout the programme and will be implemented through the wide range of activities (both formative and summative) as well as via the personal tutorial process.