Zoology MSci

Experience Zoology first-hand in our UNESCO Biosphere Reserve surroundings. Explore complex animal life and biodiversity in your integrated Masters year.

Which course is right for me?

Select your start date

This course is available in Clearing.

Back to Course menu

Key information

Why choose this course at Sussex?

  • Specialise your research skills in an integrated Masters year, preparing for careers where you’ll make a difference protecting and restoring biodiversity.
  • Experience zoology first-hand with our UNESCO Biosphere Reserve surroundings, and opportunities to encounter other animals and environments on field trips.
  • Learn from experts active in conservation projects with diverse research specialties to explore a range of disciplines, including environmental science.

Are you fascinated by the way animals behave, evolve, influence and are influenced by the world around them? Are you concerned about the natural world and the threats it faces?

At Sussex, you’ll experience Zoology first-hand. We’re based in the UNESCO Living Coast Biosphere Reserve and next to the South Downs National Park. You’ll be in the perfect place for studying a wide range of native wildlife. And you’ll have the opportunity to encounter other animals and natural environments on field trips. Our previous visits have included animals as diverse as puffins on Lundy and elephants in Zambia. Inside the classroom, you’ll explore a range of disciplines including biology, physiology and environmental science.

You’ll learn from experts with research interests ranging from bumblebees to sharks. Our researchers are active in conservation and rewilding projects at local, national and international levels. This includes influencing policies on the pesticides killing our wildlife and rescuing the brown-headed spider monkey from extinction.

This course prepares you for a career where you can make a difference in protecting and restoring biodiversity. When you graduate, you could work in a range of sectors including:

  • conservation
  • environmental management
  • rewilding
  • environmental organisations.

You’ll also have data analysis and communication skills. This prepares you for a wide range of roles, from media and journalism, to public engagement and marketing.

And in addition, in your integrated Masters year, you gain a strong theoretical and practical foundation for a career in – or related to – research. You’ll spend a semester working on an individual research project in one of our Zoology research teams. In this year, you’ll develop advanced skills in technical, analytical and scientific communication skills.

Our courses adapt to the latest demands of the working world and are informed by our Employer Advisory Panel of key organisations which hire our graduates. Our employability strand develops research skills, professional competencies, and includes dedicated sessions with our Careers and Entrepreneurship Team to help you bolster your CV, train for interviews, map out career trajectories, and more.

MSci or BSc?

We also offer this course as a three-year BSc. Find out about the benefits of an integrated Masters year.

At Sussex, I’ve gained experience of working in a research-based environment. This is great for my personal development as well as my CV. It means that – when I graduate – I have the skills to go straight into work.”Idris Adams
Zoology MSci

 

How to apply

Campus tours

Join a campus tour this summer and get a feel for life at Sussex. With award-winning campus food, a National Park setting and buzzing Brighton on our doorstep, our location and facilities are hard to beat.

Book your visit

On campus - in person

You’ll study for this degree on our campus, joining our academics and fellow students. With in-person contact time, digitally supported educational resources, library collections and independent study, this course is designed to give you an inclusive education. Your learning experience may also include work placements, field trips, studying abroad and internationalisation experiences.

Find out about our beautiful campus

Virtual tour

Want to learn more about life at Sussex?

Our 360° virtual tour has been designed to introduce you to life in our diverse, supportive and inclusive community. Join our students for an immersive experience as they reveal why Sussex offers a space to follow your passions, find your voice, and discover people and places that will inspire you.

Begin your tour

ResearchPlus

As a founding partner of ResearchPlus, a collaboration of research-focused universities, we engage with government, industry and civil society to support economic growth, prosperity and wellbeing across the whole of the UK.

Find out more
Back to Course menu

Modules

This is a single-honours course, allowing you to focus in depth on your core subject. Find out more from our guide to undergraduate study

  • Year 1 at Sussex

    Your modules

    Core modules

    Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

    Autumn teaching
    Spring teaching

    Options

    Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.

    While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.

    Autumn teaching
    Spring teaching

    Your degree

    During your first year, you’ll develop a strong grounding in zoology within the broader framework of the biosciences. You’ll gain practical experience through laboratory work, field activities and interactive workshops focused on research techniques and data analysis.

    Teaching

    Teaching methods typically include lectures, seminars, and practical sessions. The practical sessions often involve workshops, hands-on laboratory work and field studies. 

    65%: Lecture
    5%: Seminar
    30%: Practical

    Assessment

    Assessment methods typically include examinations and coursework. These could be in the form of written pieces, reports, problem sets, online tests and multiple-choice question-based assignments.

    Contact hours and workload

    This year of study includes approximately 1,200 hours of work. This breaks down into about 210 hours of contact time and about 990 hours of independent study.

    Engage and actively participate throughout your studies to get the most out of your course.

  • Year 2 at Sussex

    Your modules

    Core modules

    Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

    Autumn teaching
    Spring teaching

    Options

    Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.

    While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.

    Autumn teaching
    Spring teaching

    Your degree

    In your second year, you’ll build on core zoology concepts while strengthening practical and analytical skills. You’ll also boost your employability through activities such as collaborative group projects.

    Teaching

    Teaching methods typically include lectures, seminars and practicals. The practical sessions often involve workshops, laboratory work or fieldwork.

    35%: Lecture
    15%: Seminar
    50%: Practical

    Assessment

    Assessment methods typically include examinations and coursework. These could be in the form of written pieces, reports, problem sets, portfolios, online tests, multiple-choice question-based or short answer-based assignments.

    Contact hours and workload

    This year of study includes approximately 1,200 hours of work. This breaks down into about 265 hours of contact time and about 935 hours of independent study.

    Engage and actively participate throughout your studies to get the most out of your course.

  • Experience Year

    Study abroad (optional)

    Apply to study abroad – you’ll develop an international perspective and gain an edge when it comes to your career. Find out where your course could take you

    If your application to study abroad is successful, you’ll have to meet the academic requirements at Sussex and also at the partner university. Find out more about studying abroad as a Sussex student

    Placement (optional)

    To help you gain experience and increase your employability, you can apply for an optional placement as part of your course. You’ll be responsible for applying for and securing your placement. Our dedicated careers team can provide you with information and advice. If you’re successful in obtaining a placement, this will form part of your course.

    Find out more about placements and internships

    Please note that if you’re receiving – or applying for – USA federal Direct Loan funds, you can’t transfer to the version of your course with an optional study abroad period in any country or optional placement in the USA if the number of credits for the placement/internship exceeds 25% of the total credits for your course. Find out more about American Student Loans and Federal Student Aid

  • Year 3 at Sussex

    Your modules

    Core modules

    Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

    Autumn and spring teaching

    Options

    Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.

    While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.

    Autumn teaching
    Spring teaching

    Your degree

    In your third year, you’ll have the chance to specialise by selecting from a wide range of advanced zoology topics. A key feature of this year is your individual research project, where you can choose to conduct your own research.

    Teaching

    Teaching methods typically include lectures, practicals, seminars and one-to-one meetings with a research supervisor. Practicals involve workshops, laboratory work or field work.

    20%: Lecture
    25%: Seminar
    40%: Practical
    15%: One-to-one

    Assessment

    Assessment methods typically include examinations and coursework. These could be in the form of written pieces, reports, portfolios, presentations, online tests, or longer answer-based assignments.

    Contact hours and workload

    This year of study includes approximately 1,200 hours of work. This breaks down into about 245 hours of contact time and about 955 hours of independent study.

    Engage and actively participate throughout your studies to get the most out of your course.

  • Year 4 at Sussex

    Your modules

    Core modules

    Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

    Autumn teaching
    Spring teaching

    Options

    Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.

    While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.

    Autumn teaching

    Your degree

    In your fourth year, you’ll advance your research skills to Masters level. Half of your time will be devoted to an individual research project – practical or analytical – in one of our research groups. Our modules will complement this work by helping you develop a wide range of technical and academic skills essential for research and other career paths.

    Teaching

    Teaching methods typically include lectures, practicals, seminars and one-to-one meetings with a research supervisor. Practicals involve workshops, laboratory work or field work.

    5%: Lecture
    40%: Seminar
    35%: Practical
    20%: One-to-one

    Assessment

    Assessment methods typically include examinations and coursework. These could be in the form of written pieces, reports, portfolios or presentations.

    Contact hours and workload

    This year of study includes approximately 1,200 hours of work. This breaks down into about 140 hours of contact time and about 1,060 hours of independent study.

    Engage and actively participate throughout your studies to get the most out of your course.

Spirit of Sussex Award

Feel involved in life at the University, make friends and enrich your experience with us – the Spirit of Sussex Award is our way of recognising your extracurricular and voluntary achievements.

Find out more about the Spirit of Sussex Award

  • Video transcript

    Hi everyone! As I'm sure you've all heard by now, the Spirit of Sussex Award is now live.

    Students across the Sussex community are already earning their points

    What will you do to earn yours?

    There's so many ways to get involved.

    Head over to the website to start your Spirit of Sussex journey.

    Text: The Spirit of Sussex Award is an exciting new programme designed to recognise and celebrate the things you do outside your course.

    Participating in the Award makes it easy and fun for you to get involved and make the most of university life.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.

  • Video transcript

    [Music starts – light pop – no vocals]

    On screen text

    Want to help shape a better world through science?

    Want to tackle real world problems?

    And create world-changing impact?

    It all starts at the University of Sussex.

    Our research focussed courses span the whole of Life Sciences:

    Chemistry

    Biochemistry

    Neuroscience

    Biology

    Zoology

    Ecology and Conservation

    Biomedical Science

    Genetics

    Using the latest in cutting-edge advances.

    Guided by world-leading experts.

    Gain hands-on experience, in both our teaching labs and out in the field.

    Influence important policies on things such as the pesticides that kill our wildlife, and policies that protect endangered species.

    Work towards unlocking the secrets of the brain and ending the despair of cancer and Alzheimer’s.

    Join a community of leading scientists and like-minded students striving to make the world a better place for all.

    And follow in the footsteps of our 3 Nobel-prize winning alumni.

    We’re here today, to train the scientists of tomorrow.

    And you could be one of them.

    Find out more about the School of Life Sciences at sussex.ac.uk

    [Music ends]

How to apply

Our experts

Zoology is exciting – our courses are designed for you to experience the subject in all its glory and to give you the tools to take the next steps in your career.”Professor Bill Hughes
Professor of Evolutionary Biology
Apply now
Back to Course menu

Careers

  • 86% of Sussex undergraduates have completed work experience by the end of their course (University of Sussex Career Readiness data at point of graduation 2023/24)

While studying Zoology, you’ll develop many new skills, preparing you for a fieldwork-based career. You’ll also graduate with a range of transferable skills, including teamwork, good communication and analysis – making you highly employable.

With your Zoology degree you can start a career in:

  • agriculture, environmental, conservational and ecological management
  • nature documentaries and photography
  • zoos and wildlife park management.

You could also go on to teaching, or research in academia or industry.

Embedded employability

This course is designed to meet the latest demands of the working world. It’s informed by our Employer Advisory Panel of key organisations hiring our graduates.

Throughout your studies, you’ll develop research skills and professional competencies. Sessions with our Careers and Entrepreneurship Team will help you bolster your CV, train for interviews and map out career trajectories.

Where do our graduates work now?

Surveyed 15 months after finishing their courses, our recent Zoology and Animal Studies graduates worked for employers including:

(Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017-2022)

Working while you study

Our Careers and Entrepreneurship team can help you find part-time work while you study. Find out more about career development and part-time work

Design your future at Sussex

Taking the next step in your career can feel daunting, but we’ll help you to explore, connect and flourish throughout your studies and beyond.

As a Sussex student, you’ll learn how to tackle real-world challenges and have access to tailored programmes of careers support:

  • our Career Lab helps you to explore your options, build key skills and connect with employers. Take part in internships, community consultancy projects and insight visits, where you can learn about life at organisations such as Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, the Knepp Rewilding Project, and fashion brand Puig
  • one-to-one appointments with your Faculty Careers Consultant can enable you to identify your career goals, write an effective CV and prepare for future interviews
  • entrepreneurship initiatives like StartUp Sussex and Ideas Lab can empower you to turn your concepts into reality.

Explore how our Careers and Entrepreneurship team can support you

How to apply
Back to Course menu

Entry requirements

Find your place in Clearing

This course will be available in Clearing. Explore your options at Sussex – right here, right now.

How to apply
Back to Course menu

Fees

Note that your fees, once they’re set, may be subject to an increase on an annual basis. Find details on our Tuition fees page.

Home students

£9,790 per year

Channel Islands and Isle of Man students

£9,790 per year

On 19 March 2026 the UK Parliament set out that the tuition fee cap for 2026 entry will be £9,790. As the University of Sussex keeps fees for Home students and Channel Islands and Isle of Man students in line with UK Government-approved levels, fees will be £9,790 in 2026. In line with our terms and conditions, the University charges fees at the maximum levels set by the UK Government.

International students

£27,300 per year

Study abroad

Find out about grants and funding, tuition fees and insurance costs for studying abroad

Placement

Find out about tuition fees for placements

Additional costs

Note about additional costs

Additional costs to your tuition fees may include field trips, equipment, materials, bench fees or studio hire. These costs are best estimates based on current market values which we review each year. These costs may be subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances where the University has limited control such as a change in a service provider or government guidance. We will let you know at the earliest opportunity if there is any change to these costs. We will also tell you if these costs are mandatory for passing your course or optional. Find out how to budget for student life.

Field trips

You can choose to go on assessed field trips in Years 1, 2, 3 and 4, partially subsidised by the School. If you attend, you'll need to pay a daily £50 fee, the costs towards travel and, in some cases, subsistence and accommodation. Full payment is due by the end of week 2 of the term the field trip is running. Costs vary depending on location and on number of courses taken, but are usually around:

Year 1: Up to approximately £350
Year 2: Up to approximately £500
Year 3: From £800, up to approximately £2,000
Year 4: From £800, up to approximately £2,000

Living costs

We know the rising cost of living is on everyone’s mind, and affects us all in different ways. Our guide to living costs has been designed to help you plan and budget for life as a Sussex student.

Learn more about typical living costs

Scholarships

Our goal is to ensure that every student who wants to study with us is able to regardless of financial barriers, so that we continue to attract talented and unique people.

How to apply

Contact us

Ask a student

Chat to Sussex students online via the UniBuddy chat platform.

Enquiries

Contact us with any questions about your course:

+44 (0)1273 876787
Ask us a question

Find out more about the School of Life Sciences: Evolution, behaviour and environment

Prospectus

Order a printed prospectus

What do you want to do next?

Legal information

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described in this prospectus. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to government or regulatory requirements, or unanticipated staff changes, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.

Find out about our terms and conditions, including the student code of conduct and your cancellation rights

Find out about our complaints and appeals process

Return to top of page