Marine Biology and Zoology joint honours degree (BSc)

• 280-320 points at A2/AS level (or equivalent) including A2 in Biology and one other science subject (Physics, Maths, Chemistry, Geography, Geology, Environmental Science), plus Grade C in GCSE Maths, Double Award Science and English
• We consider Access applicants and mature students on an individual basis.

Please also read our Entry Requirements section.

For joint honours degrees you should also look at the entry requirements for your other chosen subject.

• This Marine Biology and Zoology joint honours degree is unique to Bangor.
• Bangor's location makes it an ideal place to study terrrestrial and aquatic habitats, with easy access to both the mountains and the sea for field trips.
• Staff in both Schools are active in research and their teaching is at the cutting edge of biology.
• Facilities include a large research vessel, small workboats, tropical marine, temperate marine and freshwater aquaria, an underground laboratory for the study of soil fauna, and a zoological museum.
• The teaching laboratories in the School of Ocean Sciences are a few metres from the sea, enabling you to collect marine animals and study them in the laboratory in the same practical period.

This section provides an outline of the content of this Marine Biology and Zoology BSc (Joint Hons) course. Each year you'll study a series of modules, some of these are compulsory and others can be selected from a range of optional modules.

You study 120 credits in each year.

Year 1

All modules are worth 20 credits.

Compulsory modules:

• Cell and Molecular Biology
• Ecology and Evolution
• Introductory Research Skills
• Marine Biology Practical Skills 1
• Organismal Diversity
• Tutorial 1

Year 2

Some modules are worth 20 credits and others 10.

Compulsory modules:

• Evolution and Genetics
• Invertebrates
• Marine Biology Practical Skills 2
• Marine Ecology
• Marine Physiology and Behaviour
• Tutorial 2
• Vertebrate Biology

Year 3

Some modules are worth 20 credits and others 10. You will study all of the compulsory modules and choose several optional. Optional modules are paired together and you will only choose one optional module from a pair of modules.

Compulsory modules:

• Dissertation (in Marine Biology or Zoology)
• Intertidal Field Project

Optional modules:

• Advances in Behaviour
• Animal Survival Strategies
• Fish Biology
• Herpetology
• Larval Ecology
• Marine Conservation and Exploitation
• Marine Processes and Systems
• Marine Vertebrates
• Molecular Ecology and Evolution
• Overseas Field Course VIMS

You will carry out a research dissertation in which you do an independent study on topics related to any aspect of Marine Biology or Zoology.

Modules our students are currently studying...

If you'd like a closer look at the content of the modules our current students are studying this year please click on the links below;

Marine Biology/Zoology degree (BSC/BMZ)

• Year 1 modules
• Year 2 modules
• Year 3 modules

* Please note that due to the dynamic nature of our degree programmes specific topics of study/modules are occasionally subject to change.

For more on studying degree courses see our Study at Bangor section.

The Marine Biology and Zoology joint honours degree course typically involves up to 30 hours per week of lectures, practicals (laboratory and fieldwork), private study, tutorials and project work. Many modules include day field trips. In year 2 there is a day trip and a field course based on the research vessel and in year 3 hypothesis testing exercises are undertaken during the intertidal field project. These are free and compulsory. You also have the option of an overseas field course in Virginia, USA. Your practical work is continually assessed and examination of each module is by multiple choice questions (MCQ), laboratory tests and written examinations. The dissertation is assessed by a presentation and a report.

The course is ideal preparation for careers in research, conservation, fisheries and aquaculture, government advisory bodies, the scientific media, ecotourism and other leisure industries and pressure groups.

• Applied Marine Biology BSc (Hons)
• Coastal Geography BSc (Hons)
• Geological Oceanography BSc (Hons)
• Marine Biology and Oceanography BSc (Hons)
• Marine Biology and Zoology BSc (Joint Hons)
• Marine Biology BSc (Hons)
• Marine Environmental Studies BSc (Hons)
• Marine Science MMSci, MMBiol and MOcean
• Marine Vertebrate Zoology BSc (Hons)
• Ocean Science BSc (Hons)