About This Course
Zoology is the branch of biology that deals with the study of animals in all their diversity. It covers a wide range of topics, including behaviour, ecology, evolution, anatomy, physiology, development and taxonomy.
The Master in Zoology (Primatology) is an extended undergraduate programme which allows students to graduate either with BSc (Hons) at the end of the third year or a Masters at the end of the fourth year. If at the end of the second year a sufficient standard has been achieved, then progression onto the Masters year will be permitted following completion of the third year.
The fourth year offers a unique opportunity to conduct an extended research project either in the laboratory or in the field.
Within the broad Zoology remit, this degree focuses specifically on the primates (apes, monkeys, tarsiers, lemurs and lorises). These species include our closest living and extinct relatives, and of course also our own species, Homo sapiens. On the Zoology with Primatology degree, our aim is to provide you with a sound and broad zoological training, with a special focus on this fascinating group of mammals.
Primatology is a dynamic discipline offering students the opportunity to bridge many fields, from the zoological strands mentioned above to cognitive science, anthropology, psychology and even archaeology. It combines classic field and experimental approaches with cutting-edge technology to solve some of the most fascinating theoretical conundrums in Zoology and provide solutions to the urgent conservation challenges facing one of the most threatened groups of mammals on the planet. It thus offers a richly stimulating ground for the training and learning of future zoologists, and an opportunity to get to grips with questions like ‘where do humans come from?’ and ‘how do we fit into the natural world around us?’
You will have the opportunity to acquire a broad range of laboratory and field skills, at home and abroad, and all the transferable skills associated with scientific training (including skills in data analysis, writing skills, presentation skills, IT skills and independent and group-working skills). You will have access to a spread of Zoology modules covering vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as a suite of specialist modules on primatology and human evolution.
We even have an optional Primatology Field Course which takes students to the “primate capital of the world”, Kibale National Park in Uganda.
Our excellent teaching facilities include a Zoology museum with a diverse collection of vertebrate and invertebrate specimens, including primates, a growing collection of non-human primate and early human fossil casts, marine and freshwater aquaria and a botanical garden close to the Menai Strait. We are also part of the Environment Centre Wales, which is a partnership between Bangor University and the Natural Environment Research Council’s Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
Placement Year
This course is available as a 5-year ‘with Placement Year’ option. Please apply for Zoology with Primatology (with placement) MZool C33P. Find out more about 'with Placement Year' courses here.
The placement year provides you with a fantastic opportunity to broaden your horizons and develop valuable skills and contacts through working with an organization relevant to your degree subject. Previous and current students have worked with a wide variety of placement providers, ranging from private companies to educational organizations, charities, government authorities and non-governmental organizations. Our students who have undertaken a placement year have highlighted how the experience has helped them to develop invaluable networks, confidence and life experience as well as subject knowledge and skills that have boosted their employability.
The Placement Year is undertaken at the end of the second year and students are away for the whole of the academic year. The minimum period in placement (at one or more locations) is seven calendar months; more usually you would spend 10-12 months with a placement provider. You would normally start sometime in the period June to September of their second year and finish between June and September the following year. Placements can be UK-based or overseas and you will work with staff to plan and finalise the placement arrangements.
You will be expected to find and arrange a suitable placement to complement your degree, and will be fully supported throughout by a dedicated member of staff at your academic School and the University’s Skills and Employability Services.
Why choose Bangor University for this course?
- Bangor’s established Zoological and Primatological research programmes place cutting-edge science centre stage, and this feeds through to inform our teaching on this course.
- Our expertise in the School encompasses studies on biogeography, evolution and behaviour, molecular ecology, population genetics and developmental biology, as well as primate behavioural ecology, primate (including human) evolutionary anatomy and ecology, and human evolution.
- Budding primatologists will be part of a School with an established and growing primatology research group, through which they can engage with ongoing research activities and interact with specialist staff.
- Our excellent teaching facilities give students access to modern laboratories, a Natural History Museum, a botanical garden and marine and freshwater aquaria.
- We also have a pigeon loft for bird cognition and physiology research at the Treborth botanic gardens, rodent and reptile facilities in the Brambell building, Alpaca, sheep and bee hives at the University farm at Henfaes.
- Bangor’s location makes it an idea place to study zoology, as we have an extensive range of local habitats teeming with animal life.
- We offer a range of field and laboratory experiences, from labs and practical or field-based sessions incorporated into our modules through to dissertation opportunities and the chance to do placements or exchanges with industry.
Course Content
On this course students are required to take 120 credits each year made up of lectures, practicals, and interactive exercises, as well as field trips and tutorials in years 1 and 2. The final year can include an integrated research project, which is supervised by a member of staff on a subject to suit the student’s interests. Modules become more specialised as the degree progresses and the number of compulsory modules varies between years. Assessment is by a mixture of formal examination and continuous assessment. Welsh medium modules are also available.
The Master in Zoology with Primatology is an extended undergraduate programme which allows students to graduate either with BSc (Hons) at the end of the third year or with a Master at the end of the fourth year.
If at the end of Year 2 a sufficient standard has been achieved, then progression onto the Masters year will be permitted following completion of Year 3. The fourth year offers a unique opportunity to conduct an extended research project either in the laboratory or in the field.
Modules for the current academic year
Module listings are for guide purposes only and are subject to change. Find out what our students are currently studying on the Zoology with Primatology Modules page.
Course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.
Course Costs
Mandatory costs:
At present, the Zoology with Primatology primate-specific modules do not include many costs like this, but you may incur some if you choose to purchase your own copies of core textbooks instead of using the libraries’ copies or to purchase specialist software instead of using University computers.
Necessarily incurred costs:
If you choose to do International Experience or a Placement Year this will have associated costs of travel and so on, and you may find on some modules that you need to purchase wet-weather or specialist field clothing or personal protective equipment.
Some BSc and MZool dissertation projects may require travel for data collection or to attend conferences or specialist training.
Optional costs:
Cost for optional residential overseas field courses: from £600 to approximately £2,000. Free local option also available.
You may choose to join a professional zoological or primatological society, but this is not essential for the course.
Alternatively, you may incur optional costs for graduation or attendance at some of our wide range of additional student experiences. Many of our offerings, like many Welcome Week activities, do not cost the student anything extra, but there may be exceptions especially for student society trips or extra-curriculars. These are entirely optional.
Please note: The above examples are not exhaustive and specific examples are subject to change with inflation etc. (e.g. we cannot guarantee the cost of the Uganda field-trip prior to the year it is undertaken). Costs will depend on your choice of course and modules. There may be additional course-specific costs if you are a joint-honours student or in other ways have affiliations to several Schools.
General University Costs
Home (UK) students
- The cost of a full-time undergraduate course is £9,000 per year (2021/22 entry and 2022/23 entry).
- The fee for all placement, international and sandwich years is £1,350 (2021/22 and 2022/23).
- More information on fees and finance for Home (UK) students.
International (including EU) students
Additional Costs
There are also some common additional costs that are likely to arise for students on all courses, for example:
- If you choose to study abroad or take the International Experience Year as part of your course.
- If you attend your Graduation Ceremony, there will be a cost for gown hire (£25-£75) and cost for additional guest tickets (c.£12 each).
Course-specific additional costs
Depending on the course you are studying, there may be additional course-specific costs that you will be required to meet. These fall into three categories:
- Mandatory Costs: these are related to a particular core or compulsory module that you’ll be required to complete to achieve your qualification e.g. compulsory field trips, uniforms for students on placement, DBS Check.
- Necessarily Incurred Costs: these may not be experienced by all students, and will vary depending on the course e.g. professional body membership, travel to placements, specialist software, personal safety equipment.
- Optional Costs: these depend on your choice of modules or activity and they are shown to give you an indication of the optional costs that may arise to make sure your choice is as informed as possible. These can include graduation events for your course, optional field trips, Welcome Week trips.
Entry Requirements
For 2021:
GCSE: grade C/4 in English, Maths and Double Award Science.
Typical offer is based on a minimum of 128 UCAS tariff points from a Level 3 qualification e.g.:
- A Levels: For MZool - including grade B in Biology.
- International Baccalaureate Diploma: including H6 in Biology
- BTEC National/Extended Diploma: DDM including Merits in 4 Biology modules. Modules accepted: Animal Biology; Animal Anatomy and Physiology; Animal Behaviour and Communication; Animal Breeding and Genetics; Biochemistry and Biochemical Techniques; Biochemistry and Microbiology; Fundamentals of Science; Genetics and Genetic Engineering; Inheritance and Genetic Manipulation; Physiology of Human Body systems; Physiology of Human Regulation and Reproduction; Wildlife Populations, Ecology and Conservation. Other Biology-related modules considered case by case.
- City & Guilds Advanced Technical (1080) / Extended Diploma: Distinction overall including 4 Biology modules from the following: Animal Behaviour and Communication, Biological Systems of Animals, Wildlife and Ecology Conservation, Inheritance and Genetics, Ecological Concepts and Application, Population Surveys, Ecology and Conservation. Other Biology-related modules considered case by case.
- Access to HE in the Sciences: Pass
- Welsh Baccalaureate is accepted
- Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma is not accepted.
International Candidates: school leaving qualifications and college diplomas are accepted from countries worldwide (subject to minimum English Language requirements). More information here.
We also welcome applications from mature applicants.
*For a full list of accepted Level 3 qualifications, go to www.ucas.com
For 2020:
GCSE: grade C/4 in English, Maths and Double Award Science.
Typical offer is based on a minimum of 128 UCAS tariff points from a Level 3 qualification e.g.:
- A Levels: For MZool - including grade B in Biology.
- International Baccalaureate Diploma: including H6 in Biology
- BTEC National/Extended Diploma: DDM including Merits in 4 Biology modules. Modules accepted: Animal Biology; Animal Anatomy and Physiology; Animal Behaviour and Communication; Animal Breeding and Genetics; Biochemistry and Biochemical Techniques; Biochemistry and Microbiology; Fundamentals of Science; Genetics and Genetic Engineering; Inheritance and Genetic Manipulation; Physiology of Human Body systems; Physiology of Human Regulation and Reproduction; Wildlife Populations, Ecology and Conservation. Other Biology-related modules considered case by case.
- City & Guilds Advanced Technical (1080) / Extended Diploma: Distinction overall including 4 Biology modules from the following: Animal Behaviour and Communication, Biological Systems of Animals, Wildlife and Ecology Conservation, Inheritance and Genetics, Ecological Concepts and Application, Population Surveys, Ecology and Conservation. Other Biology-related modules considered case by case.
- Access to HE in the Sciences: Pass
- Welsh Baccalaureate is accepted
- Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma is not accepted.
International Candidates: school leaving qualifications and college diplomas are accepted from countries worldwide (subject to minimum English Language requirements). More information here.
We also welcome applications from mature applicants.
*For a full list of accepted Level 3 qualifications, go to www.ucas.com
General University Requirements
To study for a degree, you’ll be asked for a minimum of UCAS Tariff points. For a fuller explanation of the UCAS Tariff Points, please see www.ucas.com.
We accept students with a wide range of qualifications and backgrounds and consider each application individually.
All students need to have good basic skills and the University also values IT and communication skills.
As part of the University’s policy we consider applications from prospective disabled students on the same grounds as all other students.
We also consider applications from mature students who can demonstrate the motivation and commitment to study a university programme. Each year we enrol a significant number of mature students. For more information about studying as a mature student, see our Studying at Bangor section of the website.
EU and International Students' Entry Requirements
For detailed guidance on the entry requirements for EU and International Students, including the minimum English Language entry requirement, please visit the Entry Requirements by Country pages. International applicants can also visit the International Education Centre section of our website for further details.
Bangor University offers International Incorporated Bachelor Degrees for International students whose High School qualification is not equivalent to the UK school leaving qualification. The first year (or Year 0) is studied at Bangor University International College, an embedded College on our University campus and delivered by Oxford International Education Group.
Careers
Bangor’s Zoology alumni have gained employment in wildlife management, environmental consultancy, government organisations, non-governmental organisations like the National Trust or the RSPB, teaching and local and national media, among other professions.
They have also gone on to a range of postgraduate study programmes.
Opportunities at Bangor
The University’s Skills and Employability Service provides a wide range of resources to help you achieve your graduate ambitions.
The Bangor Employability Award (BEA)
With the BEA, you can gain recognition for your extra-curricular activities (e.g. volunteering, clubs and societies, part-time work, etc.)
Internships
Bangor University runs a paid internship scheme within the university’s academic and service departments.
Student Volunteering
Volunteering widens your experience and improves your employability. Find out more about the volunteering on the Students’ Union’s website.
