Zoology with a Modern Language

Zoology is the branch of biology concerned with the scientific study of animals: their structure, behaviour, ecology, evolution, physiology, and diversity. It is a discipline that combines laboratory and field-based investigation with a deep engagement with evolutionary theory and the biological principles that link all animal life. Adding a modern language to this scientific degree produces a combination that is rare and genuinely valuable, giving graduates not just biological expertise but the linguistic and cultural access to international research, conservation, and professional environments that a foreign language provides.

At the University of Manchester, this four-year full-time programme begins with a foundation year that provides additional preparation for degree-level study, making the programme accessible to students who would benefit from strengthening their scientific or academic foundations before moving into the main curriculum. In the core degree years, you will study animal biology, ecology, evolution, animal behaviour, genetics, and physiological science, developing both the conceptual understanding and the practical laboratory and fieldwork skills that professional zoologists need. The modern language component develops your proficiency in a language chosen from those available, and the programme includes a sandwich year with a work placement, giving you professional experience in a zoological, conservation, or research environment.

Zoology graduates work in conservation, environmental consultancy, wildlife management, research institutions, zoos, aquaria, national parks, government agencies, and the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. The addition of a modern language opens up international fieldwork, research collaboration, and conservation work in non-English-speaking countries, which is a real advantage in a discipline where much of the most important work takes place in tropical or other internationally diverse environments. Postgraduate study in zoology, ecology, conservation biology, or related sciences is a well-established pathway for graduates seeking research or specialist scientific careers.