BSc Zoology with a Modern Language / Course details

Our BSc Zoology with a Modern Language course will enable you to develop your language skills while learning about the behaviour, physiology, conservation, ecology and evolution of animals.

Zoologists use a wide range of approaches to do this, from applying genetic techniques to observing animal behaviour to using quantitative statistics to answer cutting-edge questions about the natural world.

As such, you will study fundamental concepts from a range of disciplines in your first year before going on to study more specialised zoology topics in your second and final years.

Field studies form an important part of our teaching and you will attend two field courses - one in the first year and one in the second year - including the possibility of visiting South Africa.

We offer French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Mandarin for the language component of the course, which includes a year abroad on a research placement.

Our course has Advanced Accreditation from the Royal Society of Biology , which recognises academic excellence in the biosciences and highlights degrees that educate the research and development leaders and innovators of the future.

Connect with other languages students

Learn alongside other students taking a variety of language degrees at the University, giving you the opportunity to practise your skills with your fellow students and make new friends.

Study abroad

Placements are available at 20 universities throughout Europe and in China and Japan.

Foundation Year available

You can prepare for the full degree course if you do not have the appropriate qualifications for direct entry by undertaking our foundation course first.

Flexibility to transfer between courses

You can transfer between most of our sciences degree courses at the end of your first year or, in some cases, later. You can only transfer onto this course if you have completed the required language units in Year 1.

The course consists of two-thirds of biological sciences learning and one-third modern language learning. You will learn your modern language alongside other students taking a variety of language degrees at the University.

You will benefit from a wide range of teaching and learning methods that suit the content and aims of each course unit.

These range from lectures and tutorials to practicals and research projects, including the final year project .

Find out more about how you will learn and see a typical Year 1 timetable on our teaching and learning page.

Assessment methods vary widely to suit the nature of the course unit and each level of study.

• Lecture units are usually assessed by written exam (multiple choice or essay-based), which are held at the end of an academic semester in either January or May/June.
• Field courses are usually assessed via oral and written presentations, group work and/or projects.
• Practical units are usually assessed by experimental report and/or short written assignment and/or written exam.
• The proportion of independent study assignments increases during each year of study.

Year 1

Lecture units are usually assessed by e-learning activities during the unit and multiple choice exams at the end of the semester. Year 1 contributes 10% to your overall degree mark.

Year 2

Lecture units are usually assessed by essay-based exam, and some units also include a coursework element. Year 2 contributes 30% to your overall degree mark.

Placement year

You will complete a scientific report and undergo an oral examination on your research that contributes 10% to your overall degree mark.

You will be marked out of 110% for your whole degree.

Year 4

Lecture units are usually assessed by essay-based exam.

You will also take two honours papers and examinations comprising essays and data-handling problems.

A significant part of the year (accounting for one-quarter of the overall degree mark) is the project, which is assessed through a presentation and a written report.

Year 4 contributes 60% to your overall degree mark.

Learning facilities

Our modern teaching labs are equipped for a range of biological and biomedical techniques. The following are just a few of the techniques you could undertake during your degree:

• polymerase chain reaction (PCR);
• DNA sequencing;
• gel electrophoresis;
• spectrophotometry;
• dissection and histology;
• electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG);
• immunofluorescence microscopy.

Our computing facilities include access to over 200 PCs in dedicated clusters and e-learning tools including online lecture notes, discussion boards, lecture podcasts and quizzes.

You will also have access to the University's other facilities for undergraduate students .

Research facilities

As a final year student, you have the opportunity to undertake a project in the labs of our world-class bioscience researchers or in the field studying animals in their natural habitat. To support our research, we have extensive research facilities equipped with high-quality technology.