Program Overview

Bangor University’s BSc (Hons) Marine Biology and Zoology is the only course of its kind in the UK. It combines a focus on the marine ecosystem and broader studies of freshwater and terrestrial environments, with specialist study of the form and function of the animals that live within them.

Marine biology is the study of life in the sea that occupies over 70% of the biosphere of our planet, living in conditions ranging from the polar seas (below -2C) to hydrothermal vents (greater than 100C). It examines habitats and ecosystems, food webs and marine processes, covering planktonic life to apex predators, animals, seaweeds, plants and microbial life in the seas and their interplay and applied topics such as fisheries and aquaculture, and marine conservation. Zoology is all about animals, their taxonomy, anatomy, physiology, relationships, parasitology, developmental and evolutionary biology, and habitats.

A wide range of optional modules (subject to change) in Year 3 allow you to pursue topics of interest. For instance, you could examine the emerging conservation and management policy and practices designed to cope with our changing climate. Or you can learn how past outbreaks of SARS, MERS, or Zika have increased our understanding of parasites and pathogens.

Highly practical in nature, you will conduct extensive field and laboratory investigations, building skills in experimental design and research methods throughout the degree. With teaching laboratories just a few metres from the sea, you can collect marine animals and study them in the laboratory in the same lab session.

You could find yourself on the research ship sampling marine microorganisms, conducting sonar surveys, observing carrion feeders, or visiting and collecting data at a managed cockle fishery.

We run field courses in and around Eryri National Park (also known as Snowdonia). You also have the option to gain field-based experience in a European or international setting. Previous students, for example, have studied the habitats of southern Spain, around Donana National Park, Tarifa and Gibraltar. Others have travelled to Florida to focus on biodiversity and ecology of flora and fauna across its marine, brackish and terrestrial wetlands.

You can gain experience surveying intertidal ecosystems in Virginia, USA, or study snakes and desert ecology of Arizona and New Mexico.

By taking advantage of the optional placement year or signing up for an internship, you can gain additional extended, real-world work experience. Previously, for example, students have supported NWWT, Chester Zoo, the Welsh Mountain Zoo, the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust and it has been as varied as working with Natural Resources Wales, working with Sea Life Centres or an International Year learning Japanese at the University of Tokyo.

During your final year, you will conduct your own research under staff guidance, delving into a topic of your choice. Previous students, for example, have chosen to focus on a specific group of organisms that interests them, such as giraffes, alligators, or sharks. Others have undertaken conservation-based projects, examining the effects of pollution, such as microplastics in the sea or wetlands.