Animal Behaviour BSc (Hons)

University of St Andrews

The BSc in Animal Behaviour involves study at an advanced, research-led level and covers behavioural ecology, the mechanisms of animal behaviour, the processes of evolution and speciation, adaptive physiology of animals and animal cognition.

Emphasis is given to current topics like cultural learning, animal communication and molecular ecology. Additional choices include marine biology, marine mammals, neuroscience, and biodiversity and conservation.

The BSc (Hons) in Animal Behaviour is a four-year course run by the School of Biology. Students are provided with high-tech equipment, laboratories and expertise to facilitate learning and to develop the skillset of a modern behavioural biologist.

In the first two years of your degree, you will take the core modules in Biology along with modules intended to prepare you for advanced modules in Animal Behaviour specifically.

Alongside Biology, in the first year of your studies, you will be required to study an additional two subjects. In the second year you will usually carry on at least one of these subjects, sometimes two.

In third year, there is a shift from core, broad-themed modules to more specialised modules that allow students to prepare for their Honours degree. In fourth year students continue specific research in their chosen area through student-led, enquiry-based learning.

Centres of research within the School of Biology offer students the experience of working alongside experts and the opportunity to develop their own research in Honours years.

Careers

Graduates with a Biology degree are in high demand and are keenly sought after by institutions including the government, universities, research centres and major companies. Normally around 40% of graduates succeed in their applications to progress to PhD or Masters programmes and a further 30% to 40% engage in graduate employment destinations.

Biology graduates have gone on to find success in a wide variety of careers including:

• professional biologists in biological research, conservation, higher education, and the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries
• researchers and advisers in government
• journalists
• advisers, researchers and managers in the National Health Service
• teachers
• forensic scientists
• management consultants
• marketing and advertising experts.