COURSE CURRICULUM

The Zoology course at Sussex provides a comprehensive education in animal biology, behaviour, and ecology, combining theoretical knowledge with extensive practical experience. In the first year, students build a strong foundation through core modules covering cells, organisms, systems, biodiversity, neuroscience, and research methods, alongside practical fieldwork such as the Coastal Ecology Field Course. Additional modules focus on physiology, disease, the natural world, and environmental management, ensuring students gain a broad understanding of both animal and ecosystem processes. In the second year, the curriculum expands to explore animal physiology and behaviour, evolutionary biology, and population ecology, with opportunities to study conservation biology, human genetics, marine biology, and neuronal function. Field-based learning continues with the Conservation Ecology Field Course, and students develop professional research skills across zoology and ecology. In the final year, students undertake a major bioscience research project, supported by a range of specialist options tailored to individual interests. These include advanced conservation topics, behavioural ecology, animal-plant interactions, programming for life sciences, and field trips such as the Tropical Rainforest and African Zoology expeditions. The course equips graduates with practical skills in research, data analysis, and communication, preparing them for careers in conservation, environmental management, rewilding, biodiversity protection, and other scientific or outreach-focused roles.