MZool in ZOOLOGY WITH PRIMATOLOGY

Zoology is the branch of biology that deals with the study of animals in all their diversity. It covers a wide range of topics, including behaviour, ecology, evolution, anatomy, physiology, development and taxonomy.

The Master in Zoology (Primatology) is an extended undergraduate programme which allows students to graduate either with BSc (Hons) at the end of the third year or a Masters at the end of the fourth year. If at the end of the second year a sufficient standard has been achieved, then progression onto the Masters year will be permitted following completion of the third year.

The fourth year offers a unique opportunity to conduct an extended research project either in the laboratory or in the field.

Within the broad Zoology remit, this degree focuses specifically on the primates (apes, monkeys, tarsiers, lemurs and lorises). These species include our closest living and extinct relatives, and of course also our own species, Homo sapiens. On the Zoology with Primatology degree, our aim is to provide you with a sound and broad zoological training, with a special focus on this fascinating group of mammals.

Primatology is a dynamic discipline offering students the opportunity to bridge many fields, from the zoological strands mentioned above to cognitive science, anthropology, psychology and even archaeology. It combines classic field and experimental approaches with cutting-edge technology to solve some of the most fascinating theoretical conundrums in Zoology and provide solutions to the urgent conservation challenges facing one of the most threatened groups of mammals on the planet. It thus offers a richly stimulating ground for the training and learning of future zoologists, and an opportunity to get to grips with questions like ‘where do humans come from?’ and ‘how do we fit into the natural world around us?’

You will have the opportunity to acquire a broad range of laboratory and field skills, at home and abroad, and all the transferable skills associated with scientific training (including skills in data analysis, writing skills, presentation skills, IT skills and independent and group-working skills). You will have access to a spread of Zoology modules covering vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as a suite of specialist modules on primatology and human evolution.

We even have an optional Primatology Field Course which takes students to the “primate capital of the world”, Kibale National Park in Uganda.

Our excellent teaching facilities include a Zoology museum with a diverse collection of vertebrate and invertebrate specimens, including primates, a growing collection of non-human primate and early human fossil casts, marine and freshwater aquaria and a botanical garden close to the Menai Strait. We are also part of the Environment Centre Wales, which is a partnership between Bangor University and the Natural Environment Research Council’s Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.