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Zoology and Animal Biology

Overview

Zoology and animal biology programs teach people about animal anatomy and behavior.

Zoology and animal biology programs include topics such as:

Schools

Community colleges and other two-year schools offer associate degree programs in zoology and animal biology. An associate degree usually takes two years to complete. After earning an associate degree students can transfer to a college or university for further study.

Many colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees in zoology and animal biology. A bachelor's degree usually takes about four years of full-time study. Some biology programs may also offer specific concentrations or degrees in a subfield. Students that know that want to specialize should check schools for program availability early on.

Some universities offer graduate degrees in zoology and animal biology. A master's degree typically requires two years of study beyond a bachelor's degree. Doctoral (PhD) degree programs usually require two or more years of study beyond the master's degree.

See schools that offer this program.

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Careers Directly Related to this Program of Study

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Program Admission

You can prepare for this program by taking courses in high school that prepare you for college. This typically includes four years of English, three years of math, three years of social studies, and two years of science. Some colleges also require two years of a second language.

Below is a list of high school courses that will help prepare you for this program of study:

Graduate Admissions

Admission to graduate programs is competitive. You need a bachelor's degree (usually in biology), good grades, and good test scores. Although you may concentrate on zoology in your bachelor's program, you should include at least one course in plant biology.

Additional requirements at some schools include:

Typical Course Work

Program Courses

A bachelor's degree program in zoology typically requires that you study courses such as the following:

Graduate Program Courses

A graduate program in zoology typically specifies few courses as requirements. You might take courses such as the following:

In addition, graduate programs typically require the following:

Things to Know

With a bachelor's degree, you may be able to work in certain government jobs or in sales. The degree can also be preparation for veterinary, medical, or dental school. You may go on to graduate study in animal science or some other branch of biology. If you want to stay in the field of zoology and animal biology, you may seek an advanced degree with the goal of doing research or teaching in college.

Some master's programs include an internship. You do supervised work in a setting that involves an aspect of biology, such as a wildlife management agency, an aquarium, or a research lab.

In a graduate program you can expect to study research methods, including statistics. Scientific research is mostly quantitative, so you need to be able to process data from experiments and observations. The doctoral programs usually require an original research project that you write up as your dissertation.

Schools

East Side Area

Central Washington University

Washington State University - Pullman

Spokane Area

Cat Tales Zoological Training Center

West Side Area

Evergreen State College, The

Grays Harbor College