Overview

The University of New England is at the forefront of online education and offers all courses in online format. For further information check the most up-to-date University of New England COVID-19 arrangements.

Zoology examines how animals of all kinds — from microscopic parasites to blue whales, and from tiny finches to dinosaurs — live (or lived) in every type of habitat on our planet. Through hands-on laboratory and fieldwork focussed on the study of animal life, this course will equip you with the skills to think and act like a researcher in this specialist branch of biology.

This is Australia’s only zoology-specific degree and offers small class sizes and excellent staff to student ratios.

We have a strong research culture underpinned by high research training standards. Our research in zoology, as well as in many other specific fields of scientific research including ecology, evolutionary biology and genetics, is world class.

You will have opportunities to participate in fieldwork in our local area and internationally. UNE is the proud caretaker of the Newholme Field Station on the forested slopes of Mount Duval, providing an outdoor classroom with koalas, greater gliders and freshwater turtles on our doorstep. Subject to COVID-19 travel restrictions, our study tours visit locations such as Botswana in Africa, and Bhutan in the Himalayas of Asia.

Our majors are designed with future employability in mind, and we offer a range of multidisciplinary minors to extend and broaden your expertise. You can choose to major in applied zoology, natural history, animal ecology, or palaeobiology, and complement your study with minors including science communication, water science, museum studies, botany, spatial science, natural history, and zoological methods.

Explore core topics such as natural history, evolution, conservation, animal and freshwater ecology, mammalogy, entomology, parasitology, ornithology, herpetology and palaeontology. Examine animal distribution, classification, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics.

Progress to an Honours year with UNE's Bachelor of Science with Honours (Zoology) if you have an above average academic record and wish to continue with your studies.

Majors

Areas of study

Animal behaviour, animal, freshwater and marine ecology, animal physiology, molecular biology and genetics, conservation biology, herpetology, physical anthropology, entomology, environmental and comparative physiology,  parasitology.

Potential Career Outcomes

Career opportunities

Researcher with the CSIRO, Antarctic research stations or non-profit agencies, environmental or conservation officer with local, state and federal government agencies, museum research or collections management, field officer in national parks and marine parks, technician or researcher in zoological gardens or animal breeding programs, environmental consultant.

ATAR & Selection Rank

The table below shows the ATAR and Selection Rank information for those offered places wholly or partly on the basis of ATAR in 2023.

ATAR-based offers only, across all offer rounds
ATAR
(excluding adjustment factors)
Selection Rank
(including adjustment factors)
Highest rank to receive an offer93.493.4
Median rank to receive an offer72.872.8
Lowest rank to receive an offer67.767.7

<5 - Less than 5 ATAR-based offers were made

Admission Criteria

Please refer to the University of New England website for admission criteria information.

Course Seeker

This information is sourced from Course Seeker, a joint initiative between the Australian Government and the Tertiary Admission Centres. View more information on Course Seeker.


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