Zoology

What it’s about:

Zoology majors study animals-their origin, cell structure, genetics, physiology, behaviour, ecology, and life processes. They also receive training in molecular biology techniques, quantitative field sampling, and statistical analysis.

What the study of this major is like:

As a zoology major, you explore how animals function. You study the way an organism acquires energy and material for growth and reproduction, and examine animals’ interaction with their own kind as well as with other living and nonliving things. You also consider how animals have evolved.

In your first year, you will probably enroll introductory courses in both biology and chemistry. Biology courses cover the significant concepts, from molecular biology to ecosystem ecology. In your molecular biology to ecosystem ecology. In your second and third years, you take focused core courses, such as anatomy, cell biology, ecology, evolution, genetics, and physiology. Zoology majors usually study at least two years of chemistry, a year of physics, and some advanced math such as calculus. In your third and fourth years, you select upper-level electives specific to zoology.

In most zoology courses, you study the basic concepts then, in a lab or field setting, you are introduced to data collection and techniques of analysis. Zoology majors usually spend about the same amount of time in lectures and in labs. After the first year, many majors do independent research projects with faculty members or sometimes with graduate students. Most first-year majors face serious challenges, especially in the first semester. Introductory biology and chemistry are generally taught in greater depth and more rigorously than in high school. If you do not complete the assignments on time, you may find it difficult to keep upwith the work as the semester progresses. You need to call on your self-discipline in lectures, the laboratory or fieldwork and no-nonsense studying.

Course offerings tend to mirror the research activities of the faculty. Different zoology departments may emphasize one area of biology of zoology over others. For example, some departments focus on molecular and cell biology and feature courses that explore how the parts of organisms (such as molecules and tissues) function. Other departments may stress whole organisms and populations and offer courses in ecology, environmental biology, and taxonomic groups (entomology, invertebrate zoology, ornithology, for example). Because most high school biology classes take only a brief look at the diversity of the animal kingdom, your interests may change in college as you encounter new areas of study. A department with a well-balanced curriculum that offers a wide variety of courses may give you the most options.

Career options and trends:

Health care professional; park ranger or guide; research assistant; teacher or college professor; environmental consultant; staff member at an aquarium, zoo, or animal park; veterinarian or veterinarian technician.

There will continue to be demand for those looking to enter the field of zoology, although opportunities will be limited because of the small size of this field. The best prospects are in the health care, biomedical, and environmental industries. A graduate or professional degree is necessary for most research, academic, and medical positions. A doctorate is generally required for work as a zoologist. Summer employment in a medical, environmental, or other career area is increasingly expected of job applicants.

Source: CollegeBoard 2012 Book of Majors