zoology/Animal Science

[louise jones]

My daughter is studying for GCSEs and is going to go onto further education.  She eventually wants to work with zoo animals.  Anyone know what subjects she is best taking at A level and also which is a good university for Zoology and Animal Science - we live in Liverpool.

Thanks

[v64paul]

is'nt leahurst on the wirral connected with the jmu  ?      i pass it quite often, it's near neston on the chester high road. just a thought to help you start your search.

[morg_monster]

My guess would be biology and chemistry are must-dos.  Above that, pick something she is good at, English or maths always go down well. 

As an aside, I believe zoo workers / keepers really don't make much money, there is a lot of competition (1500 zoo jobs in the UK), and there isn't much room for advancement (think top wage possible in a zoo is about �21000).  Also, you don't really need a degree to do this, just A-levels, and work experience is probably more important.  Another option is to stay in academia, do a masters or PhD and work as a researcher for a uni attached to a zoo.  If she was interested in this then a biology degree may be more helpful.

She really should get some proper careers advice on this, as I think most people who do zoology don't end up working in the area, and biology may be taken more seriously.  There's quite a lot of info on the net and searching for zoology courses on google will bring up most of the unis which have such a course. good luck to her!

[ferny]

Hi,

Your daughter should look at scientific subjects for A' level i.e. biology and also social sciences such as psychology. I would also recommend that she looks in to a national diploma in Animal care, this is the equivalent to A'levels and she can then go on to study for a degree in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Animal Behaviour or Zoology all of which are BSc(Hons) qualifications. The sciences are very important, yet so is as much expereince as possible.

Good luck to her.

[ferny]

OOPs forgot to answer the rest of your question, Chster University have degrees in Animal Behaviour and Welfare and Animal Behaviour, John Moores, University of Lancashire is particularly good (especially for hands on and specialised subjects.

Chester University have 6 week work placements where your daughter is able to work at Chester zoo.

Hope this helps.