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Career prospects of a Zoology degree?

Hi everyone

I'm very interested in Zoology and I'd love to study it at university. However, I'm really worried about the career prospects! My plan is to hopefully study a Master's degree at Bristol. Would it be difficult to find a relevant job with decent pay after I graduate?

I'm starting to wonder if I should go for a more popular subject choice like Law.:s-smilie: (I don't hate it, I just don't love it with a passion!) My classmates are basically all doing either Medicine, Law, or Business.

Another concern would be the hefty school fees as an international student.:frown: (But I'm a resident legally speaking.) I'm just worried about not being able to earn back the money I'd spend on a Zoology degree!

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
(edited 7 years ago)

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Original post by JessicaApple
Hi everyone

I'm very interested in Zoology and I'd love to study it at university. However, I'm really worried about the career prospects! My plan is to hopefully study a Master's degree at Bristol. Would it be difficult to find a relevant job with decent pay after I graduate?

I'm starting to wonder if I should go for a more popular subject choice like Law.:s-smilie: (I don't hate it, I just don't love it with a passion!) My classmates are basically all doing either Medicine, Law, or Business.

Another concern would be the hefty school fees as an international student.:frown: (But I'm a resident legally speaking.) I'm just worried about not being able to earn back the money I'd spend on a Zoology degree!

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


Most grad jobs don't stipulate that you have a specific degree, only that you get a minimum grade.

You can do a hell of a lot of things.. Even Law you can apply to firms as a non-law student, they'll fork out money for your GDL and LPC.

Prospects are entirely up to what YOU want to go into, and how you spend your outside-of-uni-work time to develop skills, experiences and knowledge that you'd need to be considered a competitive applicant to your area of interest.

It's the same no matter if you did an engineering degree, maths, history of art, zoology etc everyone has to deal with finding a career they want to pursue and making themselves competitive. Medicine (and some other healthcare courses) are different in that you decide on the career the moment you apply to the subject - and fyi, you can do grad entry med if you wanted to as a zoology graduate.

So, if your interests lie in something more commercial then do what I said (find out what area you want to go then gain skills, experiences and knowledge for that area and apply to all opportunities) or if your interests are in research: try to get research placements, apply to masters/PhD programmes, if you want to go into teaching: prepare for and apply for teacher training.

It is not so simple as: 'ew, this degree has poor grad prospects stay away', but more 'there are so many things you CAN do, and you have the opportunity to be competitive for those things but it is up to you if you put the effort in to prepare or if you say sod it and end up with no grad job after uni".

And no, you don't need any additional masters or qualification to get into careers that are not directly related to your degree unless otherwise required (i.e. conversion to psychology, grad entry med, law conversion etc).

Prospects are what you make of them.

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(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 2
Do what you love or you will be miserable (I did Geology for a year and ended up very depressed. And yes, Geology is another of those subjects where students get job offers before graduation and have a starting salary of £60,000 and can easily earn six figure sums within a few years). Experience is what helps you secure a job in Zoology. Think about what group of animals you'd like to study and focus on getting experience in that field. You can do loads - from research to environmental education. I'm actually planning to go into the wildlife guiding/whale-watching industry, which requires a relevant degree and a load of experience. Guiding will allow me to travel, and whilst not earn loads, I'll see amazing stuff! I'm already gaining experience and it's fantastic! And many whale-watching companies conduct research you collect whilst guiding then it is submitted for analysis. You don't have to analysis - you just collect the data/photo ID. You get to talk to be people about wildlife, you get to watch it and you're paid to do it! My recommendation is to do a year in industry - you will stand out and your career prospects will shoot up. Just think about what you'll enjoy as a career.
Original post by Princepieman
Most grad jobs don't stipulate that you have a specific degree, only that you get a minimum grade.

You can do a hell of a lot of things.. Even Law you can apply to firms as a non-law student, they'll fork out money for your GDL and LPC.

Prospects are entirely up to what YOU want to go into, and how you spend your outside-of-uni-work time to develop skills, experiences and knowledge that you'd need to be considered a competitive applicant to your area of interest.

It's the same no matter if you did an engineering degree, maths, history of art, zoology etc everyone has to deal with finding a career they want to pursue and making themselves competitive. Medicine (and some other healthcare courses) are different in that you decide on the career the moment you apply to the subject - and fyi, you can do grad entry med if you wanted to as a zoology graduate.

So, if your interests lie in something more commercial then do what I said (find out what area you want to go then gain skills, experiences and knowledge for that area and apply to all opportunities) or if your interests are in research: try to get research placements, apply to masters/PhD programmes, if you want to go into teaching: prepare for and apply for teacher training.

It is not so simple as: 'ew, this degree has poor grad prospects stay away', but more 'there are so many things you CAN do, and you have the opportunity to be competitive for those things but it is up to you if you put the effort in to prepare or if you say sod it and end up with no grad job after uni".

And no, you don't need any additional masters or qualification to get into careers that are not directly related to your degree unless otherwise required (i.e. conversion to psychology, grad entry med, law conversion etc).

Prospects are what you make of them.

Posted from TSR Mobile


Just realised I forgot to reply/thank you earlier on:angry:
Thanks for your advice and I've decided to apply for what I enjoy! Hopefully everything will turn out well through hard work.
Original post by JessicaApple
Just realised I forgot to reply/thank you earlier on:angry:
Thanks for your advice and I've decided to apply for what I enjoy! Hopefully everything will turn out well through hard work.


No worries, best of luck with your applications and remember to use your free time effectively :smile:

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Original post by Crabb1ey
Do what you love or you will be miserable (I did Geology for a year and ended up very depressed. And yes, Geology is another of those subjects where students get job offers before graduation and have a starting salary of £60,000 and can easily earn six figure sums within a few years). Experience is what helps you secure a job in Zoology. Think about what group of animals you'd like to study and focus on getting experience in that field. You can do loads - from research to environmental education. I'm actually planning to go into the wildlife guiding/whale-watching industry, which requires a relevant degree and a load of experience. Guiding will allow me to travel, and whilst not earn loads, I'll see amazing stuff! I'm already gaining experience and it's fantastic! And many whale-watching companies conduct research you collect whilst guiding then it is submitted for analysis. You don't have to analysis - you just collect the data/photo ID. You get to talk to be people about wildlife, you get to watch it and you're paid to do it! My recommendation is to do a year in industry - you will stand out and your career prospects will shoot up. Just think about what you'll enjoy as a career.


Thanks for you advice! I've decided on Biological Sciences at Oxford and Zoology for the rest of the unis.
Didn't go for a year in industry... I applied for an integrated master's instead.
It's just rather disheartening when everyone around you wants to study law/medic/business... Hopefully things will turn out fine in the end. Still dunno how I'm gonna deal with the ridiculously expensive tuition fees though.
Zoology can lead to lots of conservation type work, whether that be in research or education etc. It can also take you into some aspects of journalism - nature shows, newspaper columnists and so on. It would also (pending your degree) lead to other courses if you wanted to go further. I believe veterinary medicine courses will take Zoology grads for their 4 year postgraduate courses.
Original post by VMD100
Zoology can lead to lots of conservation type work, whether that be in research or education etc. It can also take you into some aspects of journalism - nature shows, newspaper columnists and so on. It would also (pending your degree) lead to other courses if you wanted to go further. I believe veterinary medicine courses will take Zoology grads for their 4 year postgraduate courses.


Thanks! I really hope I'll be able to get into conservation work even though it's super competitive. I'd love to be able to consider graduate entry vet med too but then I think I'll still be regarded as in international applicant even then:frown: so I wouldn't be able to afford the fees
Original post by JessicaApple
Thanks! I really hope I'll be able to get into conservation work even though it's super competitive. I'd love to be able to consider graduate entry vet med too but then I think I'll still be regarded as in international applicant even then:frown: so I wouldn't be able to afford the fees


I don't know about international fees but some vet schools charge the same post grad as undergraduate fees, RVC is one of these. May be worth looking into if that is what you want to do, though a far easier method would be to directly apply for the 5 year course before starting a zoology degree.
Original post by VMD100
I don't know about international fees but some vet schools charge the same post grad as undergraduate fees, RVC is one of these. May be worth looking into if that is what you want to do, though a far easier method would be to directly apply for the 5 year course before starting a zoology degree.


I would if I could:frown: but unfortunately international fees for one (clinical) year is close to local fees for the whole degree...
Original post by JessicaApple
I would if I could:frown: but unfortunately international fees for one (clinical) year is close to local fees for the whole degree...


Sorry for derailing your thread haha but consider maybe studying locally and if you want to work in the UK taking the RCVS membership exam? Alternatively there are foreign vet schools that automatically qualify you to work in the UK. UVM Kosice in Slovakia is not an unheard of choice.
Original post by JessicaApple
Hi everyone

I'm very interested in Zoology and I'd love to study it at university. However, I'm really worried about the career prospects! My plan is to hopefully study a Master's degree at Bristol. Would it be difficult to find a relevant job with decent pay after I graduate?

I'm starting to wonder if I should go for a more popular subject choice like Law.:s-smilie: (I don't hate it, I just don't love it with a passion!) My classmates are basically all doing either Medicine, Law, or Business.

Another concern would be the hefty school fees as an international student.:frown: (But I'm a resident legally speaking.) I'm just worried about not being able to earn back the money I'd spend on a Zoology degree!

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


Classmates all wanting to do medicine, law or business... sounds like everyone in my school as well except for a few brave people O.o
Original post by VMD100
Sorry for derailing your thread haha but consider maybe studying locally and if you want to work in the UK taking the RCVS membership exam? Alternatively there are foreign vet schools that automatically qualify you to work in the UK. UVM Kosice in Slovakia is not an unheard of choice.


There aren't any vet courses I can apply for where I live:frown: They will be trying out the very first vet course (ever) next year but I can't apply because I don't study chemistry haha
Even here in the UK, only Nottingham has a course for people who haven't studied chemistry:s-smilie:
It's okay though, I pretty much gave up on undergrad vet med ages ago haha
I don't particularly enjoy chemistry (hence not studying it) so maybe Zoology would be suitable for me. My only concerns are the fees and career prospects:smile:
Original post by wolfmoon88
Classmates all wanting to do medicine, law or business... sounds like everyone in my school as well except for a few brave people O.o


Finally someone who relates...
Such an environment makes it really hard to trust yourself and stick with what you love. I've seen so many people wanting to do subjects like environmental sciences/literature but then end up going for the more "respected" degrees when it's actually time to decide.
Original post by JessicaApple
Finally someone who relates...
Such an environment makes it really hard to trust yourself and stick with what you love. I've seen so many people wanting to do subjects like environmental sciences/literature but then end up going for the more "respected" degrees when it's actually time to decide.


Are you in Asia as well? I am in the same boat as you. My parents wanted me to go for Medicine but I decided that I didn't want to do it yet so I am applying to Human Sciences... A lot of my friends also ended up applying to more "respected degrees" or Ivy League universities in the US.

If you are in Asia have you considered applying to Hong Kong, Singapore or Chinese Universities? Although I can understand if you don't apply to any Asian universities because they are kind of a cancerous environment in terms of academics to live in. People are too conservative and rigid in their thinking here. O.o
Original post by wolfmoon88
Are you in Asia as well? I am in the same boat as you. My parents wanted me to go for Medicine but I decided that I didn't want to do it yet so I am applying to Human Sciences... A lot of my friends also ended up applying to more "respected degrees" or Ivy League universities in the US.

If you are in Asia have you considered applying to Hong Kong, Singapore or Chinese Universities? Although I can understand if you don't apply to any Asian universities because they are kind of a cancerous environment in terms of academics to live in. People are too conservative and rigid in their thinking here. O.o


I'm actually studying in Hong Kong right now:smile: It's rather conflicting for me because I'd say my situation is quite interesting. I'm of both Asian and British heritage haha so there's like a clash of cultural values too

Pfffft all Asians want their kids to be doctors!:tongue: I'm really glad to meet someone who's facing the same difficulties! My friends are all applying to US unis as well. Trust me when I say I understand how discouraging it can feel at times. We're in this together and I wish you the best of luck:smile:
Original post by JessicaApple
I'm actually studying in Hong Kong right now:smile: It's rather conflicting for me because I'd say my situation is quite interesting. I'm of both Asian and British heritage haha so there's like a clash of cultural values too

Pfffft all Asians want their kids to be doctors!:tongue: I'm really glad to meet someone who's facing the same difficulties! My friends are all applying to US unis as well. Trust me when I say I understand how discouraging it can feel at times. We're in this together and I wish you the best of luck:smile:


I am from Taiwan, the less famous one of the islands off the coast of China :P

Yeah I come from an international background as well, so cultural clashes are something I am pretty used to, I decided not to apply to US universities because they are too expensive...

Very discouraging... especially when almost everyone in your IB cohort is Oxbridge/ LSE/ Harvard/ Stanford etc... Yeah, we are all in this together :smile: I wish you good luck in your applications too.
Original post by wolfmoon88
I am from Taiwan, the less famous one of the islands off the coast of China :P

Yeah I come from an international background as well, so cultural clashes are something I am pretty used to, I decided not to apply to US universities because they are too expensive...

Very discouraging... especially when almost everyone in your IB cohort is Oxbridge/ LSE/ Harvard/ Stanford etc... Yeah, we are all in this together :smile: I wish you good luck in your applications too.


This is like speaking to a mirror! I didn't apply to US unis mostly for that reason too. But then also because I'm not a resident and because of SATs and all that.

By the way, Taiwan is an amazing place!!!!!
I love visiting Taiwan whenever I'm on holiday since it's so close to Hong Kong:biggrin:
Love the food, love the culture:h:
Original post by JessicaApple
This is like speaking to a mirror! I didn't apply to US unis mostly for that reason too. But then also because I'm not a resident and because of SATs and all that.

By the way, Taiwan is an amazing place!!!!!
I love visiting Taiwan whenever I'm on holiday since it's so close to Hong Kong:biggrin:
Love the food, love the culture:h:


Honestly, I feel like everyone in East Asia that is pretty international and has cultural clashes all feel this way. It's a systematic problem. I took the SAT but then was like SAT 2s and supplements and essays and more essays, I don't have time for that on top of IB and Extra-curriculars. Plus since our school sends out our applications in blocks, I really would like to give the chance to people who really want to get in or have to. I have a few friends who's parents won't pay for their education unless they go to XXX Ivy League University/ Stanford or become a doctor/ dentist/ lawyer etc... So taking up their spots ain't really something I'm interested in.

I really enjoy visiting HK as well, was there a few weeks ago because yeah it's so close. HK's food is really great as well :smile: Shopping too but I don't really shop. Hahaha, Taiwan is a small place but I feel like we are one of the safest places so that makes us awesome :smile:
Original post by wolfmoon88
Honestly, I feel like everyone in East Asia that is pretty international and has cultural clashes all feel this way. It's a systematic problem. I took the SAT but then was like SAT 2s and supplements and essays and more essays, I don't have time for that on top of IB and Extra-curriculars. Plus since our school sends out our applications in blocks, I really would like to give the chance to people who really want to get in or have to. I have a few friends who's parents won't pay for their education unless they go to XXX Ivy League University/ Stanford or become a doctor/ dentist/ lawyer etc... So taking up their spots ain't really something I'm interested in.

I really enjoy visiting HK as well, was there a few weeks ago because yeah it's so close. HK's food is really great as well :smile: Shopping too but I don't really shop. Hahaha, Taiwan is a small place but I feel like we are one of the safest places so that makes us awesome :smile:


Yeah I know it sucks:frown: It's really nice of you to be so considerate of your schoolmates. And IB does take up lots of time x_x
Sometimes I wonder if it's a good or bad thing that my parents are willing to support my (unusual) aspirations despite not being rich. I just hope I won't let them down:frown:
Would you mind sharing which unis you're applying for? I've seen you in other uni threads so I'm curious haha

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