Animal Behaviour MSci

Program Overview

MSci Animal Behaviour - 2026 entry

Overview

Our MSci provides an opportunity to work on a project focused on a specialised area aligned with one of our leading research groups. Study aspects of behaviour in wild, domestic and captive animals, and learn the value of studying animals in their natural habitats. Understand the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of natural behaviour: how current and past environments and ecology influence behaviour, how behaviour is shaped by underlying gene-environment interactions, and why we see variation among individuals, species and species groups. Experience extensive fieldwork in the UK and international locations. Study at our modern, eco-friendly Penryn Campus, situated in one of the UK’s most beautiful and inspiring regions, with a stunning natural environment that serves as your classroom.

Entry Requirements

• Typical offer: A-Level: AAB, IB: 34/665, BTEC: DDD
• Contextual offers: A-Level: ABC, IB: 30/555, BTEC: DDM
• Required subjects: A in a science subject (Biology/Human Biology, Chemistry, Food and Nutrition, Geography, Life and Health Sciences (Double Award only), Marine Science, Physics, Psychology or Maths/Pure Maths/Further Maths)
• GCSE: C or 4 in English Language, B or 5 in Mathematics
• Access to HE: 30 L3 credits at Distinction Grade and 15 L3 credits at Merit Grade, including at least 15 L3 credits at Distinction Grade in a science subject
• T-Level: Not accepted
• English language requirements: International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2.

Course Content

Year 1

• Compulsory modules:
  • BIO1434: Ecology and Conservation (30 credits)
  • BIO1435: Animal Diversity (30 credits)
  • BIO1436: Evolution and Genetics (30 credits)
• Optional modules:
  • BIO1437: Life Processes (30 credits)

Year 2

• Compulsory modules:
  • BIO2426: Analysis of Biological Data (15 credits)
  • BIO2444: Scotland Field Course (15 credits)
  • BIO2450: Biosciences Penryn Virtual Field Course (15 credits)
  • BIO2458: Scillies St Agnes Field Course (15 credits)
  • BIO2459: Scillies St Mary's Field Course (15 credits)
  • BIO2463: Animal Behaviour (30 credits)
• Optional modules:
  • BIO2407: Population and Community Ecology (15 credits)
  • BIO2414: Evolutionary Ecology (15 credits)
  • BIO2423: Wildlife Disease (15 credits)
  • BIO2461: Conservation Science (30 credits)
  • BIO2462: Marine Ecology (30 credits)
  • BIO2465: Wildlife Exploitation (15 credits)
  • BIO2467: Adaptations to Life on Earth (15 credits)
  • ECM2911: Mathematics of the Environment (15 credits)
  • GEO2450: Biogeography (15 credits)

Year 3

• Compulsory modules:
  • BIO3136: Research Project (40 credits)
  • BIO3423: Azores Field Course (30 credits)
  • BIO3429: Northern Spain Field Course (30 credits)
  • BIO3430: Tropical Biodiversity and Conservation: Costa Rica Field Course (30 credits)
  • BIO3439: Alpine Ecology Field Course (30 credits)
  • BIO3444: Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation in Wild Places: The Forests and Oceans of Yukon and Alaska (30 credits)
  • BIO3445: European Wildlife Conservation Field Course in the Pyrenees (30 credits)
  • BIO3440: Global Research Skills Virtual Field Course (15 credits)
  • BIO3407: Literature Review in Evolution and Ecology (15 credits)
  • LES3001: Preparing to Graduate (5 credits)
• Optional modules:
  • BIO3135: Human Behavioural Ecology (15 credits)
  • BIO3400: Living in Groups (15 credits)
  • BIO3407: Literature Review in Evolution and Ecology (15 credits)
  • BIO3410: Sensory Ecology (15 credits)
  • BIO3411: Science in Society (15 credits)
  • BIO3413: Animal Life Histories (15 credits)
  • BIO3415: Ecological Responses to Climate Change (15 credits)
  • BIO3420: Evolutionary Biology of Health and Disease (15 credits)
  • BIO3421: Animal Migration (15 credits)
  • BIO3422: Animal Cognition (15 credits)
  • BIO3426: Primate Biology and Conservation (15 credits)
  • BIO3428: The Complexity of Human Societies (15 credits)
  • BIO3434: Major Transitions in Evolutionary History (15 credits)
  • BIO3443: The Genome: Applications, Evolution and Ecology (15 credits)
  • CSM3409: Politics, Mining and Sustainable Development (15 credits)
  • ECE3001: Living with Environmental Change (15 credits)
  • ECE3003: Global and Planetary Health (15 credits)

Final Year

• Compulsory modules:
  • BIOM052: Academic Research Project (60 credits)
  • BIOM4043: Rewilding the United Kingdom (30 credits)
  • LESM003: Literature Review in the Life Sciences (15 credits)
  • LESM005: Applied Data Analysis (15 credits)

Fees

• Tuition fees for 2025 entry:
  • UK students: £9,535 per year
  • International students: £30,900 per year

Fieldwork

• Field courses: Please note, some optional/alternative field courses may incur additional costs. When participating in these optional field courses, you will be expected to cover the cost of travel to some locations, which will be outlined clearly beforehand. However, field courses with no additional travel costs are available to select in each year.
• Personal equipment: You will also need to provide your own specialist personal equipment appropriate to the field course destination, e.g. walking boots, rucksack, mosquito net, sleeping bag, binoculars. You may incur additional costs dependent upon the specific demands of the research project chosen.

Scholarships

• Exeter Excellence Scholarships: The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year.
• Financial support: Financial support is also available for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, lower income households and other under-represented groups to help them access, succeed and progress through higher education.

Learning and Teaching

• Learn from experts: We believe that every student benefits from being part of a culture that is inspired by research and being taught by experts. You will discuss the very latest ideas in seminars and tutorials and be an active member of a research team. Our academics bring their results from the laboratory and the field directly to their teaching, and our students also help to collect this data.
• Assessment: Your first year does not count towards your final degree classification, but you do have to pass it in order to progress. All marks after your first year count towards your final classification. Modules are assessed using a variety of methods including essays, exams, presentations, laboratory reports and a dissertation.
• Taking modules outside of your programme: Depending on your programme you can take up to 30 credits each year in another subject, for instance a language or business module, to develop career-related skills or widen your intellectual horizons.

Your Future

• Employer-valued skills: A degree in Ecology and Conservation will help you to develop a wide range of essential skills such as analytical problem-solving, teamwork and organising and communicating information.
• Career paths: Many of our graduates are employed in discipline-relevant roles in the UK and overseas including laboratory-based positions, conservation management, ecology, teaching and nursing. Others use the skills gained on their course to enter widely different career paths in law, business or management.
• Further study: Further study is a popular choice for a number of students following graduation from an Ecology and Conservation undergraduate degree.