MSc Zoo Conservation Biology

Our MSc Zoo Conservation Biology course is run in close collaboration with Chester Zoo and is designed to produce graduates who would like to develop careers in the research and conservation of captive populations. The course features a strong numerical and research-oriented approach, helping you gain highly specialised and sought-after skills as you embark on your career.

The core Zoo Conservation module is studied at the most visited zoo in the UK - Chester Zoo - and features guest lectures from zoo practitioners. There is also an option to choose between a field course or placement module. Field courses may include a trip to:

• Europe (e.g. the Białowieża forest in Poland or the Mediterranean environment in France)
• Turkey
• Tanzania in East Africa

If you choose the placement module, you can carry out a 3-month placement at a UK zoo or aquarium which we can help you apply for, ensuring it is best suited to your career and research aspirations.

You'll benefit from the course's unique partnership with Chester Zoo and learning from a large community of research active staff and zoo professionals. This network ensures that our course content is relevant to current conservation practices and helps to grow your professional connections; enhancing not just your specialist knowledge, but your future career prospects as well.

Furthermore, we're home to the UK’s only university-based Amphibian Conservation Research Facilities, which works with zoos nationwide to determine the best way to conserve amphibians in captivity and halt their ongoing decline. So, even when studying on our Manchester Met campus, you’ll work alongside world-leading researchers to answer some of the most pressing questions in conservation. These on-site facilities make it easy for you to put theory into practice, harnessing a career-focused approach that gives you unrivalled real-world experience.

You’ll need a UK honours degree – normally a 2:2 – or the international equivalent, in a relevant subject. We might also consider your application if you have several years’ professional experience in a related field.

Overseas applicants will require IELTS with an overall score of 6.5 with no less than 5.5 in any category, or an equivalent accepted English qualification. See accepted English qualifications.