Zoology, the scientific study of animals in nature, including their biology, ecology, behaviour, and evolution, can help us understand the connections between animals and the environment and the impact of human activities.
The Zoology major at the University of Guelph provides a strong foundation in the structure and function, physiology and ecology of vertebrates and invertebrates. You’ll explore topics ranging from animal behaviour and ecosystems to the evolution of invertebrates, while developing the knowledge and skills to investigate how animals adapt, survive, and respond to environmental change.
Students are encouraged to focus their studies where they’re most interested, with courses in adaptational physiology, developmental biology, as well as hands-on labs in ornithology, ichthyology, herpetology and/or mammalogy. You can also pursue your own research question through a fourth-year independent research project.
Develop Your Knowledge of Animal Life
This major provides you with a broad foundation in animal biology and biodiversity, from the individual to population levels, with courses in physiology, ecology, evolution, and the structure and function of invertebrates and vertebrates.
Gain Hands-On Experience
Take your studies beyond the classroom through field courses to places like Algonquin Provincial Park and St. Andrews, New Brunswick, state-of-the-art facilities, including the on-campus Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, and the University’s own 400-acre Arboretum. In your fourth year, you can pursue your own research questions through an independent research course.
To see all courses offered in the Zoology program, visit our Academic Calendar.