Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Zoology

at Anglia Ruskin University - Cambridge Campus United Kingdom

Do you want a career that gets to the heart of society’s problems and changes people’s lives? Gain the skills to identify key social challenges, and analyse and identify policies used to address them on this interdisciplinary Masters course.

• Choose to take a work placement as part of your Major Project, with support from the course staff and the Employability team
• Study in Cambridge, a hub for exchanges on social welfare and policy reflected in the many networks and events, including the Festival of Ideas and Festival of Being Human
• Learn from a Course Leader who is a specialist in research and teaching in an international context
• Study on a course with a truly global outlook, from its multicultural students to its focus on international issues
• Attend guest lecturers by key figures in policy-making and field trips to national and international organisations like Chatham House, Oxfam and UNICEF

Why study social welfare and social policy?

• Studying social welfare and social policy will allow you to focus on the areas of most importance to people’s lives, including education, housing, health, and criminal justice, giving you the skills and understanding to make a difference to people’s lives at local, national and international levels.
• It will prepare you for many careers in non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including community organisations, charities, social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations, as well as governmental or academic institutions.

What will you do on the course?

• How can issues such as child labour and trafficking be overcome through global initiatives? Can changes to local policy do anything to stop domestic violence or knife crime?
• On our Masters course, you will explore these and many other issues, comparing different strategies and policies across different countries, and from the perspective of many different disciplines, including politics, criminology and psychology.

Why study social welfare and social policy at ARU?
Our Master’s course attracts multicultural students with a variety of backgrounds from sociology to business studies, and health to the Arts.

Whatever their background, our students are all enthusiastic about making a difference to their communities by improving human rights and living conditions. This might include changing how their society handles issues such as gender equality, prisoners’ rights, children’s education, or environmental protection, among others.

The international dimension of our Masters course will also make you an attractive candidate for potential employers – you will be used to working alongside people from different backgrounds, as well as exploring social issues from the perspective of different cultures.

Focusing a range of periods and themes including British and global histories, race and politics, gender, sexuality and the body, and also how we recreate history, you’ll take part in hands-on historical research to make sense of how past events have shaped our world today.

Cambridge is the perfect place to study history. Thanks to our close links with local organisations, you’ll find yourself handling historical objects, leafing through archival material, and working with museum professionals, as well as engaging with digital sources and archives.

There’s also the chance to study abroad for a semester, take part in European field trips, and go on work placements as you prepare for a career in many different fields including business, management, local government, heritage, museums and more.

As a history student at ARU, you'll form an understanding of why people and societies think and behave as they do – and how these actions can echo down the centuries. This historical insight will sharpen your ability to analyse and tackle complex problems, such as how social divisions arise and dictators come to power. You’ll also form an awareness of the limitations of our knowledge and the dangers of simplistic explanations.

These are important skills, with the World Economic Forum listing complex problem solving and critical thinking as two of the top 10 skills we need to thrive in today’s workforce.

In Years 2 and 3, our optional modules allow you to explore the areas of history that interest you most, with topics including the First World War, modern British politics, sport, the Russian Revolution and histories of everyday life. There is even a class on the history of James Bond! Meanwhile, your Undergraduate Major Project lets you complete a substantial piece of research work so that you become a historian in your own right.

You’ll be supported by staff, recognised as leaders in their field, whose expertise ranges from British imperialism and Victorian studies, to modern politics, gender history and the history of sense and emotions. It’s no surprise that our BA (Hons) History degree came 4th in the UK for ‘Satisfied with Teaching’ in The Guardian University Guide 2019 – and received an overall satisfaction score of more than 94% in the National Student Survey 2020.

Develop your skills in major areas of biomedical science, including molecular cell biology, biomedical genetics and specialised topics in medical diagnostics. You'll focus on rapidly-evolving research into the applications of bioscience in healthcare whilst working in our impressive Cambridge Science Centre laboratories.

Throughout our course you'll develop advanced knowledge and skills in the diverse areas of applied bioscience, emphasising on medical applications You'll also develop a comprehensive understanding of advanced analytical techniques. Upon completion of your Masters, you'll be able to confidently design, execute and critically analyse both independent and group based scientific research in an appropriate area of applied bioscience.

You'll be immersed in an environment that mirrors a modern laboratory setting and benefit from the expertise of our Biomedical Science team and their intimate knowledge and collaborations within the field of bioscience.

The state-of-the art facilities in our new Science Centre include specialist tissue culture and microbiology laboratories, as well as general teaching and research labs. We have a wide range of specialist laboratory equipment which you will use in practicals and your projects. We maintain strong links to a number of hospitals within the NHS, and related industries within the East of England.

Our course is suitable for those who wish to specialise in the current medical applications of bioscience such as molecular and cell biology as a progression from a relevant first degree, as well as students with a strong background in ‘traditional’ analytical science (chemistry or biology).

Learn to create images that tell compelling stories, whether your dream is to be a fashion or fine art photographer or a photojournalist.

As a photography student at ARU you’ll explore many areas of photographic practice including digital and analogue image-making, experimental crossovers, multimedia, self-publishing and exhibition.

Take full advantage of our specialist darkrooms, photographic studios, and digital post-production and printing suite. You can also borrow specialist camera equipment through our dedicated loan service.

All your work will be supported by academic staff working at the forefront of photographic research and innovation and have years of professional experience. You will be taught through individual tutorial and studio sessions, as well as in group lectures and workshops, with regular career development events throughout your study. Recent guest speakers have included Tom Hunter, Jane Hilton, Tim Flach, Hannah Starkey, Carole Evans, Alastair Levy, Mike Crawford and Lillian Wilkie.

Through continuous experimentation, you’ll be encouraged to refine your photographic style and voice.

Critical and contextual studies will connect your own research and writing to your practice and will guide you to specialist resources in our campus library. Explore hundreds of photographers’ monographs and access technical and contextual texts, as well as other online resources, to underpin and expand your practice.

You can expand your skillset, with additional technical workshops including printmaking, 3D work and writing workshops. You can choose to take part in photography field trips too, and experience photographing different locations such as Venice and Prague.

While studying BA (Hons) Photography with us, you’ll learn to adopt a professional approach to your work, covering aspects of career management such as rights issues, project management and self-promotion through social media. You can choose to take up work placements that will help you establish your own professional network, including opportunities such as working for magazines, galleries and photographers. You can also take an optional placement year.

Prepare for a career in technical art in the visual effects and video games industry. Develop your skills to meet demand for roles including technical artist, procedural content creator and technical director.

Our BA (Hons) Visual Effects Technical Art will help you become an artist skilled in the latest procedural 3D techniques, who can work alongside programmers, developers and other artists.Using the latest procedural content creation software, you’ll learn to design and deploy solutions to problems encountered in the video games and visual effects industries.

As well as exploring the key areas of working with VFX and computer graphics, our course will keep you up to date with the latest techniques and trends. We'll also help you identify the supporting skills and knowledge that you’ll need to succeed in the creative industries.

Throughout your Visual Effects Technical Art degree, our expert staff are on hand to offer support and feedback. They’ll help you create an online presence to showcase your work. All our lecturers and staff are researchers and practitioners, and their work reflects current VFX practice.

Our MA Graphic Design and Typography is unique in its focus on building your graphic design practice and exploring and developing your role as visual designer and creative.

The course addresses issues including integration and diversity, behavioural change, community cohesion, and environmental challenges.

Whatever your background, you will advance your visual practice in areas that are important for design, such as concept development, communication and typographic design and textuality. You will combine this with extending your knowledge on the complexities of socio-environmental problems; insight into institutional and government structures; creative project development and management; design methods; and collaboration processes. This means you will gain the confidence to progress your career as graphic designer and have an active creative role in social and environmental change-making processes.

As a postgraduate student at ARU, you’ll have access to a dedicated base studio, along with specialist facilities such as film, photography and printmaking studios. You will receive training in creative software such as Adobe Cloud – and can access training in all our other art and creative industries facilities, too. 

Studying in our dedicated studios at Cambridge School of Art and at project locations, much of your work will be practice-based. You will take part in live projects, working with an external partner and students from related Masters degrees, as well as proposing and undertaking your own self-directed projects.

Throughout the course, you will collaborate and discuss your graphic design work with staff, external partners, visiting professionals and fellow students, giving you an invaluable opportunity to see how others respond to it. All our teaching team are practising designers, design researchers and artists, so you will hear about the latest news and issues in the industry, as well as getting access to sound careers advice.

Develop your individual practice, explore and experiment with new processes and media, and engage with contemporary practice and theory by studying for our BA (Hons) Fine Art degree at Cambridge School of Art.

At ARU, studying Fine Art allows you to experiment with your creativity, explore materials and processes, and discover which media best communicate your ideas.

We encourage creative risk-taking, and you’ll have to the chance to explore many new practices and artistic platforms, including photography, printmaking, performance art, film and video, digital media, installation and site-specific approaches. Take a look at some of our students' work.

Our tutors, who are all professional artists, and expert technicians will be on hand to support you. It’s one of the reasons our course is ranked 7th in the UK for 'Satisfaction with Teaching' (The Guardian University Guide 2020).

Here at Cambridge School of Art you’ll be hands-on in your own studio space from the very start of your course. Our studios are based around our digital and traditional exhibition space, the Ruskin Gallery, and you’ll work closely with fine artists in other years and with students from across our creative community. Perhaps most importantly, you’ll get time, guidance and support from our team of practicing artists, dedicated to your creative development. We’ll support you to experiment with materials and across a range of different media, processes and techniques as you develop confidence and build a substantial portfolio of work.

We learn outside the studio too, with visits to local exhibitions, galleries in London and international trips to centres of contemporary art such as Berlin, Madrid, Amsterdam and the Venice Bienniale.

Throughout the course there are opportunities to collaborate and exhibit your work and it’s a great way to develop professional skills in curating, event management, marketing and promotion.

Our students have recently held exhibitions at Cambridge ArtSpace and created site-specific installations at the Institute of Astronomy, the Botanic Gardens and the Museum of Technology. You’ll also showcase your work in our graduating degree show and, as a (Hons) Fine Art student, you’ll also be considered for our annual Supanee Gazeley Prize, a £3,000 award for the best Degree Show exhibition.

All our students are invited to attend the lecture series run by our Fine Art Research Unit, exposing you to contemporary debates in fine art practice. You’ll also study the history and theory of fine art, giving you a solid grounding for careers in the creative and cultural sector, such as curation, arts administration, or arts publishing and journalism – as well as teaching and education.

With an eye on your future career, you’ll receive ongoing support to find placements and work experience and you can also take an optional placement year.

Our Zoology BSc (Hons) course will see you joining the likes of Charles Darwin, Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall and David Attenborough in exploring and explaining the diversity of animals from all over the globe.

You’ll build an understanding and skill-set in anatomy and physiology, behaviour, genetics, ecology and evolution, and the importance of wildlife conservation.

As part of your studies, you’ll get the opportunity to learn hands-on zoology skills – with plenty of time in our labs in Cambridge, as well as on field trips around the UK and beyond. Develop the scientific training and practical skills you need for a career in wildlife conservation, environmental consultancy or in zoos.

Recognised by the Royal Society of Biology, our BSc (Hons) Zoology degree is a practical subject with plenty of opportunity to learn and practise new skills, both in the lab and out in the field.

Take part in cutting-edge research in our specialist labs, closely linked to Cambridge University, and study zoology in marine and terrestrial systems, in both laboratory and field settings.

There’s an opportunity to join paid field trips too. You could experience rutting red deer on the island of Rum, investigate world-class zoos in the Netherlands, study practical marine biology in Scotland, dive in the Red Sea or even spend time learning about ecology and conservation in Africa. We also offer an optional placement year as part of your Zoology degree.

Fast becoming a world centre for wildlife conservation, Cambridge is home to Fauna and Flora International, Birdlife International and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. During your time with us, you’ll have opportunities to attend lectures and visit specialist museums and libraries in the University of Cambridge.

As a student here, you’ll learn from staff who are involved in field and captive studies internationally and in the UK, and have research links with a range of organisations including some of Britain's most respected zoos.

Develop your writing in a supportive and creative environment, with tips from our team of professional writers on how to improve your technique and get published.

Join a course taken by many successful published authors and take your creative writing to a professional level.

Our Masters course in Creative Writing will give you the opportunity to improve your writing by practising and sharing it with a close group of fellow writers, including specialist lecturers who are published authors.

You’ll study the most acclaimed writers of the past 200 years and discover the techniques they used to make their work stand out. We’ll give you opportunities to practise your technique in areas such as characterisation, structure and pacing, and experiment with different forms of writing.

Explore professional writing techniques and learn to write compelling narratives whether you want to write poetry, drama, short fiction, news, features, or something else. You’ll improve your writing skills with invaluable feedback from professional writers, and workshops with your fellow students.

You’ll also find out how English literature is shaped by its historical and cultural context, and how, in turn, it influences individual readers and the whole of society. You’ll also learn about many other subjects, including history, politics, religion, psychology and history of art, which will enrich your writing. Your deeper understanding of literary texts will improve your abilities as a writer.

You can tailor your Writing and English Literature degree to your ideal career with our wide range of optional modules, including work-based modules in Years 2 and 3. We’ll support you to find work placements relevant to your chosen career. You can also take an optional placement year.

You’ll also have the option to learn a language with our Anglia Language Programme in Years 2 and 3, and/or study abroad for a semester and apply for funding to help cover the cost.

You’ll develop many skills besides writing, including literacy, communication, research, creative thinking, self-reliance and teamwork, all of which can help you start a career in many different areas.