Planning to study Zoology after Class XII? Here’s what’s on offer

One of the main branches of the Biological Sciences, Zoology deals with the animal world and involves both lab and field work. Apart from every aspect of Animal Science, it offers you the scope to work in fields as diverse as Biochemistry, Genetics, Ecology and Conservation, and Pharmaceuticals.

How to study Zoology

You need to clear your Class XII board exams from the Science stream to be able to pursue Zoology at the bachelor’s level. Depending on colleges, admission is based on your score in the board exam or your performance in the entrance exam. Different colleges set different cut-offs for merit-based admission.

Some popular institutes for studying Zoology at the bachelor’s level:

Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Banaras

• Course offered: BSc in Zoology

• Duration: Three years

• Mode of admission: You need to clear BHU UET (Bio group).

• Exam pattern: Computer-based test (CBT)

• Eligibility: You need to score at least 50% aggregate in your Class XII exams and should get pass marks in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geology/Geography.

You can find more here.

University of Delhi, Delhi

• Course offered: BSc in Zoology

• Duration: Three years

• Mode of admission: Merit-based.

• Eligibility: You need to score at least 55% marks in Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology/Biochemistry (practical and theory) and at least 50% in English. Each college under the university sets its own cut-off.

You can find more here.

Presidency University, Kolkata

• Course offered: BSc in Life Sciences

• Duration: Three years

• Mode of Admission: Earlier, you needed to clear PUBDET (Presidency University Bachelor’s Degree Entrance Test), an OMR-based exam conducted by WBJEEB (West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination Board), for admission. But students were admitted based on their board exam scores in the last two years due to the pandemic.

• Eligibility: At least 70% aggregate in Class XII board exams was required for admission to the BSc course in Life Sciences in 2020 and 2021.

You can find more here.

St Xavier's College Mumbai

• Course offered: BSc in Zoology

• Duration: Three years

• Mode of admission: Merit-based

• Eligibility: You need at least 60% aggregate in your Class XII board exams and Life Science/Biological Science as a subject.

You can find more here.

Visva-Bharati, Bolpur, West Bengal

• Course offered: BSc in Zoology

• Duration: Three years

• Mode of admission: Merit-based

• Eligibility: You need at least 70% marks in Life Science/Biological Science in your Class XII exams.

You can find more here.

Some colleges under the University of Calcutta which offer BSc in Zoology:

• Asutosh College
• Lady Brabourne College
• Jogamaya Devi College
• Scottish Church College

Some top institutes to pursue master's in Zoology:

• University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad
• Banaras Hindu University, Banaras
• Madras Christian College, Chennai
• University of Delhi, Delhi
• Christ University, Bangalore
• University of Calcutta, Kolkata
• Presidency University , Kolkata

Some job roles for zoologists:

• Ecologist: They collect and analyse data from the environment to study the relationships between various components of the living world.

• Marine Biologist: They deal with marine life forms and monitor the changes in the marine ecosystem that can hamper lives there.

• Entomologist: They are experts on insects and advise governments on the proper course of action during an infestation.

• Wildlife biologist: Wild biologists figure out how wild animals interact within the ecosystem as they study animal behaviour and the impact of humans on wildlife and their habitats.