You could study for a degree in a subject, such as:

• zoology
• animal ecology and behaviour
• conservation
• marine biology
• environmental biology

You may need a relevant postgraduate qualification like a master's degree or PhD for certain jobs, particularly in research.

Some degree courses offer a placement year where you can get relevant experience in areas like conservation.

Doing an internship during the summer holidays can also help you gain useful knowledge and skills. Your university careers department will be able to give you information about opportunities. They may also have links with wildlife or conservation organisations in the UK or overseas.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including biology for a degree
• a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

Volunteering in conservation work is a good way to strengthen your application for university courses.

Many opportunities won't be advertised, so you could contact organisations directly.

You can also use sites like:

• Royal Society of Biology
• The Wildlife Trusts
• World Wildlife Fund
• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

You'll need:

• knowledge of biology
• science skills
• the ability to work well with others
• excellent verbal communication skills
• maths knowledge
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• analytical thinking skills
• excellent written communication skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

As a zoologist, you could work in agriculture, conservation, pharmaceuticals or for government departments.

You'll usually specialise in an area like:

• ecology - animal environments
• herpetology - reptiles
• entomology - insects
• ornithology - birds
• parasitology - parasites
• paleozoology - fossil remains

Depending on your role, sector and specialism, you could:

• do field and laboratory research
• study animals in their natural environment or in captivity
• identify, record and monitor animal species
• gather and interpret information and data
• write detailed technical reports, give presentations and publish research findings in journals and books

You could work in a laboratory or at a research facility.

Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time and you'll travel often.