Marine Zoology Course

Course Accreditation

QLS-01948

Marine Zoology Diploma Course

Course Price: £699

£325 followed by 5 x monthly payments of £90 (includes optional practical)

(Course cost is all inclusive of tutoring fees, assessments, materials and course registration)

Please click here for more information about course accreditation

Continued Professional Development

This theory aspect of this course counts for 72 hours CPD. 142 hours CPD with the practical placement included.

Anyone 18 or over and studying our Marine Zoology Diploma Course is eligible for ZSL (Zoological Society of London) Fellowship.

Marine Zoology Diploma
Level 3 (Advanced)

This Marine Zoology Course gives students a thorough grounding in the subject of marine life from the evolution of life in the oceans to the amazing adaptations to the harsh marine environment.

It covers marine invertebrates and vertebrates from the smallest zooplankton to the largest animals that ever lived.

It explores how all marine life is linked within food webs.

The course covers the extraordinary marine adaptations of animals living in the sea and discusses the threats to marine life and how we can conserve our oceans.

This Advanced Level 3 Diploma course is suitable for anyone with an interest in marine life and is valuable preparation for anyone wishing to pursue a career in marine zoology.

Module 1

Did Life Evolve in the Ocean?

Module 1 of the Marine Zoology Course explores the theories of how life evolved in the oceans and the animals that live in one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Learn about animals that display amazing adaptations. Learn about how life evolved in the oceans from the simplest single-celled animals to the complex animals we see in our oceans today.

Module 2

Marine Invertebrates

This module includes animals such as sponges, jellies and corals, marine worms, molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms and other marine invertebrates. The vast majority of animals in the sea are invertebrates and many are the oldest and most beautiful of the marine creatures.

Module 3

The Web of Life in the Sea

Food webs are fundamental to life in the oceans and are based on primary productivity – tiny phytoplankton and zooplankton that support life in the sea. Learn about the diversity and distribution of some of the smallest organisms in the ocean and discover how food webs work.

Module 4

Marine vertebrates

Learn about marine vertebrates such as bony fish, cartilaginous fish (sharks and rays), marine reptiles and marine mammals. This module explores an amazing diversity of animals found from the poles to the tropics.

Module 5

Marine Adaptations

The marine environment is one of the harshest places on Earth and the animals living there show remarkable adaptations to life in the sea. Learn how marine animals are able to live and reproduce and how they sense their environment, reproduce, respire, cope with salt water and how they feed and move in the cold dense water of the oceans.

Module 6

Marine Conservation

There are many threats to marine life including pollution, overfishing and global warming. Many threats are caused by humans and we look at how we are impacting marine life and what we can do to conserve our oceans as an important habitat.

2 Week Practical Placement (Optional) at the Merlin Animal Welfare and Development Department in Weymouth OR the Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire

Merlin Animal Welfare and Development department in Weymouth

The Merlin Animal Welfare and Development department supports SEA LIFE public aquaria throughout the Merlin estate and is responsible for setting standards, the development of new displays and rolling out new concepts to SEA LIFE sites. The department is located on the same site as Weymouth SEA LIFE Park but is run separately. The Department offers site support for all sites globally, and undertakes research into all aspects of exhibitory. Their main concerns and areas of expertise are animal health and welfare and they advise all sites on these matters.

This placement gives students the opportunity to work alongside experienced aquarists and marine biologists in the day to day running of the Concept Development Unit where animals are quarantined and their husbandry requirements developed ready for innovative displays. Students attending this placement will gain hands-on experience working with a variety of marine animals.

This is a fantastic opportunity to gain highly sought after hands-on experience. This placement includes gaining skills and knowledge in:

Aquatic animal husbandry
Species identification
Veterinary care
Animal behaviour
Life support systems
Water quality

The animals at the Merlin Animal Welfare and Development department will vary but will predominantly include marine fish and invertebrates.

The Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire

Offers the placement working with a wide range of species. Their zoological collection is split into three subsections:

Freshwater
Marine
Herpetological (the section also contains Asian short clawed otters)

The main objectives of this programme are to learn about the working world of a public aquarium and the aquarium industry as a whole. As one of the largest commercial aquariums in the country the zoological department is proactive in conducting their own husbandry work, undertaking the volunteer programme you will benefit from learning about and or having an influence on:

Exhibit development
The different biomes Blue Planet Aquarium creates
The role of SCUBA diving in the aquarium
Health and safety practices within a zoological/aquarium setting
The role of a public aquarium in modern day society
Animal husbandry
Zoological collection management

Having a placement is NOT a compulsory element of this course and we recognise that some students may not be able to commit to either placement. Accommodation and travel costs are not included.

Please note that students can enrol on this course without the Practical Placement. Students must be at least 18 years old to take part in either placement.

Free with this course 2 ebooks - over 600 pages of exclusive content - Volunteering with Animals and Working with Animals, compiled and written by the Animal Jobs Direct team of animal care professionals.

£699

£325 followed by 5 x monthly payments of £90 (includes optional practical)

(Course cost is all inclusive of tutoring fees, assessments, materials and course registration)

Please contact us if you would like to enrol WITHOUT the practical placement

Click here if you would like more information about us and how to enrol and study

Contact us to discuss this Marine Zoology Course

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Animal Jobs Direct Education Centre offers various Ofqual Approved Qualifications and has been Approved and Accredited by 5 National Awarding Bodies