BSc in Zoology Syllabus & Subjects 2025

The syllabus of the BSc in Zoology course helps students to learn about living and non-living animals, their evolutionary history, and their ongoing interaction with the existing ecosystems. Students get to learn a wide range of topics related to Zoology through this course. Some of the subjects covered under the BSc in Zoology syllabus include Animal Diversity, Evolution, Ecology, Genetics, Food Chains, Principles of General Biology, Biodiversity, Genomics, Biochemistry, etc. Under this course, students get to learn about the theoretical and practical aspects of Zoology.

Students should focus on attaining the practical knowledge required to work as a professional in this industry. The course duration of the BSc Zoology course is three years. The course is divided into six semesters, wherein students are taught through methods like process-based learning, experimental methods, problem-solving exercises, projects, and more. Some of the most important topics under the BSc Zoology syllabus are Animal Discovery, Invertebrate & Vertebrate Zoology, Applied Zoology and Ethology, and more. To read about the BSc Zoology subjects and syllabus in detail, scroll through this page.

Also Read: Top BSc Zoology Colleges in India 2025

The BSc Zoology course is divided into six semesters. Under this course, students get to learn about various concepts such as Animal Diversity, Evolution, Ecology, Genetics, Food Chains, Principles of General Biology, etc. The major focus of this course is the animal kingdom and the various aspects of animal life. The syllabus for the BSc in Zoology varies from college to college. However, the subjects and the concepts taught in these three years more or less remain the same. Check out the semester-wise syllabus for BSc Zoology as given below:

BSc in Zoology First Year Syllabus

The table below contains the list of BSc in Zoology subjects in the first year (semester 1 and semester 2):

BSc in Zoology Second Year Syllabus

The table below contains the list of BSc in Zoology subjects in the second year (semester 3 and semester 4):

BSc in Zoology Third Year Syllabus

The table below contains the list of BSc in Zoology subjects in the third year (semester 5 and semester 6):

Also Read: BSc Hons Zoology Syllabus & Subjects 2025

The subjects of the BSc in Zoology course encompass core, elective, and lab components. The main aim of this course is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the origin and evolution of diverse animals and their species. Various sub-fields like Embryology, Immunology, Ecology, are taught through this undergraduate course. Students can check out some of the core subjects of the BSc in Zoology course as given below:

BSc Zoology Core Subjects

Here is a list of the core subjects covered under the BSc Zoology course:

• Non-Chordates I: Protista to Pseudocoelomates
• Perspectives in Ecology 
• Non-chordates II: Coelomates 
• Cell Biology 
• Diversity of Chordates 
• Physiology: Controlling and Coordinating Systems 
• Fundamentals of Biochemistry 
• Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates 
• Physiology: Life Sustaining Systems 
• Biochemistry of Metabolic Processes 
• Molecular Biology 
• Principles of Genetics 
• Developmental Biology 
• Evolutionary Biology

BSc Zoology Discipline Specific Subjects

Here is a list of discipline-specific subjects covered under this course:

• Agrochemicals and Pest Management
• Animal Behaviour and Chronobiology
• Animal Biotechnology
• Basics of Neuroscience
• Biology of Insecta
• Computational Biology
• Endocrinology
• Fish and Fisheries
• Immunology
• Parasitology
• Reproductive Biology
• Wildlife Conservation and Management

BSc Zoology Skill Enhancement Subjects

Here is a list of Skill Enhancement Subjects covered under this course:

• Apiculture
• Aquarium Fish Keeping
• Medical Diagnostics
• Research Methodology
• Sericulture

Also Read: List of CUET 2025 Subjects for BSc Zoology

Selecting the right subject combination is important for any course. With the right subject studied, students can explore the appropriate career options for them. Therefore, students who opt for this course must be knowledgeable about the optional subjects. BSc Zoology subjects are included with a few optional papers. The students pursuing this course need to select the BSc Zoology optional subjects according to their subject interest. Listed below are the subjects offered in the BSc optional category:

• Animal Cell Biotechnology
• Animal Diversity
• Aquatic Biology
• Environment and Public Health
• Exploring the Brain: Structure and Function
• Food, Nutrition and Health
• Human Physiology
• Insect Vectors and Diseases

Each of the optional BSc Zoology subjects helps the learners to go in-depth about the matter. Zoo Curator, Biomedical Scientist, and Lab Technician are some careers students often choose after a BSc in Zoology course. Whatever field they choose, the knowledge of these optional subjects plays a pivotal role in shaping their career.

Students gain guided work experience through BSc Zoology Lab subjects. The BSc Zoology subjects taught as lab-based subjects are extremely crucial in lending ideas on hands-on learning. These subjects are an important part of the entire BSc Zoology syllabus. The practical learning offered through the lab-based subjects builds up skills in handling the lab materials and other components. 

Graduates after studying BSc Zoology, often take up jobs in medical laboratories. Studying the lab subjects helps them operate the tasks of this professional field. The knowledge acquired through these subjects also supports the students who pursue careers in other fields as well. The list given below includes the topics taught as the lab subjects:

• Mammalian skulls
• A disarticulated skeleton of fowl and rabbit
• Carapace and plastron of turtle /tortoise

The core, optional, and lab subjects altogether make the students develop some skills that give lifelong support to them. Critical thinking, communication skills, and problem-solving skills are some of the abilities the students achieve during the course. And all these skills can be further nurtured in higher studies.

universities like IGNOU, Annamalai University, and the Open University of Kota, etc. offer distance education for this course. These universities follow an annual system and conduct examinations once a year. The distance learning programme is best suited for students who are probably engaged in professional work and are unable to enroll into a regular mode of learning.

The syllabus for BSc Zoology distance programmes is designed in such a way so that students can gain the maximum output even without attending regular classes. Both the core and elective BSc Zoology subjects are taught in the distance learning programme. Some universities provide extra time for students to complete the course. Check out the detailed syllabus and subjects covered in the BSc Zoology distance mode:

BSc in Zoology 1st Year Syllabus

The table below contains the list of BSc in Zoology subjects in the first year of the distance programme (semester 1 and semester 2):

BSc in Zoology Second Year Syllabus

The table below contains the list of BSc in Zoology subjects in the second year of the distance programme (semester 3 and semester 4): 

BSc in Zoology Third Year Syllabus

The table below contains the list of BSc in Zoology subjects in the third year of the distance programme (semester 5 and semester 6):

BSc Zoology entrance examinations are conducted by the colleges/universities that prefer to select the candidates through an entrance test. The objective behind such entrance tests is to assess the potential of the aspirants and to be sure that the selected students are best suited for the course. Amongst a large number of aspirants, colleges/universities want to have potential candidates who will bring good scores in the exam and keep their reputation high. 

With such aims and objectives, universities like Banaras Hindu University, National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), etc. conduct some university-level examinations. The BSc Zoology syllabus for entrance exams varies from one exam to another. Some common BSc Zoology subjects for entrance exams are listed below.

BSc Zoology books deal with different topics like animals and their life, the study of physiology and structure, the classification of animals, etc. Students can get help from topic-centric and syllabus-oriented books for students. The syllabus-centric books are prepared according to the UGC model curriculum. Some of the books for BSc Zoology are listed below.

To provide a thorough knowledge of the subject matter, a specific BSc Zoology course structure is followed in universities and colleges across the nation. This course structure aligns with the BSc Zoology course syllabus. The choice of topics and sequencing of content are important for any course structure. Thus, Instructional Strategies, Assessment and Learning Objectives are the crucial parts of this course. Also, the BSc Zoology subjects are properly organised and support the objectives of learning. The structure of this course is designed keeping in view all these three key components. The BSc Zoology course structure includes the following pattern:

• Core Studies
• Elective Subjects
• Practical Study
• Project Submission
• VI Semesters

The above-mentioned course structure is effective in achieving the set goals and learning objectives. Both the course structure and BSc Zoology syllabus and subjects enable students to identify the theoretical topics illustrated in a subject, critically think about them and discuss and implement them to a specific issue.