ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The Department of Zoology is one of the coveted departments of the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya founded in the year 2012. The department is established to pursue research and higher education in the field of zoological sciences in the northeast zone of India. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD programs and has the highest intake of students in the entire University.

The curriculum of Zoology covers the form, function, and behaviour of animals and elucidates general biological principles through the study of specialized or experimentally tractable systems. It is well-structured with theory-based papers along with practical sessions to provide a hands-on experience to the students and help them comprehend scientific concepts easily. The Syllabus has been designed to prepare the students to indulge in the emerging fields of Biology like Animal Biotechnology, Biodiversity Studies, Environmental Management, Ecosystem Monitoring, and Animal Bioinformatics, to name a few. Adequate knowledge of Environmental Biology is indispensable in todays world and thus, has been incorporated into the curriculum. It also focuses on developing students practical scientific skills. It has been well-designed keeping in view the current requirements of B.Sc. (Major) Zoology and M.Sc. Zoology students. The contents have been prepared to familiarize them with the widening horizons of Biological Science. It reflect the changing needs of the students and therefore, other important disciplines have been specifically included. Biodiversity study is the major component in the field of Ecology and the curriculum has been designed in relation to the Biodiversity of North East Region. Skill enhancement paper is also included in the curriculum so that one can go for the entrepreneurship. Specially the field like Sericulture and Fish and Fishery biology having enough scope to develop entrepreneurship.

The undergraduate program (B.Sc. Zoology) not only offers classical subjects like non chordate and chordate zoology but also offers an array of core papers viz., physiology, biochemistry, parasitology, ecology, molecular biology, evolutionary and developmental biology. Whereas, the masters program (M.Sc. Zoology) offer specializations in Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Wildlife Biology, Fish and Fishery Biology, Entomology and Animal Physiology and Biochemistry. The Department takes pride in its state-of-the-art laboratories, museums and animal house facilities.

CAREER PROSPECTS OF THE COURSE:

Career in private sector after M.Sc. in Zoology 

The career opportunities which an M.Sc. in Zoology graduates can look forward is limitless.There are numerous private sector firms in the country which provides huge scope for these graduates. Various chemical as well as pharmaceutical companies recruit M.Sc. Zoology graduates. The demand for these graduates is increasing day by day due to the faster growth of the industries. The various jobs to which the aspirants can get into are listed below.

• Biological Laboratory Technician

• Conservationist

• Environmental Consultant

• Herpetologist

• Veterinary Technologist

• Wildlife Educator

• Wildlife Rehabilitator

• Zookeeper

• Zoologist

Some other employment areas which also provide huge openings for the M.Sc. Zoology candidates are medical laboratories, wildlife rehabilitation centres, hatcheries, agricultural departments, museum services, conservation agencies, scientific civil services, media, environmental or ecosystem management sector, environmental consulting firms, and so on. The candidates who clear the NET exam also can enter into the field of teaching. This is known as one of the most respectable professions. In addition to all these, there are numerous research institutes in the country where the graduates can enter into the post of junior research assistant. The genetic and microbiological research areas of zoology also provide vast scope for the M.Sc. Zoology aspirants.

Career in government sector after M.Sc. in Zoology 

Since Zoology is a vast field of Life Science, the job opportunities in government sector are also enormous as that in the private sector. Various government departments such as the UPSC, SSC, state PSC, etc conducts examination for recruitment of the candidates. One canattend these tests and those clearing this highly competitive exam can look for jobs in various governmental organizations. Many opportunities are available in forensic science department also. Those having interest in research field can look out for a suitable opening in various research organizations such as BARC, ISRO, etc. Not only this, there are many other companies which provides good jobs to the M.Sc. degree holders.

Career abroad after M.Sc. in Zoology

Apart from India, there are also wide career opportunities for the M.Sc. in Zoology

candidates in many foreign countries. Various reputed firms abroad recruits fresher’s to suitable job profiles. The reason behind the interest of candidates in securing a job in these abroad firms is that the remunerations offered will be much higher than that in India.