Zoology

Bachelor of Science | B.Sc.

Zoology is that branch of Life Sciences which deals with the study of animals, both living and extinct, along with their anatomy, physiology, genetics, evolution, classification, habit, distribution, development and behavior.

Anybody with a keen curiosity to understand Life and its intricacies will find the study of Zoology interesting, as it is second only to Medicine. The three year journey through the fascinating world of Animals takes the learner on a well planned and coordinated safari, starting from the classical concepts of taxonomy and evolution to escalate gradually to more deeper aspects such as physiology and immunology and finally culminating with a glimpse of its applications in the real world in the form of Biotechnology, Zookeeping , Fishery etc. The Programme is even paced and sees a gradual progression through the semesters in its complexity. The semesters are related and the knowledge gained is orchestrated to reach its peak in the final year, aiming to hone the curiosity of the learner to take up further studies in the same field.

The Living Campus

Pedagogy

In this Programme, Teaching pedagogy is a symphony of classic and new methods. Where for some modules Chalk And Talk works best, some are made interesting with sessions of activity-based learning like Jigsaw, RoundRobin and Think Pair Share.

Students welcome these activities with happy enthusiasm as it breaks the monotony of the classroom. LMS such as Google Classroom and Moodle are being used to be in constant touch with the students off-college hours. RBPT and Enquiry based learning are also being employed to promote curiosity and research aptitudes.

Career Prospects

After the bachelors Programme, some of the career prospects are as follows:

  • B.Ed./ M.Ed.
  • M.Sc. Zoology
  • M.Sc. Wildlife
  • M.Sc. Conservation Biology
  • M.Sc. Environmental Science
  • M.Sc. Genetic Engineering
  • Field Internships
  • B. Lib. Science
  • Zoo/ Eco Tourism
  • M.Sc. Dietetics
  • M.Sc. Nutraceuticals
  • D.M.L.T.
  • Clinical research
  • M.B.A. in Hospital Management
  • Lab Technician
  • Medical representative
  • Lab Instrumentation
  • Medical Coding
  • Paramedical Courses – Nursing, First Aid etc
  • L.L.B/ L.L.M in wildlife law, environmental law

Eminent Alumni

Programme Outcomes

By the end of the programme, learners should be able to:

 

 

  • Identify and Classify animals at least upto phylum and class
  • Describe animal habitat requirements and Behaviour
  • Explain animal physiology, development, anatomy and diseases
  • Appreciate the role of genetics and molecular biology in animal breeding and research programmes
  • Find solutions for current environment and conservation issues
  • Spread awareness about wildlife and related topics in the society
  • Manage festivals, guest lectures and field trips on their own
  • Present their ideas using charts, models and ppt.
  • Plan small research projects based on lab work or field surveys.

Curriculum

First Year (Semester- I)

This course involves the study of invertebrate animals, their habit, habitat, salient features, systematic position etc. This is covered over two modules while the third module focuses on the study of ecosystem and its components.

The second course of semester 1 focuses on the study of biomolecules essential for life, two of which are covered here viz the proteins and carbohydrates. Module 2 introduces Biotechnology, its scope and applications. Module 3 deals with basics of mendelian and non mendelian genetics.

First Year (Semester- II)

In the second semester, an extensive study of vertebrates is covered over two modules encompassing all significant aspects. The third module involves the study of Animal Behaviour, how animals display various traits.

In continuation with semester 1, the remaining two biomolecules lipids and nucleic acids are explained here, Module 2 covers some important aspects of Medical biotechnology like transgenesis, gene therapy and Environmental Biotechnology. Module 3 covers the theories regarding Origin of life and biodiversity.

Second Year (Semester- III)

The first Course of second year deals with the study of adaptations shown by organisms to survive in nature, as per their body and habitat. In Module 3 the student will learn about fertilization and early embryo development.

The second course takes the learner inside the cell, introduces them to the various organelles, their functions, cellular architecture and intricacies of cell division. The last module takes up Non mendelian genetics further in detail where we left off in semester 1

This course deals with the economic and revenue generating aspects of zoology, which involves rearing different insects like honeybee, silkmoth etc. And also talks about animal husbandary with respect to cattle, poultry etc in great detail.

Second Year (Semester- IV)

This course comprises the study of different ecosystems and population dynamics. Various animal interactions like how the communicate is taught in module 2. The last module teaches the different types of tissue found in the animal body.

This course tells the learner how an organism maintains physiological balance for Thermoregulation and osmoregulation. The importance of nutrition in health is explained in the next module while the last one deals with chromosomes as the messengers of heredity, karyotyping and different human chromosomal disorders.

This course encompasses an indepth study of various parasites, their pathogenicity, mode of infection, lifecycle and treatments. This is spread over two modules. The third module deals with wildlife conservation strategies and the importance and maintenance of Zoos.

Third Year (Semester- V)

In this semester, the learner will start with a thorough study of all systems of one invertebrate Earthworm This is followed by a comparative study of the anatomy of all animal groups. This course ends with a module on developmental biology.

This Course covers two important systems of the body. Haematology is the study of blood, its components, synthesis, coagulation and disorders of blood. Immunology is the study of the immune system, our defence against foreign proteins, the organs and cells involved in the same.

This course deals with the central dogma of the cell, the study of DNA and its related processes, gene regulation, mutations, repair and finally its applications in genetic engineering.

This course has two aspects Environmental science and environmental biology. It basically makes the learner understand the need for sustainable development by energy conservation strategies. The study of various ecological realms and common Epidemics completes this course.

This course covers physical, chemical and biological oceanography, a detailed study of the marine ecosystem and various modern fishing methods.

Entomology entails the study of insects, the students are introduced to basic insect morphology, anatomy and classification in this course

This is a newly introduced discipline specific elective, which if the student choses, they will learn in dept about 2 important molecules proteins and carbohydrates and their metabolic pathways.

Another newly introduced skill enhancement course wherein the learner will be taught different skills related to immunological tests, molecular methods and instruments and finally an insight into animal tissue culture.

Third Year (Semester- VI)

In the last semester, the student has a vertebrate animal for type study viz shark. Shark is an excellent model system. Endocrinology deals with the study of hormones and glands while histology covers the detailed tissue level study of all major internal organs of the human body.

Course two of the final semester takes a deeper look at physiology with respect to study of enzymes, kinetics, neurotransmitters, hormones, pheromones and such chemical messengers. The last module covers the Physiology of circulation and reproduction in Mammals with detailed study of the heart and the reproductive cycles.

General concepts of toxins, their types, actions their metabolism is taught in module 1and 2 while 3 covers evolutionary concepts of speciation, variation, natural selection etc.

This course talks about Pollution, its types and its management. Biostatistics is a very essential tool and this course teaches the application of statistics to biological problems, especially research. Learner is told about the importance of sampling and data collection and also various methods of their analysis.

Here the student will be able to study about different diseases that infect fish, their symptoms and management. This knowledge is application based and can help with fishery related vocations.

In this course the learner will be exposed to various career prospects in zoology and also gain some insight of laws related to environment . The module on IT covers basic hardware and software topics, an introduction to bioinformatics and scientific databases.

Research is an integral part of learning and this course is devoted to understanding the basic methodology of approaching a research problem, designing the work and knowledge of the ethics that must be maintained while carrying out research.

The last course of semester 6 is another skill enhancement course that is entirely project based. The learner will be shown how to set up and maintain an aquarium, visit relevant institutes and gain better insight.

For detail LOCF (Learning Outcome-based Curriculum framework) please refer below link

Differentiators

B.SC Zoology Programme at KJSSC is unique because it offers :

  • Holistic Approach
  • Blend of Classic and Applied Zoology
  • Vocation based modules like Fishery and Zoo Keeping
  • Certificate Courses in Cancer Biology and Field Biology
  • Annual Intercollegiate Fest Zorilla based on Wildlife and Conservation
  • Learning outside Classroom with frequent excursions and Field trips

Head of the Department

Dr. Vikrant Deshmukh
vikrant.deshmukh@somaiya.edu