Entomology

Introduces the extraordinary diversity of insects and the fundamental biological, ecological and evolutionary principles underpinning their study.

Examines insect structure and function, including locomotion, feeding, respiration, circulation, excretion, sensory systems and reproduction.

Explores the evolutionary history, relationships and classification of the major insect groups and the origins of their remarkable diversity.

Investigates the ecological roles of insects, their interactions with other organisms and their responses to environmental conditions and change.

Explores how insects perceive and respond to their environment through behaviours including feeding, navigation, courtship, sociality and visual, acoustic and chemical communication.

Develops practical approaches to insect identification, classification, observation, recording, sampling and scientific investigation in the field.

Examines insect reproduction, development and metamorphosis alongside the diverse adaptations and life-history strategies that enable insects to exploit almost every terrestrial and freshwater environment.

Explores the diversity, biology, behaviour and ecology of the Hymenoptera, from solitary parasitoids and pollinators to the complex societies of ants and social bees and wasps.

Examines the diversity, life cycles, ecology, behaviour and evolution of the Lepidoptera, including their remarkable relationships with plants and other organisms.

Investigates the biology, ecology, evolution and extraordinary diversity of the Coleoptera, the largest recognised order of insects.

Explores the biology and diversity of the Diptera, including their distinctive flight, life histories, ecological roles and importance as pollinators, decomposers and disease vectors.

Examines the diversity, specialised feeding biology, ecology and evolution of the Hemiptera, from aphids and cicadas to shield bugs and aquatic predators.

Investigates dragonflies, damselflies and other insects associated with freshwater habitats, with particular attention to aquatic adaptations, life cycle

Explores the biology, behaviour, communication, ecology and diversity of grasshoppers, crickets and related orthopteroid insects.

Examines the distinctive biology, behaviour, ecology and evolution of cockroaches, mantids, stick insects and their relatives.

Develops advanced skills in research design, scientific literature, data collection and analysis, interpretation and communication in preparation for independent entomological research.

Provides the opportunity to design and undertake a substantial independent investigation into a chosen area of entomology.

Critically examines threats to insect biodiversity and evaluates approaches to monitoring, habitat management, species recovery and the conservation of insect populations and communities..

Explores the biology and application of insects and other arthropods in forensic investigations, particularly their use in interpreting decomposition and estimating the post-mortem interval.

Investigates insects living in and around human settlements, including their ecology, adaptation to urban environments and significance as pests, beneficial species and components of urban biodiversity.

Examines the ecology and impacts of invasive insects alongside the scientific principles, applications and risks of using organisms to control pest populations.

Critically explores advanced and emerging areas of insect behaviour, including navigation, learning, decision-making, social organisation, mating strategies and behavioural flexibility.

Investigates how insects use chemical information to locate food and hosts, avoid danger, select mates and communicate with members of their own and other species.

Examines major questions in insect evolution, using comparative and contemporary research to explore adaptation, diversification, coevolution and the origins of key insect traits.

Explores the exceptional diversity, ecology and evolutionary relationships of insects in tropical ecosystems and their roles within some of the world's most species-rich communities.

 Investigates the diversity, adaptations, life histories and ecological importance of insects inhabiting rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and other freshwater environments.

Uses fossil evidence and evolutionary biology to trace the origins, diversification and changing ecological roles of insects through geological time.

Critically examines scientific evidence and contemporary debates concerning insect perception, learning, memory, cognition, pain, sentience and the possibility of conscious experience.

Examines the scientific and ethical implications of human interactions with insects in research, farming, pest control, conservation, captivity and other forms of exploitation or management.