Welcome to the School of Biological and Conservation Sciences

This new school is the largest in the new Faculty of Science and Agriculture, and the largest such school in the country. Our size means that students have access to the best possible facilities, resources and staff, and the broadest range of curriculum options. The excellence of a university is measured not only by the quality of our undergraduate education and of our graduates, but also by the quality of research that we produce. Our School is justly proud of our research and publication record, because we are by far the most productive school within the university.

A key to our research productivity and the research ethos of our school is our large postgraduate component, with 103 Masters and 69 Doctoral students in 2005. We have taken in 54 Honours students in 2005. You will meet our postgraduate students as they form the pool of demonstrators that will assist you in your practical work through the year.

Each individual student is important to us, and this includes students starting their careers. Our goal is to ensure that each student in the system rises to his or her full potential in a caring, nurturing environment. However, this does not mean that you as an individual can simply cruise through the system. The responsibility for your success lies in your own hands. We can only facilitate the process of intellectual development that you will go through during you student career at the UKZN. You have to make sure that you make the best uses of the resources at hand to do this.

You are encouraged to interact with lecturing staff outside of formal contact time. Staff are available in their offices to answer questions about the course, or about life in general. You are encouraged to find out what staff do with their time! We don't only teach undergraduates, but also supervise postgraduates, conduct research, and administer all these activities. Find out which staff members are active within your field of interest, and visit them and their postgraduates to find out more about that field. A lot of staff offer opportunities for undergraduate students to become active in their research through voluntary or even paid assistance. Find out what opportunities you may have. 

Contact with the School

The Head of School is Prof Jenny Lamb, who is ultimately responsible for all aspects of life within the School. If you feel that there is anything you would like to discuss with her, she can be contacted through the secretary on any of the campuses, or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Although he is based in Durban, she will regularly be on the other campuses as well.

Download an application form

Prof. Rob Slotow is the Undergraduate Academic Co-Ordinator. He is responsible for all curriculum matters for undergraduate students. He can be contacted on 031-260-3192, or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Feel free to contact him for any matters that may concern you, or advice on a range of topics. Although based at Howard College, he will visit the other campuses fairly regularly.

Each campus has assistants to the Academic Co-Ordinator. These are the people you should contact in the first place, per campus and discipline:

...to be added.