Aquatic & Fisheries Sciences

College of the Environment

The School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences studies aquatic organisms, the rivers, lakes and oceans in which they live, and how we conserve them. The degree draws on the disciplines of natural history, physiology, ecology, evolution and quantitative sciences, and applies these principles to conservation and management of natural resources. Graduates of the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences are uniquely qualified for careers in universities and other educational settings, management agencies at the local to international levels, environmental consulting, and nonprofit organizations.

Minor available.

Major category: Open

Topic: Natural sciences

website   Degree requirements

Applicant type

Freshman

Freshmen can apply to the UW to begin autumn quarter or winter quarter (U.S. applicants only)

Read more about applying to the UW as a freshman, including details for programs that provide high school students with college credit (like Running Start).


Transfer

Quarters of general admission to UW: autumn / winter (U.S. applicants only) / spring

Preparation for the major is a factor in transfer admission.

  • Use the information below to help you prepare for this degree
  • Visit MyPlan to run a degree audit.
  • Use the UW Equivalency Guide to find out how courses taken at a Washington state community or technical college will transfer to the UW.
  • UW college and school graduation requirements

Department admission information

  • Departmental application deadline:
  • Please contact the department for details about the application process.

Although admission is open, students are strongly encouraged to prepare for the major before transfer by taking as many of the recommended courses below as possible. For the intro biology series, it is best to complete the entire sequence at one school if possible; otherwise it may not transfer directly.

Contact an aquatic and fishery sciences adviser with any questions: safsadv@uw.edu  or  (206) 543-7457

Read more about applying to the UW as a transfer student.

Courses recommended for the major:

  • English Composition
  • BIO 180 NSc – Intro Biology
  • BIO 220 NSc – Intro Biology
  • MATH 124 NSc RSN – Calculus
  • MATH 125 NSc – Calculus II
  • CHEM 120 NSc RSN – Principles of Chemistry I 1
  • CHEM 220 NSc – Principles of Chemistry II 2
  • PHYS 114 NSc RSN – General Physics 3

Notes:

1or CHEM 142 NSc RSN – General Chemistry
2or CHEM 152 NSc RSN – General Chemistry, or CHEM 237 NSc RSN – Organic Chemistry
3or PHYS 121 NSc RSN – Mechanics

Entering transfer information:

Total undergraduates: 49
Total from Washington community colleges: 9

Entering transfer GPA (from WA community colleges):

3.75 – 4.00: 0
3.50 – 3.74: 1
3.25 – 3.49: 2
3.00 – 3.24: 6
2.75 – 2.99: 0
2.50 – 2.74: 0
2.49 and below: 0


Career outcomes