PhD Program—School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

Entrance Procedure

Admission to the Graduate School usually signifies admission into a program of graduate study leading to a Master's Degree or the equivalent, or into post-Master's study if the admitted student has already received a Master's Degree or has successfully completed equivalent graduate study (Graduate School Memorandum No. 3). The School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences’ Recruitment, Admission, and Scholarship Committee (RASC) assesses the relevance of degrees held by prospective students and assigns each to pre-Master's or post-Master's status.

Admission to the PhD Program After Receiving a MS Degree from the School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences

Students who wish to continue study toward the Doctoral Degree after receiving a Master's from the SAFS must apply to the Graduate Program Coordinator by way of the Student Services Office; the application will be considered by the Recruitment, Admissions, and Scholarships Committee (RASC). Applications must be submitted by the sixth week of the quarter in which the Master's Degree is to be conferred and must consist of the following documentation (students intending to defend in summer quarter should submit their request during the preceding spring quarter, with approval contingent upon degree conference).

• A statement of research intentions from the student;
• Current C.V. or resume;
• UW transcript (unofficial);
• Evidence of professional competence and achievement, such as published papers, chapters from the Master’s Thesis, etc.
• Two letters of recommendation (including one from a current member of the Master Supervisory Committee unless the chair of M.S. Committee is also the chair of the proposed Doctoral Supervisory Committee).
• A letter from the chair of the proposed Doctoral Supervisory Committee that, in addition to recommending continued study, guarantees space and financial support for the student for at least the first academic year of study.

Recommenders can submit their letters directly to the Graduate Advisor via email or hardcopy, if preferred. Or, they can give letters directly to the student.

Submit one set of original application materials to the Student Services Office. In addition, email an electronic version (e.g., a PDF) to the Graduate Advisor. The SAFS front desk staff in FSH 116 or the Graduate Advisor can assist you with scanning materials and creating a PDF, should you have questions.

Students will not be awarded entry scholarships on admission to both the Master’s and Ph.D. programs. Entry scholarships are awarded during the Fall admissions round only. Students who continue to the Ph.D. Program after receiving a SAFS’s Master’s degree, and who wish to be considered for a SAFS entry scholarship, must submit an application to RASC by December 15. This application must provide all the information required of prospective graduate students, including a C.V., a letter outlining research interest, a personal statement, and letters of recommendation. The intent to apply for an entry scholarship does not remove the need for guaranteed financial support for at least the first year of Ph.D. study.

Students who earn a Master’s and continue on to the Doctoral Program must complete all Ph.D. requirements within 10 years of beginning graduate study, including M.S. coursework.

Bypassing the Master's Degree

Students admitted to the School at the pre-Master's level may, under exceptional circumstances, proceed directly to the Doctoral Program. Students who bypass the Master’s Degree are students whose Master’s research has expanded to the point where completion of their research will represent a Doctoral dissertation. Application should be made to the Recruitment, Admissions, and Scholarships Committee (RASC) via the Student Services Office. Applications will be considered only if all M.S. coursework has been completed and must include the following documentation: 

• A statement illustrating how and/or why the research project has expanded beyond that of a Master’s degree and thus merits Doctoral status;
• Current C.V. or resume;
• UW transcript (unofficial);
• A letter from the student's M.S. Supervisory Committee indicating approval to bypass the M.S. Degree;
• A copy of the M.S. thesis proposal;
• A draft doctoral dissertation research proposal that outlines each chapter of the Ph.D. thesis, includes methods, likely outcomes and significance, and which has been approved by the chairperson of the proposed Doctoral Supervisory Committee (this need not be the final dissertation proposal that will be defended at the General Examination);
• Evidence that the student has reached a Master's level of competence in written completion of research, such as a paper accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal (or a paper that has been submitted – in this case letters from at least two M.S. committee members indicating that the manuscript is scientifically rigorous and publishable are required);
• Statement from the proposed chairperson which confirms that the work conducted as part of the MS research will constitute a significant fraction of the proposed Doctoral research, and evidence for this in the draft Doctoral dissertation proposal.
• Statement from the proposed chairperson which guarantees space and financial support for the student for at least the first academic year of Doctoral study.

Recommenders can submit their letters directly to the Graduate Advisor via email or hardcopy, if preferred. Or, they can give letters directly to the student.

Submit one set of original application materials to the Student Services Office. In addition, email an electronic version (e.g., a PDF) to the Graduate Advisor. The SAFS front desk staff in FSH 116 or the Graduate Advisor can assist you with scanning materials and creating a PDF, should you have questions.

Students who bypass the Master’s Degree must complete all Ph.D. requirements within 10 years of beginning graduate study, including M.S. coursework.

PhD Degree Requirements

Degree requirements are set in part by the Graduate School and in part by the School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences. The Graduate School sets University-wide requirements for minimum scholarship (a GPA of 3.0 or higher), residence at the University of Washington, number of required credits, and continuous enrollment; SAFS determines the required curriculum. Each separate requirement fulfills a different purpose.

The core course curriculum is designed to provide breadth and, at the same time, depth in the disciplines related to the dissertation research. The number of credits required to do this varies, depending upon the area of specialization and the previous preparation of the student. All PhD students at the University of Washington need to accumulate a total of 90 credits at the graduate level.

SAFS Core Courses

The following core courses are required of all PhD students. They are the same as those required of MS students and must be taken as part of the doctoral program if they or their equivalents have not been taken during an MS program.

• QSCI 482, Statistical Inference in Applied Research, 5 credits
• FISH 510-514, Current Topics series (offered credit/no credit only), 2 credits each, students are required to complete at least two of these courses (each course must be a different number, such as 510 and 512) during their graduate program.
• FISH 521, Research Proposal Writing, 4 credits.
• FISH 522, Hot Topics in Aquatic & Fishery Sciences (offered credit/no credit only), 2 credits.
• FISH 800, Doctoral Dissertation (offered credit/no credit only), 27 credits minimum; a maximum of 10 dissertation credits may be taken in any one academic quarter; the 27 credits must be taken over at least three-quarters.

Additional Course Requirements

At least 48 credits of coursework at the 400-level or above, including dissertation credits, are required in addition to the Required Core Courses listed above. Of those, at least nine credits must be numerically graded. The student, in consultation with his or her Supervisory Committee, chooses the specific courses. If any SAFS core required course is waived, students must substitute those missed credits with additional coursework.

The UW Graduate School requires that half the total program, including dissertation credits, be in courses numbered 500 and above. At least 18 credits of this coursework must be completed at the University prior to scheduling the General Examination.

Graded Credits

The Graduate School also requires that numerical grades be received in at least 18-quarter credits of coursework taken at the UW. This work must be in approved 400- or 500-level courses. A grade of 2.7 or higher is required in each course that is counted toward a graduate degree. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required for a graduate degree at the University.

Residency Requirement

This requirement ensures that UW degrees are awarded for work substantially completed at the University of Washington. Students must complete a minimum of 60 credits of the total of 90 credits required for the degree in residence at the University of Washington. There is no longer a requirement that students complete three full-time quarters in an academic year. However, international students will likely need to be enrolled full-time to meet requirements of student visas and students with certain types of funding (including graduate student appointments) must maintain full-time enrollment to maintain eligibility for funding.

Transfer Credit

Students may not transfer PhD credits from another university into a UW PhD program. However, if a student has completed a Master’s degree either at the UW or another accredited institution, the student may apply 30 of these credits toward the 90 credits required for the PhD degree. All of these courses/credits must be completed within the 10-year maximum timeframe for PhD students.

Dissertation

The PhD is primarily a research degree. It is not conferred as a result of coursework, no matter how faithfully or how long it may be pursued. The Doctoral Dissertation must describe original research yielding a significant contribution to knowledge. It should clearly establish the candidate's ability to ask meaningful questions, provide the proper answers through diligent investigations, and defend the conclusions. The candidate should meet with the Supervisory Committee at least once per academic year. The Committee members may then have an opportunity to make suggestions pertinent to the preparation of the dissertation or may request additional work. The student may ask for a meeting of the Committee whenever he or she feels the need for such consultation. Students must complete a minimum of 27 credits of dissertation research (FISH 800) over a periold of at least three quarters, one of which must occur after successful completion of the General Exam.

Time Limit

All work for the Doctoral Degree must be completed within ten years. This includes any quarters on-leave or otherwise not enrolled, and any applicable work from a Master’s Degree, either from the UW or from another institution. That is, a student who must draw from Master's Degree credits to fulfill the PhD requirements is considered to have begun his or her PhD at the time of entry into the MS Program.