Degree requirements

All students who declared the AFS major in Summer 2011 or later are required to complete both the college-dictated general education require-ments and the departmental requirements listed on this webpage.  These requirements lead to a Bachelor of Science degree, with a major in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences.

For SAFS students who declared this major prior to Summer 2011 and did not choose to move forward into the new requirements, see this webpage.

ALL SAFS students will find checklists and other resources for planning their courses/ academic program on the Degree Planning Tools site.

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Satisfactory Academic Progress

All students must meet the minimum standards for satisfactory academic progress. For more info, see the full policy (pdf).

General Education Requirements – Students declaring Summer 2011 or later

English Composition (C)

5 credits of composition from Approved Composition Courses List, completed with a 2.0 grade.

Additional Writing (W)

10 credits. All three flagship and many other FISH courses are W courses, so most students complete this requirement without taking a course specifically to meet this requirement.

Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning (Q/SR)

10 credits (Calculus and Statistics, taken as part of the AFS degree requirements will fulfill this requirement.)

Natural World (NW)

20 credits. Students are required to take 10 NW credits in courses that neither have the FISH prefix nor are counting toward their AFS degree requirements. This is a good opportunity to take courses in Oceanography, Forestry, Biology, Atmospheric Sciences, Earth and Space Sciences, etc.

Individual and Society (I&S)

20 credits. Students are required to take 10 NW credits in courses that neither have the FISH prefix nor are counting toward their AFS degree requirements. This is a good opportunity to take courses from other environmentally related departments.  Please see Degree Planning Tools for some ideas.

Visual, Literary and Performing Arts (VLPA)

10 credits, any VLPA courses, although Clas 205, COM 220 and SP HSC 100 are recommended.

Foreign Language

There is no foreign language requirement, but we encourage students to take foreign language. If they complete the 3rd course of the first year of the language or above, those credits may count toward the VLPA requirement.

Additional Areas of Knowledge credits (NW, I&S, VLPA)

Students will meet this requirement without even trying to do so, since almost all UW courses are coded in one of these 3 areas.

AFS Departmental Requirements

Mathematics and Statistics (15 credits)

2 quarters of calculus, 1 quarter of Probability and Statistics

  • Q SCI 291, 292 OR Math 124, 125 (calculus)
  • Q SCI 381

Chemistry (10 credits minimum)

  • Chem 142 or Chem 120
    AND
  • Chem 220

For help in figuring out which series to take, check the Chemistry FAQ webpage.

Biology (15 credits)

  • Biology 180,200,220
    OR
  • Biology 161,162 AND FISH 340 (note 161, 162 only available at community colleges and through AP testing.)

Physics (5 credits)

  • Physics 114 or Physics 121

3rd Physical World (6 credits)

Two of the following (or other, approved by SAFS Adviser)

  • OCEAN 210 (3) Ocean Circulation
  • FISH 330 (5) Climate Change Impacts on Marine Ecosystems
  • GEOG 205 (5) Intro to Physical Sciences and the Environment
  • ATM S 211 (5) Global Climate Change
  • OCEAN/ESS 230 (3/5) Rivers and Beaches
  • ENVIR/ESS 315 (5) Environmental Earth Science

Natural History FISH Courses (10 credits)

  • Fish 310 (5)
  • Fish 311 (5)

FISH Core Courses (15 credits)

Take three of the following courses:

  • Fish 323 (5)
  • Fish 324 (5)
  • Fish 312 (5)
  • Fish 340 (5)

Upper Division 400 level FISH classes (16 credits)

Choose four 400 level FISH classes. Students may count up to 3 credits of Fish 498 or 499 towards this requirement.

Capstone Research (7-13 credits total)

Review the Capstone webpage for more information.

  • Fish 493 (1 credit)
  • Fish 494 (3-9 credits)
  • Fish 495 (3-4 credits)
  • Students can request that a course from another department be counted towards a requirement. Email your request to ssosafs@u.washington.edu, and include the substitute course description.
  • Fish 500-level courses; students may enroll with instructor permission. If you would like to use one of these classes as a requirement, please email your request to ssosafs@u.washington.edu.