Honors program

The School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences offers outstanding students an Honors Program that provides intellectual challenges in a stimulating learning environment.

Please refer to the UW Honors Program website for general information.

All Honors students should find their honors requirements in their DARS degree audit when it is run.  If the requirements don’t appear, please email safs@uw.edu and let us know. 

Photo inset:  © 2010 Photos.com

Honors Programs at the University of Washington

Entering freshmen may enter “College Honors.”  This is a four year program where students complete both departmental honors requirements and the honors core requirements.

Transfer students and those learning about honors later may complete “Departmental Honors,” a two year program where students complete the typical general education requirements but complete departmental honors requirements.

A third option, “Interdisciplinary Honors” is available for students who complete the honors core requirements but do not complete the departmental requirements.

Applying to the Honors Program

There are three opportunities:

  1. Apply for the UW College program as part of the initial UW freshman admissions process. 
  2. Apply for the UW College program in the Spring quarter of your freshman year.
  3. Contact the SAFS Adviser  to check eligibility and apply for Departmental Honors in your junior year or earlier. 

Applying as a transfer student

We recommend that transfer students apply to the 2-year Departmental Honors Program.

Honors credits at another college or university might be used towards an Honors degree at the UW.

Departmental Honors (2 year) requirements

Effective Fall 2010

One of the following courses must be taken for honors credit through the Ad Hoc Honors process:

  • Fish 312
  • Fish 323
  • Fish 324

One of the following seminars:

  • Fish 479 (for marine biology minors only)
  • Fish 522 

Capstone – Fish 495 (4 credit honors section.)
In addition to completing research paper and oral presentation, honors students will complete additional draft of the paper AND a poster presentation.

3.3 UW cumulative gpa.

3.5 gpa in all courses with a FISH prefix.

Departmental Honors (2 year) requirements

For students in College/ Departmental Honors prior to Autumn 2010.

Three Natural Science Honors courses.

Fish 522 (although Fish 479 may be petitioned as a substitution.)

Capstone – Fish 494 and 495 (minimum 7 credits). In addition to completing research paper and oral presentation, honors students will complete additional draft of the paper AND a poster presentation. Students should enroll in 4 credit honors section of Fish 495.

3.3 UW cumulative gpa.

3.5 gpa in all courses with a FISH, OCEAN or SMA prefix.

Note: Fish 210 is no longer being offered, so students who have not yet taken the course will be waived from it.

Honors Requirements – College Honors

These requirements are also dependent upon when you enter the university.  Please see the UW College Honors website to determine which requirements  apply to you.

The following FISH courses may count toward the College Honors requirements:

  • FISH 101 (5) Water and Society (I&S/NW)
  • FISH/BIOL/OCEAN 250 (3/5) Marine Biology (I&S/NW)
  • FISH/HONORS 221 (5) Ecology and Evolution of the Microbe (NW)

Scholarships

SAFS offers incoming SAFS honors student scholarships, as does the UW Honors program. Please pay attention to deadlines.

Baccalaureate Honors

Baccalaureate honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) are awarded purely on the basis of graduation grade point average. Students do not need to enroll in a program to be recognized. For more information, click here.

Honors Societies at the UW

Two of the best known are:

Additional enquiries

Please contact the SAFS Undergraduate Adviser, safs@uw.edu.