Undergraduate Program Description
Thank you for your interest in the UW School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences undergraduate program. The School, founded in 1919, is the largest and most diverse academic fisheries program in the United States. Students benefit from our faculty, whose breadth of expertise includes marine and freshwater ecology, habitat restoration, quantitative fishery management, invertebrate and finfish aquaculture and a number of disciplines related to physical, biological and societal processes that bear on growing issues of fisheries conservation.
Following is a description of our undergraduate program. Further information may be obtained via the links to the left.
Areas of Study
Would you like to study how human activities affect aquatic species? Interested in the ecology of marine and freshwater systems? Or the sustainable use of aquatic resources? Aquatic and Fishery Sciences provides training in basic and applied aquatic sciences with emphasis on ecology, conservation, and management. Students enjoy small classes and plentiful research opportunities, have access to the Pacific Northwest's rich and varied aquatic habitats, and complete an independent senior research project on a subject of their choosing. State-of-the-art facilities include wet laboratories and holding facilities for marine and freshwater organisms, the Marine Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory, and field stations on the Olympic Peninsula and in Alaska.
The School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences offers courses in the following areas of aquatic sciences:
Aquatic Ecology
- Marine Biology and Ecology
Studies of marine species ranging from basic biology to varying aspects of their relationships with their environment - Freshwater Ecology
Studies of freshwater species and their interactions with other aquatic fauna and habitats as well as associated terrestrial fauna and environments
Conservation and Management
Studies of habitat and animal diversity, population dynamics, and responses of aquatic organisms to fishing and other human activities, such as habitat modification, water quality, and priorities for resource use.
Animal Biology and Culture
Studies of aquatic organisms and ecosystems as they relate to fish and shellfish production, harvesting, marketing, and economics.
Areas of research in the School include ichthyology, aquatic ecology, conservation and management, population dynamics, hatchery-based propagation of marine and freshwater organisms, and effects of human activities on aquatic/marine ecosystems. Faculty and students in the School draw upon the disciplines of biology, botany, chemistry, food science, genetics, mathematics, nutrition, oceanography, physics, physiology, and zoology to conduct basic and applied research in the field of fishery science.
Marine Biology at the UW
On shore and at sea, Washington offers unparalleled opportunities for research and study in marine biology—in its Friday Harbor Marine Laboratory, at a range of field stations in coastal Alaska, and aboard the ocean-going research vessel R/V Thompson.
To explore these and other opportunities at Washington, talk with departmental advisers and check out the marine biology website, http://depts.washington.edu/marbio/.
What About Marine Biology?
The University is so rich in marine-related programs that no single major could contain them! Instead, students interested in this exciting field choose a primary major and then are eligible to take courses from a variety of departments at the university. Aquatic and Fishery Sciences is a great option as a major for students interested in marine biology because of our hands-on courses and field trips, available courses, and the vast array of research occuring in the school, in which many undergraduates become involved.
- Set in the pristine San Juan Islands northwest of Seattle, the Friday Harbor Laboratories (http://depts.washington.edu/fhl/) encompass over 1,800 acres of relatively pollution-free salt waters. The region’s swift tideways, quiet bays and lagoons, and diverse intertidal areas are richly populated with flora and fauna.Undergraduate apprentices in an intensive 10-week program collaborate with graduate students, faculty, and international scientists on research projects. Aquatic and Fishery Sciences runs a Research Apprenticeship course each spring quarter where 12-16 students join 2 faculty and 4 graduate students in researching Marine Biology and Ecology and Marine Protected Areas. Students are given $3000 scholarships if they’re selected for the apprenticeship and SAFS majors may use their research project as their Capstone Project, a requirement for the degree program. This experience has been rated very highly by students participating over the last few years.
Other departments in which you will find some courses related to marine biology are:
- Interested in studying how waves, tides, sunlight, and global warming affect microscopic marine organisms? Consider a major in biological oceanography.
- Is the physiology or evolution of marine organisms and systems fascinating to you? Majoring in biology at the UW may work for you.
More information about marine biology faculty, research and courses on the UW campus may be found via the website, Marine Biology at the UW.
