Prepare & Apply
Declaring a Major in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
To declare the major, contact the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences Undergraduate Adviser to schedule an appointment. At the appointment, you will complete the declaration paperwork, discuss requirements, design a degree plan, and ask any questions about the major.
Students interested in the AFS major are encouraged to declare early. Advantages for early declaration include:
- Development of a comprehensive study plan that provides a clear path to graduation. The earlier this plan is developed, the more flexibility it will provide in allowing experiential learning, study abroad, and more
- Eligibility for departmental scholarships
- Subscription to a SAFS-major email list with notification of scholarships, internships, jobs, and other opportunities
- Ability to enroll in courses that are restricted to majors during priority registration
- It is possible to add a minor or double major, depending on your interests, credits, and graduation timeline. Be sure to let the AFS Undergraduate Adviser know about your plans.
Prepare
Prepare for your studies by following a few key steps, meet with us to learn about our exciting degree program and our excellent facilities, and use our tips to help you navigate the admissions process at the University of Washington.
Prospective UW Freshmen and High School Students
- Start planning in the summer of your junior year of high school
- Preparatory coursework (high school)
- Take as much math, science, and writing as you can, while keeping your grades high. Writing is very important in science. A strong background in math and science will better prepare you for college, and it is likely you will have more fun when you arrive. We recommend students take AP and Honors courses if they are offered by their school. To learn more about how the UW uses AP scores, click here.
- Complete the College Academic Distribution Requirements (CDAR). These subject areas are admission requirements and must be completed before enrolling at the UW. To be competitive, applicants should try to challenge themselves by exceeding the minimum requirements.
- Preparatory coursework (WA-State Running Start or College in the High School)
- SAFS Transfer Planning Worksheet – lists suggested coursework to prepare for a degree in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (note that the intro bio series should be taken in its entirety either at a community college or at UW – incomplete series may not transfer, requiring you to take similar coursework again at UW)
- UW Equivalency Guide for WA Community and Technical Colleges – use to see how WA-state community college courses will transfer to UW
- Try to finish a series (Chemistry, Biology, Calculus, Physics) wherever you begin the series. If you cannot complete Biology or Calculus before starting at the UW, it is advisable to take those series at the UW.
- Volunteering and internships
- Volunteering and internships are great ways to gain hands-on experience and discover your strengths, passions, and career goals. They’re also useful for networking with educators and professionals (who can serve as mentors and references for applications, scholarships, jobs, etc.)
- Here are a few programs in the Seattle area (summer camps/programs may have scholarships so don’t forget to ask):
Prospective Transfer Students
- You do not need to complete an AS or AA degree to be eligible to apply to the UW, but most transfer students admitted to the UW have completed 90 credits before transfer.
- All applicants to UW must complete the College Academic Distribution Requirements (CDAR). These subject areas are admission requirements and must be completed before enrolling at the UW. To be competitive, applicants should try to challenge themselves by exceeding the minimum requirements. The UW also examines whether transfer students have taken additional courses that have prepared them for the departmental courses. The more courses you have completed, the better prepared you will appear.
- Preparatory coursework
- SAFS Transfer Planning Worksheet – lists suggested coursework to prepare for a degree in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (note that the intro bio series should be taken in its entirety either at a community college or at UW – incomplete series may not transfer, requiring you to take similar coursework again at UW)
- Sample Transfer Degree Plan – includes suggested 4-year plan, with both transfer courses and UW AFS courses
- Students in WA-state community or technical colleges – use the UW Equivalency Guide for WA Community and Technical Colleges to see how your courses will transfer to the UW
- Students in four-year schools or non-WA-state community colleges – currently, there is no equivalency guide for coursework at these institutions so we recommend that you take classes similar to what is listed on the transfer planning worksheet:
- One year of intro biology w/lab (cell, plant, animal)
- One quarter/semester of general chemistry
- One quarter/semester of organic chemistry
- 1–2 quarters/semesters of calculus
- 1 quarter/semester of physics
- English composition
- NOTE that we cannot guarantee that your coursework will transfer exactly as listed here
- Try to finish a series (Chemistry, Biology, Calculus, Physics) wherever you begin the series. If you cannot complete Biology or Calculus before starting at the UW, it is advisable to take those series at the UW.
- All prospective transfer students should save copies of the syllabi for all of the courses that you take. This will facilitate evaluation of your courses, if needed.
- Volunteering and internships
- Volunteering and internships are great ways to gain hands-on experience and discover your strengths, passions, and career goals. They’re also useful for networking with educators and professionals (who can serve as mentors and references for applications, scholarships, jobs, etc.)
- Here are a few programs in the Seattle area (summer camps/programs may have scholarships so don’t forget to ask):
Current UW Students
- AFS is an open major—students currently registered at University of Washington can declare the Aquatic and Fishery Sciences major at any time as long as they have a 2.0 cumulative grade point average at the University of Washington.
- To declare the major, contact the SAFS Undergraduate Adviser to make an appointment, where you will meet to complete the declaration paperwork, discuss requirements, design a degree plan, ask any questions you might have. This meeting typically takes about an hour.
- Students interested in the AFS major are encouraged to declare early—advantages include:
- Development of a comprehensive study plan that provides a clear path to graduation—the earlier this plan is developed, the more flexibility it will provide in allowing experiential learning, study abroad, and more
- Eligibility for departmental scholarships
- Subscription to a SAFS-major only email list with notification of scholarships, internships, jobs, and other opportunities
- Ability to enroll in courses that are restricted to majors during priority registration
- It is possible to also add a minor or double major, depending on your interests, credits, and graduation timeline—be sure to let the SAFS Undergraduate Adviser know about your plans.
Postbaccalaureate and Non-Matriculating Students
- Postbaccalaureate (Postbac) vs. Non-Matriculating
- Non-Matriculating: If you want to enter graduate school at the UW, you live locally, and you have a bachelor of science in Biology or another field closely related to Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, OR you simply want to take a few courses, you should enter as a non-degree seeking student. Non-Matriculating status is less expensive and is suitable in most cases. Please see the FAQ site for non-degree enrollment at UW.
- Postbaccalaureate: If your first bachelor’s degree was in a unrelated field and you want to study for a second degree (regardless of your final objective), you should apply as a Postbaccalaureate student. A Postbaccalaureate student is admitted for a second bachelor’s degree. PostBacs are treated almost the same as other matriculating undergraduates; they register at the same time as other undergrads and have priorities for courses. There are a few differences: financial aid treats PostBacs differently, PostBacs cannot declare minors or honors, and students are not always eligible for specific internships and scholarships. In SAFS, PostBacs are eligible for departmental scholarships and attending Friday Harbor Laboratories.
- Apply for PostBac admission through UW Admissions. Admission can be competitive for PostBacs, so take special care to complete your application fully. You should declare your intention to complete the AFS degree on your admissions application. Some tips to strengthen your application:
- Complete core foundational science coursework (intro bio, chemistry, calculus, physics, etc.) at a local community college prior to applying – you are more likely to be admitted as a PostBac if you need courses that are only offered by UW Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. UW Admissions’ assessment of coursework will be similar to that of a transfer student so refer to recommended preparation for Prospective AFS Transfer students. Pay particular attention to the transfer planning worksheet and the course equivalency guides.
- It is possible to take a mix of community college courses with some UW FISH courses as a Non-Matriculating student while you are preparing for admission as a PostBac. Please contact the SAFS Adviser to explore this option.
- Many students seek to add a postbac degree in preparation for applying to a graduate program in a related field—while most PostBacs admitted to UW AFS complete their second BS degree, there is no formal policy that prohibits applying to graduate school prior to completion. Enrolling in UW AFS as either a PostBac or Non-Matriculated student does not guarantee admission to the UW AFS Graduate Program.
Visit
We welcome visits from prospective students! Once you have an idea of when you would like to visit, email us to arrange a meeting with the AFS Undergraduate Adviser to discuss the program and get answers to any questions you might have about the UW, Seattle, applying for admission, etc.
If you’d like to sit in on a class during your visit, take a look at the current time schedule to identify classes you might like to attend. Faculty generally welcome visitors, but we request that you email the faculty instructor before your visit to ensure that the visit will not occur during an exam, or that your attendance will not disrupt the scheduled activities. Check the course page to see the scheduled lectures for the day of your visit.
We also encourage you to take a campus tour during your visit, offered by the UW almost every weekday and most Saturdays. There are also virtual tours offered online.
Applying to the UW (all new students)
All students who would like to study Aquatic and Fishery Sciences must first be admitted to the University of Washington. Application information can be found on the UW Admissions website. Admission to the UW is competitive and applicants are evaluated on a number of factors. These include grade point average, test scores, and academic preparation as well as personal achievements and characteristics.
Incoming students are admitted to the UW during summer, autumn, and winter quarters, although most are admitted in autumn quarter. Be sure to check the deadlines for the quarter you hope to be admitted and start working early to get your materials together to apply on time. There are also a number of scholarships available for incoming students through AFS as well as the College of the Environment.
Once you have been admitted to UW, please email the SAFS Undergraduate Adviser. Let us know for which quarter you have been admitted. Return your confirmation deposit.
TIP: Be sure to read all materials carefully. It is easy to miss a vital step in this process.
Once you confirm, you will be able to sign up for an Advising and Orientation (A&O) session–you will not be able to register for courses until your A&O session, so sign up as early as you can to get a crack at the popular classes. When you sign up, please try to register for one of the Environmental & Biological Sciences sessions if available.