Doctoral (Ph.D.) Program—School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS)

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 SAFS Recruitment, Admission, and Scholarship Committee (RASC) assesses the degrees held by prospective students and assigns each to pre-Master's or post-Master's status.

Further information about admissions policies and procedures is on the SAFS Graduate Admissions webpage.

Admission to the Ph.D. Program After Receiving a M.S. Degree from the School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences

Students who wish to continue study toward the Doctoral Degree after receiving a Master's Degree from the SAFS must apply to the Graduate Program Coordinator via the Student Services Office; the application will first be considered by the Recruitment, Admission, and Scholarship Committee (RASC). Applications must be submitted by the sixth week of the quarter in which the Master's Degree is to be conferred; students intending to defend in Summer quarter should submit their request during the preceding Spring quarter and approval may be granted in advance, contingent upon degree conferral in Summer. Applications must consist of the following documentation:

• 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. Or, they can give letters directly to the student in sealed and signed envelopes that can later be submitted with the other application materials by the deadline.

Students should submit one hardcopy set of original application materials to the Student Services Office in FSH 116. In addition, they should email an electronic version (e.g., a PDF), without letters of recommendation, to the Graduate Advisor. The SAFS front desk staff in FSH 116 or the Graduate Advisor can assist with scanning materials and creating a PDF, if the student has questions or needs help.

Students will not be awarded entry scholarships for both the M.S. and Ph.D. programs. Those who received entry scholarships upon admission to the Master’s program can transfer any “leftover” scholarship quarters to their Doctoral program. However, they are not eligible to receive additional entry scholarship quarters for the Ph.D. program.

Students may apply for continuation in the Ph.D. program in any quarter in which the M.S. degree is earned. But, entry scholarships are only awarded during the Fall admissions cycle. Any student who continued in the Doctoral program after earning the Master’s degree and who wishes to be considered for an entry scholarship must submit an entry scholarship application to RASC by December 15 (contact the Graduate Advisor for more information). This application must provide all the information required of prospective graduate students, including a CV, a letter outlining research interest, a personal statement, and letters of recommendation. Many of the materials used in a student’s application to continue in the Ph.D. program may be used for the entry scholarship application as well. The intent to apply for an entry scholarship does not remove the need for guaranteed financial support for at least the first year of Doctoral study.

Students who continue to the Ph.D. program must complete all M.S. and Ph.D. requirements, including coursework, within ten years of beginning graduate study.

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. Interested students should consult with the Graduate Advisor to determine the relevant deadline, which is dependent upon when RASC is meeting next. 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 CV or resume;
• UW transcript (unofficial);
• A letter or email (to safs@u.washington.edu) from each member of the student's MS Supervisory Committee indicating approval to bypass the MS Degree;
• A copy of the M.S. thesis proposal;
• A draft doctoral dissertation research proposal that outlines each chapter of the Ph.D. dissertation, including methods, likely outcomes and significance; the chairperson of the proposed Doctoral Supervisory Committee needs to approve the draft proposal (this need not be the final dissertation proposal that will later be defended for 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 which case letters from at least two MS committee members indicating that the manuscript is scientifically rigorous and publishable are required;
• Statement from the proposed chairperson confirming that the work conducted as part of the MS research will constitute a significant fraction of the proposed Doctoral research - evidence for this should be outlined in the draft Doctoral dissertation proposal;
• Statement from the proposed chairperson guaranteeing 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 in sealed and signed envelopes that can later be submitted with the other application materials by the deadline.

Students should submit one hardcopy set of original application materials to the Student Services Office, including any sealed letters of recommendation. In addition, they should email an electronic version (e.g., a PDF), without letters of recommendation, to the Graduate Advisor. The SAFS front desk staff in FSH 116 or the Graduate Advisor can assist with scanning materials and creating a PDF, if the student has questions or needs help.

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 (SAFS). 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 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 Ph.D. students at the University of Washington need to accumulate a total of 90 credits at the graduate level. Please see the SAFS Degree Requirements for All Students webpage for information that applies to all SAFS graduate students. The UW Graduate School’s minimum Doctoral degree requirements are outlined on their webpage.

Below is a summary of the SAFS Doctoral degree requirements for quick reference, but students should read all information on this website for more details. Note that all courses, milestones, and any other requirements for the PhD must be completed within ten years from a student’s first quarter of Doctoral coursework (including any credits used from a prior master’s degree and/or Graduate Non-matriculated credits earned at the UW).

• Earn 90 total credits toward the Doctoral degree (up to 30 credits from an eligible Master’s degree may be used toward this requirement)
• Complete the Core and Additional course requirements detailed in the sections below
• Earn 18 credits at the 500-level or higher
• Earn 18 credits of numerically graded coursework with at least a 2.7 grade
• Earn at least 27 credits of FISH 800 over three or more quarters, one of which must occur after the General Exam
• Make satisfactory progress on degree milestones and other requirements including: Supervisory Committee formation; the Plan of Study; Qualifying (written) Exam; dissertation proposal; General (oral) Exam for doctoral candidacy; Reading Committee formation; and Final Exam (oral defense of dissertation). Please use the navigation bar on the left for more information about each requirement, and see the Ph.D. Timeline for an overview
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0

Note that the same course may be used to satisfy multiple requirements. For example, FISH 521 counts as a 500-level, numerically graded course.

SAFS Core Courses (42 credits)

The following Core courses are required of all Ph.D. students. The non-dissertation courses are the same as those required of M.S. students and must be taken as part of the Doctoral program if they or their equivalents have not been taken during a prior Master’s program.

• QSCI 482, Statistical Inference in Applied Research, 5 credits.
• FISH 510-514, Current Topics (“5-teen”) series, 2–5 credits (grading basis may vary depending upon the course/quarter offered); students are required to complete at least two of these courses during their graduate program. QERM 597 and FISH 578/BIOL 570A also count toward this requirement.
• 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, one of which must occur after the General Exam.

*FISH 521 & 522 are normally not available to regular non-matriculated or graduate non-matriculated students. Email safs@u.washington.edu for more information.

Students wishing to waive any Core course requirement (excluding FISH 800) must obtain approval from his/her Major Professor and the Graduate Program Coordinator via a petition process. The Graduate Advisor can provide the necessary form and instructions. The FISH 800–Dissertation Research requirements cannot be waived; most students far exceed the FISH 800 minimum by the time they graduate.

Additional Course Requirements (48 credits)

At least 48 credits earned at the 400-level or above, including dissertation credits, are required in addition to the Core courses listed above. Depending upon how many numerically graded credits were earned for the 5-teen requirement (see Core Courses section above), up to nine credits from these additional courses must be numerically graded. Students need a total of 18 numerically graded credits (combined from the Core and Additional course requirements) in order to graduate.

The student, in consultation with his or her Supervisory Committee, chooses the specific additional elective courses. If a Core course is waived, students must replace the missing credits with additional non-dissertation coursework at the 400-level or greater.

Graded Credits

The Graduate School 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 3.0 is required for a graduate degree at the University. Please note that 600-level courses do not count toward the numerical grading requirement.

Tranfer Credit

Students may not transfer Ph.D. credits from another university into a UW Ph.D. program. However, a master’s degree from the UW or another institution may be used as a substitute for 30 credits of enrollment toward the 90 total credits required for the Ph.D. This means that up to 30 credits from an eligible Master’s degree can count toward the 90 total credits needed for the UW Doctoral degree; at least 60 credits of graduate-level coursework must be taken from the UW, regardless. A student may ask the SAFS Graduate Advisor to petition the Dean of the Graduate School for this residency requirement substitution. Note that credits earned as a post-baccalaureate or regular non-matriculated student cannot be applied toward a UW graduate degree; Graduate Non-matriculated (GNM) credits will count toward UW residency, however.

Please note that the ten-year limit for earning the Doctoral degree begins with the first course used toward the Ph.D. requirements, including GNM credits taken at the UW and/or credit from a Master’s degree applied toward Doctoral residency.

For more information regarding the acceptance of transfer credits, students should refer to the Doctoral Degree Requirements posted on the Graduate School’s Policies and Procedures webpage and/or contact the SAFS Graduate Advisor. Graduate School Memorandum #37 contains information about GNM credits at the UW.

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. (Transfer credit restrictions are outlined in the section above.) There is no longer a requirement that students complete three full-time quarters in an academic year; part-time status is permitted under certain conditions. However, international students will likely need to be enrolled full-time to meet the student-visa requirements. International students should consult the International Students and Scholars Office regarding any visa questions, including registration minimums. Also, students with certain types of funding (e.g., research and teaching assistantships) need to maintain full-time enrollment (10–18 credits) to maintain eligibility for funding during the Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters; only 2 credits are required for Summer research or teaching assistantships. Questions about enrollment requirements for graduate student appointments should be directed to the SAFS Student Services Office.

Dissertation

The Ph.D. 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 period 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, any UW Graduate Non-matriculated courses, and any applicable work from a Master’s Degree (either from the UW or another institution). Students who must draw from Master's degree credits to fulfill the Ph.D. requirements are considered to have begun their UW Ph.D. program at the time of entry into their prior M.S. program.