Course and Credit 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 and has added some credit requirements to the University minimums. Each requirement fulfills a different purpose.

School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences Core Courses

The following courses are required for all students in the SAFS graduate program. Additional requirements are detailed on the SAFS M.S. and Ph.D. program webpages (please use the navigation bar to the left):

• QSCI 482, Statistical Inference in Applied Research, 5 credits.
• FISH 510-514, Current Topics 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 521 & 522 are normally not available to regular non-matriculated and graduate non-matriculated students. Email safs@u.washington.edu for more information.

Satisfactory Progress

Student scholarship is reviewed at the end of each quarter. Students must maintain a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 for all courses numbered 400 and above. The lowest acceptable grade in any individual course is 2.7. Failure to maintain a 3.0 GPA, either cumulative or for a given quarter, automatically causes the Graduate School to notify the SAFS Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC), who must respond. A student whose GPA falls below 3.0 will initially be on academic warning for one quarter and then placed on academic probation if the GPA remains below 3.0 in subsequent quarters. To be removed from probation, the student must raise his/her cumulative GPA to 3.0 or above.

At least once per academic year, the GPC reviews all students’ progress relative to the major milestones of the degree program. Students who fail to make the required progress will be notified of their deficiency and directed to submit a written plan for returning to schedule. Students who do not improve their academic standing by fulfilling the SAFS requirements within the appropriate timeframe will be placed on academic probation.  Moreover, any student who exceeds the University-established time limits to earn a degree (6 years for Master’s students or 10 years for Doctoral students) will be placed on probation.

Scholarship eligibility will be affected when a student fails to satisfy academic progress requirements.

In addition to a quarterly review of scholarship and an annual review of progress toward the degree, students should undergo an annual academic evaluation conducted by their Chair/Major Professor, usually in the Winter or Spring quarter. A student who has not received an evaluation has the right to request one.

SAFS may academically dismiss a student for lack of satisfactory progress and request the Graduate School to cancel enrollment if the student remains on probation for more than one quarter. This action can only be taken if the student was notified in writing of this possibility and given the opportunity to improve his/her academic standing. More information about these policies and processes can be found in Graduate School Memorandum 16.

Course Restrictions and Course Load Limits

Only those courses numbered 400 and above can be applied toward graduate degree requirements. Please note that 498–Internship and 499–Undergraduate Research credits normally do not count toward graduate residency. With permission of the student's Supervisory Committee, courses numbered 300 to 399 can be taken, but they do not count toward the graduate requirements or GPA. No courses taken as an undergraduate, regular non-matriculated, or post-baccalaureate student may be applied for credit toward graduate degrees. Graduate non-matriculated students may transfer a maximum of 12 eligible credit hours of 400- and 500-level courses taken at the UW, if they are later admitted to a UW graduate program. Please see the Transfer Credit section below for more details.

Full-time graduate students normally register for 10 to 18 credits per quarter during the academic year (Autumn, Winter and Spring), of which not more than 10 to 12 credits are graded courses. Some or all of a student’s enrollment may be FISH 600, 700, or 800. However, any combination of 600-, 700- and/or 800-level work may total no more than 10 credits per quarter.

Please note that enrollment in Summer Quarter is optional, unless required for employment purposes (e.g., research/teaching assistantships or fellowships) or for other reasons. If enrolled in Summer Quarter, the minimum is 2 credits, usually in FISH 700 or 800, as applicable. Students with Summer enrollment are strongly encouraged to register only for the 2-credit minimum, unless enrolled in a specific course (e.g. FISH 491) or otherwise required to take more credits. The SAFS Student Services Office and the student’s Major Professor should be notified in advance by the student when Summer enrollment needs to exceed 2 credits. Note that enrollment is normally not required for hourly student appointments in Summer quarter. Questions about enrollment requirements for graduate student appointments should be directed to the SAFS Student Services Office.

Transfer Credit

Master’s Degrees

A student may ask the SAFS Graduate Advisor to petition the Dean of the Graduate School to transfer a maximum of 6 graduate-level credits, earned as a graduate student in another recognized institution, to satisfy UW Master’s degree requirements. These credits may not have been used to satisfy requirements for another degree.

Up to 12 Graduate Non-Matriculated (GNM) credits earned at the University of Washington may also apply toward a Master’s degree. The maximum number of overall graduate-level credits that can be transferred is 12, which includes a combination of GNM credits earned at the UW plus up to 6 credits maximum from another eligible institution.

Credits earned as a post-baccalaureate or regular non-matriculated student cannot be applied toward a UW graduate degree.

Please note that the six-year limit for earning the master's degree begins with the earliest course transferred toward the UW Master’s degree, whether from an outside institution or from GNM credits earned at the UW.

For more information about transfer credit, students should refer to the Master's Degree General Information posted on the Graduate School’s Policies and Procedures webpage. Graduate School Memorandum #37 contains information about GNM credits at the UW.

Doctoral Degrees

Transfer credits from another institution are not applicable toward a doctoral degree at the UW. 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. (i.e., up to 30 credits from a Master’s degree can count toward Doctoral residency requirements at the UW). Doctoral students must earn a minimum of 60 credits in residency at the UW, and the remaining 30 credits (toward the 90 total credits needed) may come from a prior Master’s degree. 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.

The ten-year limit for earning the doctoral degrees 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. Graduate School Memorandum #37 contains information about GNM credits at the UW.

Continuous Enrollment

During the academic year (Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters), students must maintain continuous enrollment by being registered full- or part-time, being registered in absentia, or petitioning for on-leave status (see next section below). Because Summer quarter enrollment is optional, students are not required to register or go on leave for Summer quarter. Failure to maintain continuous enrollment during the regular academic year (i.e., excluding Summer) will result in being dropped from the University and reapplication will be required to resume studies.

Students who hold a teaching or research assistantship must be registered for the minimum credits required for their appointment period (a minimum of 10 credits during Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters, and 2 credits during Summer quarter). For this purpose, courses that are audited or below the 400-level do not count toward the minimum enrollment requirement.

On-Leave Status

Graduate students who plan to be away from the University and out of contact with the faculty and facilities for a period not to exceed four consecutive quarters must petition to go on leave. Students who do not take an official leave of absence will be considered withdrawn from the University. On-leave petitions may be obtained from the SAFS Student Services Office in FSH 116 and must be approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) before the quarterly deadline indicated in the UW Academic Calendar. Approval of on-leave status is contingent upon a supporting statement (e.g., email) from the student's Major Professor indicating how the leave will affect the student’s academic progress and the student’s new timeline/plan for meeting degree requirements. Students must not be registered for any credits on the first day of the effective leave quarter. If planning to go on a leave, students should not register for any credits. If already registered, they should drop all courses (online via MyUW) before the first day of the on-leave quarter.

If approved by SAFS, the on-leave petition and applicable fee must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office in Schmitz Hall by 5:00pm on the fifth day of the effective leave quarter. Specific on-leave deadlines are indicated in the UW Academic Calendar.

On-leave status reserves a student's place in the Graduate School and permits the student to use the library, be eligible for language competency examinations, and retain access to e-mail accounts. An on-leave student is not entitled to any of the other privileges of a regularly enrolled student, including extensive consultation with faculty.

To return to the University from leave, the student should register in the usual way online via MyUW. Registering cancels any remaining leave period, so students may return early from a leave by simply registering for classes within the usual deadlines listed in the UW Academic Calendar. If circumstances require a continued leave of absence, the student must follow the same procedures used to submit the initial on-leave petition (see above), including approval for a new petition and payment of the on-leave fee. The student's record of previous on-leave quarters and satisfactory progress are considered when assessing whether an additional on-leave period will be approved.

Graduate School Memorandum #9 further explains the policies and procedures for taking a leave of absence.

UW Graduate School Degree Requirements

For a complete listing of the UW Graduate School Degree Requirements (which do not include SAFS-specific degree requirements), visit the Graduate School’s Policies and Procedures webpage.

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