Hello from the advising desk,

Now is a perfect time to start planning your winter quarter schedule. Academic quarters go fast, and registration for winter starts as early as November 4 (check your registration date). If you haven’t already, you can book an appointment with your marine biology adviser to check on your academic plan. Just remember that you need to schedule more than 12 hours in advance, and in person appointments are only available Tuesdays through Thursdays. Online appointments are available every day of the week, so make sure to check for Monday and Friday online options (currently the most open days).

book an advising appointment

To make the most out of your advising time, make sure to check and update your academic plan through myplan prior to your appointment. You will see adviser notes/recommendations at the bottom of each quarter and year if you have met with the marine biology adviser before.

Here are some general recommendations based on approximate year at UW or class standing:

• Freshmen/1st year: English composition (variety of courses fill this requirement), precalculus (if needed), start chemistry (either CHEM 110 or CHEM 142), MARBIO 305: Scientific Writing (if you have fulfilled the composition requirement), MARBIO 301 (speaker series)
• Sophomores/2nd year: OCEAN 295 (if you need to complete the chemistry series), MARBIO 270 (if you need to complete the biology series), MARBIO 305, Q SCI 291/292 or MATH 124/125 (calculus), Q SCI 381 (stats)
• Juniors/3rd year: FISH 323 (core), FISH 464: Arctic Marine Vertebrate Ecology, OCEAN 480: Global Ocean – Human Culture, PHYS 114/121, Q SCI 381
• Seniors/4th year: FISH 323 (core), FISH 464, FISH 427 (Tropical Marine Biology), Q SCI 454: Ecological Modeling, FISH 478 (Bevan Lecture Series)

For more details on elective and specialized marine science courses, check out the listings on our courses page

marine biology courses