Marine Biology Major Approved Elective List
The following is the department’s list of approved upper-division courses which can be applied to the electives requirement of the Marine Biology Major. Please note that not all of these courses are approved for the Marine Biology Minor.
Requirements:
Categories
- At least one course minimum from Biodiversity, Ecology and Ecosystems, and Organismal Processes
Sub-requirements (courses can fulfill multiple sub-requirements at the same time)
- Minimum of 2 courses taken with lab sections
- 3 courses must be taken at the 400 level
- Additional elective courses to bring total credits to 25
Courses highlighted in yellow and with the FHL prefix take place in residence at Friday Harbor Labs, UW’s marine field station located on San Juan Island. Learn more about incorporating a quarter at FHL into your academic plan.
updated October 2025
Biodiversity
| Course No. | Title | Cr. | Offered | Notes |
| BIOL 434 | Invertebrate Zoology | 5 | Variable | Lab |
| FISH 310 | Marine Invertebrate Diversity | 5 | Sp | Lab |
| FISH / BIOL 311 | Biology of Fishes | 5 | A | Lab |
| FHL 375 | Marine Mammals of the Salish Sea | 5 | Sp | |
| FHL / BIOL 430 | Marine Zoology | 5 | Sp | Lab |
| FHL / BIOL 432 | Marine Invertebrate Zoology | 9 | Su | Lab |
| FHL 440 / BIOL 445 | Marine Botany | 5 | Sp | Lab |
| FHL 446 | Marine Botany: Diversity and Ecology | 9 | Su | Lab |
Ecology & Ecosystems
| Course No. | Title | Cr. | Offered | Notes |
| BIOL 423 | Marine Ecological Processes | 3 | A | |
| FISH 406 | Parasite Ecology | 5 | A | Lab |
| FISH 450 | Salmonid Behavior and Life History | 4 | A | |
| FISH 464 | Arctic Marine Vertibrate Ecology | 5 | W, odd years | |
| FISH 470 | Evolutionary Ecology of Marine Mammals | 5 | Variable | Offered in Winter in AY 25/26 |
| MARBIO / BIOL 433 | Marine Ecology | 5 | Variable | Lab |
| OCEAN 403 | Southern Ocean: Climate and Ecosystems | 5 | Sp | Lab; Not offered Spring 2026 |
| FHL 403 | Novel Marine Ecosystems | 5 | Sp | Lab |
| FHL 420 | Marine Ecology of the Salish Sea | 5 | Sp | Lab |
| FHL 495 A (course # in dev) | Behavioral Ecology of Marine Invertebrates | 5 | A | Lab |
Organismal Processes
| Course No. | Title | Cr. | Offered | Notes |
| FISH / BIOL 340 | Genetics and Molecular Ecology | 5 | A | Lab |
| FISH 427 | Tropical Marine Biology | 5 | W | Lab |
| FISH 444 | Conservation Genetics | 5 | W | Lab |
| FISH 460 | Applied Marine Animal Physiology | 5 | Sp | Lab |
| OCEAN 432 | Microbes in a Changing Ocean | 3 | W | |
| FHL 471 | Comparative Anatomy & Physiology of Marine Organisms | 5 | A | Lab |
Other Electives
| Course No. | Title | Cr. | Offered | Notes |
| FISH 312 | Fisheries Ecology | 3/5 | Sp | Lab (5 cr. only) |
| FISH 423 | Aquatic Invasion Ecology | 4 | A | |
| FISH 437 | Fisheries Oceanography | 4 | A | |
| FISH/ENVIR/BIOL 478 | Topics in Sustainable Fisheries | 3 | W | |
| MARBIO 301 | Current Topics in Marine Biology | 1 | W | |
| MARBIO 302 | Conversations in Marine Biology | 1 | W | |
| OCEAN 402 | Advanced Marine Biogeochemical Processes | 3 | A | |
| OCEAN 409 | Marine Pollution | 3 | Variable | Offered in Winter in AY 25/26 |
| OCEAN 450 | Climatic Extremes | 4 | Variable | Offered in Winter in AY 25/26 |
| OCEAN 480 | Global Ocean – Human Culture | 3 | Variable | not offered in AY 25/26 |
| Q SCI / FISH 454 | Introduction to Quantitative Ecology | 5 | W | |
| Q SCI / FISH 458 | Quantitative Conservation and Management | 5 | Sp | |
| FHL 480 | Professional Portfolio in Marine Science | 5 | Sp | |
| FHL 490 | Marine Sciences Seminar | 1 | A, Sp |
Research
- Maximum of 6 credits total of independent research
| Course No. | Title | Cr. | Offered | Notes |
| MARBIO 479 | Research in Marine Biology | Var. | See notes | Requires learning contract |
| FHL 450 | Nearshore Ecology Research Experience | 6 | A, Sp | Only if not applied to ‘integrative field experience‘ requirement |
| FHL 470 | Research in Marine Biology | 6 | A, Sp | Only if not applied to ‘integrative field experience‘ requirement |
Special Topics
- Special topics are approved by individual offering; see courses page for approved sections by quarter
| Course No. | Title | Cr. | Offered | Notes |
| FISH 478 | Topics in Sustainable Fisheries | Var. | Variable | (Approved by individual offering; see website for details) |
| FISH 497 | Special Topics in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences | Var. | Variable | (Approved by individual offering; see website for details) |
| OCEAN 411 | Special Topics in Marine Geology and Geophysics | Var. | Variable | (Approved by individual offering; see website for details) |
| OCEAN 431 | Special Topics in Biological Oceanography | Var. | Variable | (Approved by individual offering; see website for details) |
| OCEAN 497 | Advanced Special Topics in Oceanography | Var. | Variable | (Approved by individual offering; see website for details) |
| FHL 468 | Advanced Topics in Ecology and Biomechanics | 9 | Variable | (Approved by individual offering; see website for details) |
| FHL 472 | Friday Harbor Labs Research Apprenticeship | 15 | Variable | (Approved by individual offering; see website for details) |
| FHL 495 | Special Topics in Natural Science | 3-5 | Variable | (Approved by individual offering; see website for details) |