Marine Biology Minor Requirements
Use the following tables to plan for a Minor in Marine Biology. Students can use the MyPlan online academic planning tool to check course availability and create a full academic plan over quarters and years. Course availability can vary, so please check the Marine Biology Courses page for quarterly offerings. In addition to the tables below, students can also download or print the following requirements worksheet:
Marine Biology Minor Requirements Worksheet
General Requirements
- 35 credits minimum
- Minimum of 2.0 cumulative GPA in all minor coursework
- Minimum 15 credits at the 300-400 level
- At least 18 credits must be unique to the marine biology minor (i.e. may not overlap with a student’s major requirements)
- The 3 credits applied to the ‘Integrative Experience’ requirement can not overlap with a student’s major requirements
- A maximum of 5 credits may overlap with requirements for another minor
Core
Students complete the following four courses (19 credits):
Core Courses
| Course number | Title | Credits | Offered |
| FISH/OCEAN/BIOL 250 | Marine Biology | 5 | A |
| OCEAN 210 | Integrative Oceans | 4 | A |
| BIOL 180 | Introduction to Biology | 5 | A, W, Sp, Su |
| Q SCI 381 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics | 5 | A, W, Sp, Su |
Electives
Students must take at least 13 credits from the following approved electives lists, including at least 1 course from Oceanography, 1 course from Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, and 1 course from Biology or Friday Harbor Labs.
Aquatic and Fishery Sciences Electives
| Course No. | Title | Cr. | Offered |
| FISH 310 | Biology of Shellfishes | 5 | Sp |
| FISH / BIOL 311 | Biology of Fishes | 5 | A |
| FISH 312 | Fisheries Ecology | 3 | Sp |
| FISH 323 | Conservation and Management of Aquatic Resources | 5 | W |
| FISH / BIOL 340 | Genetics and Molecular Ecology | 5 | A |
| FISH / OCEAN / BIOL 370 | Marine Evolutionary Biology | 5 | Sp |
| FISH 406 | Parasite Ecology | 5 | A |
| FISH 427 | Tropical Marine Biology | 5 | W |
| FISH 441 | Integrative Environmental Physiology | 3 | Variable |
| FISH 444 | Conservation Genetics | 5 | Sp |
| FISH 464 | Arctic Marine Ecology | 4 | W, odd yrs |
Oceanography Electives
| Course No. | Title | Cr. | Offered |
| OCEAN 330 | Marine Biogeochemical Cycles | 5 | Sp |
| OCEAN 370 | Marine Evolutionary Biology | 5 | Sp |
| OCEAN 402 | Advanced Marine Biogeochemical Processes | 3 | Variable |
| OCEAN 403 | Southern Ocean: Climate and Ecosystems | 5 | Sp – Not offered Sp26 |
| OCEAN 409 | Marine Pollution | 3 | Sp |
| OCEAN 411 | Special Topics in Marine Geology and Geophysics | Var | Var |
| OCEAN 432 | Microbes in a Changing Ocean | 3 | W |
| OCEAN 450 | Climatic Extremes | 4 | W |
| OCEAN 480 | Global Ocean – Human Culture | 3 | Var |
| OCEAN 497 | Advanced Special Topics in Oceanography | Var | Var |
Biology or Friday Harbor Labs Electives
| Course No. | Title | Cr. | Offered |
| BIOL / FISH 311 | Biology of Fishes | 5 | A |
| FISH / BIOL 340 | Genetics and Molecular Ecology | 5 | A |
| BIOL 423 | Marine Ecological Processes | 3 | Variable |
| BIOL / MARBIO 433 | Marine Ecology | 5 | Variable |
| BIOL 434 | Invertebrate Zoology | 5 | W, Sp, Su |
| FHL 375 | Marine Mammals of the Salish Sea | 5 | Sp |
| FHL / BIOL 430 | Marine Zoology | 5 | Sp |
| FHL 432 | Marine Invertebrate Zoology | 9 | Su |
| FHL 440 / BIOL 445 | Marine Botany | 5 | Sp |
| FHL 446 | Marine Botany: Diversity and Ecology | 9 | Su |
| FHL 469 | Ecology and Human Interactions in the Salish Sea | 5 | A |
| FHL 471 | Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of Marine Organisms | 5 | A |
| FHL 492 | Ecology & Conservation of Marine Birds & Mammals | 9 | Su |
Note: Courses highlighted in yellow 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.
Special Topics
- Special topics are approved by individual offering; see courses page for approved sections by quarter
| Course number | Title | Credits | Offered |
| FISH 497 | Special Topics in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences | Var. | Variable |
| OCEAN 497 | Advanced Special Topics in Oceanography | Var. | Variable |
| FHL 468 | Advanced Topics in Ecology and Biomechanics | 9 | Variable |
Integrative Experience
All students must complete a class from the list of Integrative experience courses (Excess credits can apply to Marine Biology Minor electives). Most students complete this requirement by engaging the combo of MARBIO 301 Current Topics in Marine Biology and MARBIO 302 Conversations in Marine Biology on the Seattle campus or through laboratory or field research credits from FHL. MARBIO 479 credits for independent research are accepted, but registration requires establishing a learning contract with a faculty mentor.
Integrative Experience
| Course number | Title | Credits | Offered |
| MARBIO 301 | Current Topics in Marine Biology | 1 | W |
| MARBIO 302 | Conversations in Marine Biology | 1 | W |
| MARBIO 479 | Independent Research in Marine Biology | 3+ | A, W, Sp, Su |
| FHL 450, 460, or 470 | Research Experience in Marine Biology (FHL) | 6 | A, Sp |
| FHL 472 | Research Apprenticeship in Marine Biology (FHL) | 15 | A |