Minor in Marine Biology

The interdisciplinary Minor in Marine Biology is a tri-campus minor open to UW students at all campuses with an interest in exploring life in the marine environment. Coursework in the minor includes exciting hands-on learning opportunities, such as field trips, internships, research, courses at UW’s marine field station, Friday Harbor Laboratories, and study abroad programs.

We encourage students to declare the marine biology minor during their freshmen or sophomore years and immediately join a community of researchers and students interested in marine organisms, ecosystems, and conservation.


Declaring the minor

The Marine Biology minor has no prerequisites, and any undergraduate student—including pre-major students—may declare the minor at any time!

Contact your pre-major advisor or the academic advisor for your major at any time to declare the Marine Biology minor.


Program requirements

Visit the UW Seattle Marine Biology page for a description of the minor requirements and course options.

UW Bothell course options

Currently, most courses for this minor must be taken at UW Seattle or Friday Harbor labs. However, some courses may be taken at UW Bothell to fulfill specific requirements:

  • B BIO 180: Introductory Biology I — instead of BIOL 180
  • B BIO 330: Marine Biology — instead of FISH/OCEAN/BIOL 250
  • STMATH 341: Statistical Inference — instead of Q SCI 381
  • Other courses and B BIO 499 research will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

UW Bothell faculty

To learn more about the field of Marine Biology and potential opportunities for coursework and research at UW Bothell, contact Dr. Heather Galindo or Dr. Jeff Jensen.


Registration

To learn more about how to take courses at the UW Seattle campus, visit our cross-campus registration page.

Many of the elective options can also be taken at the UW’s marine biology research facility in the San Juan Islands – Friday Harbor Labs!


Petitions

Contact the Marine Biology advisor at UW Seattle for information on petition processes.