Fisheries

School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Fisheries Program
907-474-7289
www.sfos.uaf.edu/academics/

B.A., B.S., M.S., Ph.D. Degree; minor

Minimum Requirements for Degrees: B.A.: 126 credits; B.S.: 126 credits

The undergraduate programs in fisheries offers students broad education and training, preparing graduates to work as professionals in fisheries management, research, conservation, education, policy, harvest and marketing organizations. The programs also provide a solid foundation for graduate study for students contemplating careers in advanced research and management, administration or teaching.

The B.S. degree in fisheries provides students with the knowledge base, skill sets and hands-on experience to obtain positions within state, federal and non-governmental fisheries and natural resources conservation and management agencies in Alaska and throughout North America. Graduates with this degree will be particularly qualified to work for traditional state, provincial, federal, Alaska Native, and Native American agencies in the areas of marine and freshwater fisheries biology and management and fisheries social science.

The B.A. degree in fisheries provides students with the knowledge base, skill sets, and hands-on experience to obtain positions within the fishing and seafood processing industries in Alaska and throughout North America. Graduates with this degree will be qualified to work for traditional fisheries governmental agencies in the areas of business administration, policy development, fisheries education and outreach, or as social scientists.

The minor gives students who are majoring in other areas (i.e. wildlife biology, natural resources management, business, rural and community development, journalism, etc.) a solid introductory background in fisheries.

Fisheries students have opportunities to work with professionals from federal, state, local, tribal and private groups during their required internship or research project. These organizations often hire fisheries students for summer internships, which can turn into full-time jobs after graduation.

The undergraduate fisheries program is administered through the UAF Fairbanks campus. Students have the option of completing their program in Fairbanks or Juneau, with many fisheries courses offered via distance education for students in other outlying areas. The undergraduate fisheries program is designed as a 2+2 program in which students may complete their first two years at UAF, UAS or UAA (or other local UA campus) and their last two years in either Fairbanks or Juneau as a UAF student. Students who are interested in the 2+2 option must contact the UAF fisheries program.

Fairbanks offers an excellent location for the study of Interior Alaska aquatic habitats with a number of subarctic streams and lakes within easy reach. The Juneau Center has ready access to both marine and freshwater habitats and freshwater and seawater wet labs. The Fishery Industrial Technology Center, located in Kodiak, has facilities for work in harvest technology, seafood technology, seafood biochemistry and microbiology.

Major — B.A. Degree

  1. Complete the general university requirements.
  2. Complete the B.A. degree requirements.
  3. Complete the following:*
    ACCT F261—Accounting Concepts and Uses I—3 credits
    ACCT F262—Accounting Concepts and Uses II—3 credits
    AIS F101—Effective Personal Computer Use—3 credits
    ANTH F403W/O—Political Anthropology (3)
         or ANTH F428—Ecological Anthropology and Regional Sustainability—3 credits
    BA F307—Introductory Human Resources Management—3 credits
    BA F343—Principles in Marketing—3 credits
    BA F390—Organizational Theory and Behavior (3)
         or BA F330—The Legal Environment of Business (4)—3 – 4 credits
    ECON F200—Principles of Economics (4)
         or ECON F235—Introduction to Natural Resources (3)—3 – 4 credits
    ENGL F314 W,O—Technical Writing—3 credits
    FISH F101—Introduction to Fisheries—3 credits
    FISH F261—Introduction to Fisheries Utilization—3 credits
    FISH F288—Marine and Freshwater Fishes of Alaska—3 credits
    FISH F490—Experiential Learning Internship—1 credit
    MSL F111X—The Oceans—4 credits
    NRM F407—Environmental Law (3)
         or PS F447—U.S. Environmental Politics (3)
         or HIST F411—Environmental History (3)—3 credits
    RD F300W—Rural Development in a Global Perspective (3)
         or RD F350O—Indigenous Knowledge and Community Research (3)
         or RD F430—Indigenous Economic Development and Entrepreneurship (3)—3 credits
    Upper division fisheries elective—3 credits
  4. Minimum credits required—126 credits

* Student must earn a C grade or better in each course.

Major — B.S. Degree

  1. Complete the general university requirements. (As part of the core curriculum requirements, complete MATH F200X or F272X.)
  2. Complete the B.S. degree requirements. (As part of the B.S. degree requirements, complete STAT F401 or STAT F402.)
  3. Complete the following fisheries core requirements:*
    BIOL F115X—Fundamentals of Biology I**—4 credits
    BIOL F116X—Fundamentals of Biology II**—4 credits
    BIOL F271—Principles of Ecology—4 credits
    BIOL F310—Animal Physiology—4 credits
    BIOL F362—Principles of Genetics—4 credits
    BIOL F473W—Limnology (4)
         or MSL F411—Current Topics in Oceanographic Research (3)
         or BIOL F476—Ecosystem Ecology (3)
         or BIOL F483—Stream Ecology (3)—3 – 4 credits
    CHEM F105X—General Chemistry**—4 credits
    CHEM F106X—General Chemistry**—4 credits
    ECON F200—Principles of Economics (4)
         or ECON F235—Introduction to Natural Resource Economics (3)
         or ECON F201—Principles of Economics I: Microeconomics (3)
         and ECON F202—Principles of Economics II: Macroeconomics (3)
    ENGL F414W—Research Writing (3)—3 – 4 credits
    FISH F101—Introduction to Fisheries—3 credits
    FISH F288—Marine and Freshwater Fishes of Alaska—3 credits
    FISH F315—Fisheries Techniques—4 credits
    FISH F425—Fish Ecology—3 credits
    FISH F427—Ichthyology—4 credits
    FISH F490—Experiential Learning Internship—1 credit
    FISH F487W,O—Fisheries Management—3 credits
    MSL F111X—The Oceans**—4 credits
    PHYS F103X—College Physics**—4 credits
    STAT F200X—Elementary Probability and Statistics—3 credits
    STAT F401—Regression & Analysis of Variance—4 credits
         or STAT F402—Scientific Sampling—3 credits
  4. Complete 12 credits of electives* from Fisheries, Biology or Natural Resource Management (of which 7 credits must be upper division).
  5. Complete 4 credits of electives* from Chemistry, Geology or Physics.
  6. Complete 4 upper-division credits of other electives*.
  7. Minimum credits required—126 credits

* Student must earn a C grade or better in each course.

** Courses completed in the fisheries core may be used to meet the core natural sciences or B.S. degree natural science requirements but not both.

Note: Fisheries majors are encouraged to reinforce their fisheries qualifications by earning a minor in a program related to fisheries. Some examples are biology, business management, chemistry, economics, mathematics, natural resources management (animal science), northern studies, statistics or wildlife.

Minor

  1. Complete the following:
    FISH F101—Introduction to Fisheries (3)
         or NRM F101—Natural Resources Conservation and Policy (3)—3 credits
    FISH F288—Marine and Freshwater Fishes of Alaska—3 credits
  2. Complete at least 6 credits from the following:
    FISH F261—Introduction to Fisheries Utilization—3 credits
    FISH F336—Introduction to Aquaculture—3 credits
    FISH F421—Fish Population Dynamics—4 credits
    FISH F425—Fish Ecology—3 credits
    FISH F436—Salmon Culture—3 credits
    FISH F487—Fisheries Management—3 credits
  3. Complete at least 3 credits from one of the following concentrations:
    Fisheries Science
    BIOL F305—Invertebrate Zoology—5 credits
    BIOL F310—Animal Physiology—3 credits
    BIOL F328—Biology of Marine Organisms—3 credits
    BIOL F441—Animal Behavior—3 credits
    BIOL F471—Population Ecology—3 credits
    BIOL F472W—Community Ecology—3 credits
    BIOL F473W—Limnology—4 credits
    BIOL F476—Ecosystem Ecology—3 credits
    BIOL F483—Stream Ecology—3 credits
    NRM F370—Introduction to Watershed Management—3 credits

    Fisheries Business Administration and Economics
    ACCT F261—Accounting Concepts and Uses I—3 credits
    ACCT F262—Accounting Concepts and Uses II 3
    BA F151—Introduction to Business —4 credits
    BA F307—Introductory Human Resources Management—3 credits
    BA F325—Financial Management—3 credits
    BA F343—Principles of Marketing—3 credits
    BA F390—Organizational Theory and Management—3 credits
    ECON F200—Principles of Economics—3 credits
    ECON F235—Introduction to Natural Resources Economics—3 credits
    ECON F335—Intermediate Natural Resource Economics—3 credits
    ECON F434—Environmental Economics—3 credits

    Fisheries Policy and Rural Development
    ANTH F242—Native Cultures of Alaska—3 credits
    ANTH F403W/O—Political Anthropology—3 credits
    ANTH F428—Ecological Anthropology and Regional Sustainability 3
    HIST F411—Environmental History—3 credits
    NRM F407—Environmental Law—3 credits
    NRM F430—Resource Management Planning—3 credits
    PS F101—Introduction to American Government and Politics—3 credits
    PS F447—U.S. Environmental Politics—3 credits
    RD F200—Community Development in the North—3 credits
    RD F245—Fisheries Development in Rural Alaska—3 credits
    RD F265—Perspectives on Subsistence in Alaska—3 credits
    RD F350O—Indigenous Knowledge and Community Research—3 credits
  4. Minimum credits required—15 credits