1996-1997 catalog
Degrees and Programs
Fisheries
School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Program in Fisheries
(907) 474-7289
Minimum Requirements for Degrees: B.S.: 130 credits; M.S.: 30 additional credits; Ph.D.: open
The fisheries undergraduate curriculum program is intended to provide broad basic education and training. Holders of the bachelor's degree will be qualified to enter the management, law enforcement, and public information-education phases of fisheries work. Students contemplating careers in research, administration, advanced management, or teaching will find the bachelor's curriculum a solid foundation for graduate study. The undergraduate program is offered at Fairbanks only.
Graduate degree program students attend classes and work with faculty in Juneau and/or Fairbanks, and academic programs can be developed in one of the following options: Fisheries Management (Juneau/Fairbanks); Fish/Invertebrate Biology (Juneau/Fairbanks); and Aquaculture (Juneau only). Research assistantships are available; applicants should contact the Fisheries Program for further information and application forms.
The geographic location of UAF is advantageous for the study of interior Alaska aquatic habitats. A number of subarctic streams and lakes are within easy reach. Main access to the marine environment from the Fairbanks campus is in Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet.
The Juneau Center, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (JCSFOS) houses the UAF Fisheries Science Program in southeast Alaska. (Juneau students should also reference the University of Alaska Southeast catalog.) The Juneau Center has well equipped labs, including both freshwater and seawater wet labs and computer labs. There is ready access to both marine and freshwater habitats, and it is located near the Auke Bay National Marine Fisheries Service Laboratory just north of Juneau. The Fishery Industrial Technology Center (FITC) is located in Kodiak. It has new facilities for work in harvest technology, seafood technology, seafood biochemistry, and microbiology.
Fisheries students in both Fairbanks and Juneau have an opportunity for association with personnel of federal and state conservation agencies and these agencies hire a number of students for summer field work.
Undergraduate Degree Requirements
- Complete the general university and B.S. degree requirements. Some of the Fisheries core courses below may be used to meet these requirements as indicated by *.
- Complete the following major requirements. A
total of 130 credits must be earned for the Bachelor of Science in Fisheries.
Courses completed in A, B and C areas must be graded "C" or better.
- Fisheries Core Courses: (79-84 credits)
General (39-42 credits)
CHEM 105X, 106X General Chemistry (8)
CS or CIOS courses (3)
ECON 200 Principles of Economics
or ECON 235 Natural Resource Economics
or both ECON 201 and 202 Principles of Economics I & II (3-6)
ENGL 314 Technical Writing
or ENGL 414 Research Writing (3)
*MATH 200X and 201X Introduction to Calculus (8)
NRM 101 Conservation of Natural Resources (3)
PHYS 103X-104X College Physics (8)
STAT 200 Elementary Probability and Statistics
or STAT 300 Statistics (3)
Biology (27 credits)
*BIOL 105X, 106X Fundamentals in Biol. I and II (8)
BIOL 262 Principles of Genetics (4)
BIOL 271 Principles of Ecology (4)
BIOL 310 Animal Physiology (4)
BIOL 473 Limnology
or MSL 411 Current Topics in Oceanographic Research
or BIOL 477 Ecology of Streams and Rivers (3)
MSL 111X The Oceans (4)
Fisheries (13-15 credits)
FISH 336 Aquaculture of Marine Species or FISH 380 Marine Fishes of Alaska
or FISH 384 Biology of Freshwater Fish of Alaska
or FISH 385 Biology of Economically Important Fish and Invertebrates (3-4)
FISH 400 Fisheries Science (3)
FISH 401 Fisheries Management (3)
FISH 427 Ichthyology
or BIOL 305 Invertebrate Zoology (4-5) - Fisheries Electives:
Choose any Fisheries course (FISH) not already applied to requirements or any courses from the following list to total 18 credits. (18 credits)
BIOL 305 Invertebrate Zoology (5)
BIOL 328 Biology of Marine Organisms (3)
BIOL 473 Limnology (3)
BIOL 477 Ecology of Streams and Rivers (3)
CHEM 212 Chemical Equilibrium and Analysis
and CHEM 213 Quantitative Analysis Laboratory (4)
CHEM 321-322 Organic Chemistry
and CHEM 324 Organic Laboratory (9)
GEOG 205 Elements of Physical Geography (3)
MSL 411 Current Topics in Oceanographic Research (3)
STAT 401 Regression and Analysis of Variance
and/or STAT 402 Scientific Sampling (3-7) - Electives to total 130 credits.
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, Wildlife Biology. Recommended electives (other courses may be substituted) include:
ANTH 242 Native Cultures of Alaska (3)
CHEM 451 General Biochemistry (3)
NRM 303 Environmental Ethics and Actions (3)
BA 307 Personnel Management (3)
CHEM 452 Biochemistry Laboratory (3)
NRM 370 Introduction to Watershed Management (3)
BIOL 317 Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates (4)
ECON 438 The Economics of Fisheries Management (3)
NRM 407 Environmental Law (3)
BIOL 342 Microbiology (4)
GEOG 338 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (3)
PS 201 Comparative Politics (3)
BIOL 407 Aquatic Entomology (3)
GEOG 302 Geography of Alaska (3)
PS 212 Intro. to Public Administration (3)
BIOL 418 Developmental Biology (3)
GEOG 402 Resources and Environment (3)
PS 263 Alaska Native Politics (3)
BIOL 442 Bacteriology and Immunology (5)
GEOS 304 Geomorphology (3)
PS 302 Congress and Public Policy (3)
BIOL 471 Population Ecology (3)
JB 101 Intro. to Mass Communication (3)
PS 420 Environmental Politics (3)
BIOL 472 Communities and Ecosystems (3)
JB 311 Magazine Article Writing (3)
SOC 309 Urban Sociology (3)
BIOL 477 Ecology of Streams and Rivers (3)
NRM 204 Natural Resources Legislation and Policy (3)
WLF 303 Wildlife Management Techniques (3)
BIOL 480 Water Pollution Biology (3)
NRM 277 Introduction to Conservation Biology (3)
WLF 419 Waterfowl and Wetlands Ecology and Management (3)
Minimum credits required 130
- Fisheries Core Courses: (79-84 credits)
Bachelor of science candidates are strongly urged to obtain work experience in fisheries-related positions with public resource agencies or private firms. Faculty members can help students contact potential employers. Fisheries undergraduate students will be asked each fall to describe their work experience of the previous year.
Graduate Degree Requirements
Admission Requirements
- Complete a personal statement concerning educational and career goals.
- Complete university application requirements.
- Prerequisites: calculus, elementary statistics, ichthyology or invertebrate zoology, computer competency
Degree Requirements
- Complete UAF degree requirements.
- Complete a thesis and pass an oral defense of thesis and oral comprehensive examination.
- Students working in subject areas involving significant non-English literature may be expected to read the appropriate foreign language.
- Course Requirements (30 credits)
Complete a minimum of 30 credits, of which 24 credits must be at the 600 level.
Required courses (12-18 credits)
STAT 401 Regression and Analysis of Variance (4)
Graduate seminars (2 credits)
FISH 699 Thesis (6-12 credits)
Electives (12-18 credits needed) (12-18 credits)
Admission Requirements
- Have an earned master's degree in a fisheries-related field.
- Complete a personal statement concerning educational and career goals.
- Complete university application requirements.
Degree Requirements
- Complete UAF degree requirements.
- Complete at least one year of full-time coursework, as approved by the student's advisory committee.
- Pass a written (plus sometimes an oral) comprehensive examination.
- Complete a thesis exhibiting a substantial and original contribution to fisheries knowledge, and pass an oral defense of thesis.