Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences - BS

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S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources

Department of Watershed Sciences

About This Degree:

Utah State University is the only university in the state with a college devoted to the study of natural resources, and the fisheries and aquatic science program is one of the few programs in the nation where students have the opportunity to focus on freshwater fish populations.

Fisheries and aquatic scientists understand the biology of rivers, lakes, and wetlands. The program highlights the ecology of freshwater and marine systems, management of important fisheries, restoration of riparian and wetland areas, and protection of the plant and animal communities in lakes and rivers.

Students of fisheries and aquatic sciences learn the skills necessary to understand and manage freshwater fish populations. This major also includes an understanding of the relationships among physical, chemical, and biological components of aquatic ecosystems. Graduates of this program may go on to work as scientists and managers for state and federal natural resource agencies, researchers, or as professionals for environmental consulting firms, nonprofit environmental firms, and water-based industries.

Students may use their electives to explore interests in policy or water law, environmental history or ethics, oceanography, or genetics

For more information about Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, see the website.
Admitted and current students must meet with an academic advisor for semester by semester planning.
Log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.
The highest math requirement for this degree is STAT 3000 - Statistics for Scientists (QI) .

Minimum University Requirements

Total Credits: 120
Credits of C- or better: 100
Total credits taken through USU: 30
Total major required credits taken at USU: 10
Minimum Grade Point Average (many majors require a higher GPA): 2.0 GPA
Credits of upper-division courses (#3000 or above): 40
Upper-division credits taken at USU: 20
General Education Requirements
University Studies Requirements
Undergraduate Degree Requirements

Admission Requirements For This Program

New freshmen: Admitted to USU in Good Standing
Transfer students from other institutions or other programs at USU: 2.5 GPA

Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Required Courses

All courses required for this major must be taken on an A-B-C-D-F basis. A grade of C- or better is required for all WATS and GEOG courses used to meet requirements for the Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences major. The grade point average for all courses taught by the College of Natural Resources must be 2.5 or higher.

Capstone Experience (4 credits)

Directed Electives (11 credits)

Students must choose a minimum of 11 elective credits to complete the Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences degree requirements. The majority of these elective credits must come from courses directly related to the degree program. All elective courses must be approved by the student’s faculty advisor before enrollment. The following is a list of recommended courses that could be used to satisfy this requirement.

ENVS 3010 - Natural Resource and Environmental Policy 3 credit(s)
ENGL 3080 - Introduction to Technical Communication (CI) 3 credit(s)
TCR 2100 - Introduction to Technical Communication 3 credit(s)
ENVS 4020 - Foundations of Environmental Thought (DHA/CI) 3 credit(s)
ENVS 6320 - Water Law and Policy in the United States 3 credit(s)
GEOG 3800 - Geospatial Data Visualization 3 credit(s)
GEOG 4860 - Python Programming for GIS 3 credit(s)
GEOG 4870 - Geospatial Analysis with R 3 credit(s)
HIST 3950 - Environmental History (CI/DHA) 3 credit(s)
PHYS 2110 - General Physics - Life Sciences I 4 credit(s)
POLS 4820 - Natural Resources and Environmental Policy: Political Economy of Environmental Quality (DSS) 3 credit(s)
PSC 3000 - Fundamentals of Soil Science 4 credit(s)
WATS 2500 - Introduction to Marine Biology (BLS) 3 credit(s)
WATS 3000 - Oceanography (DSC) 3 credit(s)
WATS 3450 - Introduction to Coral Reefs-Field Course (DSC) 3 credit(s)
WATS 3600 - Geomorphology 4 credit(s)
WATS 3910 - Climatology and Hydrology for Western Watersheds (DSC/QI) 3 credit(s)
WATS 4000 - Natural Resources Teaching Experiences 1 credit(s)
WATS 4110 - Biogeochemistry: Tracking Environmental Processes and Change 3 credit(s)
WATS 4310 - Wetland Ecology and Management 3 credit(s)
WATS 4520 - Aquatic Ecology Practicum II: Analysis 2 credit(s)
WATS 4250 - Advanced Internship/Co-op 1-9 credit(s)
WATS 4530 - Water Quality and Pollution 3 credit(s)
WATS 4580 - Base R: Data Management and Manipulation Using R 1 credit(s)
WATS 4600 - Environmental Water Management 3 credit(s)
WATS 4970 - Undergraduate Research 1-3 credit(s)
WATS 4990 - Senior Thesis 1-3 credit(s)
WATS 5150 - Fluvial Geomorphology 3 credit(s)
WATS 5610 - Field Introduction to Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes 1 credit(s)
WATS 5620 - Intro to Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes 1 credit(s)
WATS 5621 - Science and Case Studies of Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes 1 credit(s)
WATS 5622 - Planning Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes 1 credit(s)
WATS 5623 - Designing Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes 1 credit(s)
WATS 5624 - Implementation of Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes 1 credit(s)
WATS 5625 - Adaptive Management and Monitoring of Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes 1 credit(s)
WATS 5640 - Riparian Ecology and Management 3 credit(s)
WILD 3810 - Wildlife Population Ecology 3 credit(s)
WILD 3880 - Genetics in Conservation and Management 3 credit(s)

Open Electives

Total elective credit is determined by General Education courses taken, degree type selected, additional credits earned, and any additional math or other prerequisite courses needed. Please consult your  Academic Advisor for details.

Total Credits: 121

Suggested Degree Map - Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences BS

Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences BS - 4 Year Degree Map