ESRM Admission – Transfer Student Focus

Overview of ESRM Admission

Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management (ESRM) became a Minimum Requirements major in Autumn Quarter 2025.  This means that all current UW students who meet the Course and GPA Minimum Requirements for ESRM Admission are admitted to the major.

As a prospective transfer student admit to the UW, or someone who was recently admitted to the UW, you want to be sure that you are completing / have completed the correct courses required for the ESRM major, as well as the other courses normally completed in the first two years of college.  Advice specific to transfer students is featured here.

Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management Minimum Admission Requirements

To be able to declare the ESRM major, students must have completed all of the minimum course requirements with the minimum grade requirements as listed below.

Minimum course requirements:

  • one of Q SCI 291, MATH 124, or MATH 134 (First Quarter Calculus);
  • one of Q SCI 292, MATH 125, or MATH 135 (Second Quarter Calculus);
  • one of CHEM 120, CHEM 142, CHEM 143, or CHEM 145 (First Quarter Chemistry);
  • one of CHEM 220, CHEM 152, CHEM 153, CHEM 155, or OCEAN 295 (Second Quarter Chemistry);
  • either BIOL 180 (First Quarter Biology) or both BIOL 161 and BIOL 162 (Credit for scoring high enough on the pertinent AP/IB/A-Level Biology exam);
  • 5 credits of UW English composition.

Minimum grade requirements:

Minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA in courses required for admission

Planning the Completion of your Minimum Admission Requirements

How to evaluate your transfer courses to be sure the courses meet the requirements

  • If you are completing these courses at a Washington State Community College, please be sure to consult the UW Equivalency Guide to make sure you are completing or have completed the correct courses.
  • Out-of-state transfer courses, or in-state 4-year school courses do not have an available equivalency guide. Please meet with us if you have questions about your courses.

How to graduate in 4 Years

In order to graduate with your ESRM degree in 4 years, you do need to complete the first two years of ESRM degree requirements at your transfer institution, as the final two years of courses for the degree are courses only available at the UW.

Chemistry and Biology Transfer Course Tips

  • If you will be completing any of the Chemistry, Biology, or Calculus courses at the UW, please be sure to complete the courses in the order outlined in the 4-year academic plan. In particular, completion of the ESRM Chemistry course requirement is required to take the ESRM Biology course requirement.
  • If you are completing the General Biology series at a Washington State Community College (WSCC), please note:
    • at virtually all schools you must complete (1) all three General Biology courses (2) at the same Community College in order to have the General Biology series transfer correctly to the UW as BIOL 180, 200, 220; if your series transfers incorrectly you will not receive credit for BIOL 180 and you will have to complete the whole series at the UW.
    • To see how your WSCC Biology transfers, please consult the UW Equivalency Guide.
  • If you are completing the Chemistry Admission requirement at a Washington State Community College (WSCC), both the CHEM 120-220 and CHEM 142-152 courses are commonly available. However, please note that at many WSCC’s, you will only receive transfer credit from the UW for CHEM 152 if you also complete the third course in the series.  The 3rd course in the series is not an ESRM major requirement but certainly will count towards your UW General Education requirements (if needed) and will count as a General Elective towards the 180 credits required for the degree. For details about how CHEM will transfer from your Community College, please consult the UW Equivalency Guide.

Declaration Dates and Declaration Form: Please apply as soon as you are eligible

When incoming transfer students can apply to the ESRM major

Incoming UW students will be eligible to declare this major if they completed all the credits elsewhere once their transcripts/exam results are received by UW Admissions and recorded to the student’s UW Transcript, which first happens right before an incoming student’s New Student Orientation.

When it is time: How to declare the major

The declaration form is open all year!  We review declaration forms as they are submitted, and students should hear back from us within 10-14 business days.

A student whose declaration form is reviewed before Day 10 of Autumn, Winter, or Spring quarter will be added to the major effective the same quarter.  After day 10, the student will be added to the major effective the following quarter.

Students must be enrolled as a student at the UW in a given quarter in order to be added to the major for the quarter; this is mainly an issue for Summer quarter.  Students who are reviewed before day 10 of Summer quarter but are not enrolled in Summer quarter will be added to the major effective for Autumn quarter.

 

ESRM Declaration Form

Statement of Non-Discrimination

The University of Washington prohibits discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns, make complaints, or direct inquiries to the Civil Rights Compliance Office. The statement of nondiscrimination is located on the Civil Rights Compliance Office web site.

 

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