ESRM: Wildlife Conservation Option Application

NEW: How to Apply for the ESRM: Wildlife Conservation Option

 

Overview

Effective with the 2025-2026 Academic year, there is now a separate application/placement process for the Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resources Management: Option in Wildlife Conservation.

The Wildlife Conservation Option is the only Option in the ESRM major that requires a separate admission process, due to the high volume of students desiring the Option (as compared with the number of Wildlife Conservation faculty available to teach them) and the high number of declared Option students who leave the Option (generally for ESRM: General) prior to graduation.  So, the application process and steps are here to help students be fully academically prepared for Option courses, be aware of the rigorous demands of the Wildlife Conservation curriculum, and be able to follow an appropriate academic plan that will allow them to graduate on time with their Bachelor’s degree.

Application Requirements

To be eligible to apply for the Wildlife Conservation option, students must be a current ESRM major or ESRM Option student (or have submitted a completed ESRM Major Declaration form concurrently). Additionally, students must have completed the following ESRM major course requirements and have the courses be visible on their UW Degree Audit (note that these courses must be completed rather than being in progress):

  1. English Composition (5 credits)
  2. Calculus 1 (generally Q SCI 291 or MATH 124)
  3. Calculus 2 (generally Q SCI 292 or MATH 125)
  4. Chemistry 1 (generally CHEM 120 or CHEM 142)
  5. Chemistry 2 (generally CHEM 220 or CHEM 152)
  6. Biology 180 or BIOL 161 and BIOL 162
  7. Biology 200 or BIOL 161 and BIOL 162
  8. Biology 220 or BIOL 161 and BIOL 162

PLEASE NOTE: For the Winter 2026 Application Cycle only, your application will be considered if you have course application requirements in progress rather than completed, but you must show a viable academic plan for completing all of these courses by the end of Summer quarter 2026 in order to be considered.

Application Timeline

We anticipate the application form to be open during the following time frames:

  • Winter quarter 2026, January 13-February 3rd, 2026
  • Autumn quarter 2026, during the first three weeks of the quarter, and all future Autumn quarters

Application Form Instructions and Advice

Click here for the application.  The application will be open during Winter 2026 from January 13-February 3rd, 2026.

To complete the application form you will need to have completed all of the application requirements listed above.  PLEASE NOTE: For the Winter 2026 Application Cycle only, your application will be considered if you have course application requirements in progress rather than completed, but you must show a viable academic plan for completing all of these courses by the end of Summer quarter 2026 in order to be considered.

Instructions for completing your MyPlan Academic Plan:

  • Please click on the application and carefully read over the questions.  You will want to prepare answers to all questions in advance, as you cannot save your responses.
  • Please use the Wildlife Conservation sample 4 year academic plan for compiling your academic plan.
  • For your own academic plan you construct in the application, please pay careful attention to the order of the Wildlife Conservation courses highlighted in orange, and in particular the listings of course prerequisites for many of the courses.  You must have all prerequisites completed in order to take the course in question.
  • ESRM-prefixed Wildlife courses are only offered in the quarter indicated on the sample plan.
  • MyPlan guidance is available at this page.

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