Courses

These 10-week highly immersive programs are offered in Spring and Autumn and consist of 300- and 400-level marine science courses. Cohorts of 20-40 students together take a full load of classes, which truly are full-time jobs. Students should expect to spend 40 hours per week either in the lecture, lab, field, and homework components of these programs. Topics include marine research, marine mammals, invertebrate zoology, marine botany, marine ecology, behavioral ecology and/or anatomy and physiology.

Target Audience: undergraduate students and post-baccalaureates, though others are encouraged to apply as well

Courses vary depending on the year so take a deeper look at our Course Descriptions for what is on offer next.

Research Apprenticeships

Friday Harbor Labs offers 10-week, 15-credit research apprenticeships every autumn and the occasional winter quarter.

In autumn, join a team of passionate and inquisitive minds ready to take on independent research projects. Bi-weekly research cruises follow the same route through the San Juan Channel, allowing students to practice various data collecting techniques through gain hands-on experience collecting data on various pelagic ecosystem components.

In winter, an apprenticeship is occasionally offered focusing on different biological imaging techniques. Take advantage of the various imaging tools FHL has to offer, from digital photography and CT scanners to light photomicroscopy to scanning electron microscopy, students learn how to operate these tools and use them to complete individual research projects.

Target Audience: Non-UW undergraduate, graduate students, and post-baccs, though others are encouraged to apply as well

Take a deeper look at our Course Descriptions for what is on offer next.

Summer Courses

These 5-week stand alone courses offer experiential learning opportunities in a fast-paced and deeply immersive environment. Be ready to jump in the deep end with both feet, so to speak! Courses are 400- and 500-level and run 5.5 days per week. Yes, there is class on weekends. Topics offered include evolutionary development, ecomorphology and kinematics of fishes, subtidal marine ecology, marine ecology and conservation, marine birds and mammals, etc. We have too many courses to offer all at once, so course offerings generally alternate each year (ex. courses A, B, and C may be offered in 2022, 2024, 2026, etc. (even years) while courses D, E, and F are offered in 2021, 2023, 2025, etc. (odd years)).

Target Audience: undergraduate, masters, PhD students and post-baccs, though others are encouraged to apply as well

Take a deeper look at our Course Descriptions for what is on offer next.

Undergraduate Research Internships (REU)

Friday Harbor Labs’ REU program connects undergraduate students with scientist-mentors as collaborators in independent marine science research projects. Throughout this 8-week program, interns are exposed to the live and work at a marine science laboratory, where participants attend workshops, seminars, and training sessions to aid in their hands-on research.

Interns are provided with financial support to meet costs of room, board, and round trip travel, plus a stipend of $500 per week.

Target Audience: undergraduate students who identify as minorities in science, though other undergraduate students are encouraged to apply as well.

Mentors and research topics on offer vary from year to year. Visit the Research (REU) Internships webpage for more details and how to apply.

Training Workshops

Our 3-week not for credit training workshops are designed to impart techniques and methods to participants who can then take what they learned back to their home universities and labs. Workshop topics vary from summer to summer – in the past, we have hosted workshops on infectious marine disease, environmental DNA, marine heat waves, and an interdisciplinary workshop on marrying art and science.

Target Audience: masters and PhD students, post-docs, and professionals, though others are encouraged to apply as well

Visit our Training Workshop page for what is on offer next and how to apply.