The Graduate School Catalog is the official document of record for a two-year period. Archived editions from past years are available in the Catalog and Bulletin Archive. Students are responsible for meeting the academic requirements that were in effect at the time that they matriculated, including satisfactory progress and degree requirements. In situations where academic requirements have changed during a student’s time of enrollment, the Graduate School and the academic program may elect to enforce requirements that are in the best interest of the student.
The Catalog provides an overview UW–Madison programs that offer graduate degrees, programs that are fully or partially available at a distance or that are flexible to working schedules, graduate minors, and certificates. Some programs have identified areas of concentration within their field, known as degree (named) options. These options appear on the transcript with degree conferral. The Graduate Faculty Executive Committee must approve official (named) options. Many programs also have unofficial specializations or tracks that do not appear on the transcript. The Catalog lists both the official options and unofficial specializations for the programs that have identified these areas of concentration.
The Catalog contains the general rules and regulations that govern graduate degree programs. These include policies established by the Graduate School for admission, course work, the awarding of degrees and certificates, and the general criteria governing satisfactory progress in a degree program.
Past versions of the Catalog displayed information about graduate programs by administrative unit (department). In this edition, information is presented by academic program, to reflect the interdisciplinary nature of many graduate programs at UW–Madison.
The Admission and Financial Aid section includes Graduate School admission requirements and general information about financial aid services. The Degrees, Minors, Certificates section offers the official listing of available majors, degrees, certificate programs, dual graduate/professional degree programs, and Ph.D. minors. This section also contains official information about Graduate School policies and procedures. Academic program information provides an overview of department and program features, contact information, current faculty listings, admission and degree requirements, and course descriptions. The most current and detailed information is available from the individual department and program offices. (For specific academic programs, see Degrees, Minors, Certificates.)
The Graduate School's Academic Policies and Procedures complements the Catalog and provides information about Graduate School academic and administrative policies and procedures. Copies are available from the academic departments, or online.
The Guide to Graduate Student Life, written by the Graduate Student Collaborative, helps with nonacademic issues and offers advice about the university and community, from a student's perspective. The Graduate Student Collaborative, part of the Office of Graduate Student Professional Development, is located at 358 Bascom Hall, 262-0201, gsc@grad.wisc.edu.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison provides a wide array of activities for graduate students designed to enrich their skills and prepare them for faculty and other professional careers. The Graduate School collaborates with numerous campus groups to develop activities aimed at strengthening a range of abilities, including effective teaching, peer mentoring, career development, and other skills related to graduate education.
For information on campus resources for student professional development, see Graduate Student Professional Development and the monthly e-newsletter for graduate students, GradLink@Madison.
The McBurney Disability Resource Center provides academic support services (disability management advising, note-taking, sign language and oral interpreting, alternative testing, reader/taping services, access to large print and Braille materials, mobility assistance and access to adaptive technology); disability-related program access services (specialized orientation, registration and financial aid assistance, accessible parking, liaison to university, federal, state and community agencies, academic adjustments, physical access evaluation, advocacy, and in-service training for faculty and staff); and information and referral services. Students are encouraged to contact the center as early as possible to arrange for services and to contact their local Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) office.
702 West Johnson Street, Suite 2104 Madison, WI 53706 608/263-2741 (voice) or 608/263-6393 (TTY) frontdesk@mcb.wisc.eduM www.mcburney.wisc.edu
University websites useful to students are listed below. In addition, most program entries in this catalog provide links to program and department websites.
Division of Student Life Financial Aid, Office of Graduate School Graduate School Academic Policies and Procedures Graduate Student Collaborative Graduate Student Professional Development Guide to Graduate Student Life Health Services Help Desk (DoIT) Information Technology, Division of (DoIT) International Student Services (ISS) Institutional Cooperation, Committee on (CIC) Libraries McBurney Disability Resource Center My UW–Madison Registrar Center for Leadership and Involvement Visitor and Information Programs (VIP) Wisconsin Union Writing Center
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is committed to providing equal opportunity and equal access and to complying with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations and University of Wisconsin System and university non-discrimination policies and procedures. Information, including how to file a complaint alleging discrimination, can be found at the Office for Equity and Diversity (OED) website: www.oed.wisc.edu. OED is located at: 179-A Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706; 608-263-2378; Wisconsin Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1; Fax 608-263-5562.
The following are the nondiscrimination bases for covering students and applicants for admission to the university; university employees and applicants for employment at the university; and those wishing to take part in university programs and activities, including visitors to campus.
Students: age; ancestry; color; creed; disability; ethnicity (specifically involving harassment by University of Wisconsin employees); marital or parental status; national origin; pregnancy; race; religion; retaliation for opposing discrimination, making a complaint of discrimination or taking part in an investigation relating to discrimination; sex; sexual orientation. A student who wishes to file a discrimination complaint against a fellow student who is acting in his or her role as a student should contact the Division of Student Life at: Room 75, Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive; Madison, WI 53706; Voice 608-263-5700; TTY 608-263-2400; e-mail: dos@bascom.wisc.edu. For more information about the complaint process visit www.students.wisc.edu/rights/uw-madison-student-discrimination-complaint-process/. A student who wishes to file a discrimination complaint against another student who is acting in his or her role as an employee of the university (e.g., a graduate or teaching assistant, a resident assistant, or a student hourly employee) should contact OED.
Employment: age; ancestry; arrest record; color; conviction record; creed; cultural background; disability; ethnicity (specifically involving harassment by university employees); gender identity; gender expression; marital status; genetic testing; honesty testing; military obligations; national origin; pregnancy; race; religion; retaliation for opposing discrimination, making a complaint of discrimination or taking part in an investigation relating to discrimination; sex; sexual orientation; use or nonuse of lawful products off the employer's premises during nonworking hours.
University programs or activities (including visitors to campus): age; color; disability; national origin; race; retaliation for opposing discrimination, making a complaint of discrimination, or taking part in investigations of discrimination; sex.
Additional campus resources: Address questions concerning sex discrimination to the Title IX Coordinator: Assistant Vice Provost, Director of the Office for Equity and Diversity, 179-A Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706; Voice 608-263-2378; WTRS: 7-1-1; Fax 608-263-5562. Questions concerning disability can be addressed to the Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator: Director, Office of Administrative Legal Services, 500 Lincoln Drive, Room 361 Bascom Hall, Madison, WI 53706, Voice 608-263-7400; Fax 608-263-4725.
McBurney Disability Resource Center: Students seeking academic adjustments or auxiliary aides in order to participate in the university's programs or activities should contact the McBurney Center at: 1305 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706; Voice 608-263-2741; TTY 608-263-6393; Fax 608-265-2998; www.mcburney.wisc.edu. Other resources for disability issues on campus can be found at www.wisc.edu/adac/uw.html.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC-NCA), 30 North Lasalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602, telephone 1-800-621-7440; www.hlcommission.org. The university, which was first accredited in 1913, has been a charter member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools since the association's founding in 1895. UW–Madison was last accredited in 2009, and will go through a reaccreditation process again in 2018-19.
Registration with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education: The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public institution registered as a "Private Institution" with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education pursuant to sections 136A.61 to 136A.71. Registration is not an endorsement of the institution. Credits earned at the institution may not transfer to all other institutions.
For changes to the catalog since it was published June 2012, see this page.
