Departmental Policies and Expectations

Course requirements include a minimum of 30 total credits, at least 16 credits at UW-Madison, at least 15 in didactic courses (formal classes or formal seminar).

All ADS M.S. students must complete their certification paperwork. The student should submit all completed certification paperwork to the Graduate Program Manager (GPM) for review and approval by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS).

Students should meet with their committee at minimum once per year.

Students must enroll and present in Seminar (900) during their final semester.

The below steps must be completed in a timely fashion (as outlined), or the student will not be allowed to register for following semesters. Working closely with the PI and committee are essential for successful completion of an M.S. The certification paperwork and MS Warrant Request form must be approved before the M.S. warrant request is submitted to the Graduate School. Any changes to the certification paperwork must be communicated to the GPM and approved by the DGS.

1. Form a M.S. Mentor and Examination Committee (form I) and submit completed form to GPM (by end of 1st semester).
2. Meet with approved committee to approve Plan of Study (form II) and submit completed form to the GPM (by end of 2nd Semester). Regular meetings with M.S. Mentor Committee are expected.
3. Complete coursework and M.S. research (if applicable). Documentation of completion is required before defense. Students must enroll and present in Seminar (900) during their final semester.
4. Schedule and successfully complete Final Defense and Examination. Follow specific steps under “Final Defense” below.

Any changes to the certification paperwork must be communicated to the GPM and approved by the DGS.

Course requirements include a minimum of 30 total credits, at least 16 credits at UW-Madison, at least 15 in didactic courses (formal classes or formal seminar).

All ADS M.S. students must complete their certification paperwork. The student should submit all completed certification paperwork to the Graduate Program Manager (GPM) for review and approval by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS).

Students should meet with their committee at minimum once per year.

Students must enroll and present in Seminar (900) during their final semester.

The Mentor Committee members advise the student on their classes, research, other academic components of the students’ Graduate Program, evaluate satisfactory progress, administer the final oral examination, evaluate the thesis, and sign the degree warrant. The PI chairs the committee. The final warrant request including committee membership must be submitted to the Graduate School at least three weeks before the examination date. Please view the Graduate School’s policy on the role and composition of committees and an online tool to determine if the committee meets minimum requirements.

Master’s thesis committees must consist of at least 3 members, 2 of whom must be ADS graduate faculty or former graduate faculty up to one year after resignation or retirement and the third member from outside the department. Non-thesis master’s committees must have at least one graduate faculty from ADS. We recommend that student use the Faculty List for Grad Committees tool when forming the committee.

To receive a master’s degree, students cannot receive more than one dissenting vote from their Mentor Committee on the final degree warrant.

This program provides the opportunity to tailor a curriculum of advanced coursework and research to fit the needs of each student. Students may acquire a general overview of ADS or may focus on a specialized subject area in breeding and genetics, nutrition, endocrinology and reproductive physiology, or meat science and muscle biology. The coursework master’s program must meet the requirements of the department as well as the requirements for the Graduate School. Full-time students can expect to complete the M.S. degree in about two years. The M.S. program can also accommodate part-time students with resulting increased time to degree. The coursework master’s degree is a terminal degree and completion of this degree does not allow automatic admission to a Ph.D. program.

These are some helpful links for the writing process:

1. (attached below) The thesis template
2. The UW Writing Center’s Writing Handbook
3. Rules on writing ethics and plagiarism
4. Expecting Your Master’s Degree? Procedures to Help
5. Master’s Degree Checklist: Timeline & Deadlines

The department requires all funded students to be enrolled full time. Students funded by another department should check with the payroll and benefits coordinator of that department to learn their requirements for enrollment. Please review the minimum enrollment requirements for additional clarification. You are responsible for following Graduate School policies related to course enrollment requirements and limitations:

• Minimum Enrollment Requirements
• Adding / Dropping Courses
• Canceling Enrollment
• Enrollment Accountability

Degree deadlines are the cut-off dates for a degree and dissertation eligibility in each term, and it is important to keep abreast of these dates when planning to graduate.

View the following for additional information: Graduate School Deadlines.

Course requirements include a minimum of 51 total credits, at least 32 credits at UW-Madison, at least 26 in didactic courses (formal classes or formal seminar).

All ADS Ph.D. students must complete their certification paperwork. The student should submit all completed paperwork in a timely manner to the Graduate Program Manager for review and approval by the Director of Graduate Studies. Students should meet with their committee at minimum once per year.

Students must enroll and present in Seminar (900) during their final semester.

The below steps must be completed in a timely fashion (as outlined), or the student will not be allowed to register for following semesters. Working closely with the PI and committee are essential for successful completion of a Ph.D. The certification paperwork must be approved before the request for preliminary warrant is submitted to the Graduate School. Any changes to the certification paperwork must be communicated to the GPM and approved by the DGS.

1. Form a Ph.D. Mentor and Examination Committee (form I) and submit completed form to the GPM (by end of 2nd Semester).
2. Meet with approved committee to approve Plan of Study (form II) and submit completed form to the GPM (by end of 2nd Semester). Regular meetings with Committee are expected.
   1. Complete coursework (except seminar and research) prior to or within the same term as the preliminary examination. Documentation of completion is required before preliminary examination.
3. Schedule (by the end of the 4th semester) and complete preliminary examination (by the end of the 5th semester). Follow specific steps under “Preliminary Examination” below.
4. Confirm Final Ph.D. Examination Committee (form V) and submit completed form to GPM.
5. Complete research and thesis (documentation of completion is required before defense), enroll and present in Seminar (900) during the final semester, schedule final examination, successfully complete Final Defense and Examination. Follow specific steps under “Dissertation & Final Oral Exam/Defense” below.

The Mentor Committee members advise the student on their classes, research, other academic components of the students’ Graduate Program, evaluate satisfactory progress, administer the final oral examination, evaluate the thesis, and sign the degree warrant. The PI chairs the committee. The final warrant request which includes committee membership must be submitted to the Graduate School at least three weeks before the examination date. Please review the Graduate School policy on the role and composition of committees  as well as an online tool to determine if the committee meets minimum requirements.

Ph.D. Mentor Committees must have at least 4 members representing more than one graduate program, 3 of whom must be UW-Madison ADS graduate faculty or former UW-Madison ADS graduate faculty up to one year after resignation or retirement. At least one of the 4 members must be from outside the Department of ADS. At least 3 committee members of all doctoral/final oral examination committees must be designated as readers.

All members of a Mentor Committee retain voting rights. The fourth member may be from any of the following categories: graduate faculty, faculty from a department without a graduate program, academic staff (including emeritus faculty), visiting faculty, faculty from other institutions, scientists, research associates, and other individuals deemed qualified by the student’s graduate committee. We recommend that student use the Faculty List for Grad Committees (attached below) tool when forming the committee.

To receive a doctoral degree, students cannot receive more than one dissenting vote from their committee on the final degree warrant.

The Department of ADS requires Ph.D. students to complete a minor before they can be granted dissertator status. There are two minor options:

Option A External Minor: Requires a minimum of nine credits in a single department/program. Selection of this option requires the approval of the minor department/program. Students interested in an Option A minor should contact the minor department.

Graduate School Minor Information: grad.wisc.edu/documents/minors/

Option B Distributed Minor: Requires a minimum of nine credits in one or more departments/programs and can include course work in the major department/program. Selection of this option requires the approval of your thesis committee.

Option A minors appear on the transcript with the name of the minor (i.e., Statistics).

Option B minor always appears on the transcript as Distributed.

Minors of interest to ADS majors may include the following – Option B (distributed): 

• Agriculture and Applied Economics
• Agronomy
• Endocrinology-Reproductive Physiology
• Food Science
• Genetics
• Life Sciences Communication
• Molecular and Environmental Toxicology
• Nutritional Sciences
• Statistics

See a list of all minors available: guide.wisc.edu/graduate/#doctoralminorstext

The department requires all funded students to be enrolled full time. Students funded by another department should check with the payroll and benefits coordinator of that department to learn their requirements for enrollment. Please review the minimum enrollment requirements for additional clarification. You are responsible for following Graduate School policies related to course enrollment requirements and limitations: 

• Minimum Enrollment Requirements
• Adding / Dropping Courses
• Canceling Enrollment
• Continuous Enrollment Requirement for Dissertators
• Enrollment Accountability

Degree deadlines are the cut-off dates for a degree and dissertation eligibility in each term, and it is important to keep abreast of these dates when planning to graduate.

View the following for additional information: Graduate School Deadlines. 

Academic exceptions are considered on a case-by-case basis and should not be considered a precedent. Deviations from normal progress are highly discouraged, but the program recognizes that there are cases extenuating academic and personal circumstances. Petitions for course exceptions/substitutions or exceptions to Satisfactory Academic Progress shall be directed to the DGS and will be considered by the Research and Graduate Education Committee (RGEC).

The following procedures apply to all petitions:

1. The specific requirement/rule/expectation pertinent to the petition must be identified.
2. The PI must provide written support for the petition to the GPM and the DGS. The request should include a justification statement and a detailed explanation of the substitution proposed to meet the requirement.
3. All course work substitutions and equivalencies will be decided by the DGS.

More generally, the DGS, in consultation with the PI and committee, may grant extensions to progress requirements for students who face circumstances as noted in university regulations, including childbirth, adoption, significant responsibilities with respect to elder or dependent care obligations, disability or chronic illness, or circumstances beyond one’s personal control. The petition should provide evidence of plans and ability to return to conformance with the standard and to acceptably complete the program. The normal extension will be one semester; anything beyond this will be granted only in the event of highly extraordinary circumstances. Extensions will be granted formally with a note of explanation placed in the student’s file.

The following requirements are under the purview of the UW Graduate School and cannot be modified:

• Composition of the Graduate Committee.
• Standards defining Satisfactory Academic Progress.
• Minimum credit requirement.

While most student participation in the program is continuous, students may find it necessary to take a temporary leave of absence. Graduate students may request a leave of absence for one semester or for one year by sending an email to the GPM outlining the timeline for the leave and general reasons. The PI must agree that the student is leaving in good standing and may re-enter the program in a reasonable stated length of time. The DGS will review all leave of absence requests.

If a student is granted a one semester leave of absence, the milestone due dates and terminal deadlines are pushed back one semester. If a student is granted a full year leave of absence, all due dates and deadlines are pushed back one year. Students may be granted a leave of absence for no more than one year at a time.

Students who do not register for more than one semester (Fall or Spring) will be considered inactive by Graduate School standards and must apply for re-entry.  Students who take a leave of absence and are in good standing are likely to be approved for re-entry upon return. Prior funding guarantees may or may not continue to be in effect and will be decided on a case by case basis. A leave of absence is not required for summer term as summer term is not a required term of enrollment if a student is not being paid as a graduate assistant or fellow.

Re-entry

Graduate students who leave the program in good standing for more than one term (not including summer) may request re-entry to the program by completing the Graduate School application for re-admission. Department leadership will review the request based on the information provided at the time the student plans to return.

The Graduate School outlines the policy for readmission for previously enrolled graduate students.

Time Limits

In addition, the Graduate School specifies time limits for completion of current coursework and research.  Students who take a leave of absence or re-enter into the program should be aware of these policies.