COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR PH.D. AND M.S. STUDENTS AND ENROLLMENT
1. Selection of a Track within Botany
Course requirements depend upon which track the student chooses. Acceptable courses carry graduate credit (300 and above level) and usually consist of at least three credits. Seminar courses may not be counted. Appendix 1 lists courses that may be counted as fulfilling these requirements. Courses not listed in Appendix 1 may be counted towards completion of the requirements at the discretion of the Academic Advisory Committee or in consultation with the student’s major professor and committee. A single course may be used to fulfill only one requirement, even if it can satisfy several. Courses taken at other institutions may be accepted. A grade of A, AB, or B must be earned.
Each student selects one of the following tracks.
General Botany Track
Ph.D. students need one course from each of the following.
M.S. students need one course from at least six of the seven.
- genetics,
- biochemistry, cell or molecular biology,
- plant physiology or plant developmental biology,
- cryptogamic botany,
- plant anatomy or morphology,
- ecology, and
- evolution or systematics
Ecology Track
Ph.D. and M.S. students need a minimum of 5 courses as follows:
- at least 3 courses (minimum of 9 credits) in ecology,
- one course in evolution, and
- one course in any of the following: systematics; cryptogamic botany; biochemistry, cell or molecular biology; plant physiology or plant developmental biology; plant anatomy or morphology; or genetics
Evolution Track
Ph.D. and M.S. students need a minimum of 5 courses, at least one from each of the following:
- evolution,
- systematics or cryptogamic botany,
- population or quantitative genetics,
- ecology, and
- one course in any of the following: biochemistry, cell or molecular biology; plant physiology or plant developmental biology; or plant anatomy or morphology
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) Track
Ph.D. and M.S. students need a minimum of 5 courses, at least one from each of the following:
- plant anatomy or morphology,
- biochemistry, cell or molecular biology,
- plant physiology,
- plant developmental biology or genetics, and
- one course in any of the following: ecology; systematics; evolution; or cryptogamic botany
Conservation & Restoration Ecology Non-thesis Track (M.S. Degree only)
M.S. students need a minimum of 30 credits (contact the Botany Graduate Program Coordinator for details).
2) Minimum Requirements of the Botany Department
A minimum of six credits in Botany at the 300 level or above (not including seminar or research credits) are required while in residence at the UW. These six credits may include courses used to fulfill track requirements. A grade of A, AB, or B must be earned.
M.S. and Ph.D. students take a minimum of two seminar courses while in residence at the UW. Ph.D. students take a seminar course outside their chosen track and/or outside the Botany Department, prior to earning dissertator status. Two additional semesters of seminar courses are strongly recommended for Ph.D. students and may be taken before or after becoming a dissertator.
Ph.D. students are required to select a minor field of study and fulfill the associated coursework (refer to “Degree Requirements for Ph.D. Students” in this document for details).
All Incomplete grades must be removed in the following semester, unless the course has to be repeated. Failure to remove an Incomplete by the deadline is considered unsatisfactory progress.
3) Minimum Requirements of the Graduate School
The Graduate School website https://grad.wisc.edu/acadpolicy/ should be consulted for details of current Graduate School general requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Several critical requirements are mentioned below.
Minimum Graduate Residence Credit Requirements:
The minimum number of graduate-level credits (from courses numbered 300 or above) taken as a graduate student at UW-Madison.
- S. 16 credits
- D. 32 credits, completed prior to earning dissertator status
Minimum Graduate Degree Credit Requirements:
The minimum number of credits to complete the degree taken while a graduate student at UW-Madison or through approved prior course work.
- S. 16 credits (if started program prior to Fall of 2014)
- S. 30 credits (if started or returned to program during or after Fall of 2014)
- D. 32 credits (if started program prior to Fall of 2014)
- D. 51 credits (if started or returned to program during or after Fall of 2014)
Minimum Graduate Course Work (50%) Requirement:
For students who start or return to their program during or after the Fall of 2014, at least 50% of credits applied toward the program’s graduate degree credit requirement must be with courses designed for graduate work. Graduate course work can include UW-Madison courses (including but not limited to online, thesis/research, independent study, and practicum/internship credits) that satisfy one of the following guidelines:
- numbered 700 and above (including research credits);
- numbered 300-699 that are specifically designed for graduate students in a graduate program;
- numbered 300-699 that assess graduate students separately from undergraduate students; or
- numbered 300-699 that have a graduate student enrollment >50% in any given semester.
Grades:
All graduate courses in which a student receives a grade of A, AB, B, or S will count toward the Graduate School’s minimum credit requirement. Courses with grades of BC or C count only if there are equal credits with grades of AB and A respectively in non-research courses to offset the lower grades. Courses with grades of P (“in progress”) fulfill the Graduate School’s minimum credit requirement only if they are research courses. Courses taken for audit or pass/fail, under the 300 level, or in which a student receives grades of D or F do not count. Students must maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale), excluding research credits.
Course Load:
A full-time program is 8 to 15 credits for a semester and 4 to 12 credits for the summer. During the summer, the maximum number of credits equals the number of weeks the student is enrolled in courses. For example, if the student enrolls for the eight-week session, the maximum number of credits the student is permitted to enroll in is 8. Any exception to the maximum credit load must be approved by the Graduate School using the Overload Request process.
Enrollment requirements for non-dissertators are as follows. For teaching assistants and project assistants, minimum enrollment for full-time status is 4 credits for a 50% appointment and 6 credits for a 33% appointment for a semester. Research assistants, fellows and trainees need to enroll in 8 credits per semester to maintain full-time status. Summer research assistants, fellows and trainees, and students who expect to graduate in the summer enroll in a minimum of 2 credits during the eight-week summer session. Summer teaching assistants, project assistants and students without appointments are not required to enroll.
Dissertators enroll in exactly 3 credits during the fall and spring semesters. Dissertators who are summer research assistants, fellows or trainees or who expect to graduate in the summer enroll in 3 credits during the eight-week summer session. Dissertators are considered full-time at 3 credits.
It is against university policy to hold an assistantship without being properly enrolled. Minimum enrollment is required to maintain graduate student status. Non-dissertators who do not need to maintain full-time status have a 2 credit enrollment minimum during fall and spring semesters. Non- dissertators who do not enroll in at least 2 credits and dissertators who do not enroll in 3 credits during a semester must apply for re-entry. Courses, which are audited or taken pass/fail or credit/no credit or are under the 300 level, do not apply to this minimum enrollment policy.
Enrollment Requirements
The Graduate School’s policy on enrollment requirements is as posted at grad.wisc.edu/acadpolicy/#EnrollmentRequirements.
Auditing Courses
Graduate School policy on Auditing Courses may be found at grad.wisc.edu/acadpolicy/#auditingcourses.
Continuous Enrollment
Graduate School policy on Continuous Enrollment may be found at grad.wisc.edu/acadpolicy/#continuousenrollmentrequirement.
Leave of Absence
Graduate School Policy for students who have reached dissertator status: https://grad.wisc.edu/acadpolicy/?policy=leaveofabsence
For students who have not reached dissertator status, should petition the Botany Graduate Committee using the BOTANY GradCommitteeApprovals FORM available through the forms link from the Botany website: http://botany.wisc.edu/current-student-resources.htm (see appendix for form)
Residence for Tuition Purposes
Residency is used to determine tuition rates on campus. Each program may have a particular residency requirement. The details of the Graduate School Residency for Tuition Purposes can be found here as well as the full Registrar’s Office policy. grad.wisc.edu/acadpolicy/#residencefortuitionpurposes
registrar.wisc.edu/residence.htm
Transfer of Graduate Work from Other Institutions
grad.wisc.edu/acadpolicy/#transferofgraduateworkfromotherinstitutions