Graduate Programs
Current Forestry Graduate Student Information
If you have any questions regarding the Forestry graduate degree requirements please contact the Student Services Coordinator, Sara Rodock (email or 608-262-9926).
The Graduate School is the administrative unit overseeing 170 graduate programs of study at UW-Madison. Applicants and students must satisfy the requirements of both the Graduate School and the Department for admission, progress, and completion of degrees. For information regarding the Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures please visit the websites below:
- The Graduate School’s home page
- The Graduate School’s forms page
- Index to the Graduate School Academic Guidelines
Forms
Listed below are links to some forms that Forestry Graduate Students may need.
- The Graduate School’s forms (takes you to the Graduate School’s website)
- MS thesis advisor approval page template
- MS and PhD external committee member request form
MS Requirements
Enrollment
The department requires all funded students to be enrolled full time. For MS students this means 8 credits in the fall and spring term and 2 credits in the summer term. Students funded by another department should check with the payroll and benefits coordinator of that department to learn their requirements for enrollment. Unfunded students should follow the Graduate School’s rules on enrollment.
Degree Requirements
Even though the Forestry MS prescribes no specific graduate coursework due to the diversity of research areas available and students select appropriate graduate-level coursework in consultation with their advisor and a graduate advisory committee, there are still some minimum requirements that need to be met by all Forestry MS students. These requirements include
- Completion of 16 graduate-level credits which
- must be numbered 300 and above
- are graded (no pass/fail or audited courses count)
- can include any Forest and Wildlife Ecology 901 Colloquium in Forestry and Forest Products credits of Forest and Wildlife Ecology 990 Research and Thesis credits
- 2 credits of Forest and Wildlife Ecology 901 Colloquium in Forestry and Forest Products
- Maintenance of a 3.0 GPA (minimum)
- Preparation of and defense of a thesis
Finishing Your MS
Early in the semester in which you intend to graduate you will receive an email asking you to notify the Student Services Coordinator (Sara) of your intention to graduate (for summer graduates this will happen along with the spring graduates). This email will ask you to request your warrant. The warrant request is a form filled out by the Student Services Coordinator that is submitted to the Graduate School. By requesting your warrant you will trigger a check of your record by both the department and the Graduate School. For a listing of the Graduate School’s requirements for completing the MS degree go to Expecting Your Master's Degree? Procedures to Help.
The Forest and Wildlife Ecology department follows the Graduate School’s guidelines for thesis formatting. For information on the Graduate School’s thesis formatting requirement please visit the Guide to Preparing Your Master's Thesis website. Please note that all theses deposited at Memorial Library are required to have an advisor approval page that is signed by the advisor. You can either follow the directions on the Guide to Preparing Your Master's Thesis website or use the department’s template.
PhD Requirements
Enrollment
The department requires all funded students to be enrolled full time. For PhD students this means a minimum of 8 credits in the fall and spring term and 2 credits in the summer term. Students funded by another department should check with the payroll and benefits coordinator of that department to see what that department requires for enrollment. Unfunded students should follow the Graduate School’s rules on enrollment.
Dissertators must always enroll for 3 credits during the fall and spring terms (and summer if funded over the summer term).
Degree Requirements
Even though the Forestry PhD prescribes no specific graduate coursework due to the diversity of research areas available and students select appropriate graduate-level coursework in consultation with their advisor and a graduate advisory committee, there are still some minimum requirements that need to be met by all Forestry PhD students. These requirements include
- Completion of 32 graduate-level credits which
- must be numbered 300 and above
- are graded (no pass/fail or audited courses count)
- can include any Forest and Wildlife Ecology 901 Colloquium in Forestry and Forest Products credits of Forest and Wildlife Ecology 990 Research and Thesis credits
- Completion of a 10 credit minor (for more information on minors please see the Graduate School’s Minors information)
- 2 credits of Forest and Wildlife Ecology 901 Colloquium in Forestry and Forest Products
- Maintenance of a 3.0 GPA (minimum)
- Passing the preliminary exam
- Preparation of and defense of a dissertation based on original research
Preliminary Exam and Dissertator Status
Early in the semester in which you plan to do your preliminary exam, contact the Student Services Coordinator Sara Rodock to request your prelim warrant. The Graduate School requires three weeks for processing prelim warrant requests, so you should contact the Student Services Coordinator no less than five weeks before your prelim exam.
Once you have passed your preliminary exam and all of your committee members have signed your preliminary warrant you should return the warrant to Sara for final processing so that you can become a dissertator.
Students who have passed their preliminary exam are called dissertators. There are very specific rules for being a dissertator, it is very important that you follow all of the rules: if you fail to follow these rules, you may lose your dissertator status. A full listing of the dissertator rules can be found on the Graduate School’s Dissertator FAQs page. The three most important rules of being a dissertator are:
- You must maintain continuous registration by enrolling for 3 credits every fall and spring (and summer if funded) until you graduate, otherwise you will be assessed a degree completion fee.
- You should not enroll in any courses expect research credits or a required departmental seminar unless you have an extenuating circumstance.
- You have five years from the date that you pass prelims to defend and deposit your dissertation. If you do not meet this requirement you may be required to pass your prelim exam again before you will be allowed to graduate with your PhD degree.
If at any point you have questions about what is acceptable as a dissertator contact Sara.
Finishing Your PhD
Early in the semester in which you intend to graduate you will receive an email asking you to notify the Student Services Coordinator (Sara) of your intention to graduate (for summer graduates this will happen along with the spring graduates). This email will ask you to fill out your Final Oral Committee Approval Form. The Final Oral Committee Approval Form is a form filled out by you and is submitted to the Graduate School by the Student Services Coordinator. By requesting your warrant you will trigger a check of your record by both the department and the Graduate School. For a listing of the Graduate School’s requirements for completing the PhD degree check out The Three D's: Deadlines, Defending, & Depositing Your PhD Dissertation.
The Forest and Wildlife Ecology department follows the Graduate School’s guidelines for dissertation formatting. For information on the Graduate School’s dissertation formatting requirement please visit A Guide to Preparing Your Doctoral Dissertation.
Updated: 2008.05.07