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Degree Plans and Information for Current Students

General Information

Graduate Handbook (PDF)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Make up of Graduate Studies Committee:

Forms:

Degree Plans:

Other Forms:

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Academic Procedures:

Academic Procedures for Master's Students:

Breadth Requirements

You should be notified at the time of admission if you are required to complete the breath requirements. However, it is always good to check with the Graduate Student Coordinator to determine whether you will have to take courses to meet the breadth requirements. If you do, please talk with your sub area academic counselor to draw up a plan to meet these requirements. Typically, seminars should not be used to fullfil the breadth requirements

Degree Plan

You should work with your thesis advisor or your sub area academic counselor to draw up a plan to meet the requirements for the degree. The plan can be changed over time. However, it has been shown that students who drew up a plan earlier and follow the plan finish their requirements much earlier than those who do not or keep changing the plan. The normal progress timeline should be observed to insure that you complete your degree requirements in a timely fashion.

Thesis Defense

You should plan ahead for the defense. This will give committee members ample time to read your thesis. You must check with the Graduate Student Coordinator three weeks before your scheduled defense to be sure that you have all of the official paperwork done (such as requesting the warrant for the defense and obtaining the thesis defense form). See the back of the degree plan form for details.

Library Copies of Your Thesis

You are required to deposit your thesis in the Memorial Library as well as the Geography Library. See the back of your degree plan for details on the required format for the thesis and the procedures for depositing the thesis.

Applying to the Ph.D. Program

Students wishing to go on to the Ph.D. program must apply by January 15 in the second year of their master’s in order to request or continue funding. See the Chair of the Graduate Affairs and Research Committee or the Graduate Coordinator for details. Click here to download the Ph.D. Application Form for internal Master’s student.

Exit Survey

Graduating students should complete an exit survey (whether or not you are going on to the Ph.D. program). Please obtain the exit survey form from the Graduate Coordinator, complete it and return it to the Graduate Coordinator.

Academic Procedures for Ph.D. Students

Breadth Requirements

You should be notified at the time of admission if you are required to complete the breath requirements. However, it is always good to check with the Graduate Student Coordinator to determine whether you will have to take courses to meet the breadth requirements. If you do, please talk with your sub area academic counselor to draw up a plan to meet these requirements. Typically, seminars should not be used to fullfil the breadth requirements.

Degree Plan

You should work with your dissertation advisor or your sub area academic counselor to draw up a plan to meet the requirements for the degree. The plan can be changed over time. However, it has been shown that students who drew up a plan earlier and follow the plan finish their requirements much earlier than those who do not or keep changing the plan. The normal progress timeline should be observed to insure that you complete your degree requirements in a timely fashion. The Ph.D. program has a very different sets of requirements. Students should consult the Program Requirements section for detailed information on the requirements for the Ph.D. program. The Degree Plan form also contains these requirements.

Qualifying Examinations

Qualifying examination is the first part of the two part preliminary examinations. There are two qualifying examinations a Ph.D. student must take: general and specific. Each subfield (Human, Physical, People-Environment, and Cartography/GIS) conducts these exams differently. It is the student’s responsibility to talk with her/his dissertation adviser to gain a complete understanding of the nature of these exams and the way they are administered. The general exam tests the candidate’s broad knowledge in the subfield. Its scope and depth are motivated by the faculty’s belief that any student earning a Ph.D. should be able to teach an introductory course in the subfield. It follows, therefore, that students should be able to demonstrate knowledge at the intermediate level in all areas of that subfield. The general is typically administrated and graded by a group of faculty in the student’s subfield. Some subfields may require the student to meet the group of faculty in the subfield to verbally clarify the written answers. The specific exam evaluates a candidate’s preparation in his or her own research areas. This exam is different from the dissertation defense in that the exam is centered around how well the candidate understand the theories, techniques and issues in his/her own research areas and is administrated and graded by the student’s dissertation advisor.

Proposal Defense

Ph.D. dissertation proposal defense is the second part of the preliminary examination. Ph.D. dissertation proposal is defended in front of a dissertation committee. This committee is not the same group of faculty who graded the general qualitying exam although some members may serve on both. The Graduate School specifies that Ph.D. dissertation committee must consist of at least five UW-Madison faculty members; of which at least one but no more than two of which must be from outside of this department. Students should contact the Graduate Student Coordinator well in advance to make sure proper documents are requested (such as preliminary examination warrant, minor completion form).

Dissertator Status (Ph.D. Candidacy)

A Ph.D. student reaches dissertator status (or advances to candidacy) once he/she successfully completes preliminary examinations (qualifying exams and dissertation proposal defense). Once the student reaches dissertator status, he/she has five years to complete and defend the dissertation. The student will pay a much lower tuition fee during this period and is not allowed to take any regular courses besides the three dissertator credits (Geography 990) each semester (Fall and Spring).

Dissertation Defense

You should plan ahead for the defense to give committee members ample time to read your dissertation. You must check with the Graduate Student Coordinator three weeks before your scheduled defense to be sure that you have all of the official paperwork done (such as requesting the warrant for the defense and obtaining the dissertation defense form). See the back of the degree plan form for details.

Library Copies of Your Thesis

You are required to deposit your dissertation in the Memorial Library as well as the Geography Library. See the back of your degree plan for details on the required format for the dissertation and the procedures for depositing the dissertation.

Exit Survey

Graduating students should complete an exit survey. Please obtain the exit survey form from the Graduate Coordinator, complete it and return it to the Graduate Coordinator.

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Important Deadlines for Graduate Students

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Awards

Departmental Awards:

Research Support Awards:

Trewartha Conference Travel Awards:

Principle:
Currently up to $4,000 is allocated for graduate student conference travel. The Graduate Studies Committee felt that this money should be used to support graduate students who participate in the AAG annual meetings.

Eligibility:
A Master’s student may receive conference travel support once during his/her tenure here as Master’s student in the department.  Ph.D. students may receive conference travel support up to 5 times during his/her tenure as Ph.D. student in the department. Activities that qualify for this travel support are: presentation of paper or poster, serving as a judge at paper competition or a panelist/discussant or as chair of a session at the AAG annual meetings.

Amount and Application Procedure:
Graduate students who plan to participate in a conference must apply (in the form of an email) to the Graduate Coordinator for this travel support in one week after the AAG annual meeting abstract submission deadline.  In the email, the student should provide the title of paper, poster, or session and an abstract as appropriate. The Graduate Admissions, Recruitment, and Awards Committee will decide the amount to be awarded per request depending on the costs of attending the conference and the number of people who have applied. Application after the deadline will not be considered.

Deadline:
One week after the AAG annual meeting abstract submission deadline.

Reimbursement Procedure:
Reimbursement is through travel expense report set by the University.

Acknowledgement:
Recipients should acknowledge the Trewartha fund for this support in their publications.

Trewartha Graduate Research Awards:

Principle: A total of up to $7,000 is allocated for graduate research support. It covers research travel to study site, purchases of research experiments and materials, and other costs related to thesis research.

Eligibility: A Master’s student may receive this support once during his/her tenure here as a Master’s student. Master’s students should apply during their first year so that the fund can be used for the summer. Ph.D. students may receive this support once during his/her tenure here as a Ph.D. student.

Amount and Application Procedure: Typically, the award amount is up to $400 for Master’s students and $600 for Ph.D. students. Application must be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator by April 1. The application should state the name of this award, activities to be performed, budget and other pending funding sources that could be used towards this travel. The application should not exceed one page or 500 words.

Deadline: April 1

Distribution: As an award in lump sum.

Acknowledgement: Recipients should acknowledge the Trewartha fund for this support in their publications.

The Leopold Geomorphology Graduate Research Award:
Whitbeck Graduate Dissertator Awards:

Achievement Awards:

GIS Certificate Student Achievement Award
Outstanding Publication by a Graduate Student
Outstanding Teaching Assistant
Outstanding Symposium Paper by a Graduate Student
Barbara Bartz Petchenik Memorial Graduate Award in Cartographic Design

University Awards:

UW-Madison Early Excellence in Teaching Award

UW-Madison Exceptional Service Award

Description: The Service Award recognizes outstanding TAs who, in addition to their regular duties, perform exceptional service related to the education mission of their departments in the form of volunteerism, committee work, mentoring, etc.  Previous award was $500.

Application Procedure: By Nomination of the faculty.

UW-Madison Innovation in Teaching Award

UW-Madison Capstone Ph.D. Teaching Award

L & S Teaching Fellow

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Commonly Asked Questions

1. Where can I see a list of all the Geography courses in the catalog?

You can view the Graduate Catalog Geography section online (http://www.wisc.edu/grad/catalog/letsci/geographyC.html). Be aware that some courses are taught on an irregular basis, or the seminar topic may vary each semester. See the Department "Current Courses" and "Next Semester Courses" for more help.

2. What is the difference between the MS in Cartography/ GIS and the GIS certificate program?

See MS Cart GIS vs. GIS Certificate chart (.pdf)

3.  I am currently a UW-Madison graduate student in a different department.  How do I add or change to a Geography major?

Your first step is to fill out an Application for Change of Major/Addition of Major for Currently Enrolled Graduate Students form, available from the Graduate Admissions Office, 228 Bascom Hall.  The Graduate School will send us a copy of this form. You are responsible for the following:

  1. writing a new statement of purpose for Geography,
  2. providing us with an advisory UW-Madison transcript (Window 17, Peterson Building),
  3. completing and printing (not submitting, as they will not be able to submit since they will not have an application ID) our Supplemental Department application, and
  4. requesting that your current department sends us copies of your original letters of reference.  If you do not feel these letters will adequately address your prospects as a student in the field of geography, please have three additional letters sent to us. Contact the Grad Student Coordinator to get a recommendation letter form.

See also our list of Student Resources.

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