Change of Application/Admission Status for a Master’s Level Degree/Major Program

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Policy Number:
UW-1001
Responsible Office:
Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

UW-Madison offers more than 160 graduate programs. Some of these programs do not accept applications for admission but do award degrees. This policy defines when master’s level programs may award degrees to students in programs with closed admission, and this policy provides parameters for changes to the application/admission status of programs.

Definitions:
Academic Division (School/College)
An academic group of the university, defined in UW-803, Faculty Policies and Procedures Chapter 3, that serves as a school, college or like unit and is led by a dean or director who reports to the provost.
Academic Program
An area of study that leads to a degree/major, certificate, minor or named option, also referred to as a plan or subplan.
Academic Unit
The academic and administrative home for an academic program or subject listing, also known as an academic department, housed within an academic division (school/college). The academic unit originates all program and curricular changes through academic governance; ensures the curriculum is appropriate and that courses are offered regularly; provides student support services such as advising; prepares all content for the Guide and assures the program and subject listing is represented accurately at all times; oversees the course evaluation process; coordinates assessment and program review; and receives allocation for program enrollment, degrees, certificates and credits in the information systems. Three types of academic units exist at UW-Madison:
Department
A group of faculty with a common field of knowledge or closely related scholarly interests. A department serves as the tenure home for faculty, exercises a broad range of functions and duties in relation to faculty academic life, and may house academic programs and course subject listings. A department is approved as such by the University Academic Planning Council, the University Committee, and the Faculty Senate per UW-805, Faculty Policies and Procedures Chapter 5. In some cases, the academic division serves as the department.
Department-like Unit with Tenure
A group of faculty who are not all in the same department but who share responsibilities for departmental functions. This unit exercises a broad range of functions and duties in relation to faculty academic life, and generally houses at least one academic program (degree/major or certificate) or subject listing. A department-like academic unit usually does not serve as a tenure home. When a department-like academic unit is approved to serve as a tenure home, each faculty member's tenure home will be approved on a case-by-case basis by the University Committee.

An academic organization that has department-like status and serves as a faculty tenure home, sometimes with restrictions, is approved as such by the University Academic Planning Council and the University Committee per UW-805, Faculty Policies and Procedures Chapter 5.
Department-like Unit without Tenure
A group of faculty who are not all in the same department but who share responsibilities for departmental functions. This unit exercises a broad range of functions and duties in relation to faculty academic life, and generally houses at least one academic program (degree/major or certificate) or subject listing but does not grant tenure or act as a tenure home.
Admitting v. Non-Admitting Academic Programs
An admitting program accepts applications for admission from prospective graduate students, while a non-admitting program is available only to graduate students already enrolled in a program at UW-Madison. Non-admitting programs do not require an application for admission.
Scope:

All academic units that award master’s degrees.

Policy:

A master’s level degree/major program that does not accept applications for admission is often associated with a Ph.D. program of the same name. Master’s degrees in these programs may be awarded:

  • to students who leave the Ph.D. program and complete sufficient requirements to earn the master’s degree. An application for admission to the master’s level program is not required.
  • to students whose programs require a milestone for progress toward the Ph.D. An application for admission to the master’s level program is not required.

Governance must review any changes to the application/admission status of a master’s level degree/major. The program faculty must prepare a proposal in Lumen Programs.

  • If the program moves from admitting to non-admitting, the proposal must include rationale for the proposed change; an overview of any “teach-out plan”; and demonstration of support for current and withdrawn students who are expected to return.
  • If the program moves from non-admitting to admitting, the proposal must provide rationale for the change and information about the admission process.
  • If a change of admission status is embedded in a larger restructuring proposal, the proposal must include these same points.

The non-admitting status is noted in the Student Information System (SIS) with an attribute of "Masters plan permanently non-admitting”. In cases where the master’s program has named options, the attribute will be associated with the named option that serves as the non-admitting master’s program for the PhD.

 

Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Policy Manager:
Vice Provost for Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research
Contact:
Associate Director, Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research -- Michelle Young, MEYOUNG@WISC.EDU, (608) 262-2143
Effective Date:
01-01-2017
Date Issued:
01-01-2017
Revised Dates:

02-19-2020, 02-27-2023

Retrieved:
07-04-2025 12:17:50