Policy on Breadth Requirement in Doctoral Training

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Policy Number:
UW-1200
Responsible Office:
Graduate School

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

Breadth is a required component of doctoral training at UW–Madison. Given there are multiple paths to breadth, the Graduate School leaves the choice of whether students achieve breadth through a doctoral minor, Graduate/Professional certificate, or other means up to the student's doctoral major program.

Scope:

Graduate Students

Policy:

Breadth is a required component of doctoral training at UW–Madison. Given there are multiple paths to breadth, the Graduate School leaves the choice of whether students achieve breadth through a doctoral minor, Graduate/Professional certificate, or other means up to the student's doctoral major program.

Options are as follows:

Option A (external doctoral minor): Requires a minimum of 9 credits in a doctoral minor program (single disciplinary or multi-disciplinary) outside of the student's doctoral major program. Fulfillment of this option requires the approval of the doctoral minor program.

Option B (distributed doctoral minor): Requires a minimum of 9 credits in one or more programs forming a coherent topic, and can include coursework in the student's doctoral major program. Fulfillment of this option requires the approval of the student's doctoral major program.

Option C (Graduate/Professional certificate): Requires successful completion of a Graduate/Professional certificate in a program outside of the student's doctoral major program.

The Graduate School’s minimum course requirements for the doctoral minor and Graduate/Professional certificate to meet the breadth requirement include:

  • An average GPA of 3.00 on all coursework;
  • Coursework must be graded courses numbered 300 or above; no audits or pass/fail;
  • Coursework may not be double counted for major requirements;
  • Maximum 3 credits of independent study (e.g., 699, 799, 899, 999);
  • Research and thesis cannot be used to satisfy the minor or Graduate/Professional certificate (e.g., 790, 890, 990);
  • No more than 5 credits of coursework completed more than 5 years prior to admission to the doctoral program; coursework taken 10 years ago or more may not be used.
A student cannot earn a doctoral minor and a Graduate/Professional certificate of the same name. The Graduate School also advises programs not to offer both a doctoral minor and Graduate/Professional certificate with the same name unless they are able to provide evidence that warrants the necessity for both programs. Credits earned towards the doctoral minor or Graduate/Professional certificate may count towards the minimum graduate residence requirement, minimum graduate degree requirement, and the minimum graduate coursework (50%) requirement.
Should a program decide to opt out of a required doctoral minor or Graduate/Professional certificate, it must provide the Graduate School with information requested in the doctoral program minor/Graduate/Professional certificate opt-out worksheet. Examples of breadth learning experiences below may be a helpful reference in completion of the doctoral program worksheet referenced above.
  • Interdisciplinary requirements within the program that encourage cross-disciplinary coursework
  • Cross-disciplinary research opportunities
  • Service-learning opportunities
  • Workshops - both internal and external - that provide professional and other types of skills (for example, the Wisconsin Entrepreneurial Bootcamp offered annually by the School of Business)
  • Lecture series such as forums focusing on the ethics of animal research or the Graduate School Seminar and Workshop Series, which highlights responsible conduct of research issues.
Regardless of whether a program requires a doctoral minor or Graduate/Professional or not, any doctoral student who wishes to complete a doctoral minor or Graduate/Professional certificate will have the option to do so in accordance with the program’s admission requirements.
Related UW-Madison Policies:
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Dean of the Graduate School
Policy Manager:
Academic Planning Specialist
Contact:
Academic Planning Specialist -- Emily Reynolds, emily.reynolds@wisc.edu, (608) 262-2433
Effective Date:
09-01-2011
Date Issued:
11-12-2010
Revised Dates:

03-12-2021

Reviewed Dates:

03/12/2021

Retrieved:
12-04-2021 01:01:20