Policy on Minor / 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 minor or other means up to the specific graduate program.

Scope:

Graduate Students

Policy:

Minor options are as follows:

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

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

The Graduate School’s minimum course requirements for the minor include:

  • An average GPA of 3.00 on all minor 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 (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. Credits earned towards the minor may count towards the minimum graduate residence requirement, minimum graduate degree requirement, and the minimum graduate coursework (50%) requirement.

Related UW-Madison Policies:
Related UW-Madison Documents:

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
Retrieved:
03-07-2021 12:08:09