Freshwater and Marine Sciences Graduate Program Handbook-Doctoral Degree Requirements

• Program Basics
• Advisory Committee
• Proposal and Preliminary Exam
• Dissertator Status
• Dissertation and Oral Defense
• Evaluation and Assessment
• Teaching Requirement
• Course Requirements
• Minor Options
• Time to completion
• Student Responsibilities
• Additional Program Requirements/Opportunities
• Checklist for Dissertation/Defense/Graduation

Program Basics

Students entering the FMS Ph.D. program arrive with a range of academic backgrounds and experiences and with diverse professional aspirations. This includes students who have and have not previously earned a M.S. degree. Program expectations and the timeline for completion are described below. As described earlier, incoming students have an advisor identified, and office space will be available through the advisor’s home department or research group.

Advisory Committee

During the first year, students assemble an advisory committee in consultation with their major advisor. Ph.D. students must have 5 committee members, although 4 members are acceptable for the initial committee meeting held during the first year. Committee members should be from at least two distinct disciplines (i.e., at least two different graduate programs) and all committee members are dissertation “readers.” If appropriate for a student’s research and scholarship interests, a sixth member can be added to the committee. Further requirements for the composition of dissertation committees follow Graduate School policies:

• The chair or one of the co-chairs of the committee must be graduate faculty from the student’s program. The committee must have members from at least two University of Wisconsin—Madison graduate programs. 
• Three of the committee members must be UW–Madison graduate faculty or former UW–Madison graduate faculty up to one year after resignation or retirement. • Additional members may be from any of the following categories, as approved by the program executive committee (or its equivalent): graduate faculty, faculty from a department without a graduate program, academic staff (including emeritus faculty), visiting faculty, faculty from other institutions, scientists, research associates, and other individuals deemed qualified by the executive committee (or its equivalent). 
• All committee members have voting rights. To receive a doctoral degree, students cannot receive more than one dissenting vote from their committee on the final degree warrant. 

As with the M.S., identification of committee members is a joint decision with the major advisor. It is the student’s responsibility to ask faculty members if they are willing to serve on the student’s committee, and once the committee is formed, to schedule an initial committee meeting. Students are strongly encouraged to hold this initial committee meeting by early in the second semester to discuss and make recommendations regarding class choices, research plans, professional development, and career goals.

Proposal and Preliminary Exam

By the end of the third year at the latest, Ph.D. students must prepare a dissertation research proposal and successfully pass their preliminary exam (the “Prelim”). The proposal is prepared in consultation with their advisor and must be distributed to the advisory committee 2 weeks in advance of the start of the Prelim exam. Normally the proposal will contain preliminary data indicating feasibility of the project; however, the Prelim should be taken prior to completion of the bulk of the work so that the committee is able to critique, suggest modification to, and agree upon the proposed work. Specific guidelines and requirements are specified by the advisory committee.

The preliminary exam may be composed of written and oral phases, or only the oral phase. Students advised by faculty in the Center for Limnology go through the 2-phase version of the Prelim, while it is up to discretion of advisory committees chaired by non-CFL faculty whether to pursue the oral or combined prelim.

The two-phase preliminary exam- This approach to the Prelim involves a written exam, and following its successful completion, an oral defense of the research proposal. The written exam emphasizes broad knowledge in freshwater and marine sciences relevant to the student’s research and scholarship interests, as well as general abilities in synthesizing knowledge, logic, and writing. Questions may also include opportunities to demonstrate expertise in other areas such as coding, statistics, or teaching. Each member of the student’s committee composes questions specifically designed for the student, and the student dedicates one day to answer questions from each of the five committee members. Students have access to standard scholarly resources (e.g., books, internet resources) with the notable exception of consulting with other scholars. Specific time limits or other guidelines may be put forth by individual committee members, but writing must be completed by 5:00pm on the final day of the written exam. Students are encouraged to seek advice from each committee member about how best to prepare for the written exam.

Once completed, the advisor will distribute written answers to the advisory committee. Each member will read and evaluate student answers specific to their question (at a minimum) and communicate their assessment to the major professor. Possible outcomes for the written exam include: fail, partial pass, or pass. In the case of a failed exam, students have one opportunity to reschedule and re-take the exam sometime within the next two semesters. A second failure results in dismissal from the program. A partial pass indicates some insufficiencies in one or more of the written responses to questions. In these situations, a student may be asked to meet with the relevant committee member for further discussion, revise an answer, or conduct additional work prior to the oral phase.

Following satisfactory completion of the written exam, the student proceeds to the oral phase of the Prelim. For the two-phase exam, this meeting explicitly focuses on the proposed dissertation research. Students are asked to give a presentation that provides an overview of the written proposal. This is a pass/fail examination. Students who do not pass may re-schedule this exam once only within two semesters of the initial oral exam.

The one-phase preliminary exam- This version of the Prelim includes an oral exam only. Students must demonstrate sufficient background and understanding needed to complete the proposed research during this meeting, and thus may be asked general scientific questions as well as questions specific to the proposed research. Should a student perform poorly on this exam, the committee may fail the student. If a student fails they may retake the exam one more time within 2 semesters. A second failure results in dismissal from the program.

Prior to taking the Prelim exam, students must request a “warrant” available here and detailed below under Checklist for Dissertation/Defense/Graduation. As part of proposal and defense meetings the advisory committee completes the rubric available here.

Dissertator Status

Dissertator status is achieved in the semester following successful completion of the Preliminary Exam. Once students have achieved dissertator status, they must enroll continuously (every fall and spring semester) for exactly 3 credits (no more, no less). Dissertator is a unique fee status for students who have completed all requirements for a doctoral degree except for the dissertation. To be eligible for dissertator fee status, a student must:

• Pass the Preliminary Exam
• Satisfy the 32 credit minimum doctoral graduate residence requirement 
• Complete all minor requirements
• Complete all program requirements except the dissertation
• Clear all Incomplete grades or Progress grades in non-research courses (progress grades in 990 research
  may remain)
• Earn at least a 3.0 cumulative graduate GPA
• Return the signed and dated Preliminary Exam warrant to the Graduate School

For more information on dissertator status visit: https://grad.wisc.edu/acadpolicy/#dissertationstatus

Dissertation and Oral Defense

Ph.D. students are expected to meet with their committees to defend a written dissertation during year four or five. Students are also required to present their dissertation research to the committee and are strongly encouraged to make a similar presentation as a formal seminar (e.g., the Wednesday noon Limnology seminar- ATM OCN/BOTANY/CIV ENGR/ENVIR ST/GEOSCI/ZOOLOGY 911). Students must defend the dissertation within 10 years (see Time to completion below). This is a pass/fail exam; students who do not successfully defend their dissertation research may be able to attempt a second defense, pending approval of the advisory committee. If the defense is successful, it is nonetheless normal for the committee to request revisions and editorial changes to the dissertation prior to its final approval.

Dissertation samples can be requested from the committee or found in the UW-Madison Library Catalog https://www.library.wisc.edu/find/dissertations/.

Graduate School Doctoral Dissertation Format Guidelines can be found at this link https://grad.wisc.edu/currentstudents/doctoralguide/.

After completion the Dissertation must be deposited with the Graduate School https://grad.wisc.edu/currentstudents/doctoralguide/.

Evaluation and Assessment

As part of proposal and defense meetings the advisory committee completes the rubric available at https://fms.wisc.edu/program-requirements/ in the “Forms & Links” expandable menu.

Teaching Requirement

There are no formal teaching requirements for Ph.D. students in the FMS program. Students should discuss teaching expectations with their advisors, as advisors may have their own expectations for teaching activities as part of graduate training.

Course Requirements

Ph.D. students must take courses and seminars to fulfill required research credits established by the Graduate School. The FMS program does not require specific classes, but instead courses are approved by the student’s advisor or advisory committee and depend on the student’s research area, interests, and professional goals. Many FMS students take ATM OCN/BOTANY/CIV ENGR/ENVIR ST/GEOSCI/ZOOLOGY 911 Limnology and Marine Science Seminar and ATM OCN/ENVIR ST/GEOSCI/ZOOLOGY 750 Problems in Oceanography. To earn a doctoral degree students must complete 51 credits. 26 of those 51 credits must come from courses designed for graduate students. In keeping with the diverse areas of research and training for students in FMS, we expect that students will take classes from different departments, and not just the advisor’s home department.

Minor Options

Students earning a Ph.D. are required to complete an “external” or “distributed” minor as a means of embracing the goal of obtaining breadth during graduate training at UW-Madison. Specific course credit information about minors is listed on this Grad School page. How the minor will be completed should be discussed during the initial committee meeting and during subsequent committee meetings as needed.

The Option A (“external”) minor requires 9 credits taken in a department that offers a formal minor option, as specified by that department. The Option A minor must be approved by the Minor Professor or the departmental chair of the minor department (see Graduate School Catalog). These are part of the total credits required to graduate (not in addition to those credits).

The Option B (“distributed”) minor requires 9 credits taken in one or more departments forming a coherent topic and can include course work done in a single department. The Option B minor requires approval of the advisory committee. These are part of the total credits required to graduate (not in addition to those credits).

Time to completion

It is expected that a Ph.D. student will defend the dissertation by the end of the 5th academic year. If the dissertation is not successfully defended by the end of the summer following the 6th academic year, the student’s mentor must present a written statement to the Director of Graduate Studies that explains why the Ph.D. has not been completed and describes plans that the student and the student’s advisory committee have agreed upon to ensure completion, including specific expectations, dates for completion, and consequences should expectations not be met. Continuation in the program beyond 8 years will be at the discretion of the mentor and advisory committee. 10 years is the outside limit by which a student must complete the Ph.D. degree.

Student Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the graduate student to make sure that all requirements, time targets, and time limits are met. Scheduling committee meetings can be challenging, and we strongly encourage students to schedule these meetings well in advance of their occurrence. Students are expected to meet at least once a year with his or her Advisory Committee to review student progress and performance and provide guidance. In some cases, it may not be possible to identify a meeting time that includes all committee members. This situation is to be avoided if at all possible for the Preliminary exam and dissertation defense. If it is unavoidable, a committee member can participate by video, or the student can meet separately with the committee member who will then report back to the major professor. The advisor must approve this latter arrangement. Students who experience persistent problems in setting up meetings should seek assistance from the departmental Graduate Student Coordinator or the Director of Graduate Studies.

FMS students must maintain an average record of B or better in all work taken as a Graduate Student (grades of P and S are for this purpose considered to be satisfactory at the B level; grades of Incomplete are considered for this purpose to be unsatisfactory if they are not removed during the following semester). For other requirements, such as residence and credit load, Graduate School rules apply.

A student may be placed on probation or suspended from the Graduate School for low grades or for failing to resolve incompletes in a timely fashion. grad.wisc.edu/acadpolicy/#probation. In special cases the Graduate School permits students who do not meet these minimum standards to continue on probation upon recommendation and support of their advisor.

An average record of B or better in all work taken as a Graduate Student is required by the Department of Integrative Biology (grades of P and S are for this purpose considered to be satisfactory at the B level; grades of Incomplete are considered for this purpose to be unsatisfactory if they are not removed during the following semester of residence). For other requirements, such as residence and credit load, the Graduate School rules apply.

A student may be placed on probation or suspended from the Graduate School for low grades or for failing to resolve incompletes in a timely fashion grad.wisc.edu/acadpolicy/#probation.

In special cases the Graduate School permits students who do not meet these minimum standards to continue on probation upon recommendation and support of their advisor.

Graduate School deadlines/time limits (including graduation deadlines) can be found here grad.wisc.edu/currentstudents/degreedeadlines/.

Additional Program Requirements/Opportunities

A goal of the graduate program is to provide students with diverse training that will prepare them for a range of flexible and sustainable careers (e.g., academia, industry, government, science policy and administration, science education and outreach at all levels, etc.). UW-Madison is a large campus with many resources, including opportunities for students to gain training beyond research, including earning a Delta teaching certificate, earning a master’s degree in another area (e.g., statistics, computer science), or collaborating with nonacademic partners. Students will also have opportunities to attend a diverse array of campus seminars and workshops, attend and present research at scientific conferences, publish research findings, interact with scholars visiting the UW- Madison campus, and engage in scientific outreach and educational activities. Students are welcome to seek such opportunities and should discuss them with the advisory committee to incorporate them into the overall graduate training plan.

Checklist for Dissertation/Defense/Graduation

A warrant is a program’s recommendation that a student be admitted to doctoral candidacy (a preliminary examination warrant) or be granted a PhD and is the Graduate School’s notification that a student has met both the Graduate School and the program requirements. Warrants must be requested by students at least 3 weeks prior to the prelim exam and the dissertation defense meetings. To notify the Graduate Student Coordinator of intent to request a warrant follow this link. The Graduate Student Coordinator will notify the student to pick up the warrant in B154 Birge Hall. The warrant must be returned to the Graduate School with faculty signatures upon completion of the degree requirements.