Integrative Biology Graduate Program Handbook-Masters Degree Requirements
Masters Degree Requirements
Program Basics and Timeline
Some students enter the program and stop after earning a master’s (MS) degree. Others will first earn an MS degree and then enter the PhD program. In each case the steps to earning the MS are identical.
During the first year, students assemble an advisory committee in consultation with their major advisor. Masters students must have 3 committee members and at least two must be UW-Madison Graduate Faculty.
During the first year students meet with their committees to complete the graduate Certification Form https://integrativebiology.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/214/2023/08/Masters-Certification-Form-iBio-2.pdf. This is a formal venue in which the student and committee discuss the student’s broad research interests and goals. The committee reviews the student’s background, identifies areas to be strengthened during the course of the degree program, and makes recommendations.
MS students must prepare a Research Report based on original research. The specific details of the research project are critiqued and approved by the student’s committee during formal annual meetings. Students must defend a written thesis or research report by the end of their 3rd year.
As part of proposal and defense meetings the advisory committee completes the rubric available at https://integrativebiology.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/214/2017/06/Rubric_for_Masters_PhD.pdf
In addition to completing a research project MS students must take courses and seminars to fulfill required research credits established by the Graduate School. To earn a Master’s Degree students must complete 30 credits. 16 of those 30 credits must come from courses designed for graduate students (listed below). Specific courses are approved by the student’s advisor or advisory committee and depend on the student’s research area, interests and goals. In keeping with the diverse areas of research and training for students in Integrative Biology, students may additionally take other courses that have been identified as graduate-level to meet this requirement. Graduate work in Integrative Biology may include any courses numbered 700 and above, there are some courses in 300-600 that designated as graduate level. Graduate level coursework is identified with an attribute of “G50%” in the University’s Course Guide and Class Search. Below is a link to common courses students in iBio have taken in the past.
Common Courses
It is expected that a MS student will complete the thesis or research report by the end of the 3rd academic year. If this is not accomplished by the end of the summer following the 3rd academic year, the major professor must present a written statement to the Director of Graduate Studies that explains why the MS 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 4 years will be at the discretion of the mentor and advisory committee. Five years is the outside limit by which a student must complete the MS degree.
Statement of Rights and Responsibilities
It is the responsibility of the graduate student to make sure that all requirements, time targets, and time limits are met. Students can expect their advisor/major professor and advisory committee to be available for necessary and required meetings and exams. If the student encounters difficulty in assembling all designates for certification or examinations, other graduate faculty can readily be substituted by the student and their advisor/major professor. Students who experience problems in setting up meetings should seek assistance from the departmental Graduate Student Manager or the Director of Graduate Studies.
Supervision of progress is accomplished by requiring that at least once a year the student meet with their Major Professor and Advisory Committee to review the positive and negative aspects of their performance. The opinion of the Major Professor and or the Advisory Committee is recorded on the annual Student Progress Report and filed every spring semester. Students are barred from registering for classes until a completed report is on file that indicates that the student is making satisfactory progress.
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 https://grad.wisc.edu/academic-policies/#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.
See Learning Goals listed in Program Overview portion of handbook.
Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project
See Advising portion of handbook.
Process for Continuing to PhD
Should a student wish to pursue a PhD after earning a MS, they should discuss this option with the advisor. Admission to the PhD program is contingent upon being accepted by an individual faculty advisor and approval by the admissions committee.
Checklist for Thesis/Defense/Graduation
A warrant is a program’s recommendation that a student be granted a master’s degree 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 MS defense meetings. To notify the Graduate Program Manager of intent to request a warrant follow this link https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9uZeeZ84x1mOxKZ.
Once received from the Graduate School, the Graduate Program Manager will notify the student and provide them with instructions for their committee regarding how to sign it. The warrant must be signed by all committee members before submitting it to the Graduate School with faculty signatures upon completion of the degree requirements.
Graduate School deadlines/time limits (including graduation deadlines) can be found here: https://grad.wisc.edu/current-students/masters-guide/.
Thesis and project guidelines and requirements are provided by the advisory committee and samples can be requested from the committee or found in the UW-Madison Library Catalog https://www.library.wisc.edu/find/dissertations/.
Graduate School Master’s Thesis Format Guidelines can be found at this link https://grad.wisc.edu/current- students/masters-guide/.