Topics Map > Governance
Guide: Editing Governed Tabs
In this Doc
- How to Make Edits to Governed Content
- Best Practices
- Admissions Tab Format
- Requirements Tab Format
- Policies Tab Format
- Learning Outcomes Format
- Accreditation/Certification/Licensure Format
How to Make Edits to Governed Content
- Create a proposal in Lumen Programs to edit your program's Guide page
- To request access, follow instructions in Lumen/Guide Access
- Complete specific School/College processes for proposal review
- Contact your School/College's academic planner for specific information
Helpful Tip
Watch the Getting Started video for an introduction to editing governed content.
Best Practices
- Information must be relatively static to minimize frequent edits.
- Do not put non-governed content in governed tabs.
- If information is in a table, do not restate in text below table.
- Footnotes and narrative text under table are allowed, but should be concise and clear.
- Do not add or delete rows from pre-defined admissions or requirements tables.
- Do not add or delete pre-defined headers in the policies tab.
Admissions Tab Format
This guidance applies to all admitting master's and doctoral degrees, including named options, in Guide.
Helpful Tip
Watch the Editing Admissions video to learn how to edit this tab.
Shared Content
To start, place the Graduate School's shared content at the top.
Admissions Table
The predefined admissions table must be placed after the shared content. Edit the following template with appropriate information.
Display Deadline Fields
The display deadline fields should be formatted as the month and date. Programs may also choose to format as:
- Month and date for international students; month and date for domestic students
If program does not admit in a certain term, insert:
- This program does not admit in the (fall/spring/summer).
International applicants must follow certain deadlines for admission recommendation; see the Deadlines for Processing International and Domestic Applications.
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) Field
Indicate your program's GRE requirement and format as:
- Required
- Not required
- Not required but may be considered if available
- May be required in certain cases; consult program.
English Proficiency Test
If your program follows the Graduate School's policy, format as:
- Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Requirements for Admission policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1241.
If your program follows more stringent minimum test scores, write out the required minimum test scores.
Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT)
Provide the appropriate information as follows:
- n/a
- none
- not applicable
- The MCAT may be accepted as an alternate to the GRE.
Letters of Recommendation Required
Indicate the required number of letters of recommendation.
Text Below Table
Programs may include narrative text under the pre-defined admissions table. Avoid restating information listed in the table (e.g., application deadlines, required letters of recommendation, etc). Programs may include the following to explain the application process and required materials (click to expand tab).
Application checklist
Below is an example of text explaining required materials for online application.
A complete application includes the following items:
- Statement of purpose: Include a few sentences about what the program looks for in a statement of purpose. Link to your program's website if you have expectations listed there. Specifically, state the minimum (or maximum) length of statement. You may link directly to the Graduate School's Preparing for Graduate Study for guidance.
- Example: "Your essay should be a concise description of your reasons for choosing to study this field at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (not to exceed two pages). Please include your research interests and career goals as well as a description of your preparation for graduate study including relevant coursework, related employment, research experience, publications, presentations, awards, and honors."
- Supplementary application: Because Guide can only be updated annually, we recommended NOT including supplementary application questions that could be subject to change. We recommend instead linking to your program's website and listing your questions there.
- Unofficial transcripts: Programs should clearly state unofficial transcripts are required for the application.
- Example: "Unofficial transcripts from all previous postsecondary studies are required. International academic records must be submitted in the original language and accompanied by an English translation. If an applicant is recommended for admission, the Graduate School will ask applicants to request official transcripts sent to the Graduate School from the undergraduate institution."
- Letters of recommendation: Describe who letters of recommendation should come from and what skills or qualities the program is looking for in these letters.
- Example: "Letters should be from faculty who are familiar with your academic abilities and goals. Letters from supervisors that provide a character reference are also acceptable. The letters of recommendation should be submitted with the online application."
Background education
Include this section if your program has recommended or required previous education paths.
- Example: "Successful applicants have a bachelor’s degree in engineering (biomedical, chemical, electrical, industrial, mechanical, etc.) or science (biology, biochemistry, chemistry, genetics, immunology, physics, etc.)."
- Example: "A background in education coursework is a prerequisite for the PhD program in Curriculum and Instruction. Applicants are required to have taken at least 12 credits in education courses that are equivalent to courses taught within a school of education, as judged by the Graduate Education Advisory Committee. Applicants lacking this background will be required to take a specified number of credits of education coursework in addition to the coursework ordinarily required in the graduate program. The courses taken should be chosen in consultation with the graduate advisor, and each of these courses must be taken for a letter grade (not pass/fail). These courses may be carried concurrently with regular graduate courses; but, being additional requirements, they do not satisfy the requirements of the graduate program."
Preparatory coursework
Include this section if your program recommends or expects applicants to have experience with specific courses or subject areas.
- Example: "Students are expected to enter the program having taken the following coursework. Deficient courses may be taken while in the program in consultation with the student's advisor."
- Physical Sciences - one course in each of the following:
- Physics, including electricity, heat and light
- Calculus
- Organic Chemistry lecture
- Organic Chemistry lab or Biochemistry lab
- Biological Sciences - one course in each of the following:
- Crop Production
- Plant Breeding or Genetics Plant Structure, Plant Taxonomy or Plant Physiology
- Plant Pathology or Entomology
- One Statistics course
- One Soil Science course
- Physical Sciences - one course in each of the following:
Faculty advisors
Include this section to explain how applicants and faculty advisors are matched.
- Example: "It is recommended that applicants contact departmental faculty directly to determine openings in the lab and an interest in their area of research. Students are admitted to the program if a faculty member agrees to accept the candidate into their research group and to provide laboratory/desk space and research support, and upon the approval of the Graduate School. The faculty member also decides whether to offer an assistantship to the candidate. If a faculty member is interested in a completed application, the applicant will be contacted by them personally. If a faculty member is interested in accepting an applicant, a recommendation for admission will be sent to the Graduate School. The Graduate School will make the final determination for admission."
- Example: "Admissions decisions are made by a committee of faculty with research expertise spanning the four research areas of the department. Individual faculty do not recommend admissions decisions and advisors are not determined at the time of application. Instead, students will match with advisors after meeting with all faculty during the fall semester. Additional information about the application process, detailed information on required application materials, advice for preparing a competitive application, information on application fee waivers, and frequently asked questions are available here."
Rolling deadlines
Include this section if your program accepts and reviews applications on a rolling basis. Explain if any additional considerations are given at any point in the year.
- Example: "Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications submitted by the deadlines listed above will be considered for limited Department funding."
Doctoral Minors
Doctoral minors do not have a predefined admissions table. However, this credential must include:
- All Graduate School students must utilize the Graduate Student Portal in MyUW to add, change, or discontinue any doctoral minor. To apply to this minor, log in to MyUW, click on Graduate Student Portal, and then click on Add/Change Programs. Select the information for the doctoral minor for which you are applying.
Graduate/Professional Certificates
Graduate/professional certificates do not have a predefined admissions table. However, this credential must include:
- All Graduate School students must utilize the Graduate Student Portal in MyUW to add, change, or discontinue any graduate/professional certificate. To apply to this certificate, log in to MyUW, click on Graduate Student Portal, and then click on Add/Change Programs. Select the information for the certificate for which you are applying. Professional students in the careers of Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary cannot add the certificate in the Graduate Student Portal, and should contact the program for more information.
Requirements Tab Format
Helpful Tip
Watch the Editing Requirements video to learn how to edit this tab.
Shared Content
To start, place the Graduate School's shared content at the top.
Then, add the mode of instruction table (header 3) and mode instruction definitions (header 4) for named option (major) pages.
Curricular Requirements Table
Then, add the curricular requirements table with the title, Curricular Requirements (header 3). Edit the following template with appropriate information. Note master's programs do not need the "Graduate School Breadth Requirement" row.
Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement
If your program refers to the Graduate School's minimum requirement, format as:
- 15 credits / 26 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Refer to the Graduate School's Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244.
Overall Graduate GPA Requirement
If your program refers to the Graduate School's minimum requirement, format as:
- 3.00 GPA required. Refer to the Graduate School: Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203.
Other Grade Requirements
If applicable, indicate your program's other grade requirements like "All courses must have a grade of B or better." If not applicable, format as: "n/a" or "none".
Assessments and Examinations
If applicable, indicate your program's required assessments and examinations. Examples include:
- Students take one preliminary examination and one written preliminary examination after completing their second academic year.
- Doctoral candidates must submit a written dissertation proposal and make an oral presentation to the faculty.
Language Requirements
If applicable, indicate your program's language requirements. If none, format as: "n/a", "none", or "no language requriements".
Graduate School Breadth Requirement
If your program refers to the Graduate School's minimum requirement, format as:
- All doctoral students are required to complete a doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate. Refer to the Graduate School: Breadth Requirement in Doctoral Training: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1200.
Required Courses
Next, add a course list with your program's required coursework. This table must be titled as Required Courses (header 3).
This course list table is where a program details the courses needed to earn the credential. In general, program's should:
- Use the sum hours function in the course list to account for the minimum credit requirement
- Use cascading headers for text under the table
- At minimum, provide a list of commonly taken or recommended courses
Program Pathways
Programs with internal pathways, include the footnote:
- These pathways are internal to the program and represent different curricular paths a student can follow to earn this degree. Pathway names do not appear in the Graduate School admissions application, and they will not appear on the transcript.
Policies Tab Format
Helpful Tip
Watch the Editing Policies videos to learn how to edit this tab.
Shared Content
To start, place the Graduate School's shared content at the top.
Predefined Policies Headers
Next, add the Major-Specific Policies (header 2) header, followed by the following sections as header 3 toggle headers: Prior Coursework, Probation, Advisor/Committee, Credits Per Term Allowed, Grievances and Appeals, and Other. Do not delete any of these sub headers. Each sub header contains specific information.
Prior Coursework
Start with a Prior Coursework header and include subheaders with the types of coursework (header 4). Include all of the following categories. Do not add or remove headers.
If your program follows the Graduate School's policy, link to the policy instead of restating it to minimize missing future policy updates. Otherwise, detail your program's specific policy.
- Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.
Probation
If your program refers to the Graduate School's policy, format as.
- Refer to the Graduate School: Probation policy.
Advisor / Committee
If your program refers to the Graduate School's policy, format as.
- Refer to the Graduate School: Advisor and Graduate School: Committees (Doctoral/Master's/MFA) policies.
Credits Per Term Allowed
If your program refers to the Graduate School's policy, format as.
- 15 credit maximum. Refer to the Graduate School: Maximum Credit Loads and Overload Requests policy.
Time Limits
If your program refers to the Graduate School's policy, format as.
- Refer to the Graduate School: Time Limits policy.
Grievances and Appeals
This section is shared content by the Graduate School. Do not edit or remove. Program-specific policy should be included after the shared content.
Other
If no additional information, format as:
- n/a
- none
- information related to funding
Do not delete the 'Other' header if there is no information to include.
Learning Outcomes Format
For format information on how to update this tab, contact the Student Learning Assessment Office (assessment@wisc.edu). Named option pages do not have separate learning outcomes from the degree/major. This tab is owned by the Provost's Office.
Accreditation/Certification/Licensure Format
In addition to university accreditation, some programs may have their own accreditation, certifications, and licensures detailed in this tab. This tab is owned by the Provost's Office. Questions about the format and edits should be directed to Data, Academic Planning, and Institutional Research (lumen@provost.wisc.edu).