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Guide: Content Requirements by Tab
Graduate programs must follow these guidelines when developing and editing their Guide pages. Specific sections (called "tabs") on each page vary by program type and are pre-selected for your program type by the Registrar's Office. If you do not see an expected tab, contact guideeditor@office365.wisc.edu.
The most important thing to remember is that each tab must have some kind of content added to it in order for it to show up in the navigational bar on a Guide page. Do not put governed content in non-governed tabs. For example, do not put content on the Overview tab that is specific about curricular requirements (especially amounts of credit), the learning outcomes, or other policies which are included on the "governed content" tabs in Guide (Requirements, Policies, Admissions, Learning Outcomes).
Do not include content in excess of these guidelines that could be changed by parties external to your department or that changes yearly. For example, do not mention the cost of the Graduate School admissions application fee or your department's stipend rate. The Guide should only have relatively static information in it.
For information on deadlines refer to Lumen: Deadlines (2023-2024 academic year). The Lumen and Guide KnowledgeBase has several documents that cover various topics related to Guide and Lumen.
Tab Specific Guidance
- Video Tutorials
- Content Guidance
Video Tutorials
The following video tutorials show the technical aspects of developing and editing a Guide page using Lumen Programs and should be used in conjunction with the specific guidelines below.
Getting Started
Getting Started - An introduction to editing governed content using Lumen Programs
Editing Admissions
Editing Admissions - How to edit the Guide Admissions integration point for graduate programs
Editing Requirements
Editing Requirements - How to edit the Guide Requirements integration point for graduate programs
Editing Policies
Editing Policies - How to edit the Guide Policies integration point for graduate programs
Copying and Pasting Integration Points
Copying and Pasting Integration Points - How to start proposing a brand new program in Lumen Programs
Content Guidance
Photos
Guide pages may have a photo that appears on the top of each tab as well as in the thumbnail tile on the Degrees/Majors index page (note: Named Option pages do not have photos). The photo should meet the following requirements:
- landscape orientation
- high resolution (i.e., is not pixelated at 100% view)
- possible to crop to 960 pixels wide x 420 pixels tall without losing significant content (but do not crop the photo yourself)
- colorful and interesting to view
Starting with the Spring 2023 mid cycle update of Guide, all photos have alt text. When submitting a new photo to guideeditor@office365.wisc.edu, be sure to include alt text.
Accessible Images and Visualizations
Alternative text, or alt text, is a concise text substitute for non-text content like images and icons. Screen readers will announce alt text in place of the images. It should be short, about a sentence, and descriptive of the image and how it relates to the content. Refer to the accessible images and visualizations for more information.
Overview
Do not put content on the Overview tab that is specific about curricular requirements (especially amounts of credit), the learning outcomes, or other policies which are included on the "governed content" tabs in Guide (Requirements, Policies, Admissions, Learning Outcomes).
Degrees/Majors/Minors/Certificates
At minimum, there must be some kind of content on this page. Content is at the discretion of the program. Information commonly included on this tab include:
- General summary of the field
- Areas of research faculty focus in
- Named options available and link to Guide pages (if applicable)
Named Options
To ensure that students understand the name of the major that the named option is housed within, the first sentence must say: "This is a named option in the [Major Name with link to that Guide page]."
Content after that sentence is at the discretion of the program.
Admissions
The Graduate School "shared content" will appear at the top of each admissions page. Below the shared content is a table. Every master's and doctoral page must have the table pictured below. Additionally, programs in the Wisconsin School of Business may or may not follow the guidelines for the table as they administer their own applications.
Non-Applicable Pages
- "Parent plan" pages with named options (Admissions tab directs students to select appropriate named option)
- Degrees with suspended admissions
Applicable Pages
- All admitting master's and doctoral degrees, including named options
Programs are not allowed to add additional or remove rows from this table. The use of footnotes or narrative text under the table is allowable. The following toggles provide requirements for each row.
Display Deadlines
Provide your program's applicable deadline. Programs may format this information in the following ways:
- Month and day (e.g., June 1)
- (Insert month and day) for international students; (insert month and day) for domestic students
- This program does not admit in the (insert applicable term)
International Students
Students need to be recommended for admission at least 3 weeks prior to the International Student Services deadline to ensure applicants have enough time to submit official documents and accommodate admission processing. Programs should set deadlines for international students no later than the following date:
- Fall: May 24 to 31
- Spring: October 11 to 18
- Summer: May 7 to 14
GRE (Graduate Record Examination)
Provide your program's requirement for the GRE. Programs should select one of the following:
- Required.
- Not required.
- Not required but may be considered if available.
- May be required in certain cases, consult program.
English Proficiency Test
Provide your program's admission requirement for English language proficiency. If the program follows the Graduate School's policy, insert the following language:
Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not exclusively in English, must provide an English proficiency test score earned within two years of the anticipated term of enrollment. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Requirements for Admission policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1241.
Note that the policy link provides the Graduate School's minimum test scores needed for admission. Do not repeat these scores unless the program is more stringent.
Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT)
Provide information if your program requires other tests. Programs should select one of the following methods to format information:
- n/a
- None.
- Not applicable.
- The MCAT may be accepted as an alternate to the GRE.
- Information about the GRE Subject Test specific to program.
Letters of Recommendation Required
Provide the number (if any) of letters of recommendation required. Options include:
- 3
- 2
- 1
- 0
Additional content below the table is at the discretion of each program. While there are no specific guidelines for the narrative text below the table, reminders include:
- Do not duplicate or repeat information already listed in the table.
- Avoid listing specific names or contacts that may change (e.g., name of graduate coordinator) rather put a general department or program email.
- Utilize cascading headers to provide an outline of information. For example, utilize header 1, then header 2, then header 3, etc.
Funding
All graduate degree major/option pages' Funding tabs in Guide begin with the Graduate School's shared content:
Service-based pricing programs are required to include a piece of shared content owned by the Provost's Office which explicitly states their funding policy (e.g., for tuition-remitting assistantships).
Content after this is at the discretion of the program. Content recommendations and formatting include:
- Begin with the Level 3 header of "Program Resources" or "Program Information."
- Level 3 headers look the same as the "Graduate School Resources" header of the shared content shown in the image above.
- Utilize cascading headers to provide an outline of information. For example, utilize header 1, then header 2, then header 3, etc.
The Graduate School shared content on funding (above) appears for all programs, including service-based pricing programs, as students may benefit from learning about sources of funding beyond assistantships.
Requirements
A small sub-menu will appear at the top of every Requirements page that points to all Header 2's on the page.
Below the sub-menu is the Graduate School shared content:
Next there is a series of tables, toggles, and descriptive content under a Header 2 called "Major Requirements" or, if the page is for a named option, "Named Option Requirements." The following are examples of what these elements might look like. Special guidance for each element is noted beneath it whenever applicable.
Mode of Instruction
This table appears for major pages but not for the parent pages of named options. It appears on all named option pages.
The Mode of Instruction table must be accurately completed by the program. Content under the expanded toggle of "Mode of Instruction Definitions" is Graduate School shared content, and not editable by the program.
Curricular Requirements
If the program is doctoral, the Curricular Requirements table will also have a line for "Graduate School Breadth Requirements." All rows must be filled in with an actual policy or credit amount. Do not write "Contact the program for information about this policy," as Guide should serve as the official source for program policy and requirements.
The table should be titled, "Curricular Requirements", and formatted as a header 3.
Required Courses
The required courses section should list all of the remaining course requirements. Typically, this is a list of courses in the course list format (refer to table help KB). The course list should include every course needed for completion of the major. The amount of credits in this list will add up to the minimum credit requirement. If the "Sum Hours" box, when checked, yields a range of credits, manually enter a Total Credits header as a comment entry and add the minimum credit requirement.
Additional considerations when building a course list includes:
- If instructing students to select a course/number of credits or a range of courses/number of credits from a list below, best practice is to include the total credit amount in the header of that section and indent all the courses below the header.
- Additional elements may be brought in as needed to display this information in an effective format (e.g., "Coursework Track" and "Research Track" toggles in image above) after the table.
- Table should be titled, "Required Courses", and formatted as a header 3.
- If information is included under the course list, utilize cascading headers to provide an outline of information. For example, utilize header 1, then header 2, then header 3, etc.
Named Options
If the degree/major has named options, underneath the Required Courses table will be a Named Options (Sub-Majors) Header 2 with the following language (substituting your degree credential type and name):
This is followed by links to the Named Options pages.
Shared Content
Service-based pricing programs are required to include shared content at the bottom of their Requirements tab that informs students they may not take courses outside the prescribed curriculum or enroll in double degrees.
Policies
Graduate School shared content will begin the page:
This is followed by a Header 2, "Major-Specific Policies" or, if this is a named option page, "Named Option-Specific Policies." Within this section is a toggle-list of the following headers, with Prior Coursework containing subheaders. The headers and subheaders should remain as-is (i.e., do not delete any of headers or subheaders, or add new headers or subheaders):
Each of these header sub-sections should contain the specific, relevant policy for your program. In the case of parent pages of named options, there will only be links to the named options' pages. Do not write "Contact the program for information about this policy," as Guide should serve as the official source for program policy and requirements.
Prior Coursework
Programs should describe how they handle prior coursework from the following three categories (included as subheaders).
- Graduate credits earned at other institutions
- Undergraduate credits earned at other institutions or UW-Madison
- Credits earned as a Professional student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)
- Credits earned as a University Special student at UW-Madison
Descriptions should coincide with (and may reference) to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.
Probation
Program-specific policy on probation may be included here. If none exists, provide reference to the Graduate School: Probation policy.
Advisor/Committee
Include program-specific policy, procedures, and/or guidance about the advisor and/or committee structure and roles. The Graduate School policy on advisor and committees may be used if no program specific policy exists.
Credits Per Term Allowed
Provide the number of credits your program allows per term.
Time Limits
At minimum, the Graduate School: Time Limits policy should be referenced. Program-specific policy may also be integrated into this section, when applicable.
Grievances and Appeals
This section begins with shared content from the Graduate School:
Program or school/college-specific policy is required after the shared content.
Other
Policy in this section is optional. If there is none, write "n/a." Do not delete this toggle if there is no program-specific information.
Professional Development
Every page will begin with shared content from the Graduate School:
Additional content below the shared content is at the discretion of the program. The section should start with a Header 2 called "Program Resources" for consistency with other degree pages.
Utilize cascading headers to provide an outline of information. For example, utilize header 1, then header 2, then header 3, etc.
Learning Outcomes
This is a list of approved learning outcomes for the degree/major. Named Option pages do not have separate learning outcomes from the degree/major.
Learning Outcomes and the process to update them are owned by the Provost's Office. Questions about the format and updating of this content can be directed to the Student Learning Assessment Office (assessment@wisc.edu).
People
This is a list of faculty and others who work in the department. The format of this page is at the discretion of the program, though links to individual faculty profiles are not allowed as the URLs break easily and will not be updated "at any time." We recommend you link to an index page of faculty profiles on your own program's website instead.
Accreditation/Certification/Licensure
In addition to university accreditation, some programs will have their own accreditation, certifications, and licensures detailed in this section.
This section is owned by the Provost's Office. Questions about the format and updating of this content can be directed to Data, Academic Planning, and Institutional Research.
Contact Information
Programs should follow this guide for the content and format of this side box:
It is okay to have more than these 4-5 entries in this box (at the discretion of each program), but the first entry always needs to be the Department and College with URL, and the last entry always needs to be the Graduate School website.
Simple URLs (e.g., without "http://") and/or hyperlinked text should be displayed whenever possible.
Service-based pricing programs may also utilize a marketing link prepared by DCS which sends interested applicants to the Salesforce portal:
Programs in the School of Medicine and Public Health will also include their Grievance Advisor, which appears just before the link to the Graduate School (second from the bottom, in other words).
Questions about this guidance may be directed to the Guide/Lumen contact for the Graduate School.