During the 2020-21 academic year, the Graduate School conducted a study of graduate education policy documentation on campus and revised guidance on graduate program handbooks informed by the findings. The information and template below better meet the needs of students, staff, and faculty who use and develop graduate program handbooks.

Navigating Graduate Education Policy Documentation

Program handbooks are just one of several sources of information about graduate education policy, procedures, and resources. The following infographic describes the varying scopes and relationships of these sources:

Program Handbook (add your hyperlink)

Graduate Guide

Graduate School AP&P

UW-Madison Policy Library

Graduate Student Life

Graduate School at UW-Madison

Handbook Writing Guidelines

General Principles

#1: Reference out whenever possible.

Program handbooks are meant to supplement other sources of policy and procedure such as Guide, the Policy Library, and the Graduate School Academic Policies & Procedures. Handbooks should include content that is unique to your program/department. If referencing Graduate School requirements, university policy, content already captured in your program’s Guide page, or campus-wide resources in the handbook, it should be with a URL to the location on the UW-Madison website of the unit that is primarily and officially responsible for that content. This prevents your handbook content from becoming outdated or inaccurate as changes are made by those who “own” that content.  It also allows those who are dedicated subject-matter experts in particular aspects of graduate education to consistently extend their services to your students, and decreases the need for you to continuously update the handbook when other units make changes to their content. Ultimately, this streamlines the usability of policy documentation on campus.

#2: Publish handbooks publicly.

To increase transparency, handbooks should be made available publicly and online. A hyperlink to your handbook (in any form) can be placed in the contact information box of your Guide page. You can also post the handbook on your public departmental/program website.

#3: Emphasize concision and consistency.

The more text there is, the less likely it will be read. You are strongly encouraged to edit for concise wording and proofread to remove any duplicate content.

Keep consistent formatting whenever possible. For example, each top-level heading should have the same formatting throughout to effectively communicate the organization of handbook content to readers.

Other tips to support concision, consistency, and effective formatting:

• Use heading styles/levels built into word processors and web editors
• Use a consistent writing voice throughout
• PDF handbooks will be read both electronically and in print, so consider:
  • Making URLs active hyperlinks within the text
  • If a URL is especially long, using a shortener such as go.wisc.edu to facilitate quick reading with screen readers and quick typing when translated from print
  • Consulting DoIT's "Make It Accessible" resources for both print and web-based handbooks
• Cross-reference to another section rather than repeating content that applies to multiple sections (Note: Anchor tags can assist with this in web-based handbooks)

#4: Review and revise at least once per year.

Handbooks should be reviewed and, if necessary, revised at least once per year. Be sure to update the handbook year/version on the front cover (or top of the webpage) to indicate that the content has been reviewed and deemed applicable to the current year.

We recommend that past years' handbooks are made publicly available on your program/department website or some other shared portal, especially if students are allowed to select whether their studies are governed by policy at their year of entry or current policy.

Forms

Our study did not suggest consistent preference for a static PDF document over a more dynamic web-based form. Select a form of handbook that best suits the needs of your program/department. Options to consider include:

You are encouraged to consult with free campus resources, such as the UW-Madison DesignLab, to assist with the effective design (e.g., aesthetic choices) of your program handbooks. WiscWeb may also be able to assist with website development.

Handbook Template

A pre-written and editable template for graduate program handbooks can be downloaded at the following link:

Download Graduate Program Handbook Template

Interacting With the Template

Several sections are optional and may be deleted if your program decides it is best to not include them in the handbook. Sections that are not indicated as optional should remain in the handbook.

Text highlighted in grey, as well as the header on every page, is guidance for handbook writers and should be deleted prior to finalizing and distributing the handbook.

Text not highlighted in grey should generally remain as written unless it inaccurately or incompletely reflects the policy/procedures of your program/department. Contact the section owner (see table below) if you have questions about making edits to this text.

Larger font, Arial typeface, and line spacing were formatted to represent a more ADA-friendly design. We recommend adopting these and/or other ADA-friendly elements (e.g., image descriptions such as the one below the infographic on this page) to enhance the usability of your handbook for all.

The table of contents can be quickly regenerated to reflect edits if you use MS Word's heading styles throughout the document. See here for technical guidance.

Who to Contact For Questions

For general questions about graduate education policy documentation, contact Jenna Alsteen (jenna.alsteen@wisc.edu).

As you develop your handbook sections, see below for the persons to contact for additional guidance and consultation on each section: