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Lumen Structures: How to Propose a Special Graduate Committee Degree Named Option

Instructions on how to fill out proposals for Special Graduate Committee degree named options (individual majors).

Special graduate committee degrees are one-of-a-kind degrees built around unique needs of individual students that cannot be satisfied by an existing program.

Policy

Graduate School: Special Graduate Committee Degrees

Policy Number

UW-1219

Responsible Office

Graduate School

Type

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose

This policy establishes authorization for special graduate committee degrees and outlines the criteria for students to pursue such degrees.

Policy

The Graduate School is responsible for the authorization of special committee degrees. A high level of independence is required on the part of the student, since easily available guidance provided by programs is often more difficult to obtain, and there is not the usual collegial group of students in closely related research and coursework. 

The special graduate committee degree requirements are as follows: 

  1. Prospective students with an interest in a special graduate committee degree must apply for admission to the degree program that is closest to their program interest.
  2. Upon receipt of an application in which a prospective student expresses interest in a special graduate committee degree, the academic program will follow all relevant program admission requirements.
  3. A student cannot be admitted directly to a special graduate committee degree program. They must be admitted by an established department or program and must attend classes at UW–Madison before a proposal for a special graduate committee degree will be considered by the Graduate School.
  4. The department or program admitting the student must be prepared to see the student through an established degree program. No commitments to provide a special graduate committee degree are to be made until the student is enrolled and the proposal for the special degree is authorized by the Graduate School.
  5. The student’s advisor must author and submit the special graduate committee degree proposal on behalf of the student. Doctoral proposals must be submitted by the end of the first year of graduate work. Master’s proposals must be submitted after the equivalent of the first full-time semester of graduate work. The proposal must consist of the following elements:
    • The reasons the special graduate committee program is needed and an explanation of why the student’s education cannot be met with an existing program(s).
    • The exact title of the proposed degree program. The title is to be brief yet descriptive.
    • The proposed coursework to be taken at UW-Madison which is to include the program, course titles, course numbers, credits, and semester taken/to be taken.
    • The nature and scope of preliminary examinations for the doctoral degree, or the examination procedure for the master’s degree.
    • The nature of the dissertation or thesis (general subject area) and any specific requirements.
    • The names of the faculty members who, in addition to the advisor, will share the responsibility of supervising the student’s program. The doctoral degree requires 4 members (3 UW–Madison graduate faculty members and the advisor), and the master’s degree requires 3 members (2 UW–Madison graduate faculty members and the advisor). Approval signatures of the committee members are required on the proposal.
  6. The Graduate School carefully reviews each proposal to determine whether the proposed programs and degree are feasible and meet the Graduate School’s rigorous standards.
  7. The chairperson of the committee (usually the advisor) must be a member of the program to which the student is originally admitted. The program is responsible for the maintenance of the student’s records and is responsible for all appropriate nominations for financial aid.
  8. It is expected that individual members of the committee assume program responsibilities provided institutionally in conventional programs. Faculty members who serve on special graduate committees must be prepared to participate fully in all aspects of the student’s program from the beginning, especially where they must provide the necessary expertise in their particular areas of interest.

Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources

Approval Authority

Dean of the Graduate School

Policy Manager

Director, Academic Services, Graduate School

Contact

Assistant Dean for Academic Planning Analysis and Assessment -- Jenna Alsteen, jenna.alsteen@wisc.edu, (608) 262-2433
Source: View policy UW-1219 in the UW-Madison Policy Library

Academic planning help

Special Committee Degrees are only available for: MA, MS, and PhD. The program appears on the transcript as Special Graduate Committee MA/MS/PHD" in the named option proposed ex. Special Graduate Committee: Statistical and Quantitative Genetics PhD.

A special graduate committee subplan code is intended to be used by an individual student and will be discontinued once that student has the degree conferred. 

The code will be added in SIS for the next available term i.e. if approved by the Graduate School in June, will be effective fall.

Form instructions

Instructions for how to fill out the Lumen Structures form.
Field in the form Action
Request type Select "Special Committee Degree Subplan Option"
Home department Select the home department of the student requesting a special committee degree.
School/College This defaults to the School/College the department is housed in. This is not editable.
Title
  • Special Committee PHD: [transcript award text]
  • Special Committee MS: [transcript award text] 
  • Special Committee MA: [transcript award text] 
Request details

Include information such as:

  • The requested effective date.
  • Approval information (Department, School/College, Graduate School, Campus governance).
Upload form

There isn't a form for this proposal. Upload the curriculum/proposal for the special graduate committee degree.

Supporting documents
  • Other proposal details
  • SIS codes for implementation

Workflow

  1. Department (default)
  2. School/College (default)
  3. APIR Admin (default)
  4. Grad School Admin
  5. UAPC Approver (does not go to UAPC, this step is for SIS code table generation)
  6. Registrar


Keywordsspecial committee degree, individual major, graduate individual major   Doc ID138751
OwnerMelissa S.GroupLumen and Guide
Created2024-07-26 12:35:56Updated2024-07-26 12:54:03
SitesLumen and Guide
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