Graduate Handbook

(revised January 2005)

All graduate students are responsible for complying with the Graduate School rules (see the current issue of the Bulletin of the Graduate School).

Advising

Students are required to consult the Graduate Program Director soon after arrival to outline the course of their studies.  Thereafter, students should consult with the Graduate Program Director on at least an annual basis.

Satisfactory Graduate Status

In order to maintain good standing, the student must meet the following requirements:

·        Receive a B or higher in 323 and 324, if required to take either or both of those courses;

·        Receive no more than two C's during his/her studies;

·        Receive no grade lower than C in any course taken as a graduate student;

·        Have no more than one incomplete on record at any time;

·        Maintain a 3.0 average or higher in graduate course work (a Graduate School rule; see Bulletin, p. 3).

A student who receives an incomplete in any course must remove the incomplete during the next semester of residence, unless the instructor specifies an earlier time limitation. Failure to remove the incomplete results in an F for the course.  In some cases, the department may allow a student who does not maintain satisfactory progress as prescribed above to continue on probationary status for one semester. At the end of the probationary semester, either the probationary status will be lifted or the student will be dropped from the program. Decisions in matters of student status and progress are made by the departmental Committee on Graduate Studies.

Grievance Procedure

A student should pursue the following steps in the case of a grievance, until a satisfactory resolution is achieved:

1.      Speak with the professor of the course and discuss the matter.

2.      Speak with the Graduate Program Director.

3.      Submit a written grievance with a full explanation of the problem to the department chair.  The department chair will set up an ad hoc grievance committee, which will decide upon an appropriate course of action.

Full-time and Part-time Students

Part-time students, including those holding a teaching assistant appointment, may carry reduced loads. A minimum registration of two courses each semester will be required of such students. All students, including TAs, must complete two semesters of full-time study at the graduate level in order to fulfill residency requirements (see Bulletin of Graduate School, p. 3).

Normal progress for a full-time student requires a course load of 9-12 credits each semester. Students in the PhD program who have completed PhD examinations and residency must register for 3 credits each semester as dissertators.

Teaching Assistants

Selection of Teaching Assistants

The department has a limited number of teaching assistantships, which are available to graduate students in good standing in the department.  TA positions provide valuable teaching experience, as well as remission of tuition and fees, a salary, and insurance benefits.

In awarding TA positions, the faculty must balance a number of (sometimes conflicting) considerations, including the following:

• Academic achievement.
• Instructional needs of the department.
• The desirability for students to gain teaching experience within the department as part of their graduate experience, in preparation for the job market.
• The ability and suitability of the student in leading discussion sections and fulfilling the other responsibilities of a TA.
• Stage in program and academic goals.  Both MA and PhD students may serve as teaching assistants; however, the department considers its first priority to be providing teaching experience and financial support to students who will eventually receive a PhD in the department (i.e., students who do not plan to pursue PhD studies have second priority in the assignment of teaching assistantships).

The Executive Committee has determined that no student should receive salary funding in excess of 50% from university sources, and no student will receive a TA position if they have tuition remission from another source in the university (e.g., a graduate fellowship, a TA position in another department, or a Project Assistantship).

Mentoring of Teaching Assistants

All new teaching assistants are required to attend the L&S TA Training Workshop, which is held each August.

The supervising professor provides additional, individualized mentoring of teaching assistant(s) assigned to his/her class.

MA and PhD Examinations

MA and PhD exams can be retaken only once. Failure on any section of the retake results in discontinuation of graduate student status. Likewise, the oral thesis defense can be repeated only once.

Dissertators

Students who are writing dissertations should maintain regular contact with their dissertation advisor.  Each semester dissertators are required to submit a report on their progress to their dissertation advisor.

Completion of Dissertation

Graduate School regulations concerning time limits for the completion of the dissertation are as follows: "A candidate for a Ph.D. degree who fails to take the final oral examination and deposit the dissertation within five years after passing the preliminary examination is required to take another preliminary examination and to be admitted to candidacy a second time" (Graduate School Academic Guidelines, p. 77).  The department policy is to allow only one retake of the preliminary examinations after five years.  The retake must be completed within six months. If the student fails the retake, no further examinations are permitted.

If you have trouble accessing this page, contact: Chris Dargis  (cadargis@facstaff.wisc.edu)
Latest revision date: 12/28/2004 (cad)