This checklist summarizes the requirements that all students must satisfy before they can receive an M.S. or Ph.D. degree from the Department of Wildlife Ecology. After most items there is usually a reference to a sources of more information on the requirement. Every student and graduate advisor in the Department is expected to be familiar with these requirements and ensure that they fulfill their obligations for meeting them. You must also be familiar with the Department Procedures and Operations which contain additional information you will need to function as a graduate student in the Department. 

For M.S. Students 

• You must form a three-person Graduate Committee that will supervise your degree program. That committee must be composed of your major professor, another Graduate Faculty member in the Department, and a Graduate Faculty member from outside the Department. You and your major professor should select committee members and convene a meeting to outline the anticipated course of the degree program as soon as possible after you have enrolled. You may ask additional faculty, academic staff members or outside collaborators to participate on your committee, but they can not be official voting members.
• You must as soon as possible present to the Department an "Entry Seminar" that outlines your proposed research program. Often this seminar is followed by a meeting with your Graduate Committee to discuss your plans.
• You must take, for credit, all courses on the Department's list of Minimum Course Requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. Degrees that have not been completed prior to entering the program. Your major professor will review these requirements with you soon after you are accepted into the program. (For details, see Minimum Course Requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. Degrees.
• You must enroll in at least two graduate seminars (preferably WL ECOL 875 or 961) during your program. The exact seminars you will take can be worked out with your Graduate Committee.
• You must satisfy the Graduate School's "Minimum Credit Requirement." To do this you must complete at least 16 credits of graduate-level coursework at UW-Madison (courses numbered 300 or higher) with an overall GPA of at least 3.0. You can not transfer credits from another institution to meet this requirement. Research and Thesis (WL ECOL 990) credits do not count toward this total, but graduate-level credits taken to remedy deficiencies in the Department's "Minimum Course Requirements" do. The exact courses you take will be determined in consultation with your major professor and your Graduate Committee. (Details of the "Minimum Credit Requirement" can be found in the Graduate School's "Student Handbook" and the Graduate School's homepage).
• You must inform the Departmental office of your intent to graduate by the deadlines in October, March or July and at least three weeks before your "Final Oral Examination." The Department then obtains a "Degree Warrant" that your Graduate Committee will sign after you have completed all degree requirements. (Details can be found in the Graduate School's publication, "Expecting Your Master's Degree? Procedures to Help").
• You must present an "Exit Seminar" to the Department. Typically this seminar is given just prior to the Final Oral Examination.
• You must submit and defend a thesis that is based on original research undertaken as part of your degree program. The scope of the thesis is determined in consultation with your major professor. Upon completing your thesis, you must successfully defend it. The thesis defense takes the form of a 1 -to 2-hour "Final Oral Examination" administered by your Graduate Committee and covering your thesis and general knowledge related to the subject area of your thesis. (Details of satisfying thesis requirements can be found in the Graduate School's publications, "Expecting Your Master's Degree? Procedures to Help" and in the "Student Handbook").
• You must deposit a bound copy of your thesis at both the Department and the Memorial Library. The Department will pay for the binding of its copy; you must pay for the binding of the library copy. (Details can be found in "Expecting Your Masters Degree? Procedures to Help").

• You must form your Graduate Committee as soon as possible after enrolling. This committee will supervise your degree program and is composed of at least 5 members, 3-4 Graduate Faculty members from the Department of Wildlife Ecology and 1-2 Graduate Faculty members representing a minor (either Option A or B, as described in the Graduate School's Student Handbook). You and your Major Professor should form the Committee as soon as possible, preferably early in the first semester in residence.
• You must complete a Qualifying Examination as soon as possible after enrolling, preferably during the first semester in residence. This examination is administered by the full Graduate Committee, and one important outcome is a prescription of the coursework you must complete before you take your Preliminary Examination. The prescriptions are recorded on a "Certification Form" available from the departmental office. (Details of the Qualifying Examination can be found in the Department's Examinations for Ph.D. Students in Wildlife Ecology).
• You must take, for credit, all courses on the Department's list of Minimum Course Requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. Degrees that have not been completed prior to entering the program. Your major professor will review these requirements with you soon after you are accepted into the program. (For details see Minimum Course Requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. Degrees).
• You must also complete all additional courses prescribed by your Graduate Committee at your Qualifying Examination and specified on the Certification Form. These courses must include at least the following: any courses that will remedy weaknesses identified during the Qualifying Examination, 10 credits in formal courses (not thesis/research credits) that satisfy the requirements of the Minor (either Option A or B), a course in which you learn a new technical skill not previously possessed, and at least three graduate seminars (preferably WL ECOL 875 or 961).
• You must satisfy the Graduate School's "Minimum Credit Requirement." To do this you must complete at least 32 credits of graduate-level coursework at UW-Madison (courses numbered 300 or higher) with an overall GPA of at least 3.0. You can not transfer credits from another institution to meet this requirement nor can you carry over credits from your Master's degree program.  No more than 16 credits of Research and Thesis (WL ECOL 990) may count toward this total, but graduate-level credits taken to remedy deficiencies in the Department's Minimum Course Requirements do. The exact courses you take will be determined in consultation with your major professor and your Graduate Committee at the time of your Qualifying Examination. (Details of the "Minimum Credit Requirement" can be found in the Graduate School's "Student Handbook").
• You must complete a substantial exercise in classroom teaching during your Ph.D. program. This requirement can be met by either serving for one semester as a Teaching Assistant in an appropriate course at UW-Madison or enrolling in the Department's Practicum in Wildlife Ecology Teaching (WL ECOL 799). In some instances, a substantial exercise in classroom teaching during the course of the M.S. degree may be substituted with your Committee's approval.
• You must pass a Preliminary Examination. This examination is administered by the full Graduate Committee and takes place when Minimum Credit Requirements have been satisfied and all coursework prescribed at the Qualifying Examination has been completed (or during the last semester of completing that coursework). (Details about the Preliminary Examination can be found in the Department's Examinations for Ph.D. Students in Wildlife Ecology and in the Graduate School's "Student Handbook").
• After passing the Preliminary Examination, you must continue to be enrolled as a Dissertator until you pass your Final Oral Examination and turn in your dissertation to the Graduate School. After passing your Preliminary Examination, you become a "Dissertator." This status means that you have completed all requirements for the Ph.D., except for the Ph.D. Dissertation. (See the Graduate School's publication, "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Dissertator Status but Were Afraid to Ask", for more details).
• Within 5 years of passing the Preliminary Examination, you must pass the Final Oral Examination. This examination is administered by the full Graduate Committee after you have completed your dissertation. It is a thesis defense exercise in which you will be questioned about your dissertation. You must inform the department at least three weeks prior to the examination so that a "Ph.D. Final Oral Committee Approval Form" can be completed and sent to the Graduate School to initiate the paperwork required to prepare you for graduation. You may be asked to make modifications to your dissertation after the examination, so be aware of deadlines imposed by the Graduate School to remain eligible to graduate on schedule. (For more details, consult the Graduate School's publication, "The 3-D's: Deadlines, Defending, Depositing").
• You must present an "Exit Seminar" to the Department. This presentation is made when your dissertation is essentially complete and often is given just prior to taking the Final Oral Examination.
• You must deposit copies of the final version of your dissertation with both the Department and the Memorial Library. As soon as you have made any corrections specified at the Final Oral Examination, you must have the final version of your dissertation checked at the Graduate School's "Ph.D. Degree Office." You will have to pay a fee for archiving the dissertation and binding a copy for the Memorial Library; the Department will pay to have its copy bound. You must publish an abstract of your dissertation in Dissertation Abstracts. (For more details, consult the Graduate School's publication, "The 3-D's: Deadlines, Defending, Depositing").
• You should Inform the Department if you will be participating in Commencement ceremonies In December or May. (You can get information about Commencement by calling the "Commencement Hotline," 262-9076).

Prepared by Stanley A. Temple, Curriculum Chair 
10 September 2003