Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Criteria for Satisfactory Progress

The pursuit of a Ph.D. is a highly individualized effort. There are many factors that go into the assessment of satisfactory progress. This document summarizes some milestones for achieving satisfactory progress towards the Ph.D. degree.

First, recognize that the departmental Ph.D. program operates within the School of Business that operates within the University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School. Each has its own set of requirements. The Graduate School requirements are available at here; because of their importance, they are attached. The School of Business requirements are available at here. The most important aspect of the Business School set is an additional requirement of maintaining a 3.2 grade point average.

The Ph.D. program is a highly individualistic pursuit; when assessing doctoral student's performance, the faculty recognizes that different students have different strengths. As a result, outside the objective criteria listed in the three sets of requirements, the achievement of satisfactory progress may involve substantial variation across students. Department faculty ultimately hold the responsibility for assessing each student's progress and provide written feedback concerning that progress.  Such written feedback is offered annually following completion of the spring semester. Some rough benchmarks are offered here to establish an expectation as to when important tasks need to be accomplished:

Coursework - required coursework is decided by the Ph.D. course advisor in consultation with the doctoral candidate. The set of required courses is available at the description of the Ph.D. program. Normally, courses are completed within the first 2.5 years of the program.

Qualifying Examination - the department preliminary examination is based on coursework: typically, the four department doctoral courses. The examination is normally taken at the end of the second year (or beginning of the third year). The examination is offered twice a year, in August and January. Students may take the examination no more than two times. Failure to pass the examination results in the student being dropped from the program.  A student taking the examination for the first time (and not passing) must take the exam for the second time at the next sitting. Upon completion of coursework and the qualifying examination, the student earns dissertator status.

Ph.D. Proposal - the student selects a dissertation topic and arranges for a faculty thesis supervisor. When substantial work has been accomplished on the topic, the student arranges for a defense of the Ph.D. thesis topic. Typically, three to four faculty members serve on the review committee - the purpose is to advise the student on the viability of this topic as a suitable Ph.D. thesis.

Ph.D. Defense - this is an oral examination in which the doctoral candidate presents the final written Ph.D. thesis. At least five faculty members, at least one from outside the School of Business, serve on this examination committee. Typically, members of the Ph.D. proposal committee serve as the core of this final defense committee.

Time Constraints - in general, the Ph.D. program is designed to take four years, 2.5 years for coursework and 1.5 years for the dissertation stage. Although this has been accomplished by many students, it is also not unusual for students to take five years. For students taking longer than this, the faculty will examine closely the circumstances necessitating being in the program this long.

Other - please see Graduate School and Business School rules and regulations regarding handling of incompletes and probation policies.

  

Graduate School Minimum Degree Requirements for the Ph.D.

To make progress toward a graduate degree, students must meet the Graduate School requirements in addition to the requirements of the department or program. See department or program Criteria for Satisfactory Progress.

 Graduate GPA - 3.00

Other Grade Requirements
The Graduate School requires an average grade of B or better in all course work (300 or above, not including research credits) taken as a graduate student unless conditions for probationary status require higher grades. Grades of Incomplete are considered to be unsatisfactory if they are not removed during the next semester in residence.

Probation Policy

The Graduate School regularly reviews the record of any student who earned grades of BC, C, D, F, or Incomplete in a graduate course (300 or above), or grade of U in research credits. This review could result in academic probation with a hold on future registration or in being suspended from the Graduate School.

Specific Courses - Determined by department

Specific Credits - Determined by department

Examinations / Time Constraints

. Doctoral students are required to take a comprehensive preliminary examination after they have cleared their record of all Incomplete and Progress grades (other than research and thesis).
. Doctoral students have five years from the date of passing the preliminary examination to take the final oral examination and deposit the dissertation. In some departments, if the professor(s) in charge are satisfied with the preparation, the preliminary examination may be construed as the final examination.
. A candidate for the Ph.D. degree who fails to take the final oral examination within five years after passing the preliminary examination is required to take another preliminary examination and be admitted to candidacy a second time.

Other Assessments / Time Constraints

Yes / No

. A Ph.D. degree requires 32 graduate credits (300 level or above, no audits or pass/fail) taken as a graduate student at UW-Madison.
. Deposit of the doctoral dissertation in the Graduate School is required.

Language Requirements - Determined by department

Minor Requirements

The Graduate School normally requires a Ph.D. minor (see department criteria). Option A requires a minimum of 10 credits in a single department/major field of study. Selection of this option requires the approval of the minor department. Option B requires a minimum of 10 credits in one or more departments and can include course work in the major department. Selection of this option requires the approval of the major department.

Adviser

Every graduate student is required to have an adviser. An adviser is a faculty member, or sometimes a committee, from the major department responsible for providing advice regarding graduate studies. An adviser generally serves as the dissertation adviser. In many cases, an adviser is assigned to incoming students. Advising for students in early stages of their studies is often accomplished by a committee. Students can be suspended from the Graduate School if they do not have an adviser.

Review Policy

To ensure they are making satisfactory progress toward a degree, students are encouraged to meet with their department advisers on a regular basis. The Graduate School regularly monitors the progress of all graduate students.