For Business PhD students only

For Non-Business PhD students only

PhD Minors (for Business PhD students only)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School requirement of a minor field is referred to as an external minor by the School of Business . A doctoral student in business may select the Option A minor, which is a minor field of study from any UW-Madison college or department outside of the School of Business that offers a PhD major, as well as some additional approved departments. Students may also opt for the Option B minor, which combines courses from multiple departments, including a selected approved course from a different major area in business.

The minor, whether Option A or B, is designed to represent a coherent body of work taken as a graduate student, and should not be simply an after-the-fact ratification of a number of courses taken outside the major department. To ensure coherence, a minor program should be approved by the student's major professor/advisor and the Assistant Dean of the Learning Environment of the School of Business prior to actually taking minor course work. Failure to gain approval prior to registration for the minor courses may result in denial of approval for the minor. All m inor course work must be satisfactorily completed prior to taking the preliminary examination.

A "minor agreement form" must be signed by the major professor, the minor professor (Option A only) and the Assistant Dean for the Learning Environment of the School of Business and becomes a part of the student's permanent record. This form is available from the PhD Coordinator in 1149 Grainger Hall.

Please consult with you're advisor and/or the PhD Coordinator if you have questions about the minor requirement and the options described below.

Option A (for Business PhD students)

The minor field consists of a minimum of 10 graduate credits from a single major program outside of the School of Business . The courses are to be prescribed and an examination, if required, administered by the external department. Students interested in an Option A minor should check with the minor department for details and requirements. One course cross-listed with the major may be used for the minor as long as it is not staffed by the major department and is not a requirement of the major. Completion of the Option A minor is certified by the chairperson of the minor department or the minor professor.

Option B (for Business PhD students)

Some doctoral students will be better served by course work not available as a departmental minor. With major advisor approval, they may develop a unique program under Option B. Students who elect Option B must complete a minimum of 10 graduate credits in two or more departments outside the School of Business or a combination of courses from outside the School of Business with one or more in business but outside the student's major area. Some departments require more than 10 credits for an Option B minor. The student must have formal approval from the major department for the request to choose this external minor option, as well as for the content of the proposed program.

In addition, the major department sets standards for grade performance and/or examination to measure the student's level of preparation in this supporting field. Completion of the Option B minor is certified by the Assistant Dean of the Learning Environment of the School of Business .

PhD Minors (for Non-Business PhD students only)

Those doctoral students from departments outside of the School of Business should follow these guidelines for a minor involving business course work.

Option A minor in business: Because the School of Business is considered a department of the Graduate School of the UW-Madison, School of Business sub-departmental minors are not formally recognized. All Option A minors earned in the School of Business are recorded as business. However, there are two types of Option A business minors offered.

(1) Minors may be done within one School of Business department ( only in these major areas: Accounting, Finance, Management and Human Resources, Marketing, Operations and Information Management, Real Estate, and Risk Management ). Official records will still reflect only the term business for the reason stated above.

For this type of minor, where all course work is taken in one School of Business department, the student should meet with the designated departmental representative, who will approve the necessary course work to be taken within that department (or an additional related department, if appropriate). A list of these faculty members is available from the Programs Office in 1149 Grainger Hall (phd@bus.wisc.edu). You must have with you a copy of the Minor Agreement Form, also available from 1149 Grainger Hall. The appropriate departmental representative will sign this agreement form to indicate approval of the course(s) shown for that field of study. Course work should be taken only after receiving written approval from the designated faculty member for the department . You must file copy of this agreement form with the PhD Programs Office in 1149 Grainger. It is also strongly recommended that you have a copy of this agreement placed in your permanent file in your home (major) department.

(2) A general business minor may also be pursued under Option A. This type of minor is made up of course work from a number of departments (major fields) within the School of Business . ( Remember: The School of Business is considered to be only one department by the Graduate School ). For this type of minor, the student is advised to meet with his or her major advisor to determine the business subjects considered most relevant to the student's program and/or research. After identifying those subject areas (selected from those School of Business departments that offer a PhD major), the student should consult with the designated faculty representative in each of the subject areas where course work is being considered. A list of these faculty members is available from the PhD Programs Office in 1149 Grainger Hall (phd@bus.wisc.edu). You must have with you a copy of the Minor Agreement Form, also available from 1149 Grainger Hall. Each appropriate School of Business departmental representative will review the proposed course(s) in their respective department and will sign their approval or suggest appropriate alternatives. The student should then submit his/her completed Minor Agreement Form to the PhD Programs Office (1149 Grainger Hall) after approval has been obtained for all of the proposed course work from the respective faculty members. The proposal will then be forwarded to the School of Business PhD Programs Committee for final approval. Course work should be taken only after receiving written approval from the PhD Programs Committee of the School of Business . A copy of the approved agreement form will be kept in the PhD Programs Office. It is also strongly recommended that you have a copy of this agreement placed in your permanent file in your home (major) department.

Option B minor: There is no Option B minor available in Business, because Option B minors require course work from two or more departments. The Graduate School considers the School of Business to be one department. All Option B minors are to be approved by the student's doctoral advisor in the home (major) department. Option B minors for non-business PhD students do not require any approval from the School of Business , even if course work in business is included. Requirements are described in the Graduate School catalog or on the Graduate School web site at: http://www.wisc.edu/grad/catalog/degrees.html#minor

If you have further questions about the School of Business minor options, please contact the PhD Coordinator at phd@bus.wisc.edu.