Frequently Asked Questions
- Where do I find general introductory information about the School of Business and the University?
- How do I “get cleared” for registration?
- To whom should I go for answers to questions about my program?
- How do I know what dates are important?
- How do I know if I am making satisfactory progress toward my degree objective?
- How do I choose my research emphasis and dissertation topic?
- What is required for the preliminary exam?
- What does it mean to be a dissertator?
- After becoming a dissertator, may I register for academic course credits?
- What happens when I complete my dissertation?
- What should I do when I am in doubt about a policy, process, or procedure?
Where do I find general introductory information about the School of Business and the University?
You should have received an “Orientation Guide” via mail this summer. This useful booklet contains much of what you need to know to get acquainted with your new school and the UW campus. It also contains useful information that extends beyond campus to the City of Madison and the many resources available to you. You may also wish to utilize the following web locations for extensive information about:
- The School of Business
- The UW-Madison
- The Graduate School Catalogue (including official academic policies)
- The City of Madison
- Campus Bus Pass Program
For other resources, use the “Search” box on the right side of the UW home page, entering the key word or words of interest to you.
How do I “get cleared” for registration?
Once you meet with your department’s PhD advisor (see attached list), you will be eligible to register. You should already have set up your NetID and obtained access to the University’s On-line Registration System. Once you register, you are eligible to obtain your UW ID card (see http://www.union.wisc.edu/photoid/ for more information).
To whom should I go for answers to questions about my program?
That all depends on what your question is! As you probably know, the UW is a very large place. That means you have a tremendous number of resources available to you. But it also means that they are not always easy to identify or find. Your primary resource will be Belle Heberling, the PhD Coordinator, located in Room 1149 Grainger Hall. Her phone number is 262-3749 and her e-mail address is bheberling@bus.wisc.edu. Belle is your primary liaison with the Graduate School. Belle should probably be your first stop when you cannot find an easy answer on line or if you are unsure about something. If Belle does not have the answer, she will surely be able to guide you to the best source for an answer! In addition to Belle, feel free to contact Phil Miller, 2266B Grainger (265-5105 or pjmiller@bus.wisc.edu) with questions of a general academic nature.
When you have questions relating to your academic department, your major, degree requirements, or course-related questions, always check with your departmental advisor. That individual must sign off on course choices and other academic and research matters relating to your degree.
How do I know what dates are important?
It is important that you become familiar with the academic calendar and with dates that are significant on your way to degree completion. Our greatest obstacles are caused by students who should have filed forms, obtained required signatures, or made contact with a particular person or office by a certain date, but failed to do so! In general, any forms or requests related to prelims and defenses should be completed 3 – 4 weeks in advance. Because the Graduate School is actually your “school of record,” the School of Business needs as much time as possible to route all paperwork through appropriate channels. Always ask in advance and double check that things are in order so that you may avoid costly penalties or additional tedious appeal hurdles for yourself and your advisor. The staff of the school does its best to look out for you, but ultimately you, the degree student, are responsible for completing all required forms and actions.
How do I know if I am making satisfactory progress toward my degree objective?
Each year, customarily after the completion of the spring semester, each department administers a written review of its PhD students. In that letter, students receive explicit feedback on their progress and an indication of whether their progress is satisfactory or not. Copies of these letters become a part of the student’s permanent file. Failure to meet satisfactory progress standards may lead to the student being placed on academic probation and, ultimately, may lead to the student being dropped from the degree program. It is important that students maintain an on-going dialog with advisors and other departmental faculty in order to be aware of perceptions regarding their level of progress throughout the duration of the program.
How do I choose my research emphasis and dissertation topic?
In addition to academic course work and independent reading and research undertaken during your initial years in the program, you will participate in departmental seminars (both your own department and hopefully in others), faculty presentations, guest lectures and presentations, attendance at conferences, and other activities designed to facilitate development of a suitable topic for original research. We urge you to check calendars diligently for opportunities throughout the school and across the campus. Critical relationships that will assist you in this process should be cultivated with your academic advisor, with other faculty members in yours or complementing departments, and your peers in the PhD Program, whether dissertators or non-dissertators. Discuss your ideas and interests with faculty members and seek out their opinions and guidance. Ultimately, you are looking for a faculty member who will chair your dissertation committee. This may or may not be the advisor to whom you were assigned upon entry into the program.
What is required for the preliminary exam?
Every department has a different standard and practice for this important hurdle in the achievement of the PhD. It customarily occurs at the end of the third year of PhD study. You should talk at length with your advisor (and other faculty members) about the nature of the preliminary exam in your respective department. What are their expectations; what activities will you undergo; how are you evaluated; what happens upon completion of the prelim, from the department’s perspective.
Regardless of how your department approaches the prelim, all PhD students are required to do several things prior to becoming a dissertator (the status achieved upon successful completion of prelims). When you are preparing for prelims, be sure to notify Belle Heberling at least 4 weeks ahead of the scheduled date as certain papers must be prepared, signed by specific individuals, and filed.
What does it mean to be a dissertator?
Dissertator status is conferred by the Graduate School upon successful completion of the preliminary exam (in whatever form it is administered by your major department). After confirmation of successful completion of prelims is filed with the Graduate School, you will receive formal notification that you are classified as a dissertator. After becoming a dissertator, you are expected to be engaged in full time research and production of your dissertation. You will be informed about the minimum dissertation credit load requirement and tuition charge and you MUST maintain registration in every subsequent fall and spring semester as a dissertator or face enormous financial penalties as a result of failure to do so. Fellowships, TA/PA appointments, or other stipend packages for most doctoral students cover the cost of dissertator status, just as they do for non-dissertators. However, any penalties incurred by failing to meet registration requirements are borne by the student, not the university, the school, or the department. If, after completing your prelims, you do not hear of your official change in status to dissertator prior to registration for the following term, contact Belle Heberling (PhD Coordinator) to verify that all proper steps have been taken and that you are in the correct status!
After becoming a dissertator, may I register for academic course credits?
Rules of the Graduate School normally prohibit registration for course credit once dissertator status has been achieved. If there are any courses or seminars you wish to take for academic credit (and wish to show on your transcript as such) you should register for them prior to becoming a dissertator. While you will not be permitted to "back out" of dissertator status for a semester to take a desired course, there may be unique circumstances under which you may be permitted to register for variable credit seminars after becoming a dissertator. Please contact the PhD Office for further information about this situation.
What happens when I complete my dissertation?
There are a number of prescribed steps for defense and filing of the dissertation prior to conferral of the degree. This is an important and frequently stressful time in your life. You do not need added surprises, last-minute hassles, or unnecessary delays in any steps at this time. It is critical that you familiarize yourself with everyone’s expectations: your dissertation committee’s; the school’s; and the Graduate School’s. Failure to miss a step or a deadline will likely have repercussions that cause undue stress.
Two very useful Graduate School on-line resources are:
A Guide to Preparing Your Doctoral Dissertation
The Three D’s: Deadlines, Defending, Depositing Your Doctoral Dissertation
Once again, be sure to stop by and visit with Belle Heberling (PhD Coordinator) well in advance of your impending defense (at least 4 – 6 weeks). She will be sure that all of the deadlines are on your calendar and all arrangements are in order.
What should I do when I am in doubt about a policy, process, or procedure?
We expect our students, as mature adult learners pursuing a degree that is largely “independent study,” to take responsibility for knowing what is needed and then achieving it. But you cannot always know everything. ASK when you need assistance. The achievement of the doctoral degree is a singular achievement that will shape the rest of your life. You are expected to be the primary element in the fashioning of your success. But do not hesitate to let others know when you need clarification, guidance and support