Master’s Degree Requirements

Course requirements include a minimum of 30 total credits, at least 16 credits at UW-Madison, at least 15 in didactic courses (formal classes or formal seminar).

All ADS M.S. students must complete their certification paperwork. The student should submit all completed certification paperwork to the Graduate Program Manager (GPM) for review and approval by the Director of Graduate Studies DGS.

Students should meet with their committee at minimum once per year.

Students must enroll and present in Seminar (900) during their final semester.

The below steps must be completed in a timely fashion (as outlined), or the student will not be allowed to register for following semesters. Working closely with the PI and committee are essential for successful completion of an M.S. The certification paperwork and MS Warrant Request form must be approved before the M.S. warrant request is submitted to the Graduate School. Any changes to the certification paperwork must be communicated to the GPM and approved by the DGS.

1. Form a M.S. Mentor and Examination Committee (form I) and submit completed form to GPM (by end of 1st semester).
2. Meet with approved committee to approve Plan of Study (form II) and submit completed form to the GPM (by end of 2nd Semester). Regular meetings with M.S. Mentor Committee are expected.
3. Complete coursework and M.S. research (if applicable). Documentation of completion is required before defense. Students must enroll and present in Seminar (900) during their final semester.
4. Schedule and successfully complete Final Defense and Examination. Follow specific steps under “Final Defense” below.

Any changes to the certification paperwork must be communicated to the GPM and approved by the DGS.

The Mentor Committee members advise the student on their classes, research, other academic components of the students’ Graduate Program, evaluate satisfactory progress, administer the final oral examination, evaluate the thesis, and sign the degree warrant. The PI chairs the committee. The final warrant request including committee membership must be submitted to the Graduate School at least three weeks before the examination date. Please view the Graduate School’s policy on the role and composition of committees and an online tool to determine if the committee meets minimum requirements.

Master’s thesis committees must consist of at least 3 members, 2 of whom must be ADS graduate faculty or former graduate faculty up to one year after resignation or retirement and the third member from outside the department. Non-thesis master’s committees must have at least one graduate faculty from ADS. We recommend that student use the Faculty List for Grad Committees tool when forming the committee.

To receive a master’s degree, students cannot receive more than one dissenting vote from their Mentor Committee on the final degree warrant.

This program provides the opportunity to tailor a curriculum of advanced coursework and research to fit the needs of each student. Students may acquire a general overview of ADS or may focus on a specialized subject area in breeding and genetics, nutrition, endocrinology and reproductive physiology, or meat science and muscle biology. The coursework master’s program must meet the requirements of the department as well as the requirements for the Graduate School. Full-time students can expect to complete the M.S. degree in about two years. The M.S. program can also accommodate part-time students with resulting increased time to degree. The coursework master’s degree is a terminal degree and completion of this degree does not allow automatic admission to a Ph.D. program.

ADS Thesis Template

The UW Writing Center’s Writing Handbook

Rules on writing ethics and plagiarism

Expecting Your Master’s Degree? Procedures to Help

Master’s Degree Checklist: Timeline & Deadlines

The department requires all funded students to be enrolled full time. Students funded by another department should check with the payroll and benefits coordinator of that department to learn their requirements for enrollment. Please review the minimum enrollment requirements for additional clarification. You are responsible for following Graduate School policies related to course enrollment requirements and limitations:

• Minimum Enrollment Requirements
• Adding / Dropping Courses
• Canceling Enrollment
• Enrollment Accountability

Degree deadlines are the cut-off dates for a degree and dissertation eligibility in each term, and it is important to keep abreast of these dates when planning to graduate.

View the following for additional information: Graduate School Deadlines.

Academic exceptions are considered on a case-by-case basis and should not be considered a precedent. Deviations from normal progress are highly discouraged, but the program recognizes that there are cases extenuating academic and personal circumstances. Petitions for course exceptions/substitutions or exceptions to Satisfactory Academic Progress shall be directed to the DGS and will be considered by the Research and Graduate Education Committee (RGEC).

The following procedures apply to all petitions:

1. The specific requirement/rule/expectation pertinent to the petition must be identified.
2. The PI must provide written support for the petition to the GPM and the DGS. The request should include a justification statement and a detailed explanation of the substitution proposed to meet the requirement.
3. All course work substitutions and equivalencies will be decided by the DGS.

More generally, the DGS, in consultation with the PI and committee, may grant extensions to progress requirements for students who face circumstances as noted in university regulations, including childbirth, adoption, significant responsibilities with respect to elder or dependent care obligations, disability or chronic illness, or circumstances beyond one’s personal control. The petition should provide evidence of plans and ability to return to conformance with the standard and to acceptably complete the program. The normal extension will be one semester; anything beyond this will be granted only in the event of highly extraordinary circumstances. Extensions will be granted formally with a note of explanation placed in the student’s file.

The following requirements are under the purview of the UW Graduate School and cannot be modified:

• Composition of the Graduate Committee.
• Standards defining Satisfactory Academic Progress.
• Minimum credit requirement.

1. At the beginning of their final semester (4th semester), students must enroll in Seminar (900). Students must present their research during this course.
2. ≥ 6 weeks before the anticipated meeting date the student contacts committee members to establish a date, time, and location for the exam and reserves a room for a 4-hour time block.
   • If the meeting is to be held virtually (via web conference), the student should send the meeting date/times to their PI for scheduling the virtual meeting. The student will ascertain which web-based conferencing system the PI will use to host the meeting and gain competency in presenting materials using that web-based platform.
3. ≥ 1 month before the scheduled meeting the student should submit Request for Final Examination (form III), and the MS Warrant Request form to the GPM at least four weeks prior to the oral exam date.
4. Student should submit thesis to all members of the Mentor Committee ≥2 weeks prior to the exam date. The thesis must be acceptable from both scientific and literary standpoints. The committee will notify the student if they have passed.
5. Student should submit to the GPM (via email) a seminar notice of the Final Defense that includes the Thesis Title, Abstract, Author, Date, and Location at least 1 week before the defense.
6. Student should prepare materials (suggestions/approximate times below):
   • The open session consists of a formal public seminar (approximately 45-50 min) followed by a short public question and answer period
     • 45 minutes: a presentation of your thesis which must be acceptable from both scientific and literary standpoints.
     • 15 minutes: question/answer period where anyone can participate
   • The closed session immediately follows the open session and consists of an examination period wherein only the examinee and Mentor Committee are present
     • 90 minutes: student completes oral examination with committee
     • 15 minutes: committee determines the exam outcome and notifies student

The meeting is expected to take 2-3 hours, but should not exceed 4 hours

1. Present the exit seminar on thesis research and answer questions from the public.
2. Defend the thesis orally in a closed session with committee.
3. After the examination, the committee will determine the outcome (Pass; Request Written Revisions; Request Written Revisions and a repeat of the Defense; or Fail) concerning the student’s performance and document their feedback on the MS Final Thesis Evaluation form.

1. The student must complete the Graduate School steps.
   • Final grade reports must be completed for all courses in progress when student deposits the thesis.
2. The student will request electronic signatures on the Grad School Warrant. Students can find information about how to do this on the student instruction sheet.
3. The PI will provide written feedback compiled from the committee members on the MS Final Thesis Evaluation form to the student and the GPM within 1 week of the student completing the exam.

1. The PI will provide written feedback compiled from the committee members on the MS Final Thesis Evaluation form to the student and the GPM within 1 week of the student completing the exam.
2. The student will notify that GPM that the committee is requiring revisions.
3. Once the student has completed revisions, the revised thesis will be provided to the committee for approval. Once revisions have been approved, the PI will fill out a new MS Final Thesis Evaluation form indicating “written revisions accepted by committee” in the “Feedback / Comments from the Committee” box, sign, and send to the student and GPM.
4. The student must complete the Graduate School steps.
   • Final grade reports must be completed for all courses in progress when student deposits the thesis.
5. The student will request electronic signatures on the Grad School Warrant. Students can find information about how to do this on the student instruction sheet.

1. The PI will provide written feedback compiled from the committee members on the MS Final Thesis Evaluation form to the student and the GPM within 1 week of the student completing the exam.
2. The student will notify the GPM that the committee is requiring revisions and a repeat of the Final Defense.
3. The student will schedule a new defense with their committee and revise the thesis according to committee feedback.
4. Once the student has successfully repeated their Final Defense and the committee has approved the revisions, the PI will ensure a new MS Final Thesis Evaluation form is filled out, signed, and returned to the student and GPM. If the student does not pass the second exam, please follow steps under After the Exam (Fail).
5. The student must complete the Graduate School steps.
   • Final grade reports must be completed for all courses in progress when student deposits the thesis.
6. The student will request electronic signatures on the Grad School Warrant. Students can find information about how to do this on the student instruction sheet.

1. If the Final Exam is not successfully completed after two attempts, the student cannot continue in the ADS Program.
2. The student must discuss recommendations with the PI and the Committee.
   1. The PI must communicate the recommendations to the GPM.
3. The PI will ensure the MS Final Thesis Evaluation form is filled out, signed, and returned to the student and the GPM.