Academics and Career
Related links
-
Undergraduate Catalog
(Information about academic programs and requirements) - Summer and Fall 2008 enrollment dates and deadlines
- Conflicts between religious observances and mandatory academic requirements
- Graduating in four years
- Commencement
- Registrar
- FERPA
- Academics overview
- Academic advising
- UW–Madison School/College Advising Services
- Exploration Center for Majors & Careers
- Libraries
- Learning Support
- General academic information
- Employment, research, internship, and volunteer opportunities
- Study/work abroad
- Career advising
Registrar
The Office of the Registrar provides students with official transcripts, enrollment verifications, diploma, grade reports, course enrollment assistance, enrollment deadlines, tuition adjustment/refund deadlines, information regarding the release and withholding of private information under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), information on residency for tuition purposes, veterans services, and more. Phone: 608-262–3811; Address: 21 N. Park Street, Suite 7223, Madison, WI 53715-1218
FERPA
UW–Madison complies fully with and fairly with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects the educational records of a student. When a student enters (is in attendance the first day of classes at) UW–Madison, regardless of age, all rights to inspect and review the educational record transfer from the parent to the student.
Under FERPA, the parent has no right to review the record unless the student grants it in writing. University staff members are not permitted to share any information, other than designated “directory information,” with anyone outside of the university system.
Restricted information includes but is not limited to grades, disciplinary history and action, health concerns, and the balance in Wiscard debit card accounts, including the Housing Food Account. Exceptions to FERPA are allowed in life-threatening emergencies.
Academics overview
There are nine undergraduate schools and colleges at UW–Madison offering 160 majors, 40 certificate programs, and 4,200 course options. Each school and college has unique academic communities, facilities, and resources as well as different requirements, policies, and expectations. To be successful, your son or daughter should be familiar with his/her school college requirements. UW–Madison asks that parents and families discuss academic expectations before students arrive on campus and encourage their students to set personal academic goals.
Academic advising
Academic advisors are partners in helping students meet their academic goals. Students meet their advisors at SOAR and work with them throughout their entire undergraduate career. Advisors help students create an academic plan, explore career options, select classes, understand policies and procedures, and connect them to campus resources. Most first-year students are initially admitted to the university as a whole and not into specific programs and majors. Many students apply to their desired program after completing one or two years of prerequisite coursework in the College of Letters and Science. Below we have listed the school/college advising services. Additional advising contacts and information can be found in the Advising Toolkit.
UW–Madison School/College Advising Services
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences
608-262–3003
877/919–CALS (toll free)
undergrads@cals.wisc.edu
School
of Business
Undergraduate Academic Services
608-262–0471
busundergrads@bus.wisc.edu
School of Education
Academic Services
608-262–1651
Pre–College
of Engineering
Don Woolston
608-262–2473; woolston@engr.wisc.edu
College of Letters and
Science
UW Advising Hotline
608-262–1849
School
of Human Ecology
608-262–2608
School
of Library & Information Studies
608-263-2900; uw-slis@slis.wisc.edu
School of Medicine
and Public Health, Professions Programs
608-263–6800
(Physician Assistant, Clinical Laboratory Science)
School
of Nursing
608-263–5202
School
of Pharmacy
608-262–6234
Cross-College Advising
Service (CCAS)
(for students undecided about major)
608-265–5460; ccas@lssaa.wisc.edu
Biological Sciences
Advising Office
(Supports students in biological sciences and students prepare for
admission to health-related programs)
608-262-6836; phenricks@wisc.edu
Exploration Center for Majors & Careers
The Exploration Center, an extension of the Cross-College Advising Service, is available to all students, but designed to assist undecided students who are exploring their options related to choosing a major and planning potential career paths. The earlier a student starts to think about the process of choosing a major and subsequently a career, the more intentional and thoughtful the process can be. Phone: 608-265–4497; e-mail: ec@lssaa.wisc.edu.
Libraries
UW–Madison has more than 40 campus libraries, 8 million volumes of books and journals, 6.2 million microfilm items, and hundreds of thousands of government documents, maps, musical scores, and audiovisual materials. In addition to searching for materials online, students may e-mail or use instant messaging to send reference questions through campus library links as well as participate in library tours and hands-on classes.
Additional library resources:
- College Library is the primary undergraduate library
- Ask a librarian through chats and online services
- View a campus map (PDF) of all libraries
- The library is one of the largest student employers on campus; encourage your student to apply
- List of libraries and hours
- Research tips and tricks tutorials: The UW–Madison Libraries provide many online tip sheet and video tutorials covering popular research questions such as finding articles or books.
Learning support
UW–Madison offers a variety of programs to help students succeed. Below we have highlighted many of them. For a full list, see the Advising Toolkit.
Center for the First-Year Experience
The Center for the First-Year Experience leads the campus in coordinating, facilitating, and assessing the first year of college for freshmen and new undergraduate transfers. They also coordinate Student Orientation, Advising & Registration (SOAR) and Wisconsin Welcome.
McBurney Disability Resource Center
McBurney Disability Resource Center creates an accessible university community where students with disabilities can realize their full potential. The center’s staff collaborates with students, faculty, and staff to promote students’ independence and to ensure the assessment of their abilities—not disabilities. Students with physical, learning, sensory, psychological, or health-related impairments may benefit from the center’s services. Phone: 608-263–2741; e-mail: frontdesk@mcb.wisc.edu.
Computing/Division of Information Technology (DoIT)
Everything needed for successful computing at the UW is provided by the Division of Information Technology (DoIT). DoIT provides expert advice on software or hardware, great prices, a network connection, training, help 7 days a week, warranties, or repair & installation. 608-264-4357
Class Connections in University Residence Halls
The Class Connections program in University Residence Halls helps students find classmates who live nearby, then provides study-group kickoff events to forge Class Connections. Last fall, about 1,000 students living in University Residence Halls attended study-group kickoffs.
Writing Center

The Writing Center offers free assistance on organization, style, and mechanics in writing projects for any course (except those that satisfy the Communication A requirement), and at any level. The center also offers short, noncredit classes on grammar, style, and composition planning and organization, as well as writing for exams, research papers, research posters, book reviews, literary critiques, and cover letters and résumés.
My UW–Madison
My UW–Madison provides students, faculty, and staff with an easy-to-use, secure gateway to online information. More than just another Web site, My UW offers an impressive array of personalized services that can enhance instruction for students and faculty and boost productivity for staff.
Greater University Tutoring Service (GUTS)
GUTS peer tutoring program provides free help in a variety of subjects at introductory and intermediate levels, including Academic Math Program, Conversational English, Study Skills Counseling and Drop-in Centers. Phone: 608-263–5666; e-mail: guts@rso.wisc.edu.
Mathematics Tutorial Program
The Mathematics Tutorial Program offers small-group tutoring for students enrolled in Math 95, 101, 112, 113, 114, 171/217, 211, 213, 221, 222, and 234. The twice-weekly sessions focus on improving problem-solving techniques and have required attendance. Individual help is also available. Phone: 608-263–6817; e-mail: camacho@math.wisc.edu
Tutoring in University Residence Halls
Undergraduate- and graduate student tutors in chemistry, math, and writing are available on most weekday evenings throughout University Residence Halls.
General academic information
Academic probation
Students are placed on academic probation when they do not meet a minimum GPA within the school and college in which they are enrolled. Rules for when a student is placed on probation and when the probation is removed are set by each school or college and can be found on each college’s Web site. Students are notified by the school or college when they are placed on probation and this information also is displayed for the student’s use on the student grade report, available online through the My UW–Madison web portal. Academic probation is removed from a student’s transcript once the student has “cleared” probation.
Academic dismissal
Students who do not fulfill the obligations of their probation are dismissed (or dropped) from the university. Rules for dismissal are established by each undergraduate college and can be found on each college’s Web site. Any questions about dismissal need to be routed to the academic affairs office of each school or college. Since parents have no inherent rights to the student’s record (see FERPA regulations), any discussion must be carried out between the dean’s office and the student.
Academic honors
UW–Madison has a number of different kinds of honors that a student might receive. They include:
- Dean’s list: At the end of each semester, each undergraduate school or college confers this honor on those students receiving a certain GPA for the graded credits they have received that semester. GPA requirements vary by college and can be found on each college’s Web site .
- Honors programs: Some undergraduate college grants honors degrees. These honors programs require application to the program and the completion of requirements specifically related to the honors degree. Each college’s Web site provides information about these programs.
- Degree honors: Each undergraduate college also grants honors based on the GPA of the student at the point of graduation. At UW–Madison (except for the Law School) we do not use the Latin terms (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude). Instead, we use the term “distinction” for this honor. A student may receive Distinction or Highest Distinction, depending on the college in which they are enrolled. Distinction is granted to the top 20 percent of the graduating class in each undergraduate college. Highest Distinction is granted to the top 5 percent of the graduating class in the College of Agriculture and Applied Life Sciences, the College of Engineering, the School of Human Ecology, and the School of Pharmacy.
Degree Audit Report (DARS)
The UW–Madison Degree Audit Report (the system is known as DARS) is a computer-generated report that matches the degree requirements of an undergraduate degree program with a student’s coursework. The audit identifies those graduation requirements completed, as well as those requirements needing completion prior to graduation. The purpose of the audit report is to provide students and their advisors with a degree-progress monitoring tool to assist in academic planning and appropriate course scheduling each semester. Students may obtain an audit of their current major or explore other majors by seeing how their completed coursework matches with the requirements of other majors. Students may obtain audits from My UW–Madison, advisors, the Office of the Registrar, and their academic department or college dean’s office.
Disciplinary probation and dismissal
Student Advocacy & Judicial Affairs, a part of the Offices of the Dean of Students, is responsible for placing students on disciplinary probation and dismissal due to academic misconduct (i.e., cheating) and non-academic misconduct (i.e., misconduct toward other members of the university community or facilities).
Enrollment Information
Some parents may be curious about the enrollment process at UW–Madison, while others may have a more practical interest in the topic. In both cases, we provide the following information for your use:
- Enrollment Policies and Instructions: Information regarding adding, dropping, swapping, credit changes and more, as well as details relating to enrollment appointment times, maximum credit loads, holds, modular classes, auditing classes, canceling enrollment, withdrawing from the university, and other policies.
- “Good student” verification
for insurance purposes: Parents needing forms completed
regarding student enrollment and/or “good student verification” should
send them to:
Office of the Registrar, 21 N. Park Street Room 7223, Madison, WI 53715-1218; phone: 608-262-3811. - Deadlines at a Glance: A general listing of key deadlines for the current or upcoming term.
- Web Timetable: A listing of the courses scheduled for a particular term. The timetable is accessible through My UW–Madison while enrolling but can also be reached through this link.
Grades
Under FERPA, parents do not have access to a student’s grades. If you are interested in knowing your student’s grades, we encourage you to ask your student. The following information may be of interest to you:
- Final grade reports are no longer automatically mailed at the end of each term. However, students may print a grade report using My UW–Madison.
- Students may also request that a grade report be mailed to them using the same site.
- Midterm grades for first-year students (only) are prepared at the end of the sixth week of classes. Grades are sent via e-mail to these students on Monday of the eighth week.
Transcripts
UW–Madison policy on Confidentiality of Student Records is designed to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). This federal law prohibits disclosure of student records information to a third party without written consent from the student. Parents may obtain a copy of their son or daughter’s academic transcript by obtaining the son or daughter’s authorizing signature on the transcript request form (Adobe PDF, 12kb). Transcripts are not faxed for several reasons: Official transcripts are printed on safety paper to prevent tampering, and the fax process eliminates this security measure. In addition, because the recipient cannot be assured from where the faxed transcript originated, there is no way to authenticate the transcript received.
Application for graduation
Students are required to apply for graduation and commencement using the My UW–Madison web portal. If they do not apply, they will never graduate, because this application is what causes the process of graduation checking (checking to see if the student has met all graduation requirements) and degree conferral.
Diplomas and degree conferral
Degrees are conferred after all grades from the student have been submitted by the faculty and eligibility for graduation has been confirmed. The UW–Madison is a large, decentralized institution and this process can often take longer than some would expect. Generally speaking, it should be completed about 8 weeks after the date of graduation. Diplomas are mailed to the student’s home address 10–12 weeks after graduation.
Employment, research, internship, and volunteer opportunities
Encourage your student to take advantage of opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. See the Out-of-Class Learning section for more information.
Study/work abroad
International Academic Programs
International Academic Programs (IAP) offers more than 85 study-abroad programs on six continents for students in all schools and colleges at UW–Madison. Programs offered fit the requirements for most majors, no matter what the student’s year in school, from history to biochemistry to economics. All classes taken abroad count for UW–Madison in-residence credit. Financial aid, scholarships, and grants are available to assist with funding study abroad. More information for parents regarding international academic programs can be found in the International Academic Programs Parent Handbook.
Additional study/work abroad programs and services
- College of Ag and Life Sciences
- International Programs — UW–Madison School of Business
- International Engineering Programs
Career advising
The career planning process begins with a student’s first semester at UW–Madison. Course selection, career exploration, developing relationships with faculty who can serve as employment and graduate school references, on-campus employment, and internships are all part of the process. Each school and college offers career advising and planning services. In addition, some departments and majors have career advising resources as well. Students who are deciding on a major can explore career options through the Cross-College Advising Service.
Links to additional career planning information
- Helping your student with career planning; learn about ways to engage your student in discussions about the future.
- The College of Engineering offers career planning information for parents
- Division of Information Technology provides some tips on smart social networking as it relates to the job search.
