Frequently Asked Questions
How many courses can be transfered from other institutions
or UW
programs?
The Graduate School requires that students must take a minimum of 32 graduate credits (300 level or above, no audits or pass/fail) at UW-Madison. Therefore, only 4 credits of transfer credit are allowed from outside UW-Madison. (This is usually 1 course). One additional course can be transferred from a different program at UW-Madison as along it was not used to fulfill a degree requirement in that program. It is expected that courses will be taken for the SLA doctoral program after enrollment in that program begins. All requests for transfer credit need to be discussed with one's advisor first and then be made in writing to the program's Executive Committee.
What should I do if I want to transfer credits or request to waive courses?
First, you should talk with your advisor and then write a letter explaining your request to the SLA Executive Committee. You should append to that letter an outline of all the courses in the SLA program and indicate where the transfer course fits in. Also, append relevant material to document the course (e.g, transcript, reading list, syllabus, if you have them).If a student has completed the course work but not taken preliminary examinations, does the student need to continue taking courses until prelims or can some time elapse between the last course taken and the prelims?
The student could stop enrolling and be disconnected from the university completely after the course work is finished but before prelims. The Graduate School allows students to "Re-Enter" within 5-years without paying another admission application fee.
Once students complete preliminary examinations, do they still need to register?
Yes, once students pass the preliminary examinations, they have to register for the very next semester. They usually register for dissertator credit, but they can also register for regular courses.Where can I read more about Graduate School policies?
The best source of information for current grad students
can be found
here: http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/for/current.html#academicissues