General Information
For further information, please contact Marj Haanstad, Genetics Graduate Admissions.
Madison
Madison, a city of about 200,000, is the state capital and Wisconsin's second largest city. It consistently ranks as one of the most desirable American cities in which to live. It has three lakes: Mendota, Monona, and Wingra. The University of Wisconsin-Madison campus is located on Lake Mendota on acres of rolling hills and scattered woods. Both the city and the University sponsor numerous concerts, recitals, fairs, plays, and sporting events. Madison also offers a great variety of high quality restaurants.
For more information, check out Visitmadison.com and see why Madison continues to rank as one of the best places to live in the U.S.
The University
The University of Wisconsin-Madison ranks among the nation's top universities. It ranks first in the U.S. among public universities in the amount of research and development funds received from all sources, and first in the U.S. among all universities in the amount of funds received from non-military sources. Its faculty and former faculty include 11 Nobel Laureates, 45 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 7 National Medals of Science, 13 Pulitzer Prizes, 33 Presidential Young Investigator Awards, and 2 Hughes Investigators.
The UW-Madison has one of the largest university biological research communities in the world, with over 700 faculty, 1,500 academic staff, 700 postdoctoral fellows, 2,500 graduate students, and thousands of undergraduates. Biological departments at the UW-Madison that rank among the top few in the country include Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Plant Pathology, Oncology, Chemical Engineering, Genetics, Forestry, Biomolecular Chemistry, and Bacteriology. In addition, UW-Madison houses a number of internationally recognized research centers and facilities, including the Biotechnology Center, UW Comprehensive Cancer Center, Center for Dairy Research, Food Research Institute, Integrated Microscopy Resource, Institute for Environmental Studies, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility, and the Biotron.
Because of the large number of excellent faculty and the unusually good interaction and communication among departments, UW-Madison provides a superb intellectual environment in which to develop and pursue a research career in the biological sciences.
For more information, see the University of Wisconsin Web pages and the home page of the Graduate School.
Genetics At Wisconsin
The Laboratory of Genetics is the oldest and one of the finest centers of genetics in the nation. It is highly regarded for its research contributions in the areas of plant genetics, population genetics, developmental genetics, molecular genetics, immunogenetics, neurogenetics, cytogenetics, viral genetics, bacterial genetics, mammalian genetics, behavioral genetics, and medical genetics. The Laboratory consists of two departments: Genetics, in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; and Medical Genetics, in the School of Medicine. Although administratively distinct, these two departments function as one at both the faculty and student levels.
Genetics research is pursued on campus not only in the Laboratory of Genetics, but also in the departments of Biochemistry, Bacteriology, Oncology, Plant Pathology, Horticulture, Botany, Meat & Animal Science, Zoology, Pediatrics, and Molecular Biology. An NIH Genetics Training Grant, administered by the Laboratory of Genetics, includes genetics trainers from many of these departments, thereby providing to its graduate students the greatest possible diversity and opportunities in modern genetics research.
Many students conduct their thesis research in either the Genetics Building or the Genetics/Biotechnology Building.
A Brief Overview Of The Program
In the fall semester of the first year, each new graduate student attends a comprehensive series of talks given by faculty who have space for graduate students in their research laboratories. Based on these talks, each student then spends several weeks in the labs of three or four professors whose work seems especially interesting to them. One of these professors usually becomes the student's major professor. Arranging these "round robin" lab visits is an important first step of each student's program.
In the second semester, the student becomes "certified". Certification is a planning process in which the student and a faculty committee decide the courses needed to prepare the student for a chosen field. The student and the major professor select a certification committee of three to five faculty members from fields related to the student's research interest. This committee will guide the student through the remainder of his or her graduate training.
Although the first year of study emphasizes formal course work, graduate students are encouraged to begin research activities in the laboratory of their supervising professor as soon as possible and to devote an increasing portion of their time to independent work as their career progresses. Students must pass a written examination (Prelim A) by the middle of the second year, and an oral examination of a thesis proposal (Prelim B) by the end of the third year. By that time, most students will also have assisted in the teaching of one or more of the general undergraduate survey courses in genetics as part of their training. A brief summary of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree in genetics is shown below:
- Core course work: Integrated Advanced Genetics for Graduate Students (Genetics 701), proficiency in prokaryotic and eukaryotic molecular genetics, two roundtable methods and logic courses in conjunction with Genetics Colloquium, and four seminar courses.
- One semester of teaching assistant experience.
- Prelim A. This written prelim exam tests knowledge of genetics and the ability to solve problems using that knowledge.
- Prelim B. This prelim exam is an oral defense of a thesis proposal.
- Requirements for the Minor.
- Residency requirements.
- Successful oral defense of the Ph.D. thesis.
Course offerings in genetics are numerous and varied. Examples are: Prokaryotic Molecular Genetics, Eukaryotic Molecular Genetics, Somatic Cell Genetics, Bacterial Genetics, Human Genetics, Population & Quantitative Genetics, Plant Genetics, The Behavior of Simple Organisms, Clinical Genetics, Genetic Counseling, Human Cytogenetics, Genetics & Cancer, Physiological Genetics of Higher Plants, Fungal & Yeast Genetics, Immunogenetics, Advanced Topics in Genetics, and assorted seminars.
For more details, see the Graduate School's statistics about the Ph.D. program in Genetics.
Admission
For admission to graduate study in genetics, the student should have earned a grade average of B or better and completed a B.S. or B.A. degree in a recognized college or university. There are no specific requirements in supporting fields, but students are encouraged to acquire adequate background in mathematics, physics, and biology. There is no formal language requirement for the Ph.D. in genetics. All students are required to take the verbal, quantitative, and analytical or analytical writing sections of the general Graduate Record Examination and the subject test in biology, microbiology, or related field is recommended. An undergraduate research experience is also strongly recommended.
Complete applications must be received by December 1, although early submission is encouraged. Midyear admissions are not considered. Most students admitted are selected during February and March.
Financial Assistance
All students accepted into the Ph.D. degree program initially receive financial aid from either an NIH training grant or graduate school fellowships. In later years, support may be derived from a research assistantship. Support is awarded on a continuing basis, subject to availability of federal government grants, provided that satisfactory progress is maintained toward completion of the Ph.D. requirements. Limited financial aid is available to foreign students.
Housing
The University has unfurnished apartments on campus near Lake Mendota for married graduate students. The University also maintains four graduate dormitories. Further information may be obtained by contacting the Assignment Office, Division of University Housing, Slichter Hall, 625 Babcock Drive, Madison, WI 53706. Telephone numbers are listed below:
- women's dorm rooms (608) 262-2787
- men's dorm room (608) 262-2789
A wide variety of off-campus rooms and apartments are also available in Madison. Information about this type of housing may be obtained from the Campus Information and Visitor Center. Their telephone number is (608) 263-2400. You can also view the online Student Information Handbook .
