Graduate training in genetics emphasizes study and research leading to a PhD degree in genetics. A master's degree in medical genetics with specialized training in genetic counseling is also available. For more information on a master's degree in genetic counseling, see Genetic Counseling.
Laboratory of Genetics
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 disease genetics, cell biology, neurogenetics, developmental genetics, gene expression, genomics, evolutionary and population genetics, and computational biology. The laboratory consists of two departments: Genetics, in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; and Medical Genetics, in the School of Medicine and Public Health. Although administratively distinct, these two departments function as one at both the faculty and student levels.
Admissions
This MS is offered for work leading to the PhD. Students may not apply directly for the master’s, and should instead see the admissions information for the PhD.
A master's degree in medical genetics with specialized training in genetic counseling are also available. For more information on Genetic Counselor Studies MGCS, see Genetic Counselor Studies.
Funding
Graduate School Resources
The Bursar’s Office provides information about tuition and fees associated with being a graduate student. Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.
Minimum Graduate School Requirements
Review the Graduate School minimum degree requirements and policies, in addition to the program requirements listed below.
Major Requirements
Mode of Instruction
| Face to Face | Evening/Weekend | Online | Hybrid | Accelerated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | No | No | No |
Mode of Instruction Definitions
Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.
Evening/Weekend: Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules. Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.
Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.
Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats. Contact the program for more specific information.
Online: These programs are offered 100% online. Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.
Curricular Requirements
| Minimum Credit Requirement | 32 credits |
| Minimum Residence Credit Requirement | 16 credits |
| Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement | 16 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244. |
| Overall Graduate GPA Requirement | 3.00 GPA required. Refer to the Graduate School: Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203. |
| Other Grade Requirements | n/a |
| Assessments and Examinations | At the end of their coursework, student's complete an oral thesis proposal defense examination (prelim) that judges their broad knowledge in genetics, their knowledge of their chosen research area, and their ability to synthesize knowledge to design rigorous research approaches. This prelim should be completed by August 31 of the student's second year in the program. |
| Language Requirements | No language requirement. |
Required Courses
Students may earn an MS in Genetics on the way to the PhD in Genetics under certain circumstances. Contact the Genetics graduate coordinator for more information.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| GENETICS 701 | Advanced Genetics | 3 |
| GENETICS 702 | Advanced Genetics II | 3 |
| GENETICS/MD GENET 707 | Genetics of Development | 3 |
| GENETICS/MD GENET 708 | Methods and Logic in Genetic Analysis 1 | 3 |
| GENETICS 808 | From Genes to Grants: Writing Winning Research Proposals in Genetics | 2 |
| Responsible Conduct in Research | ||
| Students must complete an approved responsible conduct in research course. Common examples students use to complete this requirement are below. Students may need permission to enroll in courses and should consult with the Graduate Program Manager to ensure they enroll in the correct section of BIOCHEM 729. | 1-3 | |
| Ethics in Science | ||
or BIOCHEM 729 | Advanced Topics | |
| Responsible Conduct in Bioscience Research | ||
| Elective | ||
| Any graduate level GENETICS course including special topics courses may satisfy the elective requirement. Students wishing to take a course outside of Genetics course offerings may petition the Graduate Program Committee. | 1-4 | |
| Seminars | ||
| Students must complete four seminars and present during each seminar, including two student colloquiums. | 4 | |
| Seminar in Genetics | ||
| Aditional Coursework | ||
| To meet the 32-credit requirement, students must complete additional coursework from the following. | 7-12 | |
| Research | ||
| Research (990) credits may be applied towards degree requirements. Students will register for research credits in the home department of their faculty advisor. | ||
| Research | ||
| Specialized Electives | ||
| Students may also need to complete specialized elective coursework at the discretion of their thesis committee. | ||
| Total Credits | 32 | |
- 1
GENETICS/MD GENET 707 Genetics of Development and GENETICS/MD GENET 708 Methods and Logic in Genetic Analysis are taken by the first and second years together; GENETICS/MD GENET 707 is offered one year and GENETICS/MD GENET 708 the next.
Graduate School Policies
The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures serve as the official document of record for Graduate School academic and administrative policies and procedures and are updated continuously. Note some policies redirect to entries in the official UW-Madison Policy Library. Programs may set more stringent policies than the Graduate School. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.
Major-Specific Policies
Prior Coursework
Graduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions
For well-prepared advanced students, the program may accept prior graduate coursework from other institutions toward the minimum credit requirement and minimum graduate coursework (50%) requirement. The minimum graduate residence credit requirement can be satisfied only with courses taken as a graduate student at UW–Madison. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a master’s degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.
Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison
Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.
Credits Earned as a Professional Student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)
Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.
Credits Earned as a University Special Student at UW–Madison
Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.
Probation
Refer to the Graduate School: Probation policy.
Advisor / Committee
Every graduate student is required to have an advisor. To ensure that students are making satisfactory progress toward a degree, the Graduate School expects them to meet with their advisor on a regular basis.
An advisor generally serves as the thesis advisor. In many cases, an advisor is assigned to incoming students. Students can be suspended from the Graduate School if they do not have an advisor. An advisor is a faculty member, or sometimes a committee, from the major department responsible for providing advice regarding graduate studies.
A committee often accomplishes advising for the students in the early stages of their studies.
Credits Per Term Allowed
15 credit maximum. Refer to the Graduate School: Maximum Credit Loads and Overload Requests policy.
Time Limits
Refer to the Graduate School: Time Limits policy.
Grievances and Appeals
These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:
- Bias or Hate Reporting
- Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
- Hostile and Intimidating Behavior Policies and Procedures
- Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
- Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
- Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
- Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
- Office Student Assistance and Support (OSAS) (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
- Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
- Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
- Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences: Grievance Policy
In the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), any student who feels unfairly treated by a member of the CALS faculty or staff has the right to complain about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing. Some complaints may arise from misunderstandings or communication breakdowns and be easily resolved; others may require formal action. Complaints may concern any matter of perceived unfairness.
To ensure a prompt and fair hearing of any complaint, and to protect the rights of both the person complaining and the person at whom the complaint is directed, the following procedures are used in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Any student, undergraduate or graduate, may use these procedures, except employees whose complaints are covered under other campus policies.
- The student should first talk with the person at whom the complaint is directed. Most issues can be settled at this level. Others may be resolved by established departmental procedures.
- If the student is unsatisfied, and the complaint involves any unit outside CALS, the student should seek the advice of the dean or director of that unit to determine how to proceed.
- If the complaint involves an academic department in CALS the student should proceed in accordance with item 3 below.
- If the grievance involves a unit in CALS that is not an academic department, the student should proceed in accordance with item 4 below.
- The student should contact the department’s grievance advisor within 120 calendar days of the alleged unfair treatment. The departmental administrator can provide this person’s name. The grievance advisor will attempt to resolve the problem informally within 10 working days of receiving the complaint, in discussions with the student and the person at whom the complaint is directed.
- If informal mediation fails, the student can submit the grievance in writing to the grievance advisor within 10 working days of the date the student is informed of the failure of the mediation attempt by the grievance advisor. The grievance advisor will provide a copy to the person at whom the grievance is directed.
- The grievance advisor will refer the complaint to a department committee that will obtain a written response from the person at whom the complaint is directed, providing a copy to the student. Either party may request a hearing before the committee. The grievance advisor will provide both parties a written decision within 20 working days from the date of receipt of the written complaint.
- If the grievance involves the department chairperson, the grievance advisor or a member of the grievance committee, these persons may not participate in the review.
- If not satisfied with departmental action, either party has 10 working days from the date of notification of the departmental committee action to file a written appeal to the CALS Equity and Diversity Committee. A subcommittee of this committee will make a preliminary judgement as to whether the case merits further investigation and review. If the subcommittee unanimously determines that the case does not merit further investigation and review, its decision is final. If one or more members of the subcommittee determine that the case does merit further investigation and review, the subcommittee will investigate and seek to resolve the dispute through mediation. If this mediation attempt fails, the subcommittee will bring the case to the full committee. The committee may seek additional information from the parties or hold a hearing. The committee will present a written recommendation to the dean who will provide a final decision within 20 working days of receipt of the committee recommendation.
- If the alleged unfair treatment occurs in a CALS unit that is not an academic department, the student should, within 120 calendar days of the alleged incident, take his/her grievance directly to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. The dean will attempt to resolve the problem informally within 10 working days of receiving the complaint. If this mediation attempt does not succeed the student may file a written complaint with the dean who will refer it to the CALS Equity and Diversity Committee. The committee will seek a written response from the person at whom the complaint is directed, subsequently following other steps delineated in item 3d above.
Other
n/a
Professional Development
Graduate School Resources
Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career.
Learning Outcomes
- Display a broad understanding of classical and modern genetic and genomic principles that underlie all biological processes.
- Articulate research problems, potentials, limits, and strategies to advance the field of genetics and genomics.
- Conduct rigorous scientific research that advances the field of genetics and/or applies genetic research approaches in multidisciplinary frameworks to address fundamental questions in biology.
- Apply knowledge from various disciplines through multidisciplinary coursework, collaborative projects, and research activities.
- Advance contributions of genetics and genomics research to society through publications, presentations, teaching, mentoring and outreach.
- Develop transferable skills in critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, mentorship and written and oral communication to diverse audiences, including scientists, graduate and undergraduate students, and the wider community.
- Exhibit and foster conduct that is professional, ethical, collaborative, and inclusive.
- Formulate strategies to explore diverse career paths and achieve individual professional development goals for students who have completed an advanced degree in genetics.