The Integrative Biology Graduate Program provides training in the following broad subject areas: cellular and molecular biology, developmental biology, neuroscience, physiology, ecology, evolution, and animal behavior. There is great flexibility in our graduate program to serve the diverse scholarly interests and cultures in the Department of Integrative Biology. Each student’s course of study is tailored to his or her individual interests, career goals, and needs, and we admit students with diverse academic backgrounds. The path taken by a student results from a deliberative process that involves discussions between the student and the student’s advisor and advisory committee.

The Department of Integrative Biology faculty strongly believes that graduate education should be distinguished from undergraduate education in recognition of individuality and emphasis on responsibility in graduate students. This philosophy requires flexibility and is not well served by the imposition of many formal requirements to be met by all students. Rather, more emphasis is placed on the role of advisory committees in devising programs of breadth and depth appropriate for individual students with due regard to areas outside of biology that are important for the student's effectiveness in their chosen field.

The faculty, students, and staff in the Integrative Biology Graduate Program are committed to supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We believe that each person’s identity, background, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, beliefs, and other experiences fuel the creativity and innovation that are central to scientific discovery.

Joint Degree

Doctoral students may elect a joint degree (two programs) that combines integrative biology with another biological program. The requirements for such candidates will be determined by the certification committee (which includes members of both programs) in accordance with regulations established by the Graduate School.

Facilities

Facilities and staff are available for advanced study in a wide variety of biological fields including aquatic and terrestrial ecology, conservation biology, cell/molecular/developmental and neurobiology, endocrinology, ethology, genetics, evolution and systematics, comparative physiology, and physiological ecology.

In addition to a broad range of well-equipped laboratories, research facilities include advanced microscopy facilities, limnological laboratories on campus (Lake Mendota) and in northern Wisconsin (Trout Lake), the University Arboretum, the Zoological Museum, and a Molecular Systematics Laboratory.

Admissions

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.

Graduate Admissions Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Fall Deadline	December 1
Spring Deadline	September 1
Summer Deadline	The program does not admit in the summer.
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations)	Not required.
English Proficiency Test	Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Requirements for Admission policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1241.
Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT)	n/a
Letters of Recommendation Required	3

Given the broad nature of the program, there are no strict prerequisites for admission. Interested applicants should identify and contact potential faculty advisors. Admission to the graduate program is contingent upon being accepted by an individual faculty advisor. Applicants should contact potential faculty advisors by email early in the application process to discuss mutual interests and to determine if the faculty member is actively recruiting graduate students. For a list of all faculty members and their research interests, please see People on the department website.

In addition to the Graduate School application, all applicants must electronically submit at least three letters of recommendation, the supplemental questions, a personal statement including areas of research interest and the names of prospective faculty advisors, a CV/resume, and unofficial transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate schools attended (official transcripts will be requested if recommended for admission to the program). For more specific instructions regarding application requirements, please see Prospective Students on the department website. Most admission decisions will be made, and applicants will be notified, by the end of March.

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.

Program Resources

Application fee waivers are available to qualified students through the graduate school and can often be made available by the professors in the department. Financial support is available to qualified graduate students in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships.

Graduate students who have a teaching or research assistantship of at least a 33% appointment during the fall or spring semester are eligible to receive remission of full tuition. Fellowships that are payrolled through the university and that carry stipends equivalent to at least a 33% research assistantship also qualify for remission of non-resident tuition. Tuition remission is conditionally awarded at the start of the semester based on the expectation that actual earnings during the semester will be at least 33% of the full-time rate.

All students pay segregated fees. The only exception is that fellowships paid through the Graduate School have segregated fees waived in addition to tuition. Segregated fees are used for campus overhead to help pay for the exercise facilities, student unions, student organization funding, etc.

Assistantships and fellowships also provide eligibility for an excellent health insurance program, an extremely valuable benefit that provides single or family coverage that is more comprehensive than individuals can usually purchase on their own. Additionally, assistantships and fellowships provide a stipend for living expenses.

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

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

University General Education Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Minimum Credit Requirement	51 credits
Minimum Residence Credit Requirement	32 credits
Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement	26 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	An average record of B or better in all work taken as a graduate student is required by the Department of Integrative Biology (grades of P and S are for this purpose considered to be satisfactory at the B level; grades of Incomplete are considered for this purpose to be unsatisfactory if they are not removed during the following semester of residence).
Assessments and Examinations	In the second semester of the first year, students must complete the Certification of Candidate for a PhD degree. By the end of the fourth semester, students must complete the qualifying examination and return the signed qualifying examination form to the department. The preliminary examination (defense of research project) should be completed and the prelim warrant submitted by the end of the sixth semester. Note that in addition to passing the prelim exam, students must have completed 32 credits, clear all Incomplete or Progress grades in nonresearch courses, complete all minor requirements and earn at least a cumulative 3.000 GPA in order to be granted dissertator status. The preliminary defense warrant must be requested from the department. Defense of the PhD usually occurs after the tenth semester. A final defense warrant must be requested from the department.
Language Requirements	To be determined by the advisory committee.
Graduate School Breadth Requirement	All doctoral students are required to complete a doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate. Refer to the Graduate School: Breadth Requirement in Doctoral Training policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1200.

Required Courses

PhD students in Integrative Biology must take courses and seminars to fulfill the minimum credit requirement for the degree. Specific courses (examples are listed below) are approved by the student’s advisor or advisory committee and depend on the student’s research area, interests, and goals. 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Breadth		9
Graduate Level Coursework
At least 50% of credits (26 for a PhD) must be with courses designed as graduate level coursework ("Grad 50%" attribute).		26
Research Credits
Complete research credits.		12-16
ZOOLOGY 799	Independent Study (Research credits)
ZOOLOGY 990	Research
Total Credits		51

Common Graduate Level Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
ANTHRO 458	Primate Behavioral Ecology	3
B M I/​COMP SCI  776	Advanced Bioinformatics	3
B M I/​STAT  877	Statistical Methods for Molecular Biology	3
BOTANY/​ENTOM/​PL PATH  505	Plant-Microbe Interactions: Molecular and Ecological Aspects	3
BOTANY/​PL PATH  563	Phylogenetic Analysis of Molecular Data	3
BOTANY 801	Advanced Plant Community Ecology	4
BOTANY 802	Physiological Plant Ecology	3
BOTANY 860	Plant Cell Biology	2
CRB 640	Fundamentals of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology	3
CRB 650	Molecular and Cellular Organogenesis	3
ENTOM 321	Physiology of Insects	3
ENTOM/​ZOOLOGY  371	Medical Entomology: Biology of Vector and Vector-borne Diseases	3-4
ENTOM/​F&W ECOL  711	Multivariate Analysis of Ecological and Community Data	2
ENTOM 901	Seminar in Organismal Entomology	1
F&W ECOL/​STAT  571	Statistical Methods for Bioscience I	4
F&W ECOL/​STAT  572	Statistical Methods for Bioscience II	4
GENETICS/​BIOCHEM/​MICROBIO  612	Prokaryotic Molecular Biology	3
GENETICS/​BIOCHEM/​MD GENET  620	Eukaryotic Molecular Biology	3
GENETICS/​ENTOM/​ZOOLOGY  624	Molecular Ecology	3
GENETICS/​CHEM  626	Genomic Science	2
GENETICS/​BIOCHEM  631	Plant Genetics and Development	3
GENETICS 633	Population Genetics	3
GENETICS/​CRB  710	Developmental Genetics	3
GENETICS 885	Advanced Genomic and Proteomic Analysis	3
NEURODPT 629	Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Memory	3
NTP/​NEURODPT  610	Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience	4
NTP/​NEURODPT/​PSYCH  611	Systems Neuroscience	4
NTP/​NEURODPT  640	Computational Neuroscience: From Single Cells to Whole Brain Models	3
NTP 677	Basic Sleep Mechanisms and Sleep Disorders: from Neurobiology to Sleep Medicine	3
NTP 701	Experimental Design and Statistical Methodology	1
PATH 750	Cellular and Molecular Biology/Pathology	2
PATH 752	Cellular and Molecular Biology/Pathology Seminar	1
PATH 755	Responsible Conduct in Research: Research Ethics, Rigor, Reproducibility and Transparency	2
ZOOLOGY/​BOTANY/​ENTOM  473	Plant-Insect Interactions	3
ZOOLOGY/​BOTANY/​ENVIR ST/​F&W ECOL  516	Conservation Biology	3
ZOOLOGY/​AN SCI/​F&W ECOL  520	Ornithology	3
ZOOLOGY/​AN SCI/​F&W ECOL  521	Birds of Southern Wisconsin	3
ZOOLOGY/​ENTOM  540	Theoretical Ecology	3
ZOOLOGY/​GEOSCI  542	Invertebrate Paleontology	3
ZOOLOGY 603	Endocrinology	3-4
ZOOLOGY 604	Computer-based Gene and Disease/Disorder Research Lab	2
ZOOLOGY 620	Neuroethology Seminar	2
ZOOLOGY/​F&W ECOL  660	Climate Change Ecology	3
ZOOLOGY/​BOTANY/​F&W ECOL  672	Historical Ecology	2
ZOOLOGY/​NEURODPT/​PSYCH  674	Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Seminar	2
ZOOLOGY/​BOTANY  725	Ecosystem Concepts	3
ZOOLOGY/​ATM OCN/​ENVIR ST/​GEOSCI  750	Problems in Oceanography	3
ZOOLOGY/​NEURODPT  765	Developmental Neuroscience	3
ZOOLOGY 799	Independent Study	1-6
ZOOLOGY 800	Advanced Topics in the Biological Sciences	1-3
ZOOLOGY/​BOTANY/​ENTOM/​GENETICS  820	Foundations of Evolution	2
ZOOLOGY/​BOTANY/​ENTOM/​F&W ECOL  821	Foundations of Ecology	2
ZOOLOGY/​BOTANY/​F&W ECOL  879	Advanced Landscape Ecology	3
ZOOLOGY/​AGROECOL/​ATM OCN/​BOTANY/​ENTOM/​ENVIR ST/​F&W ECOL/​GEOG  953	Introduction to Ecology Research at UW-Madison	1-2
ZOOLOGY/​AN SCI/​OBS&GYN  954	Seminar in Endocrinology-Reproductive Physiology	0-1
ZOOLOGY 955	Seminar-Limnology	1
ZOOLOGY 956	Seminar-Ecology	1
ZOOLOGY 957	Seminar-Evolution	1
ZOOLOGY 960	Seminar in Cellular Biology	1
ZOOLOGY 962	Seminar-Ethology	1
ZOOLOGY/​ATM OCN/​BOTANY/​ENVIR ST/​F&W ECOL/​GEOG/​GEOSCI  980	Earth System Science Seminar	1
ZOOLOGY 990	Research	1-9

Teaching Assistant Requirement

All students are required to serve as a teaching assistant for a minimum of one semester. All students must hold a departmental seminar in which they present their graduate research.

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

With program approval, students may be allowed to transfer up to 19 credits of graduate coursework from other institutions. Coursework earned ten years or more prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison

No undergraduate coursework is allowed to transfer.

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

With program approval, 15 credits taken as a UW–Madison University Special Student are allowed toward minimum coursework requirements. Coursework earned ten years or more prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

Probation

Refer to the Graduate School: Probation policy.

Advisor / Committee

Every graduate student is required to have an advisor and a committee. To ensure that students are making satisfactory progress toward a degree, every student is required to meet with the advisor and committee annually to review progress. If a progress report has not been filed by April 1, a hold will be placed on student course registration.

Credits Per Term Allowed

15 credit maximum. Refer to the Graduate School: Maximum Credit Loads and Overload Requests policy.

Time Limits

It is expected that a PhD student will defend the dissertation by the end of the fifth academic year. If this is not accomplished by the end of the summer following the sixth academic year, the student’s mentor must present a written statement to the Director of Graduate Studies that explains why the PhD has not been completed and describes plans that the student and the student’s advisory committee have agreed upon to ensure completion, including specific expectations, dates for completion, and consequences should expectations not be met. Continuation in the program beyond eight years will be at the discretion of the mentor and advisory committee. Ten years is the outside limit by which a student must complete the PhD degree.

It is up to the student’s committee to determine whether or not a student who has been absent for five or more consecutive years will lose the credit earned before the absence; that coursework may not count toward Graduate School credit requirements.

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
  • Office of the Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs
• 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)

L&S Policy for Graduate Student Academic Appeals

Graduate students have the right to appeal an academic decision related to an L&S graduate program if the student believes that the decision is inconsistent with published policy.

Academic decisions that may be appealed include: 

• Dismissal from the graduate program
• Failure to pass a qualifying or preliminary examination
• Failure to achieve satisfactory academic progress
• Academic disciplinary action related to failure to meet professional conduct standards

Issues such as the following cannot be appealed using this process:

• A faculty member declining to serve as a graduate student’s advisor.
• Decisions regarding the student’s disciplinary knowledge, evaluation of the quality of work, or similar judgements. These are the domain of the department faculty.
• Course grades. These can be appealed instead using the L&S Policy for Grade Appeal.
• Incidents of bias or hate, hostile and intimidating behavior, or discrimination (Title IX, Office of Compliance). Direct these to the linked campus offices appropriate for the incident(s).

Appeal Process for Graduate Students

A graduate student wishing to appeal an academic decision must follow the process in the order listed below. Note time limits within each step.

1. The student should first seek informal resolution, if possible, by discussing the concern with their academic advisor, the department’s Director of Graduate Studies, and/or the department chair.
2. If the program has an appeal policy listed in their graduate program handbook, the student should follow the policy as written, including adhering to any indicated deadlines. In the absence of a specific departmental process, the chair or designee will be the reviewer and decision maker, and the student should submit a written appeal to the chair within 15 business days of the academic decision. The chair or designee will notify the student in writing of their decision.
3. If the departmental process upholds the original decision, the graduate student may next initiate an appeal to L&S. To do so, the student must submit a written appeal to the L&S Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Academic Affairs within 15 business days of notification of the department’s decision.
   1. To the fullest extent possible, the written appeal should include, in a single document: a clear and concise statement of the academic decision being appealed, any relevant background on what led to the decision, the specific policies involved, the relief sought, any relevant documentation related to the departmental appeal, and the names and titles of any individuals contributing to or involved in the decision.
   2. The Assistant Dean will work with the Academic Associate Dean of the appropriate division to consider the appeal. They may seek additional information and/or meetings related to the case. 
   3. The Assistant Dean and Academic Associate Dean will provide a written decision within 20 business days.
4. If L&S upholds the original decision, the graduate student may appeal to the Graduate School. More information can be found on their website: Grievances and Appeals (see: Graduate School Appeal Process).

Other

There is great flexibility in our graduate program to serve the diverse scholarly interests and cultures in the Department of Integrative Biology. The path taken by a student results from a deliberative process that involves discussions between the student and the student's advisor and advisory committee. The department's policy is to only accept students that can be financially supported by teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and/or fellowships.

Professional Development

Graduate School Resources

Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

Department Resources

A goal for our graduate program is to provide students in Integrative Biology with diverse training that will prepare them for a range of flexible and sustainable careers (e.g., academia, industry, government, science policy and administration, science commerce, science writing, law, and science education and outreach at all levels). In consultation with their advisor and advisory committee, students can engage in professional development, teaching training (e.g., through the Delta program), internships in industry, science writing, and/or policy, and some earn master’s degrees in areas that complement their studies in Integrative Biology (e.g., biostatistics, biotechnology).

Learning Outcomes

1. Knowledge: Demonstrate academic mastery in at least one of the broad subject areas represented in the Department of Integrative Biology.
2. Research: Students will develop and complete original research that advances a specific field of study within one of the broad subject areas represented in the Department of Integrative Biology.
3. Communication: Effectively communicate to diverse audiences in writing, through oral presentations, and discussions.
4. Teaching: Effectively teach topics or research methods in Cellular and Molecular Biology; Developmental Biology; Neuroscience; Physiology; Ecology; Evolution; or Animal Behavior.
5. Ethical Conduct: Students will have an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.
6. Career Preparation: Students will be provided with diverse training that will prepare them for a range of flexible and sustainable careers (e.g., academia, industry, government, science policy and administration, science commerce, science writing, law, and science education and outreach at all levels).