As you work toward your graduate degree, the Graduate School, together with partners across campus, will support you so that you can take full ownership of your graduate education and follow the career trajectory that you imagine. UW–Madison graduate students thrive in a vibrant community that embraces diversity and values a distinctive mix of lively city life and natural beauty.
Talk with someone
Graduate Student Support: Elaine Goetz-Berman, egoetz2@wisc.edu, 608-263-5700
Hostile and Intimidating Behavior: Kipp Cox, ervin.cox@wisc.edu, 608-262-2433
Academic and Professional Development
Academics
The Graduate School offers support from admission through degree completion. Below are several key resources to support your success.
Academic Policies and Procedures >>
Graduate Student Tracking System >>
Diversity
We are committed not only to providing a robust education in a world-class research enterprise, but also to building a diverse community of scholars.
Diversity Training Resources >>
Professional development
When you participate in professional development, you build skills needed to succeed academically and thrive in your career.
Individual Development Plan >>
Professional Development Events >>
A Graduate Student Guide to Working with Faculty Advisors
Through this interactive, self-paced micro-course, graduate students learn about the characteristics of functional and dysfunctional relationships with faculty advisors, strategies for communicating effectively and aligning expectations, as well as program grievance processes and Hostile and Intimidating Behavior resources. Completion of the micro-course takes about 20 minutes and is optional but encouraged for all graduate students.
Reporting Incidents
Sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating & domestic violence, and stalking
The Graduate School works with campus partners to ensure that students, faculty, and staff have a safe environment to thrive. Here are some resources for graduate students on sexual assault.
Reporting incidents of bias or hate
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is committed to responding to incidents of hate and bias on campus. Visit the links below for more information.
Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation
Discrimination and discriminatory harassment are not tolerated at UW–Madison. The Office of Compliance offers details regarding the definition and reporting of these prohibited behaviors, visit the link below.
Research misconduct
If you have observed or you suspect research misconduct, please report directly to the Research Integrity Office (RIO) at RIO@research.wisc.edu.
Misconduct in scholarly research
Procedures for dealing with misconduct in scholarly research
Hostile and intimidating behavior
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is committed to preventing hostile and intimidating behavior (HIB) and will take prompt and appropriate corrective action whenever it learns that it has occurred.
Hostile and Intimidating Behavior contact: Kipp Cox, ervin.cox@wisc.edu
Dean of Students Office
Students are encouraged to contact the Dean of Students Office with additional questions or concerns. You can request to meet with the Graduate Student Assistant Specialist for support specific to the unique needs of graduate students.
Accessibility@UW–Madison
UW–Madison values all individuals and commits to a shared responsibility towards designing inclusively and accessibly for people with disabilities. Visit Accessibility@UW–Madison to learn about disability rights, ableism, accessibility resources, and information faculty, students, and staff need to do their part in creating accessible events and content.
Policies
Graduate Assistant Policies and Procedures
Graduate Assistant Policies and Procedures (GAPP) outline employment-related practices for graduate student teaching assistants, research assistants, and project assistants.
Program-Specific Policies and Procedures
The Graduate Guide is our university’s program catalog and a great resource for official academic matters. Learn more about your program’s academic grievance/appeals policy and procedures under the “Policies” tab on your program’s degree/major page.
Graduate School Academic Policies and Procedures
The Graduate School Academic Policies and Procedures glossary gathers academic and administrative policies and procedures relevant to graduate students.
Wellness
The Graduate School cares about your overall well-being. Success in graduate school involves learning to effectively balance your physical, mental, and social needs with your academic life. There is a wealth of resources to assist graduate students in taking care of their health and wellness.
Inclusion and support
We encourage graduate students to take advantage of the many resources offered in order to cultivate a healthy lifestyle and community.
University Health Services
UHS offers a safe and confidential environment with a variety of support services available free of charge and open to all graduate students.
Graduate students with children
The UW–Madison Office of Child Care and Family Resources offers an array of services and information to support graduate students with families.
Recreation & Wellbeing
Rec Well has a variety of facilities, programs, and services for you to play hard, get fit, and live well on campus. Membership is included in your tuition.
Getting involved
You'll find myriad opportunities to engage in campus and community life. Doing so can improve your research and scholarship, through networking and cross-collaborative interactions.
Finances and basic needs
From information on student finances and attendance costs, to resources to support basic needs while you are a student, there is assistance available to graduate students on campus.
Dean of Students Office
The Dean of Students Office can be your go-to spot for assistance as a graduate student and be a resource if you do not know where to start.
The Dean of Students Office assists students who are navigating personal, academic, or health issues by connecting them to supportive campus and community resources. Staff including Elaine Goetz-Berman, the Graduate and Professional Student Assistance Specialist, will help you navigate the myriad of unique issues and stressors that you face as a graduate student. The Dean of Students Office can also help you with a short-term crisis loan due to an unexpected life event or unforeseen circumstance, advise and assist you in communicating with your faculty when you are dealing with a crisis, and assist if you experience an incident or choose to report the incident.
To contact Graduate and Professional Student Assistance Specialist Elaine Goetz-Berman directly, email egoetz2@wisc.edu.
Life in Madison
UW offers awesome opportunities for graduate students to escape from their unending duties: workshops, lectures on relevant topics, mini-courses . . . and let’s not forget the activities waiting to be lived in Madison, from salsa dancing to windsurfing on Lake Mendota, from fresh sushi on Library Mall (as fresh as it can get in the Midwest), to organic beef and frozen custard. If you dare, come and experience Madison!
Eulàlia Puig Abril, Life Sciences Communication
Living in Madison is an experience unlike any other: the natural beauty of the multiple surrounding lakes partnered with a diverse city filled with award-winning restaurants, shops, and attractions create a vibrant and bustling community that has activities no matter the season.
If you’re looking for activities suitable for each season, check out UW–Madison’s seasonal activities site. Visit Madison and Isthmus feature calendars where you can find all the events happening in the area.
New Graduate Students
The Graduate School offers support and resources to help you transition to life as a graduate student, including:
- New Graduate Student Welcome, the orientation day for all new graduate students;
- Welcome Week programming ranging from productivity tips, to networking opportunities, to national speakers;
- checklists of important tasks to complete before and when you arrive on campus; and
- onboarding messages and publications to help you get settled in to your new role as a UW–Madison graduate student.
Graduate Student Life
This helpful site covers campus area housing, transportation around the city, what to do on your occasional night out, resources for graduate students with children, tips for staying healthy while you’re on campus, and much more.
Tips for Grads
Each issue of the graduate student newsletter, GradConnections Weekly, includes a column written by graduate students, for graduate students, covering topics such as graduate student life, professional development, and academic success. Catch up on previous “Tips for Grads” columns in the archive.
Graduate students who want to share their advice with fellow students can be a Tips for Grads guest writer.