Graduate Program: Prospective Students

Domestic Applicants

• M.S. (Master of Science) Applicants
• Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) Applicants

International Applicants

• M.S. (Master of Science) Applicants
• Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) Applicants

Domestic Applicants

M.S. Domestic Applicants

All applicants should use the web-based application form provided by The Graduate School (https://www.gradsch.wisc.edu/eapp/eapp.pl). Official transcripts should be sent in duplicate to the Curriculum & Instruction Graduate Program Office, 225 N MILLS ST, MADISON WI 53706-1795, USA, and so should any additional documentation required by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and described below. Letters of recommendation may be sent to this address, but letter writers may find it faster and more convenient to submit their recommendations electronically. For instructions on requesting electronically submitted letters of recommendation, go to http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/elorinstructions.html.

Expected Background in Professional Education

 

Except for students entering programs that combine a master's degree with teacher certification (an option not currently available), all applicants for admission to graduate study are expected to have completed at least 12 credits in professional education courses. Equivalent courses taught outside a school of education are permissible, so long as an express focus on professional education is evident. At least 6 credits must be in social science foundations of education (e.g., educational anthropology, educational sociology, human development, human learning). Applicants lacking this background may be admitted with deficiencies, which means they will be required to take a specified number of credits in the areas of deficiency, in addition to the course work ordinarily required in the graduate program. Applicants to an area of study in a high school teaching field must have completed an acceptable undergraduate teaching major (or its equivalent) in that field.

Application Deadlines:

Deadlines for Application to the Master's Degree Program*
To begin in this academic term:	Your completed application must be received by:
Fall Semester	30 June
Spring Semester	30 November (previous year)
Summer Session	30 April

All Master's degree applications must be supported by written recommendations from three (3) persons qualified to judge the potential of the applicant as a graduate student. Writers of reference letters may send them directly to the Curriculum & Instruction Graduate Program Office; however, writers may find it faster and more convenient to submit their recommendations electronically. For instructions on requesting electronically submitted letters of recommendation, go to http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/elorinstructions.html.

Master's degree applicants with an undergraduate grade-point average below 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) on the last 60 semester hours of course work are required by the department to supplement their application with the following item:

• Graduate Record Exam (GRE) general test. Master's degree applicants in this group should have an official report of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) general test scores sent electronically from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to UW-Madison (institution code: 1846).

Checklist of MS Application Requirements:
http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/gschecklist.html
http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/requirements.html

C&I Master's program application checklist:  (download printable PDF version)

Instructions for on-line applications for the Graduate School:
https://www.gradsch.wisc.edu/eapp/eapp.pl

Costs, Tuition, and Funding:
http://www.finaid.wisc.edu/index.php?module=articles&catid=92&ptid=9
http://registrar.wisc.edu/students/fees_tuition/tuition.php
http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/funding/index.html
http://www.rsp.wisc.edu/preaward/index.html

Here's the url for the Office of Student Financial Aid:
http://www.finaid.wisc.edu/

Student Employment in C&I
Graduate Assistantship Application: (download printable PDF version)

Ph.D. Domestic Applicants

All applicants should use the web-based application form provided by The Graduate School (https://www.gradsch.wisc.edu/eapp/eapp.pl). Official transcripts should be sent in duplicate to the Curriculum & Instruction Graduate Program Office, 225 N MILLS ST, MADISON WI 53706-1795, USA., and so should any additional documentation required by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and described below. Letters of recommendation may be sent to this address, but letter writers may find it faster and more convenient to submit their recommendations electronically. For instructions on requesting electronically submitted letters of recommendation, go to http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/elorinstructions.html.

All Ph.D. applicants (regardless of undergraduate grade-point average) are required to supplement their application with the items enumerated below.

• Graduate Record Exam (GRE) general test. Ph.D. applicants should have an official report of their Graduate Record Exam (GRE) general test scores sent electronically from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to UW-Madison (institution code: 1846).
• Evidence of writing ability. Ph.D. applicants are required to provide evidence of their writing ability by sending a writing sample (master's thesis, academic paper from a graduate course, a journal article, or any other writing which the applicant believes can be used to judge writing ability) directly to the Curriculum and Instruction Graduate Program Office.
• Three letters that include appraisal of academic competence. Ph.D. applicants are required to have three letters of reference assessing their academic and professional competence. Letters of reference written for teachers ordinarily include an evaluation of their professional competence, and the department does consider that information. However, the department needs letters that also give a knowledgeable appraisal of the applicant's academic competence. A student's former professors are usually best able to provide this, so the department prefers letters from them. Writers of reference letters may send them directly to the Curriculum & Instruction Graduate Program Office; however, writers may find it faster and more convenient to submit their recommendations electronically. For instructions on requesting electronically submitted letters of recommendation, go to http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/elorinstructions.html
• Resume or curriculum vitae (cv).

Expected Background in Professional Education

 

All applicants for admission to graduate study are expected to have completed at least 12 credits in professional education courses. Equivalent courses taught outside a school of education are permissible, so long as an express focus on professional education is evident. At least 6 credits must be in social science foundations of education (e.g., educational anthropology, educational sociology, human development, human learning). Applicants lacking this background may be admitted with deficiencies, which means they will be required to take a specified number of credits in the areas of deficiency, in addition to the course work ordinarily required in the graduate program. Applicants to an area of study in a high school teaching field must have completed an acceptable undergraduate teaching major (or its equivalent) in that field.

Application Deadlines:

Deadlines for Application to the Ph.D. Program*
To begin in this academic term:	Your completed application must be received by:
Fall Semester	01 December (previous year)
Spring Semester	30 September (previous year)
Summer Session	01 December (previous year)

Checklist of Requirements:
http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/gschecklist.html
http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/requirements.html

C&I Ph.D. program application checklist:  (download printable PDF version)

Instructions for on-line applications for the Graduate School:
https://www.gradsch.wisc.edu/eapp/eapp.pl

Costs, Tuition, and Funding:
http://www.finaid.wisc.edu/index.php?module=articles&catid=92&ptid=9
http://registrar.wisc.edu/students/fees_tuition/tuition.php
http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/funding/index.html
http://www.rsp.wisc.edu/preaward/index.html

Here's the url for the Office of Student Financial Aid:
http://www.finaid.wisc.edu/

Student Employment in C&I
Graduate Assistantship Application: (download printable PDF version)

Application Review Process and Possible Outcomes:

• Full Standing
• Admission with Deficinecies
• Admission on Probation
• Denial of Admission

International Applicants

M.S. International Applicants

The department has a long and successful history of working with graduate students from around the world. Qualified international students add to the enrichment of the social and intellectual environment for all faculty and students.

TOEFL, IELTS or MELAB

 

International applicants whose native language is  not English must furnish recent (not older than two years) results of a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)  http://www.toefl.org that includes a writing assessment, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) http://www.ielts.org, or the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB). A score of at least 580 on TOEFL's Paper-Based Test (PBT), 92 on TOEFL's Internet-Based Test (IBT), 7 on the IELTS, or 82 on the MELAB is expected by both the Department and the Graduate School. Applicants with a lower score are sometimes admitted; this, however, is a rare event because prospective advisors, the Graduate Program Committee, the Department faculty, and the Graduate School must all concur for it to happen. The Department required that any student who obtained a TOEFL Total Score less than 92 or a TOEFL subtest score less than 21 take upon arrival the English as a Second Language Assessment Test (ESLAT) http://www.english.wisc.edu/esl/eslat-exam.html, which is administered by UW-Madison's Program in English as a Second Language (ESL) http://www.english.wisc.edu/esl/. If the Program in English as a Second Language then recommends enrollment in specific ESL courses, the student must enroll in the recommended courses.

 

All applicants should use the web-based application form provided by The Graduate School (https://www.gradsch.wisc.edu/eapp/eapp.pl). Official transcripts should be sent in duplicate to the Curriculum & Instruction Graduate Program Office, 225 N MILLS ST, MADISON WI 53706-1795, USA. Letters of recommendation from three (3) persons qualified to judge the potential of the applicant as a graduate student should also be sent to this address. However, writers of reference letters may find it faster and more convenient to submit their recommendations electronically. For instructions on requesting electronically submitted letters of recommendation, go to http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/elorinstructions.html.

 

Expected Background in Professional Education

 

Except for students entering programs that combine a master's degree with teacher certification (an option not currently available), all applicants for admission to graduate study are expected to have completed at least 12 credits in professional education courses. Equivalent courses taught outside a school of education are permissible, so long as an express focus on professional education is evident. At least 6 credits must be in social science foundations of education (e.g., educational anthropology, educational sociology, human development, human learning). Applicants lacking this background may be admitted with deficiencies, which means they will be required to take a specified number of credits in the areas of deficiency, in addition to the course work ordinarily required in the graduate program. Applicants to an area of study in a high school teaching field must have completed an acceptable undergraduate teaching major (or its equivalent) in that field.

Application Deadlines:

Deadlines for Application to the Master's Degree Program*
To begin in this academic term:	Your completed application must be received by:
Fall Semester	30 March
Spring Semester	30 August (previous year)
Summer Session	30 January

Checklist of Requirements:
http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/gschecklist.html
http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/requirements.html

C&I Master's program application checklist:  (download printable PDF version)

Instructions for on-line applications for the Graduate School:
https://www.gradsch.wisc.edu/eapp/eapp.pl

Costs, Tuition, and Funding:
http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/financialinfo.html
http://registrar.wisc.edu/students/fees_tuition/tuition.php
http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/funding/index.html
http://www.rsp.wisc.edu/preaward/index.html

Here's the url for the Office of Student Financial Aid:
http://www.finaid.wisc.edu/

TA Assistantship Application: (download printable PDF version)

 

Ph.D. International Applicants

The department has a long and successful history of working with graduate students from around the world. Qualified international students add to the enrichment of the social and intellectual environment for all faculty and students.

TOEFL, IELTS or MELAB:

International applicants whose native language is not English must furnish recent (not older than two years) results of a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) http://www.toefl.org that includes a writing assessment, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) http://www.ielts.org, or the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery ((MELAB). A score of at least 580 on TOEFL's Paper-Based Test (PBT), 92 on TOEFL's Internet-Based Test (IBT), 7 on the IELTS, or 82 on the MELAB is expected by both the Department and the Graduate School. Applicants with a lower score are sometimes admitted; this, however, is a rare event because prospective advisors, the Graduate Program Committee, the Department faculty, and the Graduate School must all concur for it to happen. The Department requires that any student who obtained a TOEFL Total Score less than 92 or a TOEFL subtest score less than 21 take upon arrival the English as a Second Language Assessment Test (ESLAT) http://www.english.wisc.edu/esl/eslat-exam.html, which is administered by UW-Madison's Program in English as a Second Language (ESL) http://www.english.wisc.edu/esl/. If the Program in English as a Second Language then recommends enrollment in specific ESL courses, the student must enroll in the recommended courses.

 

All applicants should use the web-based application form provided by The Graduate School (https://www.gradsch.wisc.edu/eapp/eapp.pl). Official transcripts should be sent in duplicate to the Curriculum & Instruction Graduate Program Office, 225 N MILLS ST, MADISON WI 53706-1795, USA. Letters of recommendation from three (3) persons qualified to judge the potential of the applicant as a graduate student should also be sent to this address. However, writers of reference letters may find it faster and more convenient to submit their recommendations electronically. For instructions on requesting electronically submitted letters of recommendation, go to http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/elorinstructions.html.

 

Expected Background in Professional Education

 

All applicants for admission to graduate study are expected to have completed at least 12 credits in professional education courses. Equivalent courses taught outside a school of education are permissible, so long as an express focus on professional education is evident. At least 6 credits must be in social science foundations of education (e.g., educational anthropology, educational sociology, human development, human learning). Applicants lacking this background may be admitted with deficiencies, which means they will be required to take a specified number of credits in the areas of deficiency, in addition to the course work ordinarily required in the graduate program. Applicants to an area of study in a high school teaching field must have completed an acceptable undergraduate teaching major (or its equivalent) in that field.

Application Deadlines:

Deadlines for Application to the Ph.D. Program*
To begin in this academic term:	Your completed application must be received by:
Fall Semester	01 December (previous year)
Spring Semester	30 June (previous year)
Summer Session	01 December (previous year)

Checklist of Requirements:
http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/gschecklist.html
http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/requirements.html

C&I Ph.D. program application checklist:  (download printable PDF version)

Instructions for on-line applications for the Graduate School:
https://www.gradsch.wisc.edu/eapp/eapp.pl

Costs, Tuition, and Funding:
http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/admissions/financialinfo.html
http://registrar.wisc.edu/students/fees_tuition/tuition.php
http://www.grad.wisc.edu/education/funding/index.html
http://www.rsp.wisc.edu/preaward/index.html

Here's the url for the Office of Student Financial Aid:
http://www.finaid.wisc.edu/

TA Assistantship Application: (download printable PDF version)

Application Review process and Possible Outcomes:

• Full-Standing
• Admission with Deficiencies
• Admission on Probation
• Denial of Admission
• Requirement of Additional English Courses