Prospective Graduate Students

Links | Application Process | Forms

Admission Requirements

Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

The general test is not required, but it is highly recommended. This includes verbal, quantitative and analytical parts.

Official scores must be sent electronically to the UW-Madison's Graduate School for the GRE and TOEFL. The institution code is 1846 for both tests. You do not need a department code. We have access to the Graduate School's electronic scores and you do not need to send us a paper copy.

To get further information about this test, contact Graduate Records Examination at 609-683-2002, email them, or visit their web site.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB). An admitted applicant whose TOEFL (paper-based) test score is below 580; TOEFL computer-based test (CBT) score below 237; TOEFL internet based (iBT) test score below 92; IELTS score below 7; or MELAB below 82 must take an English assessment test upon arrival. You must then register for any recommended English as a Second Language (ESL) course(s) in the first semester you are enrolled. Visit the TOEFL web site to sample exam questions, to get free test preparation materials, and to find where the test will be given in your area. You should use the institution code of 1846. You do not need a department code. We have access to the Graduate School's electronic scores and you do not need to send us a paper copy. Plan ahead and take these tests early. It can take up to 30 days for the Graduate School to receive the official scores.

Selecting a Major Professor/Financial Aid

Graduate school differs from an undergraduate program in that you have a very close working relationship with a single faculty member designated as your major professor. While acceptance into the program is decided by the department and the graduate school to insure that minimum qualifications are met, your future major professor will usually be the person responsible for deciding if you receive financial aid in the form of an assistantship. Even in the case of no financial aid being awarded, we will not accept a student without identifiying at least one faculty member willing to be the major professor for that applicant. The major professor will also help you choose and conduct the research project(s) that form the basis of your M.S. thesis or Ph.D. dissertation and be responsible for finding the funding needed to conduct the study. Early in the application process you should identify one or more faculty members that you might like to work with. It is possible that more than one faculty member within the department will offer you an assistantship, or if the professor you originally chose is unable to fund a new student, another faculty member may contact you to make an offer. Therefore it is also important to state the areas of work you are interested in in your letter of application.

Faculty members in the department are listed below. Faculty members specialize in one or more area of dairy science. Some dairy science faculty members can also train in cross departmental graduate programs, most notable the Interdisciplinary Program in Nutrition and the Endocrinology Reproductive Physiology program. This information is indicated below and on the degree certification sheets (M.S. Certification and Ph.D. Certification, these are fillable pdf files that require Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Related Links

• Office of Graduate Admissions
• Graduate School Web Site
• Graduate School Catalog
• Academic Programs/Major Areas of Study
• International Student Services
• Guide to Graduate Student Life
• Visitor & Information Programs

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Application Process

We are pleased that you are interested in the graduate program in the Department of Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Please contact us with any questions that you have about the application process.

The online Graduate School application will provide you will all information you need to apply electronically to our department. Paper applications are no longer available.

Applications are received and evaluated on a continuing basis. Likewise, acceptable applicants are admitted on a continuing basis. Accepted graduate students may begin study at the start of any semester.

Documents Required By Our Department:

1. Personal Statement/Reasons for Graduate Study* Sample Outline

2. Three letters of recommendation. The process for letter of recommendation is explained here. Letters should be from faculty who are familiar with your academic abilities and goals. Letters from supervisors that provide a character reference are also acceptable. We will accept paper copies or the letters of recommendation if you are not able to use the electronic format.

3. Official transcripts or academic records from each institution attended. We only require one copy. (Do not send transcripts to the Graduate School. They should be sent to the address below.)

*If you complete the Statement of Purpose when you submit the electronic application, you do not need to send us another copy.

If documents are not submitted electronically, they should be sent to:

Graduate Coordinator
Deparmtment of Dairy Science
University of Wisconsin-Madison
1675 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706

The Graduate School Checklist tells you what you must send directly to the Graduate School.

International students should apply as early as possible. If you are admitted, extra time will be needed to process visa documents.

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Certification Forms

The following documents describe the requirements to earn a graduate degree at UW-Madison. Courses listed include courses we expect you have taken as an undergraduate. If you do not have one or more of these courses, you will be required to take them during your graduate program. Most of our graduate students enter without one or more of these expected course, and missing some of these courses will not prevent you from being admitted. These files are fillable pdf files that require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

• M.S. Certification Form
• Ph.D. Certification Form

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