• ABOUT
  • THE NELSON LEGACY
  • Mission and vision
  • Organization
  • Resources
  • Giving
• NEWS
• EVENTS
  • Nelson Institute Events
  • Environmental Events at UW-Madison
• PEOPLE
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Graduate Students
  • Alumni Resources
  • Board of Visitors
  • Update My Profile
  • Create a Profile
• EDUCATION
  • Undergraduate Major
  • Undergraduate Certificate
  • Graduate Degrees
  • Graduate Certificates
  • Environmental Jobs
• RESEARCH
  • Center for Climatic Research (CCR)
  • Center for Culture, History and Environment (CHE)
  • Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE)
  • Land Tenure Center (LTC)
• PARTNERSHIPS
  • Wisconsin Ecology
  • Campus Sustainability Initiative
  • Earth Science Women's Network
  • Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts
  • Water Resources Management
  • Community Environmental Scholars Program
  • Community Fellows Program
• CONTACT
  • Academic programs staff
  • Director's office staff
  • community and alumni relations staff

Requirements

Listed below are the CBSD program requirements and forms. This is a combination of PDF files, web pages and MS Word template document forms.

All of the forms are provided in MS Word template document format. The MS Word forms take advantage of "fill-in" capabilities.

These electronic forms are NOT submitted or routed electronically. When you have completed your form on-line, you should print a copy of the document for committee signatures and final approval by our office and the Chair. Our office will only take paper copies of this document for approval.

All of the course examples and forms listed below are for the "new" CBSD curriculum that was put into place Summer 2007. If you are following the old CBSD curriculum (available only to students who started before Summer 2007) please see the old requirements and forms page. If you have any questions about which curriculum you are to follow, please contact Jim Miller.

If you have any questions about the procedure for completing and submitting these forms or have issues with link of accessing the forms, contact Jim Miller (608-262-9206). If you are using Internet Explorer and have trouble opening a copy of a form, right click on the link and use the "save target as" option.

Incoming students should fill out the Program Prerequisite Form before the beginning of their first term (continuing students will find the prerequisite form as a part of the certification, see below).

Year 1

Enrollment

• Enrollment rules and information
• Graduate School's rules on enrollment

Advisor and committee: (obtain advisor by end of first semester, complete committee before end of second semester)

• Advisor and committee information
• Faculty directory

Curriculum

• CBSD curriculum
• CBSD Course List

Research/Internships

• Information on research and internships/project papers
• Research and project paper examples

Program Requirements

• Nelson Institute requirements (Satisfactory Progress)
  The necessary steps and a recommended timetable for completion of an M.S. degree are included on the certification check list. It is extremely important for students to follow the procedures listed and outlines for curriculum development, certification, and examination. Failure to follow these procedures may result in students not making satisfactory progress toward their degree.
• Graduate School requirements
  An M.S. candidate who has completed graduate level course work at another institution may request from their advisory committee that this work be used to fulfill some of the CBSD program requirements. This request is usually made at the time of certification and should be discussed with the advisor and committee members as soon as possible. See the certification checklist for further details. Graduate courses taken at another institution will not fulfill the Graduate Schools minimum credit requirement.
  
  • Minimum Credits Requirement
  • Double, joint, and dual degrees

Human Subjects

Certification (by end of second semester)

• Certification form, including instructions and checklist, this is the new CBSD certification document, to see the older version for students who started before Summer 2007, go to Old CBSD Curriculum and Forms page.
• Double and dual degree form
• Joint MS form

Year 2 to Graduation

Completion of course work and research/internship

• Course substitution form

Notify Academic Programs Office of graduation

• Warrant request
  
  You must request your warrant at least 3 weeks before your defense date. To request your warrant, contact Jim Miller (262-9206). In order for the Graduate School to release your warrant you must not have any incomplete, no report or unsatisfactory grades. In order for the Nelson Institute to release your warrant, you must have your certification and any course substitutions approved by the program chair.
• Expecting your M.S.

Defense

• Information on defense and exit seminar
• Post exit seminar announcement on Nelson Institute events calendar

Thesis/Paper

• Graduate School's Guide to Preparing Your Master's Thesis
• Advisor Approval Page
  All students who submit a thesis to Memorial Library must include an advisor approval page. The link above will open a Word form where you can insert your advisor's name and rank. If you would prefer to make your own, please see the Graduate School's advisor approval page guidelines.
• Deposit Thesis
  
  
  • Nelson Institute copy – a hard copy and pdf version should be submitted to the Nelson Institute as soon as it is possible.
  • Memorial Library – must be submitted by 4 pm on the degree deadline date if you are doing the thesis option.

Program requirements disclaimer

Overview

Curriculum

Requirements and Forms

Careers

Application (Graduate Degree Programs)

For Prospective Students

Funding

Student Organizations and Activities