Human ecology is the study of the complex relationships between human beings and their environments. The school offers a doctorate of philosophy within four named options/specializations:
- Civil Society and Community Research (CSCR)
- Consumer Behavior and Family Economics (CBFE)
- Design Studies (DS)
- Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS)
Each named option has its own faculty, curriculum, requirements and includes a challenging array of coursework along with exciting opportunities for research, outreach, and service consistent with each student’s scholarly interests and career aspirations.
Students enrolled in one of the Human Ecology Ph.D. program named options have the opportunity to earn the Human Ecology MS: Human Ecology Research degree along the way to the Ph.D. upon successful completion of coursework and research.
As part of a Research I institution, SoHE faculty members have national reputations in their fields of study and are highly committed to nurturing future scholars and practitioners. They conduct research and mentor students to address issues that cross disciplinary lines. They work closely with graduate students to create courses of study that match each student’s personal and professional goals.
The School of Human Ecology has a strong tradition of outreach and counts several faculty members with budgeted extension appointments among its ranks. But all faculty members devote time and resources to ensuring their work benefits others beyond the campus. These efforts reflect the Wisconsin Idea, the notion that the university’s boundaries are those of the state, nation, and beyond. Graduate education at SoHE encompasses this mission by stressing the integration of research with program design and implementation, administration, policy development, and evaluation.
Graduate School Resources
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
Funding opportunities for Human Ecology graduate students are available and made possible, in large part, by generous donations to SoHE. Every year, these funds are used to fund teaching or project assistantships, award academic excellence scholarships, and provide students doing their masters or doctoral research or final MFA project with conference travel scholarships and graduate research scholarships. See the School of Human Ecology Enrollment Policy on Funding Eligibility and view current funding opportunities on our program website for more information.
Minimum Graduate School Requirements
Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements, in addition to the program requirements listed below.
Major Requirements
CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS
| Minimum Credit Requirement | 51 credits |
| Minimum Residence Credit Requirement | 32 credits |
| Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement | Half of degree coursework (26 credits out of 51 total credits) must be completed in graduate-level coursework; courses with the Graduate Level Coursework attribute are identified and searchable in the university's Course Guide (http://my.wisc.edu/CourseGuideRedirect/BrowseByTitle). |
| Overall Graduate GPA Requirement | See one of the named options for specific policy information. |
| Other Grade Requirements | The Graduate School requires an average grade of B or better in all coursework (300 or above, not including research credits) taken as a graduate student unless conditions for probationary status require higher grades. Grades of Incomplete are considered to be unsatisfactory if they are not removed during the next enrolled semester. |
| Assessments and Examinations | See Named Options for policy information. |
| Language Requirements | n/a |
Required Courses
Select a Named Option for courses required.
Named Options
A named option is a formally documented sub-major within an academic major program. Named options appear on the transcript with degree conferral. Students pursuing the Ph.D. in Human Ecology should select one of the following named options:
Graduate School Resources
Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career.
Program Resources
The School of Human Ecology Graduate Program values the professional development of graduate students and provides financial awards to those who are invited to present at professional conferences/exhibits. The purpose of the support is to encourage participation in professional development, scholarly research, and/or creative endeavor and to help cover expenses not covered by other sources. Students may receive a maximum award of $650 for travel ($750 for international travel) to support conference participation in a single academic year. Students are encouraged to seek conference and travel funding from the Graduate School as a first step and apply for supplemental funds through SoHE as needed.
In addition, each academic department within the School of Human Ecology may offer additional professional development grant opportunities. See the program Events Calendar for the most up-to-date information on professional development opportunities.
- Articulate challenges, frontiers and limits with respect to theory, knowledge or practice within the area of study.
- Formulate ideas, concepts, designs, and/or techniques beyond the current boundaries of knowledge within one's area of study.
- Consider the role of social, political, ethical, and economic contexts of research and creative scholarship in one's area of study.
- Consider the role of multiple paradigms for describing reality in one's area of study.
- Contribute to advancing the Human Ecology perspective by reflecting the relations among humans and their natural, social, and built environments and applying an interdisciplinary and/or transdisciplinary lens in one's area of professional practice.
- Create research, scholarship or performance that makes a substantive contribution to one's field.
- Reflect the nature and significance of diversity in one's area of professional practice.
- Communicate complex or ambiguous ideas in a compelling manner to a variety of audiences.
- Foster ethical conduct and professional guidelines.
Human Ecology Directory: listing of all faculty, staff, and graduate students; searchable by association, department, and name
Department of Civil Society & Community Studies (Civil Society & Community Research: CSCR graduate program)
Department of Consumer Science (Consumer Behavior & Family Economics: CBFE graduate program)
Department of Design Studies (Design Studies: DS graduate programs)
Department of Human Development & Family Studies (Human Development & Family Studies: HDFS graduate program)