The program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics provides a broad exposure in the various disciplines involved with plant improvement. The program is truly interdisciplinary with faculty participants from agronomy, biochemistry, botany, entomology, genetics, horticulture, plant pathology, and statistics. Research areas include biochemical and molecular genetics, bioinformatics, biometry, cytogenetics and cytology, genecology, genetics, plant breeding, and quantitative genetics.

The Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics Program has been designated a UW System Center of Excellence. The 50–60 students majoring in the program come from throughout the United States and all over the world. Faculty have included members of the National Academy of Sciences, endowed chair professors, and recipients of the National Council of Plant Breeders "Genetic and Plant Breeding Award." The University of Wisconsin leads the nation in the diversity of plant breeding programs and number of graduate students trained. Graduates are found in responsible positions with academic institutions, research institutions, and private companies involved in molecular to cultivar development work.

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.

Satisfactory preparation for graduate study in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics includes undergraduate coursework in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, general chemistry and organic chemistry, physics, and a comprehensive biology sequence that covers both plant and animal biology and includes labs. Some of this preparatory coursework may be completed during the first year of graduate study. Normally, applicants will have had undergraduate training in the biological or agricultural sciences. All applicants must fulfill the minimum entrance requirements of the Graduate School.

Application Checklist

A complete application should include the following items:

1. Graduate School Application: We only accept applications submitted online through the Graduate School.
2. Supplementary Application: The supplementary application will appear as a part of the Graduate School’s electronic application once the applicant selects Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics.
3. Application Fee: Instructions for paying the application fee are available through the Graduate School’s online application form.
4. Statement of Purpose: Your essay should be a concise description of your reasons for choosing to study Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics at the University of Wisconsin. Please include your research interests and career goals as well as a description of your preparation for graduate study including relevant coursework, related employment, research experience, publications, presentations, awards, and honors.  The essay may be submitted electronically through the Graduate School’s online application.
5. Transcripts: We require all applicants to submit an unofficial transcript in PDF format to their online application. If an applicant is recommended for admission, then they will be required to submit their official transcript to the Graduate School.  International academic records must be submitted in the original language and accompanied by an official English translation. Documents must be issued by the institution with an official seal/stamp and an official signature.
6.  Three Letters of Recommendation, with at least two from academic sources. 
7. Proof of English Proficiency: Applicants, whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must follow the Graduate School’s guidelines for proof of English proficiency.

Application Process

Applications for graduate study in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics must be submitted using the Graduate School’s online application. If you are applying to multiple programs at the University of Wisconsin, make sure you send application materials to each program.

At this time, the graduate program in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics does not support lab rotations.  Applicants are admitted directly into a specific research program with one major professor. Admissions decisions are contingent upon the acceptance of an applicant by a faculty mentor.  Because we receive many more applications from qualified applicants than we are able to admit, we highly recommend that applicants directly contact any faculty members with whom they are interested in working.

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

Financial support may be available through research assistantships (RAs) or fellowships. Fellowships are granted to students with very outstanding academic records. We recommend that your application be complete by the application deadlines in order to be considered for funding. Research assistantships are awarded by individual professors through funds available to their research programs.

Please be advised that you do not need to make a separate application for financial support as your admission application will also serve as an application for assistantships and fellowships. 

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements, in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Major Requirements

MODE OF INSTRUCTION

Mode of Instruction Definitions

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS

Required COURSES

The specific program of study toward a doctoral degree is developed by the student and their major professor. Considerable flexibility in the selection of courses is permitted to meet the needs and interests of the candidate. Of the 51 credits required, students must complete a minimum of 17 credits of coursework (not research credit) and at least 11 credits must come from the Core Curriculum, including at least 2 credits in each of Sections A, B, and C.   Students must also complete 3 credits of Plant Breeding seminar (HORT/​AGRONOMY/​GENETICS  957 Seminar-Plant Breeding). 

Core Curriculum

Graduate School Policies

The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Major-Specific Policies

Prior Coursework

Graduate Work from Other Institutions

With program approval, students are allowed to count no more than 9 credits of graduate coursework from other institutions. Coursework earned ten years or more prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

UW–Madison Undergraduate

No credits from a UW–Madison undergraduate degree are allowed to count toward the degree.

UW–Madison University Special

With program approval, students are allowed to count no more than 9 credits of coursework numbered 300 or above taken as a UW–Madison University Special student. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

Probation

This program follows the Graduate School's Probation policy.

ADVISOR / COMMITTEE

Every graduate student must have a faculty advisor (Major Professor) who is a member of the Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics faculty. The Major Professor advises the student about course work and supervises the student's research. The major professor must approve the student's coursework and research direction.

A PhD Committee is composed of at least 5 members, the major professor and four more who must be UW–Madison graduate faculty or former UW–Madison graduate faculty up to one year after resignation or retirement. The Graduate School requires that at least three committee members are designated as readers. Readers are committee members who commit themselves to closely reading and reviewing the entire dissertation. The committee is empowered by the Program to advise and evaluate the student with regards to certification, administer the preliminary examination, oversee progress meetings, approve thesis composition, and conduct the final PhD examination.

The student, in consultation with their Major Professor(s), should select four additional members of the UW-Madison faculty to serve on their PhD Committee prior to the end of the second semester of graduate study in order to convene a meeting to discuss the student's coursework and plan for certification. Certification is the process by which the PhD Committee certifies that the student has completed the formal coursework requirements of the PhD. This coursework plan must be approved by the student's PhD Committee, and for this reason it is important for the student to convene a meeting of their PhD committee prior to the end of their second semester so that additional courses suggested by the committee may be taken during the student's second year of graduate study. The Graduate School requires at least one member of the PhD Committee to be from outside the academic department of the major professor. Students choosing Minor Option A typically include their minor professor as a member of their PhD Committee. It is the student's responsibility to seek and obtain (verbal) approval from the faculty members selected to serve on this committee.

CREDITS PER TERM ALLOWED

15 credits

Time Limits

A candidate for a doctoral degree who fails to take the final oral examination and deposit the dissertation within five years after passing the preliminary examination may by require to take another preliminary examination and to be admitted to candidacy a second time.

Doctoral degree students who have been absent for ten or more consecutive years lose all credits that they have earned before their absence. Individual programs may count the coursework students completed prior to their absence for meeting program requirements; that coursework may not count toward Graduate School credit requirements.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

• Bias or Hate Reporting  
• Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
• Hostile and Intimidating Behavior Policies and Procedures
  • Office of the Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs
• Dean of Students Office (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
• Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
• Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
• Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
• Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
• Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
• Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
• Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences: Grievance Policy
 

In the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), any student who feels unfairly treated by a member of the CALS faculty or staff has the right to complain about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing. Some complaints may arise from misunderstandings or communication breakdowns and be easily resolved; others may require formal action. Complaints may concern any matter of perceived unfairness.

To ensure a prompt and fair hearing of any complaint, and to protect the rights of both the person complaining and the person at whom the complaint is directed, the following procedures are used in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Any student, undergraduate or graduate, may use these procedures, except employees whose complaints are covered under other campus policies.

1. The student should first talk with the person at whom the complaint is directed. Most issues can be settled at this level. Others may be resolved by established departmental procedures.
2. If the student is unsatisfied, and the complaint involves any unit outside CALS, the student should seek the advice of the dean or director of that unit to determine how to proceed.
   1. If the complaint involves an academic department in CALS the student should proceed in accordance with item 3 below.
   2. If the grievance involves a unit in CALS that is not an academic department, the student should proceed in accordance with item 4 below.
3. The student should contact the department’s grievance advisor within 120 calendar days of the alleged unfair treatment. The departmental administrator can provide this person’s name. The grievance advisor will attempt to resolve the problem informally within 10 working days of receiving the complaint, in discussions with the student and the person at whom the complaint is directed.
   1. If informal mediation fails, the student can submit the grievance in writing to the grievance advisor within 10 working days of the date the student is informed of the failure of the mediation attempt by the grievance advisor. The grievance advisor will provide a copy to the person at whom the grievance is directed.
   2. The grievance advisor will refer the complaint to a department committee that will obtain a written response from the person at whom the complaint is directed, providing a copy to the student. Either party may request a hearing before the committee. The grievance advisor will provide both parties a written decision within 20 working days from the date of receipt of the written complaint.
   3. If the grievance involves the department chairperson, the grievance advisor or a member of the grievance committee, these persons may not participate in the review.
   4. If not satisfied with departmental action, either party has 10 working days from the date of notification of the departmental committee action to file a written appeal to the CALS Equity and Diversity Committee. A subcommittee of this committee will make a preliminary judgement as to whether the case merits further investigation and review. If the subcommittee unanimously determines that the case does not merit further investigation and review, its decision is final. If one or more members of the subcommittee determine that the case does merit further investigation and review, the subcommittee will investigate and seek to resolve the dispute through mediation. If this mediation attempt fails, the subcommittee will bring the case to the full committee. The committee may seek additional information from the parties or hold a hearing. The committee will present a written recommendation to the dean who will provide a final decision within 20 working days of receipt of the committee recommendation.
4. If the alleged unfair treatment occurs in a CALS unit that is not an academic department, the student should, within 120 calendar days of the alleged incident, take his/her grievance directly to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. The dean will attempt to resolve the problem informally within 10 working days of receiving the complaint. If this mediation attempt does not succeed the student may file a written complaint with the dean who will refer it to the CALS Equity and Diversity Committee. The committee will seek a written response from the person at whom the complaint is directed, subsequently following other steps delineated in item 3d above.

Other

Financial support may be available through research assistantships (RAs) or fellowships. Fellowships are granted to students with very outstanding academic records. We recommend that your application be complete by the application deadlines in order to be considered for funding. Research assistantships are awarded by individual professors through funds available to their research programs.

Graduate School Resources

Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

Program Resources

Close working relationships between plant breeding and plant genetics (PBPG) students and faculty with companies, commodity groups, and NGOs allow for exposure to various work environments and potential employers.  Opportunities exist for students to complete short-term internships with companies depending on research interests and progress towards the graduate degrees.  The Plant Science Graduate Student Council (PSGSC) fosters communication and social interactions among the graduate students in the plant sciences.  

1. Articulates research problems, potentials, and limits with respect to knowledge within the field of plant breeding and plant genetics.
2. Formulates ideas, concepts, designs, and/or techniques beyond the current boundaries of knowledge within the field of plant breeding and plant genetics.
3. Creates research that makes a substantive contribution to the field of plant breeding and plant genetics.
4. Communicates complex ideas in a clear and understandable manner.
5. Recognizes and applies principles of ethical and professional conduct.

Faculty

Agronomy
Jean-Michel Ane
Natalia De Leon (program chair)
Lucia Gutierrez
Heidi Kaeppler
Shawn Kaeppler
Bill Tracy

Biochemistry
Rick Amasino
Sebastian Bednarek

Botany
Hiroshi Maeda
Edgar Spalding

Entomology
Johanne Brunet

Genetics
Patrick Masson
Xuehua Zhong

Horticulture
John Bamberg
Paul Bethke
Julie Dawson
Jeff Endelman
Irwin Goldman
Michael Havey
Shelley Jansky
Patrick Krysan
Jim Nienhuis
Jiwan Palta
Phillip Simon
David Spooner
Yiqun Weng
Juan Zalapa

Plant Pathology
Andrew Bent
Doug Rouse

Statistics
Karl Broman
Brian Yandell