Admissions to the Physiology Ph.D. have been suspended as of fall 2018 and will be discontinued as of fall 2024. If you have any questions, please contact the department.

The physiology graduate training program is interdisciplinary in its approach to scientific research, reflecting the breadth of the discipline of physiology. Powerful new tools in modern biology make it possible to link the cellular and molecular with integrative levels in physiological systems, the cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, endocrine, neurophysiological, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and metabolic systems. The program provides doctoral training in mechanistic studies that use these new tools to study the functions of molecules, cells, tissues, and organ systems in preparation for careers in biomedical research, biotechnology, and academic teaching. Students learn through lecture courses, seminar courses, seminars by speakers from campus and from other institutions, journal clubs and, most important, from their research mentors. Students are encouraged to interact with other training programs and research centers to broaden their knowledge and experience. Gaining expertise in public speaking is an important component of the program.

Admissions to the Physiology Ph.D. have been suspended as of fall 2018 and will be discontinued as of fall 2024. If you have any questions, please contact the department.

Given the interdisciplinary nature of physiology, students from a variety of undergraduate backgrounds qualify for admission to the program. Entering students generally have degrees in biology, chemistry, physics or engineering, and have usually taken courses in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. Students may be admitted to the program without having completed one or more of these courses but will be required to take them in their first year of graduate school. In addition to the online application, applicants for admission should submit official transcripts from each previous undergraduate and postgraduate institution; three letters of recommendation; a one-page personal statement describing research experience and personal goals, and indicating faculty with research activities of interest to the student. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores are requested from all students. International students should also send scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Application deadline is December 1—we do not offer spring or summer admission.

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 aid is provided to all students, usually in the form of grant-supported research assistantships, institutional fellowships, teaching assistantships, or advanced opportunity fellowships for minority or disadvantaged students. Students are encouraged to contact individual professors in their areas of interest to determine whether support is available for working in that lab.

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

Face to Face Evening/Weekend Online Hybrid Accelerated
Yes No No No No

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

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 graduate-level coursework. Details can be found in the Graduate School’s Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) policy (https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244).
Overall Graduate GPA Requirement 3.00 GPA required.
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 Doctoral students are required to take a comprehensive preliminary/oral examination after they have cleared their record of all Incomplete and Progress grades (other than research and thesis). Deposit of the doctoral dissertation in the Graduate School is required.
Language Requirements Contact the program for information on any language requirements.
Doctoral Minor/Breadth Requirements All doctoral students are required to complete a minor.

Required COURSES

Physiology core curriculum includes:

PHYSIOL 901 Seminar1
NTP/​NEURODPT  610 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience4
ANAT&PHY 435 Fundamentals of Human Physiology (or equivalent)5
STAT/​B M I  541 Introduction to Biostatistics3-4
or STAT/​F&W ECOL/​HORT  571 Statistical Methods for Bioscience I
OBS&GYN 955 Responsible Conduct of Research for Biomedical Graduate Students2

Electives may be determined according to student interest and program director approval.

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

Courses taken that fulfill the equivalent requirements may be considered to exempt a class: If demonstrated didactic knowledge of physiology, then ANAT&PHY 435 may be exempted. If considerable background in neuroscience, then NTP/​NEURODPT  610 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience may be exempted. Statistics courses may be considered by the student’s advisory committee for exemption; however, students are still strongly encouraged to participate. These exemptions do not waive a student from any credits, merely from taking the courses. The student will still need to accumulate 51 credits for the degree.

UW–Madison Undergraduate

Courses taken that fulfill the equivalent requirements may be considered to exempt a class: If demonstrated didactic knowledge of physiology, then ANAT&PHY 435 may be exempted. If considerable background in neuroscience, then NTP/​NEURODPT  610 may be exempted. Statistics courses may be considered by the student’s advisory committee for exemption; however, students are still strongly encouraged to participate. These exemptions do not waive a student from any credits, merely from taking the courses. The student will still need to accumulate 51 credits for the degree.

UW–Madison University Special

Courses taken that fulfill the equivalent requirements may be considered to exempt a class: If demonstrated didactic knowledge of physiology, then ANAT&PHY 435 may be exempted. If considerable background in neuroscience, then NTP/​NEURODPT  610 may be exempted. Statistics courses may be considered by the student’s advisory committee for exemption; however, students are still strongly encouraged to participate. These exemptions do not waive a student from any credits, merely from taking the courses. The student will still need to accumulate 51 credits for the degree.

ProbatioN

The Graduate School regularly reviews the record of any student who earned grades of BC, C, D, F, or Incomplete in a graduate course (300 or above), or grade of U in research credits. This review could result in academic probation with a hold on future enrollment or in being suspended from the Graduate School.

ADVISOR / COMMITTEE

Every graduate student is required to have an advisor. An advisor is a faculty member, or sometimes a committee, from the major department responsible for providing advice regarding graduate studies. An advisor generally serves as the thesis advisor. In many cases, an advisor is assigned to incoming students. Students can be suspended from the Graduate School if they do not have an advisor.

To ensure that students are making satisfactory progress toward a degree, the Graduate School expects them to meet with their advisor on a regular basis.

A committee often accomplishes advising for the students in the early stages of their studies.

CREDITS PER TERM ALLOWED

15 credits

Time Constraints

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.

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.

grievances and appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

Grievance Policy for Graduate Programs in the School of Medicine and Public Health

Any student in a School of Medicine and Public Health graduate program who feels that they have been treated unfairly in regards to educational decisions and/or outcomes or issues specific to the graduate program, including academic standing, progress to degree, professional activities, appropriate advising, and a program’s community standards by a faculty member, staff member, postdoc, or student has the right to complain about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing of the grievance following these grievance procedures. Any student who discusses, inquiries about, or participates in the grievance procedure may do so openly and shall not be subject to intimidation, discipline, or retaliation because of such activity. Each program’s grievance advisor is listed on the “Research” tab of the SMPH intranet.

Exclusions

This policy does not apply to employment-related issues for Graduate Assistants in TA, PA and/or RA appointments.  Graduate Assistants will utilize the Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures (GAPP) grievance process to resolve employment-related issues.

This policy does not apply to instances when a graduate student wishes to report research misconduct.  For such reports refer to the UW-Madison Policy for Reporting Research Misconduct for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Research Associates.

Requirements for Programs

The School of Medicine and Public Health Office of Basic Research, Biotechnology and Graduate Studies requires that each graduate program designate a grievance advisor, who should be a tenured faculty member, and will request the name of the grievance advisor annually.  The program director will serve as the alternate grievance advisor in the event that the grievance advisor is named in the grievance.  The program must notify students of the grievance advisor, including posting the grievance advisor’s name on the program’s Guide page and handbook.

The grievance advisor or program director may be approached for possible grievances of all types.  They will spearhead the grievance response process described below for issues specific to the graduate program, including but not limited to academic standing, progress to degree, professional activities, appropriate advising, and a program’s community standards.  They will ensure students are advised on reporting procedures for other types of possible grievances and are supported throughout the reporting process.  Resources on identifying and reporting other issues have been compiled by the Graduate School.

Procedures

  1. The student is advised to initiate a written record containing dates, times, persons, and description of activities, and to update this record while completing the procedures described below.
  2. If the student is comfortable doing so, efforts should be made to resolve complaints informally between individuals before pursuing a formal grievance.
  3. Should a satisfactory resolution not be achieved, the student should contact the program’s grievance advisor or program director to discuss the complaint. The student may approach the grievance advisor or program director alone or with a UW-Madison faculty or staff member. The grievance advisor or program director should keep a record of contacts with regards to possible grievances.  The first attempt is to help the student informally address the complaint prior to pursuing a formal grievance. The student is also encouraged to talk with their faculty advisor regarding concerns or difficulties.
  4. If the issue is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, the student may submit a formal grievance to the grievance advisor or program director in writing, within 60 calendar days from the date the grievant first became aware of, or should have become aware of with the exercise of reasonable diligence, the cause of the grievance.  To the fullest extent possible, a grievance shall contain a clear and concise statement of the grievance and indicate the issue(s) involved, the relief sought, the date(s) the incident or violation took place, and any specific policy involved.
  5. On receipt of a written grievance, the following steps will occur.  The final step must be completed within 30 business days from the date the grievance was received.  The program must store documentation of the grievance for seven years. Significant grievances that set a precedent may be stored indefinitely.
    1. The grievance advisor or program director will convene a faculty committee composed of at least three members to manage the grievance.  Any faculty member involved in the grievance or who feels that they cannot be impartial may not participate in the committee.  Committee composition should reflect diverse viewpoints within the program.
    2. The faculty committee, through the grievance advisor or program director, will obtain a written response from the person or persons toward whom the grievance is directed. The grievance advisor or program director will inform this person that their response will be shared with the student filing the grievance.
    3. The grievance advisor or program director will share the response with the student filing the grievance.
    4. The faculty committee will make a decision regarding the grievance. The committee’s review shall be fair, impartial, and timely.  The grievance advisor or program director will report on the action taken by the committee in writing to both the student and the person toward whom the grievance was directed.
  6. If either party (the student or the person or persons toward whom the grievance is directed) is unsatisfied with the decision of the program’s faculty committee, the party may file a written appeal to the SMPH senior associate dean for basic research, biotechnology and graduate studies within 10 business days from the date of notification of the program’s faculty committee.  The following steps will occur:
    1. The grievant will be notified in writing, within 5 business days of the written appeal, acknowledging receipt of the formal appeal and establishing a timeline for the review to be completed.
    2. The senior associate dean or their designee may request additional materials and/or arrange meetings with the grievant and/or others.  If meetings occur, the senior associate dean or their designee will meet with both the grievant and the person or persons toward whom the grievance is directed.
    3. The senior associate dean or their designee will assemble an ad hoc committee of faculty from outside of the student’s graduate program and ask them to prepare a written recommendation on whether to uphold or reverse the decision of the program on the student’s initial grievance.  The committee may request additional materials and/or arrange meetings with the grievant and/or others.  If meetings occur, the committee will meet with both the grievant and the person or persons toward whom the grievance is directed.
    4. The senior associate dean or their designee will make a final decision within 20 business days of receipt of the committee’s recommendation.
    5. The SMPH Office of Basic Research, Biotechnology, and Graduate Studies must store documentation of the grievance for seven years. Grievances that set a precedent may be stored indefinitely.
  7. The student may file an appeal of the School of Medicine and Public Health decision with the Graduate School.  See the Grievances and Appeals section of the Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures.

Time Limits

Steps in the grievance procedures must be initiated and completed within the designated time periods except when modified by mutual consent. If the student fails to initiate the next step in the grievance procedure within the designated time period, the grievance will be considered resolved by the decision at the last completed step.

Other

Students are funded by program dollars to do rotations during their first semester. After having settled on a lab, their research mentor will fund the student, either through his/her research grants, program-available TA-ships, or other fellowships.

Graduate School Resources

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

  1. Teach physiology, engaging audiences and helping them to learn.
  2. Demonstrate a didactic knowledge of physiology.
  3. Describe past science, propose future experiments, and defend their ideas to peers in a proposal format.
  4. Understand that science and research is based on trust—trust between scientists and colleagues, trust between scientists and policy makers, trust between scientists and advisory boards, and trust between scientists and society.
  5. Write for a proper audience, revising and responding to reviewers as appropriate.
  6. Communicate their science verbally and do so in a clear manner for a variety of audiences.

Faculty: See faculty list on the program website.