Explore
Before you apply, explore our programs and read about our faculty to determine if your research interests align with our courses and research areas of concentration.
Reach Out
If you find a program and faculty member(s) who you think may be a good fit, reach out to them to express your interest and optionally set up an exploratory meeting.
Meet (optional)
Set up a meeting with faculty to discuss your background, research interests, career aspirations, and to determine if the faculty member is available to mentor incoming graduate students for the next academic year.
Apply
Once you have talked with faculty, complete your application to your program(s) of interest. Be sure to review the required application components for your specific program, as they vary across the School of Human Ecology at UW-Madison as a whole. Be sure to begin your application far enough in advance to ensure that your recommenders will have ample time to write your letters. If you are an international student, you may be required to submit additional application materials such as an English Proficiency Test score. Please review these additional requirements here. All applications are due by December 1st.
Interview
After you submit your application, you may be asked to complete a virtual interview with faculty from your program of interest. This would take place in December or January.
Hear Back
You will hear back regarding your admission decision no later than the end of January. Graduate admission is a shared process at UW–Madison. The faculty in the option to which you apply evaluate your application and make a recommendation to the UW Graduate School regarding admission. The final decision is made by the UW Graduate School.
Visit
Admitted students will be invited to visit the School of Human Ecology in February or March. Virtual visit options will be provided for admitted students living abroad and those who cannot travel domestically.
Decide
After you’ve explored, met, applied, interviewed, and visited, it’s time to decide whether the School of Human Ecology at UW-Madison is the right fit for you. Respond to your admission offer by April 15th for admission the following Fall.
Required Application Materials
- See here for a list of minimum Graduate School admissions requirements
- Curriculum Vitae/Resume
- Unofficial Transcripts
- Three letters of recommendation
- Statement of Purpose/Reason for Graduate Study
- See here for program-specific guidance on the Statement of Purpose
- International Students Only – English language proficiency test
- See here for a list of exemptions
- Please have scores sent to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Refer to the Graduate School requirements page for information on how to have official scores sent. You do not need to specify a program or department when sending your scores.
- The GRE is NOT required for admission
Additional Program Materials
Civil Society & Community Research
Writing sample
Examples of writing samples include prior scholarly work such as term papers, theses, or published articles. All writing samples must be written in English and uploaded to the online application system as a PDF.
Consumer Behavior & Family Economics
Writing sample (optional)
Examples of writing samples include prior scholarly work such as term papers, theses, or published articles. Individual writing samples (instead of co-authored) are preferred. All writing samples must be written in English and uploaded to the online application system as a PDF.
Design Studies
PhD
Writing sample
Examples of writing samples include prior scholarly work such as term papers, theses, or published articles. All writing samples must be written in English and uploaded to the online application system as a PDF.
Personal bio statement
Describe concisely how your personal background and life experiences motivated you to further pursue graduate education. The personal biographical statement is not a statement of purpose that describes your academic plan. This statement should be no more than 500 words and should be uploaded to the online application system as a PDF.
MFA
Portfolio
All MFA applicants must submit a digital portfolio for review. The portfolio should contain no more than 20 images/pages and there is a 5 MB file size limit for each image or page. Applicants will be able to upload portfolios to the University of Wisconsin’s Box cloud storage system. Digital folders will be created for applicants within 48–72 hours after their electronic application has been received by UW–Madison’s Graduate School. Please contact the SoHE Graduate Program Coordinator for more information.
Human Development & Family Studies
NOTE: The GUIDE page for the HDFS PhD currently lists the GRE as required. This is NOT CORRECT–the GRE is not required for admission to this program.
Writing sample
Examples of writing samples include prior scholarly work such as term papers, theses, or published articles. All writing samples must be written in English and uploaded to the online application system as a PDF.
Supplemental Application portion of the online application:
- Have you completed (or are you in progress to complete) a Master’s degree?
- If you are coming with your Master’s Degree, what month/year did you earn (expect to earn) it?
- From where?
- Did you do a research-based thesis for your Master’s Degree?
The following questions help the Graduate Admissions Committee better understand and contextualize your application. Please keep your responses brief (1-3 sentences or bullet points).
- Please briefly summarize your research interests or overarching goals.
- Please briefly summarize any relevant research experience that has prepared you for graduate study (if any)
- Please provide any additional information about yourself that you feel would be of assistance to the Graduate Admissions Committee in considering your application.
- Which HDFS faculty member(s) have you been in contact with?
- Which faculty member(s) do you feel would be a good fit as your advisor and why?
- How did you hear about the UW-Madison Graduate Program in Human Development and Family Studies?
- Which other schools/programs are you applying to?
- Upload research abstract (if applicable).
- Please upload a writing sample here. Examples of writing samples include prior scholarly work such as term papers, thesis, or published articles. All writing samples must be written in English and uploaded as a PDF.
See the rubric used for application review here.
Human Ecology MS
No additional materials required
Applying from Within UW-Madison
If you are currently enrolled as a graduate student in another program at UW-Madison, you will NOT complete the standard Graduate School application. Instead, you will complete the following steps:
- Complete the Add/Change Major form on your MyGrad portal.
- Submit your application materials to this BOX folder.
- You may choose to submit new letters of recommendation OR use those from your original UW-Madison Graduate School application can be used again
- If you would like to submit new letters, direct your recommenders to send them directly to the SoHE Graduate Program Office (via BOX folder or gradprog@sohe.wisc.edu)
Timeline
Statement of Purpose Guidance
The statement of purpose is the most important part of your application. A successful statement is focused, informative, and clearly describes your research interests, qualifications, and motivation. It also describes experiences that shaped your research ambitions, your career objectives, and specifically why this program is appropriate for your intended field of study. Be sure to review the program details and graduate faculty before submitting your statement. Try to limit your statement to no more than 1,000 words, as graduate admissions committee members are reviewing multiple applications in a short time period.
Additional guidance on preparing your application from the UW-Madison Graduate School can be found here.
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Civil Society & Community Research PhD
Be sure to review the departmental web page, program details, curriculum checklist, and graduate faculty before submitting your statement. We also encourage you to learn about our current graduate students. Try to limit your statement to no more than 1,000 words as graduate admissions committee members are reviewing multiple applications in a short time period.
In your statement of purpose, please address the following items:
- The research fields and specific research topics you are interested in pursuing as part of your PhD
- How your research interests align with the existing CSCR Graduate Faculty and the unique aspects of the CSCR PhD program (outlined in our statement of departmental identity at the top of this page)
- Examples of your research experiences and what additional skills you hope to gain from being part of the CSCR PhD program
- How your studies will be enhanced by being on the UW Madison campus
- Your career goals and aspirations
- Any special circumstances the review committee should understand
Consumer Behavior & Family Economics PhD
In your statement of purpose for CBFE, please address the following items:
- What research fields and specific research topics you are interested in pursuing as part of your PhD
- How your research interests complement with the existing CBFE Graduate Faculty and the unique aspects of the CBFE PhD program
- Examples of your research experiences and what additional skills you hope to gain from being part of the CBFE PhD program
- How your studies will be enhanced by being on the UW Madison campus
- Your career goals and aspirations
- Any special circumstances the review committee should understand
Design Studies PhD/MFA
In your statement of purpose for the Design Studies program in Human Ecology, please address the following items:
- What research fields and specific research topics are you interested in pursuing as part of your PhD or MFA?
- How your research interests fit with the Design Studies Graduate Faculty and the unique aspects of the PhD or MFA program
- Examples of your research experiences and what additional skills you hope to gain from being part of the PhD or MFA program
- How your studies will be enhanced by being on the UW Madison campus
- Your career goals and aspirations
- Any special circumstances the review committee should understand
Human Development & Family Studies PhD
In your statement of purpose for HDFS, please address the following items:
- What research fields and specific research topics you are interested in pursuing as part of your PhD
- How your research interests complement with the existing HDFS graduate faculty and the unique aspects of the HDFS PhD program
- Examples of your research experiences and what additional skills you hope to gain from being part of the HDFS PhD program
- How your studies will be enhanced by being on the UW Madison campus
- Your career goals and aspirations
- Any special circumstances the review committee should understand
Human Ecology MS
A successful statement of purpose for the Human Ecology MS is focused on describing:
- Your reasons for pursuing this particular graduate degree,
- Your professional goals,
- The area(s) on which you would like to focus your graduate studies, and
- The academic, employment, and personal experiences that have prepared and motivated you for graduate school.
In addition, please include any information about special circumstances you would like the admissions committee to know in reviewing your application materials.