Students entering the CSCR program without a master’s degree will earn a Master of Science degree in Human Ecology before progressing to the PhD option in Civil Society and Community Research. Master’s degrees require a minimum of 30 credit hours, of which at least 16 must have been taken as a graduate student at UW–Madison. In addition, students must complete an empirical master’s thesis under the supervision of their master’s degree committee.

To obtain a Ph.D. in Human Ecology with a named option in Civil Society and Community Research, students must also be able to demonstrate a high level of competency in the field as well as their specialization(s). Doctoral students will be required to complete a qualifying exam and a dissertation, as governed by the rules established by the Graduate School.

This UW–Madison PhD program requires a minimum of 51 credits of graduate study, distributed as follows:

• 6 credits: Introductory Courses
• 9 credits: Theoretical Foundations
• 18 credits: Methods and Applications of Community-Based Research
• 3 credits: Community Innovations for Civil Society
• 9 credits: A Doctoral Minor Specialization
• 6 credits: Research and Thesis

Timeline to a PhD

Full-time students can complete the required CSCR PhD coursework in six semesters (three years). A student beginning their graduate study and pursuing a PhD full-time should therefore expect to take at least five years from matriculation to graduation. Timelines will likely be shorter for students entering with master’s degrees or those with acceptable transfer credits in graduate coursework.