B.S. Degree Program
Majors
Requirements Common to All Majors in the School
Requirements for Graduation
Honors Program
Dean's Honor List
Graduation with Distinction
Curricular options across departments provide professional training for many human ecology-related occupations. The official list of majors with their associated degrees shows the breadth of education available to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the School of Human Ecology. All undergraduate students who complete degree programs graduate from the school with a bachelor of science degree that, depending on the major, carries the designation Consumer Science; Environment, Textiles and Design; Family, Consumer and Community Education; Family and Consumer Journalism; Human Development and Family Studies; and Human Ecology.
Bachelor of science degrees offered by the school require a total of 124 credits. Elective credits serve individual interests and aptitudes, and provide choices to enrich one's education.
Eight undergraduate majors are available in the school. Students should consult the general requirements that follow and the departments for specific requirements for each major. Program checksheets for each major are available online through the Student Academic Affairs Web site at www.sohe.wisc.edu/departments/saa/. Checksheets are updated annually and include all graduation requirements for students entering the major during a given academic year. Students who need to change to a more recent checklist should contact their advisor.
The majors are:
Consumer Science (Consumer Affairs in Business, Personal Finance, or Family Economics Options)
Family, Consumer and Community Education (Community Leadership, Teacher Certification Options)
Family and Consumer Journalism
Human Development and Family Studies (Child Development or Family Studies Options)
The individual major is a program for undergraduate students who want to fulfill a specific academic goal that is not easily attained through a major in one or more departments. The major must meet a course of study that involves at least two departments and be targeted at a specific problem or academic interest identified by the student. A student proposal must be submitted and approved by the SoHE Undergraduate Program Council. Students seeking an individual major are encouraged to begin working with faculty and advisors in the Student Academic Affairs Office by the end of the sophomore year. Thirty credits must be earned in residence after the term in which the proposal is approved. The major will be guided by a committee of at least three faculty members (with no more than two faculty members from one department). Students should contact the Office of Student Academic Affairs regarding the actions necessary for pursuing an individual program in the School of Human Ecology.
General education requirements must be met by all students whose first college matriculation date is May 20, 1996, or thereafter.
2-3 credits at first-year level dedicated to reading, listening, and discussion with an emphasis on writing
2-3 credits of more advanced course work
Written or spoken communication
Literature, 3 cr**
Additional humanities, 6 cr***
Biological, Physical, and Natural Sciences, 9 credits*
3 credits of courses in the School of Human Ecology outside of major
Students are required to complete a 3-credit ethnic studies course (effective fall 1989).
Minimum Total for Graduation, 124 credits****
*Although this is the overall school requirement for this area, most majors require additional credits or courses.
**American or English literature or comparative literature; or literature in translation; or, if in a foreign language, literature courses beyond the intermediate level.
***The school will accept as humanities credit courses from the following areas or departments: art, art history, classics, English, foreign languages (including beginning languages), cultural history, history of science, integrated liberal studies, literature (including comparative literature), music (including applied music), philosophy, communication arts, studies of cultures, e.g., African studies, East Asian studies, Hebrew and Semitic studies, South Asian studies, Scandinavian studies.
****Of a total of 124 credits presented for graduation, no fewer than 25 shall be taken within the School of Human Ecology.
The bachelor of science degree granted by the School of Human Ecology requires a minimum total of 124 credits, with a minimum of 25 credits in the school. To remain in good scholastic standing, students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0. A 2.0 cumulative GPA must be earned by the end of the senior year in order to be recommended for a B.S. degree. Some majors may require a higher GPA for graduation.
A bachelor of science degree and state of Wisconsin teacher license for majors in family, consumer and community education requires 124 credits and a cumulative grade point average of 2.5, with a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 required in the major courses.
It is the student's responsibility to prepare for graduation and to ensure that all graduation requirements have been met. Students expecting to graduate and/or participate in commencement exercises should declare their intent through their personal My UW Web page while registering for their final semester of courses.
Students apply to graduate using the My UW Web page Student Center and Academic History tabs. Completing this registration electronically transmits an application to graduate to the registrar's office. Students can then check to see that the DARS report reflects their intent to graduate. The Student Academic Affairs Office will hold graduation group-advising sessions each semester, approximately eight weeks before graduation. It is essential that students follow graduation procedures for a diploma to be awarded. Advisors in the Student Academic Affairs Office are available to answer questions related to graduation requirements.
Information about participating in the commencement ceremonies at UW-Madison is available from the Secretary of the Faculty Web site at www.secfac.wisc.edu/commence, or by attending the Wisconsin Alumni Association "Countdown Event," see www.uwalumni.com. Each semester the SoHE Dean's Breakfast for Graduating Seniors is held before the commencement ceremony. Invitations are sent to graduating seniors with information about how to register for the breakfast. It is the student's responsibility to register for the breakfast, to invite family members to attend the ceremony, and to indicate the number of guests who will attend the breakfast.
The School of Human Ecology Honors Program provides an opportunity for students to pursue course work in greater depth than is possible in regular courses. The honors program is a schoolwide program open to students regardless of major. Honors program members are eligible to enroll in courses offered for honors-only credit, to participate in campuswide activities for honors program students, and to apply for special research-funding opportunities. Upon completion of the honors program requirements and degree requirements, the student will receive an honors degree from the School of Human Ecology. The transcript for an SoHE honors student who does not complete all honors degree requirements will have the honors designation next to honors courses completed.
For additional information about the Honors Program including admission, requirements, credits, and honors thesis, see www.sohe.wisc.edu/departments/saa/ or contact: the Student Academic Affairs Office, School of Human Ecology, Room 135, 1300 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706; 608/262-2608.
At the end of each semester the names of all students with a grade point average of 3.25 or higher in at least 12 graded credits for that semester will be included on the Dean's Honor List. Students earning a grade point average of 3.75 or higher will be given recognition of Dean's High Honors. The dean's list will be posted in the School of Human Ecology. A notation of "Dean's Honor List" or "Dean's High Honors" will be entered on the student's transcript.
"Graduation with Distinction" will appear on the transcripts of students who have earned a cumulative grade point average that places them within the top 20 percent of students graduating that term in their school or college with 60 credits or more at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Students in the top 5 percent will receive the designation "Graduation with Highest Distinction." The registrar determines whether students meet these criteria. Notations citing graduation distinction will be made on the diplomas and transcripts of students who complete degree requirements.
Honors Convocation. Whenever an honors convocation is scheduled, students will be invited to participate in the honors convocation if they are expected to graduate and either have a cumulative grade point average that places them in the top 20 percent of the students in the college or school in which they are enrolled and have earned 60 credits or more at the University of Wisconsin-Madison or are candidates for an honors degree—whether or not they are in the top 20 percent of their class.