The UW-Madison Department of Soil Science has offered M.S. and Ph.D degrees in specialty areas for over 90 years. The pioneering work of Franklin H. King, Emil Truog, A.R. Whitson and M.L. Jackson built a strong foundation for today's graduate programs.
The department's graduate training is subdivided into the following areas of concentration:
In addition to production agriculture, emphasis is placed on wise environmental stewardship and rehabilitation of contaminated or deteriorated biomes.
Check out the Grad School Catalog
For decades the Department of Soil Science has made significant contributions to international agriculture. The limited and fragile nature of the resources that farmers control in developing countries requires research on new approaches to managing soil and water. The department offers a M.S. degree in soil and water technology for sustainable agriculture which emphasizes studies in different agroecological zones. CALS has cooperative agreements with the University of the West Indies, Trinidad; the Institut Pertanian, Bogor, Indonesia; Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion Ensenanza (CATIE), Costa Rica; Visoyas State College of Agriculture, Philippines; and The Gambia Agricultural Research and Diversification Project, Banjul, The Gambia, Africa.
Students apply for admission online at the UW Graduate School online application website. Three letters of reference are required ( via the online application). In addition, materials that must be sent to the department directly are official transcripts (two copies) and reasons for graduate study (if not entered into online application). Send transcripts and reasons for graduate study to:
Graduate Admissions Coordinator
Department of Soil Science
Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison
1525 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706-1299
Applications for summer session should be submitted by April 15, fall semester by June 15 and spring semester by November 15.
Financial support is usually available to qualified students in the form of research assistantships. Most assistantships are funded from research grants, and the final decisions for granting a research assistantship usually rests with the professor(s) supervising the research. Any research assistantship for at least one-third time qualifies a student for remission of all tuition. The department does not offer teaching assistantships.
A limited number of Graduate School fellowships are available to new students with outstanding records. The deadline for application (completed graduate school admissions, GRE scores, and three letters of recommendation) for these scholarships is early January of each year. The department selects the most qualified applicants and forwards their applications to a campus-wide selection committee. You are encouraged to contact Graduate Admissions in the Department of Soil Science early in the fall if you want to be considered for a Graduate School Fellowship.
The department offers one O.N. Allen Award each year to an exceptionally-qualified new student. This award includes a stipend of $2,000 in addition to any research assistantship. Working with the University of Wisconsin Foundation, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and private donors, we are fortunate to have two Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowships: The Wayne R. Kussow/Wisconsin Turfgrass Association Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship was established in 2000 by the Wisconsin Turfgrass Association in honor of Dr. Wayne Kussow's work in the turf area; the Leo M. Walsh/Wisconsin Fertilizer and Chemical Association Soil Fertility Distinguished Graduate Fellowship was established in 2002 in honor of Leo M. Walsh, Dean Emeritus, CALS.
Information on loans, grants, part-time jobs, and related opportunities may be obtained from the Office of Student Financial Services, 432 N. Murray Street, Madison, WI 53706.
Over 1000 modern University apartments near the campus are available for married graduate students at relatively low rental rates; campus buses provide continuous service to the area. Information on these apartments and graduate dormitories may be obtained by writing to University Housing, Slichter Hall, 625 Babcock Drive, Madison, WI 53706. A wide range of off-campus housing is also available. Information may be obtained from the Campus Information and Visitor Center, 716 Langdon Street, Madison, WI 53706, or the Chamber of Commerce, 615 East Washington Avenue, Madison, WI 53703.
F.H. King: Students of Sustainable Agriculture
Graduate Student Collaborative
Criteria for Satisfactory Progress
Soil Science explores fundamental global surface processes on multiple scales that impact ecosystems functioning and environmental health. |
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