Computer Sciences

Graduate PhD Minor

Graduate students in other PhD programs at UW–Madison who plan to minor in computer sciences should consult Eric Bach, faculty CS graduate minor advisor, early in their graduate program to ensure acceptance into the minor program. Below are the steps to adding the program to your plan. 

  1. Interested students need to get plan approval from Prof. Eric Bach. Fill out the planning form and email it to him for feedback and approval: bach@cs.wisc.edu
  2. After you have completed the coursework for the minor, you will send the same form to Prof. Bach for his second signature that you may add the program to your record. This copy will be sent to Graduate Program Manager, Mollie Stolbov (stolbov@wisc.edu) as well.
  3. Request to add the CS Doctoral Minor in GradPortal. Here are instructions if needed.
  4. Mollie will approve your GradPortal request once the planning form with both signatures is provided.  

Graduate Minor Requirements

The student must receive 9 credits in computer sciences courses to satisfy the following requirements:

  • All credits counted are for courses numbered 400 or above, excluding CS 400.
  • At least 3 of the credits counted are for a course that involves a significant amount of programming in a structured language, such as C, C++, or Java. All courses that transitively depend on CS 400 meet this requirement.
  • At least 3 of the credits should focus on an area of Computer Science not closely related to the student’s major, as deemed by a member of the Graduate Advising Committee.
  • At least 3 of the credits counted are for a course numbered 700 or above that is not an individual instruction course (courses with the middle digit 9), was taught by a full-time core faculty member in Computer Sciences, and received a grade of at least a B.
  • At most 3 credits counted are for individual instruction courses (courses with the middle digit 9).
  • No credits counted are for thesis courses (courses with last two digits 90).
  • All credits counted have received a satisfactory grade.
  • The GPA of the credits counted is at least 3.00.
  • All credits counted are taken as a graduate student.
  • No more than 5 credits counted are for coursework completed more than 5 years prior to admission to the PhD program are counted; no credits counted are for coursework taken 10 years ago or more are counted.