Menu

New Students

Expand All|Collapse All

Housing optionsexpand_more

Looking for affordable housing in a new city can be challenging. UW-Madison offers specific housing accommodations to its graduate students. Check out the Graduate Student Life page for more details on housing and transportation options. The UW’s Campus Area Housing brochure gives additional information.

Initial Tasks upon Arriving on Campusexpand_more

Welcome to our department and family! As you begin your journey as a graduate student here, we kindly ask that you complete the following in the first three days of your arrival:

  • Madeilene Hoffman | mbhoffman4@wisc.edu | 263E Soils Bldg. | 608.265.2951
    • Section 1 of Form I-9 must be completed electronically on or before your date of hire
    • Seek information or enroll in Health Insurance Benefits
    • Questions on any other benefits, payroll, or compliance issues
  • Ryan Ihrke | rihrke@wisc.edu | 263 Soils Building at 1525 Observatory Drive | 608.262.2633
    • Department photo taken
    • Distribution of keys to the various laboratory and office areas assigned to you
  • Julie Garvin | jgarvin2@wisc.edu | 263D Soils Building at 1525 Observatory Drive | 608.262.2239
    • Sign-up to receive departmental emails
    • Authorization of images and information to be posted on department website (optional)
    • Schedule appointment to review program requirements
  • Visit the Graduate School’s New Students page.
  • New International Students should work with the International Student Services (ISS) Office to ensure all requirements are met. In addition to completing and filing all required documents, international students are required to complete the International Student Orientation (ISO) and ISS Check-in.

Required training for all new graduate and professional studentsexpand_more

Our campus requires newly admitted graduate and professional students to complete an online prevention training called ‘Graduate and Professional Students Preventing and Responding to Sexual and Relationship Violence.’ Newly admitted graduate and professional students are automatically enrolled in this required course and will receive notification via email from University Health Services (UHS) in the weeks prior to the start of the first term of enrollment.

This program, which takes about 90-120 minutes to complete, is designed to promote the health and safety of the campus community by increasing students’ understanding of:

  • Dynamics of sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating and domestic violence, and stalking
  • Safe and effective prevention strategies they can use
  • Available campus and community resources for confidential support
  • Victim rights and reporting options

Participating in this required program will equip you with tools to address violence in our campus community and contribute to safe and supportive learning environments.

Departmental Trainings

There are some facilities within the department that require respirators and other training before using. Please reach out to our department administrator, Matt Hahne at mdhahne@wisc.edu to enroll in the necessary training.

Things to do in Madisonexpand_more

The city of Madison is a vibrant, active, and inclusive community with opportunities to meet nearly every interest or passion. Consider exploring some of these locations and experiences during your time here.

Who can I contact if I have more questions?expand_more

Graduate Program Manager, Julie Garvin, is happy to meet with you to answer further questions you may have. Also, we have several MS and PhD graduate students who are willing to meet with new students to answer the questions only they can. Contact Julie at jgarvin2@wisc.edu to arrange a meeting according to your needs.

Login Request Help Help Docs