Graduate Programs | Center for Culture, History, and Environment (CHE)

The CHE Graduate Certificate and PhD Minor programs stem from the recognition that interdisciplinary (human and natural) scientific and scholarly approaches are key to solving some of the most complex and critical environmental problems of our time.

In synthesizing diverse perspectives and research methods drawn from the full spectrum of humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences, the graduate programs in culture, history, and environment contribute in important ways to students’ understanding of past, present, and future environmental issues through interdisciplinary education and research.

Forms for Students

Application form

Completion form

Students in a printmaking class look at a poster just off the press

A professor puts a flame on a helium balloon during a lecture

A professor speaking to a group of students on a archaeological dig

An entomology student and professor examine a specimen

The environmental challenges we face today arise as much from human actions as from natural processes. It is only at our peril that we forget that nature, in all its myriad forms, is inextricably bound up with every aspect of human culture, economy, and politics.

All CHE graduate program students must complete a plan of study of 9-13 credits chosen from at least two of the following major academic divisions: the humanities, social sciences, and/or natural sciences. This flexibility accommodates a wide range of degree programs with which the CHE certificate or PhD minor can be combined.

CHE welcomes applications from students in any graduate degree program at UW-Madison. Master’s degree students who complete the program receive CHE certificates in addition to their degrees. In most cases, certificate credits can be double-counted with credits students are already earning for their major degrees. Doctoral students can complete either the certificate or the PhD minor. CHE is not available as a standalone graduate degree.

To apply, submit an application form. This form includes detailed instructions for applying to a CHE graduate program.

After all CHE graduate program requirements have been fulfilled, students must submit a graduate program completion form.