Graduate Programs

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

An entomology student and professor examine a specimen.
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.
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.

CHE welcomes applicants from any graduate degree program at UW–Madison. Master’s and PhD students are encouraged to apply for the CHE certificate program. In most cases, certificate credits are interchangeable (double-counted) with credits students are already earning for their degrees. PhD students looking to fulfill a PhD minor requirement are encouraged to apply for CHE’s PhD minor program.

CHE’s curriculum accommodates graduate students in a wide range of degree programs at UW–Madison. All CHE graduate program students must complete a thematic sequence of 9-12 credits chosen from across environmental disciplines. This flexibility accommodates a wide range of degree programs with which the certificate or PhD minor can be combined.