Prospective Students
Prospective predoctoral trainees in demography must be admitted to one of the affiliated graduate programs at UW–Madison. Prospective students apply for admission to the UW–Madison Graduate School through an academic department. PhD and MA degrees are awarded through these departments. The strength and reputation of our graduate programs ensures an annual cohort of outstanding entering graduate students from across the university, with many students from the Departments of Economics, Sociology, and Population Health Sciences.
Admission decisions to the CDE program are made by the associate director for training and funding is allocated by the Training Committee. For incoming students, CDE hosts Visit Day each spring in conjunction with the three affiliated departments above. Accepted applicants are invited to Madison to learn more about the graduate program. CDE hosts a welcome session and open house to share information about the Center and training program. Each year, we accept applications from currently enrolled students in PhD programs at UW-Madison. The application link becomes available in August.
For more information, please contact the associate director for training
Current UW Students
It is common for research interests to evolve in graduate school, and CDE also recruits UW students at different stages their graduate careers. Current UW graduate students with research interests in population studies are welcome to apply to the training program. Please contact contact the associate director for training for more information.
Training Program Expectations
For all students, regardless of department:
1. Enroll in and attend DemSem (Soc/Econ 997) and the Demography Training Seminar (Soc 995). You are expected to register for at least 1 credit each in Soc 997 and Soc 995. Please be in touch with us if your funding or class schedule precludes enrollment.
2. Complete an annual Individual Development Plan (IDP) each fall semester.
3. Remain in good standing in your department’s PhD program (e.g., stay on schedule).
4. Take Advanced Demographic Techniques (Soc 756). (Auditing may be an option in some circumstances with approval from instructor.)
5. Actively work on research throughout the year.
6. We strongly encourage you to take Soc 971.
7. If you have taken Soc 361 and 362 or the equivalents, we encourage you to register for Soc 952.
Sociology PhD students are also expected to:
8. Take the demography course sequence – Sociology 674 and 756 and 971 demography seminars. Students with previous demography training may be able to take 756 before 674.
9. Take the demography preliminary exam offered in January and August of each year.