Permissions

When navigating through the enrollment process at UW–Madison — enrolling in a class, making changes (like drop) to your class schedule, or withdrawing from school for a semester — you may first need to get permission from a campus official.

Department permission     Instructor consent     Academic Dean approval     Late initial enrollment

Department Permission

When do you need department permission

Departments/programs manage the enrollment in their courses. You may need to receive department permission:

  • to enroll in a class closed to non-majors;
  • to enroll in a class when your previous courses don’t exactly meet the requisites;
  • to add a class after the deadline to do so has passed;
  • and many other situations.

Find department contact info in Course Search & Enroll

Departments display their contact information for permission requests in the “Subject Notes” area of the main course panel.

When you’ve received instructions that you need to get department permission to enroll in a class or to make changes to your existing classes, this list can help you find the right contact person. UW departments and programs manage the courses offered in the different curricular subject areas.

Bonus feature: select the link in the “Course Search & Enroll” column to open a new browser window; then select the search magnifying glass symbol to display that subject area’s classes (requires a UW netID). Other valuable contact information for this subject area may be displayed in the “Subject Notes” and “Class Notes” fields for the class.

[Departments and programs can send updates and corrections to Paul Oshefsky, Office of the Registrar. An official list of all subject areas is here.]

Instructor Consent

Some courses will include “consent of instructor” (or similar) as a requisite, or requirement that needs to be met before you can enroll in the class. If so, contact the instructor listed for the class to request permission to enroll.

The best place to find requisites in Course Search & Enroll is the “Section Information” field in the section details panel, as that will include requirements set for the entire course and also any that are specific to a section. The “Prerequisites” field shows the requirements for the entire course.

Finding instructor contact info

Select the name of the instructor in the section detail panel.

In the pop-up window, the instructor’s email address will appear.

TIP: When you contact an instructor by email, send the email from your wisc.edu account, include your campus ID number. You may be asked for more information about your qualifications and interest in the class.

If the instructor approves you for the class, consider contacting the department to ensure your permission is in the system.

You still need to enroll in the class! Go to Course Search & Enroll to enroll. Get in touch with the person (instructor or someone in the department) who gave you permission if you still have problems enrolling in the class.

Academic Dean Approval

Students work with the academic dean’s office in their school/college in certain circumstances related to enrollment actions.

Approval from academic deans isn’t typically required when initially enrolling in a class. However, students who want to add or drop a class late in the semester, or withdraw from UW–Madison for a term, will consult with their academic dean’s office, who will ensure that the student gets the advice, planning, and support they need.

Academic dean’s contact information

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences CALS Academic Affairs academicaffairs@cals.wisc.edu 608-262-3003 116 Agricultural Hall website
Audiology Audiology Program Coordinator aihartman@wisc.edu 608-262-6481 374 Goodnight Hall
Wisconsin School of Business Undergraduate Academic Services successandpolicy@wsb.wisc.edu 608-262-0471 3150 Grainger Hall website
Division of Continuing Studies Adult Career & Special Student Services advising@dcs.wisc.edu 608-263-6960 21 N. Park St., Room 7101 website
School of Education Student Services studentservices@education.wisc.edu 608-262-1651 139 Education Building website
College of Engineering Engineering Academic Deans Office engracademicdean@engr.wisc.edu 608-262-3484 2640 Engineering Hall website
Graduate School Graduate School Academic Services gsacserv@grad.wisc.edu 608-262-2433 217 Bascom Hall website
School of Human Ecology School of Human Ecology Student Academic Affairs deansservices@sohe.wisc.edu 608-262-2608 1194 Nancy Nicholas Hall website
Law School Law School Student Services Office angela.nash@wisc.edu 608-263-6340 5106 Law website
College of Letters & Science Undergraduate Academic Deans’ Services lsdeans@saa.ls.wisc.edu 608-262-0617 101 Mark H. Ingraham Hall website
School of Medicine and Public Health contact your program office
School of Nursing Office of Academic Affairs academic.affairs@nursing.wisc.edu 608-263-5202 1100 Signe Skott Cooper Hall website
School of Pharmacy Pharmacy Student and Academic Affairs pharminfo@pharmacy.wisc.edu 608-262-6234 2220 Rennebohm Hall of Pharmacy website
School of Veterinary Medicine Office of Academic Affairs oaa@vetmed.wisc.edu 608-263-2525 2268 Veterinary Medicine Building website

Late Initial Enrollment

Type of Student Advisors
Approval*
Academic Dean’s Office
Grad Students Yes 217 Bascom Hall
Law Students No 5106 Law
Medical Students No 2150 HSLC
Pharm D Students Yes 1203 Rennebohm Hall
Physical Therapy Master’s Yes 1140 Med Sci Center (MSC)
Master of Public Health Yes 1140 Med Sci Center (MSC)
Veterinary Medicine No Rm 2268, 2015 Linden Dr.
Undergrad and College Special Students:
Ag & Life Sciences No 116 Ag Hall
Business *see below 3150 Grainger Hall
Education No 139 Education Bldg
Engineering Yes 2620 Engineering
Engr First Year Yes 1150 Engineering
Human Ecology No 1194 Nancy Nichols Hall
Letters & Science *see below 110 Ingraham Hall
Nursing Yes 1131 Cooper Hall, Signe Skott
Pharmacy Yes 1203 Rennebohm Hall
Division of Continuing Studies:
University Specials No 21 N. Park St, 7th floor
Guest Students *see below 21 N. Park St, 7th floor

*Late Enrollment Activities for these students may require advisor’s approval:

Business students late enrollment: no advisor’s authorization

  • Academic dean’s approval required; visit 3150 Grainger Hall.

Business students late add:

  • Instructor’s, department’s office & dean’s office authorization required.

Business students late drop:

  • Dean’s approval required; visit 3150 Grainger Hall.

Letter’s & Sciences late enrollment:

  • Department’s approval & dean’s approval both required; visit 110 Ingraham Hall

Letter’s & Sciences late add:

  • Instructor’s, department’s office & dean’s office authorization required

Letter’s & Sciences late drop:

  • Dean’s approval required; visit 110 Ingraham Hall

Guest students must obtain the authorization of the instructor for each course in which they enroll.