An Overview
The University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, founded in 1909, is a public institution governed by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. With a faculty and academic staff of more than 450, UW–L serves more than 9,000 students from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and forty other states and forty-two other countries. The 119-acre campus is located in a residential section of the city within easy walking distance of downtown La Crosse.

The Community
La Crosse is famous for its exceptional natural beauty. The city (population 51,000) is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River below towering bluffs. The metro area population is 121,800. Abundant water and woodlands provide year-round recreation sites for skiing, hunting, bicycling, hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities. La Crosse is also home to two other colleges, a symphony orchestra, excellent theatrical and cultural events, superb health-care facilities, and first-class elementary and secondary schools.

The University annually enrolls 700 graduate students; 40 percent of the students are male and 60 percent are female. The Office of Career Services serves graduate students from all schools and colleges in seeking professional employment upon degree completion. More than ninety percent of the UW–L master's degree recipients in 2001 who were looking for employment found positions within approximately six months of graduation.

Programs of Study
Graduate programs at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse (UW–L) are offered in each of the four colleges that comprise the University: the College of Business Administration; the College of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Teacher Education (HPERTE); the College of Liberal Studies; and the College of Science and Allied Health. The College of Business Administration offers a Master of Business Administration degree that is fully accredited by AACSB International–The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The College of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Teacher Education offers the Master of Science degree in adult fitness/cardiac rehabilitation, exercise and sport science (with options in human performance, sport administration, physical education teaching, and special physical education and concentrations in adventure education and athletic training), therapeutic recreation, recreation management, community health education, and school health education. In addition, the College of HPERTE offers Wisconsin's only nationally accredited Master of Public Health in community health education. The School of Education, a unit within the College of HPERTE, offers the Master of Science in Education degree in reading, special education, and college student development and administration. In addition, the School of Education offers a Master of Education–Professional Development degree. The College of Liberal Studies offers an Education Specialist degree in school psychology. The College of Science and Allied Health offers both the Master of Science in biology (with concentrations in aquatic science, cellular and molecular biology, clinical microbiology, microbiology, nurse anesthesia, and physiology) and the Master of Science in physical therapy.

Facilities and Resources
UW–L is home to a number of research facilities that are accessible to graduate student researchers. Murphy Library has recently undergone an extensive expansion and modernization and contains more than 550,000 volumes; the online catalog allows users to search local and other University of Wisconsin catalogs. Modern microcomputer laboratories are available campuswide. The River Studies Center conducts research in aquatic ecology, watershed ecology, fisheries, aquatic parasitology, aquatic microbiology, aquatic toxicology, and water quality. The College of Science and Allied Health, the administrative home of the La Crosse Medical Health Science Consortium, Inc., in a public/private partnership with regional health-care providers and local colleges, has constructed the 168,000-square-foot La Crosse Medical Health Science Education and Research Center. The Center, completed in fall 2000, focuses on applied clinical research activities in microbiology, immunology, molecular diagnostics, virology, and human physiology. The Human Performance Laboratory, the La Crosse Exercise and Health Program, and the Special Populations Exercise Program of the College of HPERTE provide extensive opportunities for clinical work and basic and applied research in exercise and sport science. The Leisure Lifestyle Center provides research opportunities for therapeutic recreation students. The Small Business Development Center is affiliated with the College of Business Administration (CBA) and is part of a statewide organization that provides counseling to small business managers related to business start-up and management. The Bureau of Business and Economic Research is a University contract research facility for area businesses. The CBA also serves as a US-AID training site for large numbers of managers and public administrators from Central Europe.

Expenses and Aid
Costs: Tuition for 2000–01 (applicable to both Wisconsin and Minnesota residents, with reciprocity) was $231 per credit hour. Out-of-state tuition was $728 per credit hour. A limited number of full or partial nonresident tuition waivers are available to out-of-state and international graduate students with superior academic credentials. Certain programs may have different tuition and fees.

Financial Aid: Merit-based financial aid is offered in the form of graduate assistantships and nonresident tuition waivers. Additional assistantships are available for qualified U.S. citizens who represent members of minority groups. Interested students should contact the appropriate graduate program director for assistantship application procedures. Information on need-based financial aid such as the Stafford and Perkins loan programs, College Work-Study, Advanced Opportunity Program grants, and partial tuition grants may be obtained from the Office of Financial Aid, 215 Graff Main Hall, (telephone: 608-785-8604, e-mail: stadthau.alfr@uwlax.edu).

Housing/Living Expenses: Most graduate students live in private apartments and homes near the campus. Limited University-owned housing is available for single graduate students and no University-owned housing is available for married students. Further information about housing can be obtained from the Office of Residence Life, 213 Wilder Hall (telephone: 608-785-8075). The cost of living in La Crosse is moderate and slightly below the national average.

How to Apply
Applicants from the U.S. may request admissions materials from the Office of Admissions, 115 Graff Main Hall (telephone: 608-785-8939). International applicants may request complete application packets from the Office of International Education, 116 Graff Main Hall (telephone: 608-785-8016, fax: 608-785-8923, e-mail: uwlworld@uwlax.edu). All applicants must submit a completed application form, transcripts of all undergraduate course work, and a $45 application fee. M.B.A. students are required to submit a GMAT score. Applicants should check with specific graduate program directors regarding other required admission tests and application deadline dates.