Advertisement UW-Madison to award rare posthumous graduate degree in May Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Officials at the University of Wisconsin-Madison plan to award a graduate student who died last year a rare posthumous degree.The State Journal reports 30-year-old Craig Schuff died in October. Schuff had already earned a master's degree in nuclear engineering and was preparing to defend his thesis to earn a doctorate in electrical engineering.The university registrar's office says a posthumous graduate degree has only been awarded once before. A student must have completed all course requirements, be near completion of a thesis and have done work that's "substantial" and "worthy of a degree."Schuff's research was centered on neutron generation from a device that could be used to scan packages and detect clandestine materials, such as chemicals or nuclear materials.Schuff's parents will accept his degree in May.Get the WISN 12 NEWS app