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Graduate Coursework

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1830.0 units of core academic coursework with a letter grade of B or better, in each course, is required. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 must be maintained.

  • Students meet with their Faculty Area Advisor during New Grad Training to plan course selection

    • Biochemistry: CHEM 226, 234, 241-256, 259, 261, 262AB, 281, and other select BMSE courses

    • Inorganic: CHEM 268AB and 270-279

    • Materials: CHEM 240, 265, 274, 282ABC, 285, and other select CHEM and MATRL courses

    • Organic: CHEM 224, 226-233, 239, 240, 258, and CHEM 263

      • Students are also expected to participate in CHEM 223 regularly, though it does not apply toward the 18 required units

    • Physical: CHEM 217-222, 225, and other select CHEM courses

  • Most students take all of their courses in their first year

  • This requirement must be met before advancing to candidacyAt least 30 units of upper-division and graduate courses must be completed, including no fewer than 20 units in graduate courses (those numbered 200+) in the major subject or in graduate courses related to that subject as approved by the Faculty Graduate Advisor.

  • At least 18 of the 30 units must be in 200 – 289 level courses, and no more than 10 of the 30 units may be in CHEM 596.

  • Courses must be approved by the Faculty Area Advisor in order to ensure appropriate breadth and degree of specialization. Under no circumstances will units completed in courses numbered either 501-A-B-C, 502A-B-C, 597, 598, or 599 be used to satisfy any of the university minimum requirements.

  • All courses must be completed with a grade of B or better. 

Seminar Requirement (CHEM 290)

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A letter grade of B or better must be achieved in CHEM 290.

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  • This course requires delivery of a seminar related to your group’s research.

  • A letter grade of B or better must be achieved in CHEM 290.

  • If continuing in the Ph.D. program, this requirement must be completed before taking the Advancement to Candidacy Exam.

Your Thesis Committee

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Students should notify the Staff and Faculty Graduate Program Advisors of their committee makeup. The Faculty Graduate Program Advisor will sign off on your committee.

  • Committees comprise of two faculty members in addition to your research advisor:

    • Research Advisor

    • Faculty Member from your general area of research

    • Faculty Member outside of your general area of research

    • (Optional) Another Faculty Member from your general area of research

  • The student will meet with all committee members at least once a year to discuss progress, receive input and feedback, and discuss any concerns they might have

Annual Thesis Committee

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Meetings

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Submit your Annual Thesis Committee Meeting Signature Page to the Staff Graduate Advisor once completed.

  • The student will meet with all thesis committee members collectively at least once per year to discuss and reflect on progress and future plans in the program, receive input and feedback, and present any concerns or potential issues that you may have.

Meeting Frequency

  1. First Year Chair’s Meeting

    1. By spring of Year One

  2. Advancement to Candidacy Exam

    1. By summer of Year Two

  3. Annual Thesis Committee Meeting #3

    1. By spring of Year Three

  4. Annual Thesis Committee Meeting #4

    1. By spring of Year Four

  5. Final Dissertation

    1. By summer of Year Five

Meeting Scheduling

  •  Students may find online room reservations, Doodle polls, and the meeting checklist to be useful tools when scheduling these meetings.

  • At least one hour should be allocated for each meeting (except the oral exam and final defense, which require 2 hours).

  • Annual meetings will continue to be required in any additional years that the student remains enrolled at UCSB, with the final meeting being the Final Defense of the Dissertation.  The student or PI can call an additional or earlier meeting at any time to address issues that may arise. 

Meeting Structure

  • The committee should remain the same unless there is a need to change members.

    • Changes to the committee require the approval of the Department Chair.

  • At least 3 of the 4 faculty committee members (including the PI) must be present, though additional faculty members can be present if desired.

    • The PI will be excused at the mid-point of the meeting and discussion will continue amongst the student and remaining committee members.

  • The student must submit a written progress report (approximately 2 pages in length) and current CV to the committee for review at least one week in advance.

  • Be prepared to present your work, discuss potential issues, and receive feedback from the committee. 

  • The student is required to submit the signature form, progress report, CV and faculty comments to the Staff Graduate Program Advisor

    • All components must be submitted for the requirement to be considered complete

    • The signature and comments of the PI are also required (refer to the Primary Research Advisor section of the signature form)

Written Ph.D. Dissertation

  • Refer to this page for more information on meeting frequency, scheduling, and structure.

Master’s Thesis

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File your thesis according to Graduate Division’s instructions by the filing deadline. Be sure to send the Staff Graduate Advisor a copy of your approved thesis (PDF) and signature page as well.

Writing

  • The dissertation is written on a subject chosen by the candidate that is related to an area of study in the DCB. It must be of such nature as to enable the student to demonstrate their ability to carry out independent investigation and study.

  • Consult your PI and thesis committee on your writing progress.

Formatting

  • Graduate Council has established guidelines for the formatting of dissertations in order to ensure uniformity for manuscripts that are archived in the UCSB Library, as well as to ensure the widest possible dissemination of graduate student research.

  • Refer to formatting resources and templates provided by Graduate DivisionA master's thesis is patterned after a Ph.D. dissertation but on a scaled-down level of originality and length.

  • The thesis should be typed in draft form for the Committee. After the Committee approves it, it should be typed according to Graduate Division’s formatting guidelines.

A public seminar presentation is not required for thesis defense. However, the thesis must make a significant contribution. Publishable results are encouraged but not required.

Examples of project types suitable for an Master’s Thesis:

  • An advanced design project, either analytical or experimental;

  • An experimental or theoretical contribution to a research problem currently being investigated within the Department;

  • A critical evaluation of the state-of-the-art of a current research area, going beyond mere literature compilation;

  • A critical theoretical analysis or a preliminary experimental study intended as a feasibility study or precursor laying the groundwork for more advanced Ph.D.-level research.

Graduate Division Submission

Departmental Submission

  • Email your approved thesis (PDF) and signature page (PDF) to the Staff Graduate Advisor

  • Complete the Departmental Exit Survey