General Academic Policies and Procedures

Campus-wide academic policies and procedures are set forth by the Academic Senate’s Graduate Council and the Graduate Division. These policies apply to all graduate students. Additional policies and procedures are established by the department in consultation with the Graduate Council and apply only to students in DCB graduate programs.  Official campus-wide policies can be referenced via the General Catalog, the Office of the Registrar, and the Graduate Division.

Students who are in the Ph.D. program at UCSB and wish to change their degree objective to the Master of Science or Master of Arts should discuss their prospects with the Faculty Graduate Advisor, their Research Advisor, and their Thesis Committee. Change of Degree Status petition must be completed and submitted to the Graduate Division.

With the approval of the Research Advisor and the Faculty Graduate Advisor, students may petition to add the M.S. or M.A. and continue in the Ph.D. program. Students selecting this option should consult the Staff Graduate Advisor concerning completion of degree requirements.

Students register for classes via GOLD (Gaucho On-Line Data). Complete instructions for using GOLD are available via the Office of the Registrar’s website.

It is essential that students register for courses on time. If students foresee a problem with doing so, they should contact the DCB Staff Graduate Advisor for help. All DCB graduate students are expected to maintain a course load of at least 12 units each academic quarter. Students who do not enroll in at least 8 units by the posted deadline will incur a $50 fee for late registration. Students who have not registered for at least 8 units by the start of the quarter will risk becoming ineligible for financial support, being denied access to student services, and falling into lapsed student status.

Students requiring verification of enrollment, student status, employment status, or financial support for housing, visa, student loans, childcare or other personal reasons may request a letter from the DCB Student Affairs Office. All requests must be made at least one week in advance of the date the verification letter is needed and must be made by the student. Letters should be picked up from the Student Affairs Office during regular business hours (9 AM-Noon and 1-4 PM) on or after the agreed upon date. Employment verifications are also available via UCPath. Academic or student verifications are also available via GOLD. Information will not be disclosed to third parties, such as building managers or loan officers, without the advance written permission of the student, including clear indication of (1) the specific information to be released and (2) the specific individuals to whom the information may be disclosed.

The General Catalog should be consulted for complete information and policy concerning UCSB’s grading system. 

Grade Point Average (GPA)

The Graduate Division will place you on academic warning status or academic probation if you fall below a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 (B average). If you do not achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in the subsequent quarter, you are subject to dismissal. Students placed on probation may become ineligible for financial support, including but not limited to, employment as a TA or GSR, fellowships, and traineeships.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grading

DCB graduate students may take certain graduate courses on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) basis provided that the course is so offered and that the Area Advisor or Primary Research Advisor approves. S grades will be assigned for coursework equivalent to a B or better on the letter-grade basis. U grades will be assigned for work equivalent to a B- or below. 

For all degree candidates, courses applicable to their respective unit requirement must be taken for a letter grade.

Incomplete Grades

A grade of Incomplete (I) may be placed on a student’s record only with a completed and approved Petition for an Incomplete Grade.

A student may not repeat a course in which an incomplete was assigned and therefore may not register for the course a second time in order to remove the grade of I. The Chair of the Department in which the course was offered has the authority to extend the deadline for completion of incompletes in the event of unusual circumstances. 

Graduate students dealing with extraordinary circumstances may petition for a leave of absence. The leave policy stipulates the following categories of leave:

The deadline for filing a leave of absence for a particular quarter is posted on the Graduate Division Calendar.

• Filing Leave of Absence (during the regular academic year)

• Summer Filing Leave of Absence (during summer)

• Personal Leave of Absence

Petitions, Frequently Asked Questions, and additional information are available via the Graduate Division website. International students must talk with the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) before applying for leaves, to avoid any subsequent visa issues. Note that a student may not hold a University fellowship, teaching assistantship, graduate student researcher, or any student appointment title while on leave.

If you must remain registered, but your research or study requires you to remain outside of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties for the duration of a quarter, then you may be eligible for In Absentia registration.

• Students who are approved for in absentia registration will receive a reduction of 85% of the combined registration, educational, and campus fees.

• You are responsible for all other fees, notably nonresident tuition and student health insurance.

Students should submit a Request for In Absentia Registration petition with faculty verification of the need to be outside of California, to Graduate Division by the posted deadline. You are responsible for registering for 8 units during the In Absentia period.

A graduate student in good standing who has completed at least one quarter of residence at UCSB and who wishes to study temporarily at another UC campus may apply for the IEPGS by obtaining the approval of the Faculty Graduate Advisor, the Chair of the host Department, and the Graduate Deans on both campuses. The program enables the student to maintain academic residence at UCSB without being physically present.

Approval is given only when there is an excellent reason for making the request and the student is in good academic standing. Examples of “excellent reasons” include enrollment in specific course offerings not available at UCSB or access to a specialist in the student’s field whose guidance is not available at UCSB.

Separate applications are required for each quarter and must be filed with the UCSB Graduate Division at least six weeks prior to the start of the quarter in which the student wishes to take advantage of this privilege. The student pays fees only at UCSB, but registers at both the home campus and the host campus. The DCB Student Affairs Office will assist the student in filing the UCSB forms. The student should obtain a class schedule from the host campus in order to learn registration procedures and deadlines for that campus.

It is a University requirement, enforced by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, that International students, for whom English is not the native language, attain proficiency in English before a degree will be awarded. These students are required to take an English Language Placement Exam (ELPE) during New Grad Academic Training at the start of the first fall quarter. The results of the examination are used to place students in appropriate language classes or to exempt them from taking more English courses. Although requirements are normally satisfied in three quarters or less, some students are required to continue in the program for additional quarters. The DCB will require that such students enroll in the indicated course(s) each quarter until exempted from further studies.

Students receiving EMS course placements, either as a result of the ELPE or the TA Language Evaluation, are required to complete those placements at the earliest possible time. Students with incomplete EMS oral requirements will be ineligible for employment as a Teaching Assistant until these requirements are complete. A student may not file a petition for a Filing Fee Leave of Absence status if they have an incomplete written or oral EMS placement.

The DCB Colloquium Series features seminars on technical subjects of current interest at least once per week. The speakers at these seminars are usually distinguished guests from other academic institutions or industrial research organizations, faculty, or advanced graduate students. The DCB recognizes the value of such presentations to a professional chemistry education and expects the attendance of its graduate students at seminars for which the topic is relevant to the student’s technical area.  Students planning to regularly attend the DCB Colloquium Series are expected to enroll in CHEM 291 and will receive course credit for their attendance.

DCB seminars for the upcoming week are announced via the chem-seminars listserv. All members of the DCB with a chem email address are automatically subscribed. The seminar calendar can also be viewed online. In addition, DCB graduate students are welcome and encouraged to attend seminars and lectures hosted by other departments. Event schedules are available at the following links.

Commencement

Commencement ceremonies are held once per year in June. Students who officially finished their graduate programs in December, March, or June, or who will finish during the upcoming summer or fall quarters may participate in the June ceremony. This is a ceremony only; no diplomas are presented. Online registration for the ceremony is required.

Transcripts

Transcripts are not automatically sent upon degree completion. They must be ordered from the Office of Registrar. Unofficial transcripts may be printed via GOLD.

Diplomas

Diplomas can take 3-6 months to be printed and mailed. The Registrar’s office will automatically mail your diploma to your “diploma address” as soon as it arrives. Be sure to update your Diploma Address in GOLD. A $19.00 mailing fee will automatically be accessed to your BARC account when your degree is awarded.

Students who fall below a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B average) will be automatically placed on academic warning status or academic probation by the Graduate Division. Warning status and probation are intended to provide students whose performance is less than satisfactory with a period of time in which to make up their deficiencies. Continued probation is recommended for a student who remains below the 3.0 level after one quarter if reasonable progress toward academic recovery has been demonstrated. Only the Dean of Graduate Division may dismiss a student from graduate status. This is done on the recommendation of the department. Dismissal is recommended for a student who fails to reach the 3.0 level after two consecutive quarters on probation.

In addition, students are required to maintain good academic standing and make continual progress towards the degree. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Maintaining a 3.0 or above GPA

• Reaching degree milestones according to the requirements outlined here

• Joining a research group by the end of your second quarter

• Submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year

• Establishing California residency by the end of your first year

The department may recommend that the Graduate Division place a student on academic probation for failing to comply with any of these components of good academic standing.