Applicable only to students admitted during the 2015-2016 academic year.

Anthropology

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Anthropology offers the Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Anthropology.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

Academic advising for graduate students in the department is primarily conducted on an individual basis by a student’s faculty adviser because, beyond basic requirements, each student’s program of study is unique. The department’s graduate adviser is primarily responsible for counseling students in regard to program requirements, policies, and University regulations.

Areas of Study

Archaeology; biological anthropology; linguistic anthropology; and sociocultural anthropology.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

The minimum course load is 12 units per quarter. However, this may be waived for good cause by petition, with the approval of the student’s committee chair and the department chair. Students must be registered and enrolled at all times unless on an official leave of absence.

The M.A. degree requires 10 courses (40 units) taken for a letter grade, with a minimum 3.0 grade-point average. The 10 required courses are distributed as follows:

(1) One course must be the graduate proseminar, Anthropology 200.
(2) One course must be the graduate core seminar (200-series) in the student’s field of specialization.
(3) Three courses must be graduate seminars (200-series).
(4) Four courses may be upper division (100-series) designated elective courses.
(5) Three courses may be outside the major with the approval of the three-member guidance committee.
(6) Two courses may be independent studies. Eight units of course 596 taken for a letter grade may be applied toward the total M.A. course requirement, but only four of these eight units are applicable to the minimum graduate-course requirement.

Courses taken on a S/U basis, Anthropology 598, and 300- and 400-series courses may not be applied toward the fulfillment of the M.A. unit requirements.

Core Course Requirements: The purpose of the core course requirements is to ensure that students are versed in the major fields in anthropology. Courses taken while in graduate status at UCLA may be applied toward the unit requirement of the M.A. degree. These fields and courses have been designed to meet the minimal needs of students specializing in other subfields of study:

(1) Archaeology: Anthropology 111, M201A
(2) Biological: Anthropology 222
(3) Linguistic: Anthropology M140, 204, M240, M242
(4) Sociocultural: Anthropology 130, 150, 203A, 203B, 203C

Students must demonstrate basic knowledge in all fields by exercising one or a combination of the following three options:

(1) Taking the core course with a passing grade of B or better.
(2) Petitioning that coursework completed elsewhere, or at UCLA as an undergraduate, constitutes the equivalent of such courses.
(3) Passing the subfield’s core course examination given in the Spring Quarter.

A grade of B or better is required in any core course taken at UCLA. If students received a grade of B-, C+, or C, they may not repeat the core course, but must take the core course examination and pass or be subject to dismissal. If a grade of C- or below is received, students may repeat the course, but must receive a grade of B or better the second time the course is taken, or be subject to dismissal.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required but highly desirable.

Comprehensive Examination Plan

None.

Thesis Plan

Every master’s degree thesis plan requires the completion of an approved thesis that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research.

The purpose of the master’s thesis is for a student to demonstrate the ability to generate and assemble a body of data, to analyze it, and to indicate its relevance to established anthropological thought as well as to write lucid prose. Students must submit an original paper based on field, laboratory, or library research to all three committee members by the end of the fifth quarter of residence. The thesis committee assists students in formulating the research paper, monitoring its progress, and evaluating the paper when submitted. It is essential that students maintain close contact with all three members while preparing the M.A. thesis. Students should consult the Graduate Division publication, Policies and Procedures for Thesis and Dissertation Preparation and Filing, for instructions on the preparation and submission of the thesis.

Time-to-degree

Normal progress toward the degree is as follows:

Core course requirements (if needed) – expected time of completion: end of third quarter.

M.A. thesis committee – expected time of nomination: beginning of fourth quarter.

M.A. thesis – expected time of completion: end of fifth quarter.

40 units of coursework – expected time of completion: end of sixth quarter.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
MA	6	6	9

Doctoral Degree

Advising

Academic advising for graduate students in the department is primarily conducted on an individual basis by a student’s faculty adviser because, beyond basic requirements, each student’s program of study is unique. The department’s graduate adviser is primarily responsible for counseling students in regard to program requirements, policies, and University regulations.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Archaeology; biological anthropology; linguistic anthropology; and sociocultural anthropology.

Foreign Language Requirement

The department does not require foreign language proficiency for all students in the Ph.D. program in Anthropology. It is the responsibility of the student’s three-member departmental doctoral committee to determine whether foreign language proficiency is required for their particular program of study.

If the foreign language proficiency is to be waived, students prepare a request for a Ph.D. language requirement waiver, which consists of a letter justifying the request, addressed to the committee and filed with the Graduate Adviser. If the student’s committee agrees and waives the requirement, the committee then presents a discussion of their endorsement of the waiver request to the faculty, typically during student review. If alternate research skills that are deemed necessary for the program of study for the student’s dissertation have been identified and satisfied, these are noted by the committee. However, no specific other courses or skills are obligatory.

If foreign language proficiency is required, proficiency will be determined by the three-member departmental doctoral committee and may include but is not limited to:

(1) Completion of an appropriate level of language instruction, or
(2) Demonstration of previously acquired language skills through documentation or an examination or
(3) Submission of an annotated bibliography, in English, of selected publications (in the selected language) that are related to the student’s dissertation topic.

The bibliography may be supplemented by a related analytical examination question or further translation examination.

For students required to demonstrate foreign language proficiency, all monitoring of the requirement takes place within the department.

Course Requirements

The minimum course load is 12 units per quarter. However, this may be waived for good cause by petition with the approval of the student’s committee chair and the department chair. Students must be registered and enrolled at all times unless on an official leave of absence.

Students who are entering the graduate program with an M.A. degree, whether or not in anthropology, are required to demonstrate basic knowledge of the discipline before being permitted to begin the requirements for the doctorate. It is expected that students accomplish this during the first year of academic residence through (in accordance with the procedures and regulations stated in the M.A. degree section) the following:

(1) Nominating a three-member departmental advisory committee.
(2) Completing the core course requirement.
(3) Taking the graduate core seminar only in the student’s field of specialization. This is required of all students even though they may already have a master’s degree in anthropology.
(4) Taking the graduate proseminar, Anthropology 200. This is required of all entering students.
(5) Submitting to the student’s departmental advisory committee, for evaluation, a prior master’s paper or a research paper that was written while in graduate status.

Only when these requisites have been met are students permitted to begin the requirements for the Ph.D. degree.

Students who received their M.A. degree from this department are expected to enroll in three seminars, each with a different faculty member, between receipt of the master’s degree and taking the doctoral qualifying examinations. The department does not require any specific courses or number of courses for award of the Ph.D.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass University written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations the University oral qualifying examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to University requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

The qualifying examinations for the Ph.D. degree consist of a written and an oral examination. The timing of these examinations is set in consultation with the members of the doctoral committee; they are to be taken within a 10-week period of time. Students must be registered and enrolled to take the qualifying examinations. The committee for each examination determines the conditions for reexamination should students not pass either portion of the qualifying examinations.

The three-member departmental doctoral committee administers the written portion of the qualifying examination. The fields and format of the examination are to be determined by the student’s departmental doctoral committee. There must be a minimum of two weeks between completion of the written examination and the scheduled date for the oral portion of the qualifying examination.

The University Oral Qualifying Examination is the oral portion of the doctoral qualifying examinations and is primarily a defense of the dissertation proposal. This examination is administered by the four-member doctoral committee.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Not required for students in the program. The decision as to whether a defense is required is made by the doctoral committee.

Time-to-Degree

Full-time students admitted without deficiencies normally progress after receiving the M.A. degree as follows:

Selection of third member of departmental doctoral committee – expected time of completion: during second quarter.

Completion of departmentally-monitored foreign language requirement (unless exempted) – expected time of completion: end of third quarter.

Nomination of four-person doctoral committee – expected time of completion: end of third quarter.

Written and oral qualifying examinations (usually taken in same quarter) – expected time of completion: end of sixth quarter.

Advancement to candidacy – expected time of completion: end of sixth quarter.

Final oral examinations (dissertation defense) – expected time of completion: 18th quarter.

Pre-M.A. to Ph.D. degree – expected time of completion: 18th quarter.

Post-M.A. to Ph.D. degree – expected time of completion: a maximum of 15 quarters.

Normative time-to-degree: 18 quarters (six years)

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
PhD	12	24	27

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special departmental or program policy

A recommendation for termination is made by the chair of the department after a vote of the faculty at the student review each term. Before the recommendation is sent to the Graduate Division, a student is notified in writing and given two weeks to respond in writing to the chair. An appeal is reviewed by the department’s Executive Committee which makes the final departmental recommendation to the Graduate Division.

Applicable only to students admitted during the 2016-2017 academic year.

Neuroscience

Interdepartmental Program
School of Medicine

Graduate Degrees

The Neuroscience Program offers the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Neuroscience.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

None.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

The Neuroscience program provides a comprehensive system of advising for students throughout their graduate studies. During orientation, the advising committee and program chair meet with new students to review the first-year requirements in general terms. Throughout the term, students are expected to meet individually with the chair or other members of the advising committee to identify faculty whose research is closest to their own interests and who would be most appropriate for laboratory rotations. At the end of the fall term, the entire advising committee meets informally with the first-year students to field questions that have come up after their initial entry into the program. In subsequent quarters, students’ enrollment and performance in core courses and laboratory rotations are closely monitored and, as the need arises, students are counseled individually by the advising chair. At the end of spring quarter of the first year, students are required to submit a Faculty Mentor Approval Form (co-signed by the mentor) to the advising committee, which meets to consider the choice of mentor and the ability of the faculty to serve in this capacity.

The advising program continues after each student has chosen a faculty research mentor. Every year students receive a memorandum outlining current requirements (for example, course electives, the written and oral qualifying examinations and midstream seminar). The advising committee also meets every year to discuss the progress of all students and identify potential problems. The committee then sends each student a letter that assesses their current progress in the program and makes specific recommendations as needed. An overall assessment of student progress is also made annually to the neuroscience committee. In addition to the formal advising procedures outlined above, students are repeatedly encouraged to seek advice on career development from faculty members in the UCLA neuroscience community. Finally, an annual retreat serves the purpose of allowing informal and organized contacts between faculty and students, which provides further opportunity for advising.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Several subdisciplines are represented by large groups of faculty with common interests who closely interact with each other in a collaborative manner. A number of these clusters of faculty are represented as an area of specialty within the program, which we call a Focused Area of Research (FAR). The FARs currently available in the program are Addiction; Learning & Memory; Neural Development, Degeneration & Repair; Neuroendocrinology; Neurogenetics; Neuroimaging/Cognitive; and Synapses, Cells & Circuits.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

First-year students take four core courses: Neuroscience M201, M202, M203 and 205. First-year students participate in three laboratory rotations. Students also attend an annual retreat. In the first or second year, students take a course in scientific ethics, Neuroscience 207.

Second-year students take at least one quarter of biostatistics or biomathematics selected from a departmental list of courses, as well as two courses from a menu of advanced neuroscience courses.

In the first, second and/or third years, students enroll in 12 units from a selection of seminar courses.

Teaching Experience

One quarter of teaching experience is required.  Students who enter the program through the MSTP and STAR Programs may teach but teaching is not a degree requirement.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the new Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

A written qualifying examination is required following completion of the core requirements, generally before the second year. The objective of this examination is to test the ability to relate knowledge in different neuroscience areas, to locate and interpret literature, and to apply research problems.

After passing the written qualifying examination, and after completion of a degree audit, students, in consultation with the adviser, choose the doctoral committee to administer the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The doctoral committee members should meet the campuswide minimum standards for doctoral committees (effective Fall 2016).

The Oral Qualifying Examination should be completed no later than the end of the third year.  For the examination, students are expected to write a research proposal and orally present the outline of the proposal to their doctoral committee. This presentation usually takes between one and two hours. The written proposal should be no more than 10-pages and should follow the basic format of an NIH grant proposal focusing on an important question pertinent to the student’s field of study, with well-defined Aims, Significance, Innovation, and Experimental Design sections. Students should not have completed significant portions of the dissertation project at the time of the examination. Instead, the purpose of the exercise is for students to (1) formulate their plans in their own words; (2) become acquainted with the faculty committee; and (3) familiarize the committee with their projects at an early stage. The committee will either accept the proposal or suggest changes.  It is expected that the committee agree that completion of the proposed research will suffice for the conferral of a Ph.D.

Doctoral Committee Meetings

Students are expected to hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The yearly doctoral committee meetings provide additional interaction between the committee and the student and serve as an important barometer for the progress of the student’s research proposal since the University Oral Qualifying Examination. Each yearly meeting requires a written progress report (prepared jointly by the doctoral committee chair and the student) to monitor and track the student’s progress in their dissertation research and time-to-degree and to identify the critical experimental and intellectual issues that students need to address prior to their final defense of the dissertation.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

In general, overall progress toward the degree is accomplished with completion of the written qualifying examination by the beginning of the second year. It is recommended that students complete the University Oral Qualifying Examination by the end of spring quarter of the second year, and the examination must be completed no later than spring quarter of the third year. Students must hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination and before the Final Oral Examination (defense of the dissertation). The approved normative time-to-degree is 18 quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	6	18	21

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A student must receive at least a B- in each core course or repeat the course. A student who receives three B- grades in the core courses, who fails all or part of the written or oral qualifying examinations two times (if the student fails all or part of the written qualifying examination the Written Qualifying Examination Committee determines the form of reexamination), or who fails to maintain minimum progress may be recommended for termination by vote of the entire interdepartmental degree committee. A student may appeal a recommendation for termination in writing to the interdepartmental degree committee and may personally present additional or mitigating information to the committee, in person or in writing.

Applicable only to students admitted during the 2017-2018 academic year.

Neuroscience

Interdepartmental Program
School of Medicine

Graduate Degrees

The Neuroscience Program offers the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Neuroscience.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

None.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

The Neuroscience program provides a comprehensive system of advising for students throughout their graduate studies. During orientation, the advising committee and program chair meet with new students to review the first-year requirements in general terms. Throughout the term, students are expected to meet individually with the chair or other members of the advising committee to identify faculty whose research is closest to their own interests and who would be most appropriate for laboratory rotations. At the end of the fall term, the entire advising committee meets informally with the first-year students to field questions that have come up after their initial entry into the program. In subsequent quarters, students’ enrollment and performance in core courses and laboratory rotations are closely monitored and, as the need arises, students are counseled individually by the advising chair. At the end of spring quarter of the first year, students are required to submit a Faculty Mentor Approval Form (co-signed by the mentor) to the advising committee, which meets to consider the choice of mentor and the ability of the faculty to serve in this capacity.

The advising program continues after each student has chosen a faculty research mentor. Every year students receive a memorandum outlining current requirements (for example, course electives, the written and oral qualifying examinations and midstream seminar). The advising committee also meets every year to discuss the progress of all students and identify potential problems. The committee then sends each student a letter that assesses their current progress in the program and makes specific recommendations as needed. An overall assessment of student progress is also made annually to the neuroscience committee. In addition to the formal advising procedures outlined above, students are repeatedly encouraged to seek advice on career development from faculty members in the UCLA neuroscience community. Finally, an annual retreat serves the purpose of allowing informal and organized contacts between faculty and students, which provides further opportunity for advising.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Several subdisciplines are represented by large groups of faculty with common interests who closely interact with each other in a collaborative manner. A number of these clusters of faculty are represented as an area of specialty within the program, which we call a Focused Area of Research (FAR). The FARs currently available in the program are Addiction; Learning & Memory; Neural Development, Degeneration & Repair; Neuroendocrinology; Neurogenetics; Neuroimaging/Cognitive; and Synapses, Cells & Circuits.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

First-year students take four core courses: Neuroscience M201, M202, M203 and 205. First-year students participate in three laboratory rotations. Students also attend an annual retreat. In the first or second year, students take a course in scientific ethics, Neuroscience 207.

Second-year students take at least one quarter of biostatistics or biomathematics selected from a departmental list of courses, as well as two courses from a menu of advanced neuroscience courses.

In the first, second and/or third years, students enroll in 12 units from a selection of seminar courses.

Teaching Experience

One quarter of teaching experience is required.  Students who enter the program through the MSTP and STAR Programs may teach but teaching is not a degree requirement.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

A written qualifying examination is required following completion of the core requirements, generally before the second year. The objective of this examination is to test the ability to relate knowledge in different neuroscience areas, to locate and interpret literature, and to apply research problems.

After passing the written qualifying examination, and after completion of a degree audit, students, in consultation with the adviser, choose the doctoral committee to administer the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The doctoral committee members should meet the campuswide minimum standards for doctoral committees (effective Fall 2016).

The Oral Qualifying Examination should be completed no later than the end of the third year.  For the examination, students are expected to write a research proposal and orally present the outline of the proposal to their doctoral committee. This presentation usually takes between one and two hours. The written proposal should be no more than 10-pages and should follow the basic format of an NIH grant proposal focusing on an important question pertinent to the student’s field of study, with well-defined Aims, Significance, Innovation, and Experimental Design sections. Students should not have completed significant portions of the dissertation project at the time of the examination. Instead, the purpose of the exercise is for students to (1) formulate their plans in their own words; (2) become acquainted with the faculty committee; and (3) familiarize the committee with their projects at an early stage. The committee will either accept the proposal or suggest changes.  It is expected that the committee agree that completion of the proposed research will suffice for the conferral of a Ph.D.

Doctoral Committee Meetings

Students are expected to hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The yearly doctoral committee meetings provide additional interaction between the committee and the student and serve as an important barometer for the progress of the student’s research proposal since the University Oral Qualifying Examination. Each yearly meeting requires a written progress report (prepared jointly by the doctoral committee chair and the student) to monitor and track the student’s progress in their dissertation research and time-to-degree and to identify the critical experimental and intellectual issues that students need to address prior to their final defense of the dissertation.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

In general, overall progress toward the degree is accomplished with completion of the written qualifying examination by the beginning of the second year. It is recommended that students complete the University Oral Qualifying Examination by the end of spring quarter of the second year, and the examination must be completed no later than spring quarter of the third year. Students must hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination and before the Final Oral Examination (defense of the dissertation). The approved normative time-to-degree is 18 quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	6	18	21

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A student must receive at least a B- in each core course or repeat the course. A student who receives three B- grades in the core courses, who fails all or part of the written or oral qualifying examinations two times (if the student fails all or part of the written qualifying examination the Written Qualifying Examination Committee determines the form of reexamination), or who fails to maintain minimum progress may be recommended for termination by vote of the entire interdepartmental degree committee. A student may appeal a recommendation for termination in writing to the interdepartmental degree committee and may personally present additional or mitigating information to the committee, in person or in writing.

Applicable only to students admitted during the 2018-2019 academic year.

Neuroscience

Interdepartmental Program
School of Medicine

Graduate Degrees

The Neuroscience Program offers the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Neuroscience.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

None.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

The Neuroscience program provides a comprehensive system of advising for students throughout their graduate studies. During orientation, the advising committee and program chair meet with new students to review the first-year requirements in general terms. Throughout the term, students are expected to meet individually with the chair or other members of the advising committee to identify faculty whose research is closest to their own interests and who would be most appropriate for laboratory rotations. At the end of the fall term, the entire advising committee meets informally with the first-year students to field questions that have come up after their initial entry into the program. In subsequent quarters, students’ enrollment and performance in core courses and laboratory rotations are closely monitored and, as the need arises, students are counseled individually by the advising chair. At the end of spring quarter of the first year, students are required to submit a Faculty Mentor Approval Form (co-signed by the mentor) to the advising committee, which meets to consider the choice of mentor and the ability of the faculty to serve in this capacity.

The advising program continues after each student has chosen a faculty research mentor. Every year students receive a memorandum outlining current requirements (for example, course electives, the written and oral qualifying examinations and midstream seminar). The advising committee also meets every year to discuss the progress of all students and identify potential problems. The committee then sends each student a letter that assesses their current progress in the program and makes specific recommendations as needed. An overall assessment of student progress is also made annually to the neuroscience committee. In addition to the formal advising procedures outlined above, students are repeatedly encouraged to seek advice on career development from faculty members in the UCLA neuroscience community. Finally, an annual retreat serves the purpose of allowing informal and organized contacts between faculty and students, which provides further opportunity for advising.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Several subdisciplines are represented by large groups of faculty with common interests who closely interact with each other in a collaborative manner. A number of these clusters of faculty are represented as an area of specialty within the program, which we call a Focused Area of Research (FAR). The FARs currently available in the program are Addiction; Learning & Memory; Neural Development, Degeneration & Repair; Neuroendocrinology; Neurogenetics; Neuroimaging/Cognitive; and Synapses, Cells & Circuits.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

First-year students take four core courses: Neuroscience M201, M202, M203 and 205. First-year students participate in three laboratory rotations. Students also attend an annual retreat. In the first or second year, students take a course in scientific ethics, Neuroscience 207.

Second-year students take at least one quarter of biostatistics or biomathematics selected from a departmental list of courses, as well as two courses from a menu of advanced neuroscience courses.

In the first, second and/or third years, students enroll in 12 units from a selection of seminar courses.

Teaching Experience

One quarter of teaching experience is required.  Students who enter the program through the MSTP and STAR Programs may teach but teaching is not a degree requirement.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

A written qualifying examination is required following completion of the core requirements, generally before the second year. The objective of this examination is to test the ability to relate knowledge in different neuroscience areas, to locate and interpret literature, and to apply research problems.

After passing the written qualifying examination, and after completion of a degree audit, students, in consultation with the adviser, choose the doctoral committee to administer the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The doctoral committee members should meet the campuswide minimum standards for doctoral committees (effective Fall 2016).

The Oral Qualifying Examination should be completed no later than the end of the third year.  For the examination, students are expected to write a research proposal and orally present the outline of the proposal to their doctoral committee. This presentation usually takes between one and two hours. The written proposal should be no more than 10-pages and should follow the basic format of an NIH grant proposal focusing on an important question pertinent to the student’s field of study, with well-defined Aims, Significance, Innovation, and Experimental Design sections. Students should not have completed significant portions of the dissertation project at the time of the examination. Instead, the purpose of the exercise is for students to (1) formulate their plans in their own words; (2) become acquainted with the faculty committee; and (3) familiarize the committee with their projects at an early stage. The committee will either accept the proposal or suggest changes.  It is expected that the committee agree that completion of the proposed research will suffice for the conferral of a Ph.D.

Doctoral Committee Meetings

Students are expected to hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The yearly doctoral committee meetings provide additional interaction between the committee and the student and serve as an important barometer for the progress of the student’s research proposal since the University Oral Qualifying Examination. Each yearly meeting requires a written progress report (prepared jointly by the doctoral committee chair and the student) to monitor and track the student’s progress in their dissertation research and time-to-degree and to identify the critical experimental and intellectual issues that students need to address prior to their final defense of the dissertation.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

In general, overall progress toward the degree is accomplished with completion of the written qualifying examination by the beginning of the second year. It is recommended that students complete the University Oral Qualifying Examination by the end of spring quarter of the second year, and the examination must be completed no later than spring quarter of the third year. Students must hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination and before the Final Oral Examination (defense of the dissertation). The approved normative time-to-degree is 18 quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	6	18	21

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A student must receive at least a B- in each core course or repeat the course. A student who receives three B- grades in the core courses, who fails all or part of the written or oral qualifying examinations two times (if the student fails all or part of the written qualifying examination the Written Qualifying Examination Committee determines the form of reexamination), or who fails to maintain minimum progress may be recommended for termination by vote of the entire interdepartmental degree committee. A student may appeal a recommendation for termination in writing to the interdepartmental degree committee and may personally present additional or mitigating information to the committee, in person or in writing.

Applicable only to students admitted during the 2019-2020 academic year.

Neuroscience

Interdepartmental Program
School of Medicine

Graduate Degrees

The Neuroscience Program offers the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Neuroscience.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

None.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

The Neuroscience program provides a comprehensive system of advising for students throughout their graduate studies. During orientation, the advising committee and program chair meet with new students to review the first-year requirements in general terms. Throughout the term, students are expected to meet individually with the chair or other members of the advising committee to identify faculty whose research is closest to their own interests and who would be most appropriate for laboratory rotations. At the end of the fall term, the entire advising committee meets informally with the first-year students to field questions that have come up after their initial entry into the program. In subsequent quarters, students’ enrollment and performance in core courses and laboratory rotations are closely monitored and, as the need arises, students are counseled individually by the advising chair. At the end of spring quarter of the first year, students are required to submit a Faculty Mentor Approval Form (co-signed by the mentor) to the advising committee, which meets to consider the choice of mentor and the ability of the faculty to serve in this capacity.

The advising program continues after each student has chosen a faculty research mentor. Every year students receive a memorandum outlining current requirements (for example, course electives, the written and oral qualifying examinations and midstream seminar). The advising committee also meets every year to discuss the progress of all students and identify potential problems. The committee then sends each student a letter that assesses their current progress in the program and makes specific recommendations as needed. An overall assessment of student progress is also made annually to the neuroscience committee. In addition to the formal advising procedures outlined above, students are repeatedly encouraged to seek advice on career development from faculty members in the UCLA neuroscience community. Finally, an annual retreat serves the purpose of allowing informal and organized contacts between faculty and students, which provides further opportunity for advising.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Several subdisciplines are represented by large groups of faculty with common interests who closely interact with each other in a collaborative manner. A number of these clusters of faculty are represented as an area of specialty within the program, which we call a Focused Area of Research (FAR). The FARs currently available in the program are Addiction; Learning & Memory; Neural Development, Degeneration & Repair; Neuroendocrinology; Neurogenetics; Neuroimaging/Cognitive; and Synapses, Cells & Circuits.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

First-year students take four core courses: Neuroscience M201, M202, M203 and 205. First-year students participate in three laboratory rotations. Students also attend an annual retreat. In the first or second year, students take a course in scientific ethics, Neuroscience 207.

Second-year students take at least one quarter of biostatistics or biomathematics selected from a departmental list of courses, as well as two courses from a menu of advanced neuroscience courses.

In the first, second and/or third years, students enroll in 12 units from a selection of seminar courses.

Teaching Experience

One quarter of teaching experience is required.  Students who enter the program through the MSTP and STAR Programs may teach but teaching is not a degree requirement.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

A written qualifying examination is required following completion of the core requirements, generally before the second year. The objective of this examination is to test the ability to relate knowledge in different neuroscience areas, to locate and interpret literature, and to apply research problems.

After passing the written qualifying examination, and after completion of a degree audit, students, in consultation with the adviser, choose the doctoral committee to administer the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The doctoral committee members should meet the campuswide minimum standards for doctoral committees (effective Fall 2016).

The Oral Qualifying Examination should be completed no later than the end of the third year.  For the examination, students are expected to write a research proposal and orally present the outline of the proposal to their doctoral committee. This presentation usually takes between one and two hours. The written proposal should be no more than 10-pages and should follow the basic format of an NIH grant proposal focusing on an important question pertinent to the student’s field of study, with well-defined Aims, Significance, Innovation, and Experimental Design sections. Students should not have completed significant portions of the dissertation project at the time of the examination. Instead, the purpose of the exercise is for students to (1) formulate their plans in their own words; (2) become acquainted with the faculty committee; and (3) familiarize the committee with their projects at an early stage. The committee will either accept the proposal or suggest changes.  It is expected that the committee agree that completion of the proposed research will suffice for the conferral of a Ph.D.

Doctoral Committee Meetings

Students are expected to hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The yearly doctoral committee meetings provide additional interaction between the committee and the student and serve as an important barometer for the progress of the student’s research proposal since the University Oral Qualifying Examination. Each yearly meeting requires a written progress report (prepared jointly by the doctoral committee chair and the student) to monitor and track the student’s progress in their dissertation research and time-to-degree and to identify the critical experimental and intellectual issues that students need to address prior to their final defense of the dissertation.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

In general, overall progress toward the degree is accomplished with completion of the written qualifying examination by the beginning of the second year. It is recommended that students complete the University Oral Qualifying Examination by the end of spring quarter of the second year, and the examination must be completed no later than spring quarter of the third year. Students must hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination and before the Final Oral Examination (defense of the dissertation). The approved normative time-to-degree is 18 quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	6	18	21

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A student must receive at least a B- in each core course or repeat the course. A student who receives three B- grades in the core courses, who fails all or part of the written or oral qualifying examinations two times (if the student fails all or part of the written qualifying examination the Written Qualifying Examination Committee determines the form of reexamination), or who fails to maintain minimum progress may be recommended for termination by vote of the entire interdepartmental degree committee. A student may appeal a recommendation for termination in writing to the interdepartmental degree committee and may personally present additional or mitigating information to the committee, in person or in writing.

Applicable only to students admitted during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Neuroscience

Interdepartmental Program
School of Medicine

Graduate Degrees

The Neuroscience Program offers the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Neuroscience.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

None.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

The Neuroscience program provides a comprehensive system of advising for students throughout their graduate studies. During orientation, the advising committee and program chair meet with new students to review the first-year requirements in general terms. Throughout the term, students are expected to meet individually with the chair or other members of the advising committee to identify faculty whose research is closest to their own interests and who would be most appropriate for laboratory rotations. At the end of the fall term, the entire advising committee meets informally with the first-year students to field questions that have come up after their initial entry into the program. In subsequent quarters, students’ enrollment and performance in core courses and laboratory rotations are closely monitored and, as the need arises, students are counseled individually by the advising chair. At the end of spring quarter of the first year, students are required to submit a Faculty Mentor Approval Form (co-signed by the mentor) to the advising committee, which meets to consider the choice of mentor and the ability of the faculty to serve in this capacity.

The advising program continues after each student has chosen a faculty research mentor. Every year students receive a memorandum outlining current requirements (for example, course electives, the written and oral qualifying examinations and midstream seminar). The advising committee also meets every year to discuss the progress of all students and identify potential problems. The committee then sends each student a letter that assesses their current progress in the program and makes specific recommendations as needed. An overall assessment of student progress is also made annually to the neuroscience committee. In addition to the formal advising procedures outlined above, students are repeatedly encouraged to seek advice on career development from faculty members in the UCLA neuroscience community. Finally, an annual retreat serves the purpose of allowing informal and organized contacts between faculty and students, which provides further opportunity for advising.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Several subdisciplines are represented by large groups of faculty with common interests who closely interact with each other in a collaborative manner. A number of these clusters of faculty are represented as an area of specialty within the program, which we call a Focused Area of Research (FAR). The FARs currently available in the program are Addiction, Learning & Memory, Neural Development, Degeneration & Repair, Neuroendocrinology, Neurogenetics, Neuroimaging/Cognitive. Synapses, Cells & Circuits, Computational & Systems Neuroscience; and Neurotechnology.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Students are required to enroll full-time in a minimum of 12 units each quarter throughout graduate study, attend an annual program retreat and encouraged to attend the Joint Seminars in Neuroscience (JSN).

First-year students are required to complete the following core, literature and methods-based courses: Neuroscience M201, M202, M203, 205, 210ABC and 211A (211A may be taken during the second year). First-year students participate in three research training rotations, represented by enrolling in Neuro 596 in each term. In the first or second year, students take a course in scientific ethics, Neuro 207 or MIMG C234.

After the first-year, students are required to take one biostatistics or biomathematics course and eight units of advanced elective courses related to their research selected from a pre-approved list. Students can petition courses that are not on the pre-approved list. In addition, five graduate seminars in Neuroscience (i.e. Neuro 215) or research related fields. Neuro 215 may be repeated more than once to satisfy this requirement. The remaining units necessary for completion of the degree and to maintain student status are fulfilled through dissertation research (Neuro 599).

Teaching Experience

One quarter of teaching experience is required.  Students who enter the program through the MSTP and STAR Programs may teach but teaching is not a degree requirement.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

A written qualifying examination is required following completion of the core requirements, generally before the second year. The objective of this examination is to test the ability to relate knowledge in different neuroscience areas, to locate and interpret literature, and to apply research problems.

After passing the written qualifying examination, and after completion of coursework degree audit students, in consultation with the adviser, choose the doctoral committee to administer the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The doctoral committee members should meet the campus wide minimum standards for doctoral committees (effective Fall 2016).

The Oral Qualifying Examination should be completed no later than the end of the third year.  For the examination, students are expected to write a research proposal and orally present the outline of the proposal to their doctoral committee. This presentation usually takes between one and two hours. The written proposal should be no more than 10-pages and should follow the basic format of an NIH grant proposal focusing on an important question pertinent to the student’s field of study, with well-defined Aims, Significance, Innovation, and Experimental Design sections. Students should not have completed significant portions of the dissertation project at the time of the examination. Instead, the purpose of the exercise is for students to (1) formulate their plans in their own words; (2) become acquainted with the faculty committee; and (3) familiarize the committee with their projects at an early stage. The committee will either accept the proposal or suggest changes.  It is expected that the committee agree that completion of the proposed research will suffice for the conferral of a Ph.D.

Doctoral Committee Meetings

Students are expected to hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The yearly doctoral committee meetings provide additional interaction between the committee and the student and serve as an important barometer for the progress of the student’s research proposal since the University Oral Qualifying Examination. Each yearly meeting requires a written progress report (prepared jointly by the doctoral committee chair and the student) to monitor and track the student’s progress in their dissertation research and time-to-degree and to identify the critical experimental and intellectual issues that students need to address prior to their final defense of the dissertation.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

In general, overall progress toward the degree is accomplished with completion of the written qualifying examination by the beginning of the second year. It is recommended that students complete the University Oral Qualifying Examination by the end of spring quarter of the second year, and the examination must be completed no later than spring quarter of the third year. Students must hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination and before the Final Oral Examination (defense of the dissertation). The approved normative time-to-degree is 18 quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	6	18	21

Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A student must receive at least a B- in each core course or repeat the course. A student who receives three B- grades in the core courses, who fails all or part of the written or oral qualifying examinations two times (if the student fails all or part of the written qualifying examination the Written Qualifying Examination Committee determines the form of reexamination), or who fails to maintain minimum progress may be recommended for academic disqualification by vote of the entire interdepartmental degree committee. A student may appeal a recommendation for academic disqualification in writing to the interdepartmental degree committee and may personally present additional or mitigating information to the committee, in person or in writing.

Applicable only to students admitted during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Neuroscience

Interdepartmental Program
School of Medicine

Graduate Degrees

The Neuroscience Program offers the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Neuroscience.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

None.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

The Neuroscience program provides a comprehensive system of advising for students throughout their graduate studies. During orientation, the advising committee and program chair meet with new students to review the first-year requirements in general terms. Throughout the term, students are expected to meet individually with the chair or other members of the advising committee to identify faculty whose research is closest to their own interests and who would be most appropriate for laboratory rotations. At the end of the fall term, the entire advising committee meets informally with the first-year students to field questions that have come up after their initial entry into the program. In subsequent quarters, students’ enrollment and performance in core courses and laboratory rotations are closely monitored and, as the need arises, students are counseled individually by the advising chair. At the end of spring quarter of the first year, students are required to submit a Faculty Mentor Approval Form (co-signed by the mentor) to the advising committee, which meets to consider the choice of mentor and the ability of the faculty to serve in this capacity.

The advising program continues after each student has chosen a faculty research mentor. Every year students receive a memorandum outlining current requirements (for example, course electives, the written and oral qualifying examinations and midstream seminar). The advising committee also meets every year to discuss the progress of all students and identify potential problems. The committee then sends each student a letter that assesses their current progress in the program and makes specific recommendations as needed. An overall assessment of student progress is also made annually to the neuroscience committee. In addition to the formal advising procedures outlined above, students are repeatedly encouraged to seek advice on career development from faculty members in the UCLA neuroscience community. Finally, an annual retreat serves the purpose of allowing informal and organized contacts between faculty and students, which provides further opportunity for advising.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Several subdisciplines are represented by large groups of faculty with common interests who closely interact with each other in a collaborative manner. A number of these clusters of faculty are represented as an area of specialty within the program, which we call a Focused Area of Research (FAR). The FARs currently available in the program are Addiction, Learning & Memory, Neural Development, Degeneration & Repair, Neuroendocrinology, Neurogenetics, Neuroimaging/Cognitive. Synapses, Cells & Circuits, Computational & Systems Neuroscience; and Neurotechnology.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Students are required to enroll full-time in a minimum of 12 units each quarter throughout graduate study, attend an annual program retreat and encouraged to attend the Joint Seminars in Neuroscience (JSN).

First-year students are required to complete the following core, literature and methods-based courses: Neuroscience M201, M202, M203, 205, 210ABC and 211A (211A may be taken during the second year). First-year students participate in three research training rotations, represented by enrolling in Neuro 596 in each term. In the first or second year, students take a course in scientific ethics, Neuro 207 or MIMG C234.

After the first-year, students are required to take one biostatistics or biomathematics course and eight units of advanced elective courses related to their research selected from a pre-approved list. Students can petition courses that are not on the pre-approved list. In addition, five graduate seminars in Neuroscience (i.e. Neuro 215) or research related fields. Neuro 215 may be repeated more than once to satisfy this requirement. The remaining units necessary for completion of the degree and to maintain student status are fulfilled through dissertation research (Neuro 599).

Teaching Experience

One quarter of teaching experience is required.  Students who enter the program through the MSTP and STAR Programs may teach but teaching is not a degree requirement.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

A written qualifying examination is required following completion of the core requirements, generally before the second year. The objective of this examination is to test the ability to relate knowledge in different neuroscience areas, to locate and interpret literature, and to apply research problems.

After passing the written qualifying examination, and after completion of coursework degree audit students, in consultation with the adviser, choose the doctoral committee to administer the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The doctoral committee members should meet the campus wide minimum standards for doctoral committees (effective Fall 2016).

The Oral Qualifying Examination should be completed no later than the end of the third year.  For the examination, students are expected to write a research proposal and orally present the outline of the proposal to their doctoral committee. This presentation usually takes between one and two hours. The written proposal should be no more than 10-pages and should follow the basic format of an NIH grant proposal focusing on an important question pertinent to the student’s field of study, with well-defined Aims, Significance, Innovation, and Experimental Design sections. Students should not have completed significant portions of the dissertation project at the time of the examination. Instead, the purpose of the exercise is for students to (1) formulate their plans in their own words; (2) become acquainted with the faculty committee; and (3) familiarize the committee with their projects at an early stage. The committee will either accept the proposal or suggest changes.  It is expected that the committee agree that completion of the proposed research will suffice for the conferral of a Ph.D.

Doctoral Committee Meetings

Students are expected to hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The yearly doctoral committee meetings provide additional interaction between the committee and the student and serve as an important barometer for the progress of the student’s research proposal since the University Oral Qualifying Examination. Each yearly meeting requires a written progress report (prepared jointly by the doctoral committee chair and the student) to monitor and track the student’s progress in their dissertation research and time-to-degree and to identify the critical experimental and intellectual issues that students need to address prior to their final defense of the dissertation.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

In general, overall progress toward the degree is accomplished with completion of the written qualifying examination by the beginning of the second year. It is recommended that students complete the University Oral Qualifying Examination by the end of spring quarter of the second year, and the examination must be completed no later than spring quarter of the third year. Students must hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination and before the Final Oral Examination (defense of the dissertation). The approved normative time-to-degree is 18 quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	6	18	21

Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A student must receive at least a B- in each core course or repeat the course. A student who receives three B- grades in the core courses, who fails all or part of the written or oral qualifying examinations two times (if the student fails all or part of the written qualifying examination the Written Qualifying Examination Committee determines the form of reexamination), or who fails to maintain minimum progress may be recommended for academic disqualification by vote of the entire interdepartmental degree committee. A student may appeal a recommendation for academic disqualification in writing to the interdepartmental degree committee and may personally present additional or mitigating information to the committee, in person or in writing.

Applicable only to students admitted during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Neuroscience

Interdepartmental Program
School of Medicine

Graduate Degrees

The Neuroscience Program offers the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Neuroscience.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

None.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

The Neuroscience program provides a comprehensive system of advising for students throughout their graduate studies. During orientation, the advising committee and program chair meet with new students to review the first-year requirements in general terms. Throughout the term, students are expected to meet individually with the chair or other members of the advising committee to identify faculty whose research is closest to their own interests and who would be most appropriate for laboratory rotations. At the end of the fall term, the entire advising committee meets informally with the first-year students to field questions that have come up after their initial entry into the program. In subsequent quarters, students’ enrollment and performance in core courses and laboratory rotations are closely monitored and, as the need arises, students are counseled individually by the advising chair. At the end of spring quarter of the first year, students are required to submit a Faculty Mentor Approval Form (co-signed by the mentor) to the advising committee, which meets to consider the choice of mentor and the ability of the faculty to serve in this capacity.

The advising program continues after each student has chosen a faculty research mentor. Every year students receive a memorandum outlining current requirements (for example, course electives, the written and oral qualifying examinations and midstream seminar). The advising committee also meets every year to discuss the progress of all students and identify potential problems. The committee then sends each student a letter that assesses their current progress in the program and makes specific recommendations as needed. An overall assessment of student progress is also made annually to the neuroscience committee. In addition to the formal advising procedures outlined above, students are repeatedly encouraged to seek advice on career development from faculty members in the UCLA neuroscience community. Finally, an annual retreat serves the purpose of allowing informal and organized contacts between faculty and students, which provides further opportunity for advising.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Several subdisciplines are represented by large groups of faculty with common interests who closely interact with each other in a collaborative manner. A number of these clusters of faculty are represented as an area of specialty within the program, which we call a Focused Area of Research (FAR). The FARs currently available in the program are Addiction, Learning & Memory, Neural Development, Degeneration & Repair, Neuroendocrinology, Neurogenetics, Neuroimaging/Cognitive. Synapses, Cells & Circuits, Computational & Systems Neuroscience; and Neurotechnology.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Students are required to enroll full-time in a minimum of 12 units each quarter throughout graduate study, attend an annual program retreat and encouraged to attend the Joint Seminars in Neuroscience (JSN).

First-year students are required to complete the following core, literature and methods-based courses: Neuroscience 201, M202, M203, 205, 210ABC and 211A (211A may be taken during the second year). First-year students participate in three research training rotations, represented by enrolling in Neuro 596 in each term. In the first or second year, students take a course in scientific ethics, Neuro 207 or MIMG C234.

After the first-year, students are required to take one biostatistics or biomathematics course and eight units of advanced elective courses related to their research selected from a pre-approved list. Students can petition courses that are not on the pre-approved list. In addition, five graduate seminars in Neuroscience (i.e. Neuro 215) or research related fields. Neuro 215 may be repeated more than once to satisfy this requirement. The remaining units necessary for completion of the degree and to maintain student status are fulfilled through dissertation research (Neuro 599).

Teaching Experience

One quarter of teaching experience is required.  Students who enter the program through the MSTP and STAR Programs may teach but teaching is not a degree requirement.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

A written qualifying examination is required following completion of the core requirements, generally before the second year. The objective of this examination is to test the ability to relate knowledge in different neuroscience areas, to locate and interpret literature, and to apply research problems.

After passing the written qualifying examination, and after completion of coursework degree audit students, in consultation with the adviser, choose the doctoral committee to administer the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The doctoral committee members should meet the campus wide minimum standards for doctoral committees (effective Fall 2016).

The Oral Qualifying Examination should be completed no later than the end of the third year.  For the examination, students are expected to write a research proposal and orally present the outline of the proposal to their doctoral committee. This presentation usually takes between one and two hours. The written proposal should be no more than 10-pages and should follow the basic format of an NIH grant proposal focusing on an important question pertinent to the student’s field of study, with well-defined Aims, Significance, Innovation, and Experimental Design sections. Students should not have completed significant portions of the dissertation project at the time of the examination. Instead, the purpose of the exercise is for students to (1) formulate their plans in their own words; (2) become acquainted with the faculty committee; and (3) familiarize the committee with their projects at an early stage. The committee will either accept the proposal or suggest changes.  It is expected that the committee agree that completion of the proposed research will suffice for the conferral of a Ph.D.

Doctoral Committee Meetings

Students are expected to hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The yearly doctoral committee meetings provide additional interaction between the committee and the student and serve as an important barometer for the progress of the student’s research proposal since the University Oral Qualifying Examination. Each yearly meeting requires a written progress report (prepared jointly by the doctoral committee chair and the student) to monitor and track the student’s progress in their dissertation research and time-to-degree and to identify the critical experimental and intellectual issues that students need to address prior to their final defense of the dissertation.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

In general, overall progress toward the degree is accomplished with completion of the written qualifying examination by the beginning of the second year. It is recommended that students complete the University Oral Qualifying Examination by the end of spring quarter of the second year, and the examination must be completed no later than spring quarter of the third year. Students must hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination and before the Final Oral Examination (defense of the dissertation). The approved normative time-to-degree is 18 quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	6	18	21

Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A student must receive at least a B- in each core course or repeat the course. A student who receives three B- grades in the core courses, who fails all or part of the written or oral qualifying examinations two times (if the student fails all or part of the written qualifying examination the Written Qualifying Examination Committee determines the form of reexamination), or who fails to maintain minimum progress may be recommended for academic disqualification by vote of the entire interdepartmental degree committee. A student may appeal a recommendation for academic disqualification in writing to the interdepartmental degree committee and may personally present additional or mitigating information to the committee, in person or in writing.

Applicable only to students admitted during the 2023-2024 academic year.

Neuroscience

Interdepartmental Program
School of Medicine

Graduate Degrees

The Neuroscience Program offers the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Neuroscience.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

None.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

The Neuroscience program provides a comprehensive system of advising for students throughout their graduate studies. During orientation, the advising committee and program chair meet with new students to review the first-year requirements in general terms. Throughout the term, students are expected to meet individually with the chair or other members of the advising committee to identify faculty whose research is closest to their own interests and who would be most appropriate for laboratory rotations. At the end of the fall term, the entire advising committee meets informally with the first-year students to field questions that have come up after their initial entry into the program. In subsequent quarters, students’ enrollment and performance in core courses and laboratory rotations are closely monitored and, as the need arises, students are counseled individually by the advising chair. At the end of spring quarter of the first year, students are required to submit a Faculty Mentor Approval Form (co-signed by the mentor) to the advising committee, which meets to consider the choice of mentor and the ability of the faculty to serve in this capacity.

The advising program continues after each student has chosen a faculty research mentor. Every year students receive a memorandum outlining current requirements (for example, course electives, the written and oral qualifying examinations and midstream seminar). The advising committee also meets every year to discuss the progress of all students and identify potential problems. The committee then sends each student a letter that assesses their current progress in the program and makes specific recommendations as needed. An overall assessment of student progress is also made annually to the neuroscience committee. In addition to the formal advising procedures outlined above, students are repeatedly encouraged to seek advice on career development from faculty members in the UCLA neuroscience community. Finally, an annual retreat serves the purpose of allowing informal and organized contacts between faculty and students, which provides further opportunity for advising.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Several subdisciplines are represented by large groups of faculty with common interests who closely interact with each other in a collaborative manner. A number of these clusters of faculty are represented as an area of specialty within the program, which we call a Focused Area of Research (FAR). The FARs currently available in the program are Addiction, Learning & Memory, Neural Development, Degeneration & Repair, Neuroendocrinology, Neurogenetics, Neuroimaging/Cognitive. Synapses, Cells & Circuits, Computational & Systems Neuroscience; and Neurotechnology.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Students are required to enroll full-time in a minimum of 12 units each quarter throughout graduate study, attend an annual program retreat and encouraged to attend the Joint Seminars in Neuroscience (JSN).

First-year students are required to complete the following core, literature and methods-based courses: Neuroscience 201, M202, M203, 205, 210ABC and 211A (211A may be taken during the second year). First-year students participate in three research training rotations, represented by enrolling in Neuro 596 in each term. In the first or second year, students take a course in scientific ethics, Neuro 207 or MIMG C234.

After the first-year, students are required to take one biostatistics or biomathematics course and eight units of advanced elective courses related to their research selected from a pre-approved list. Students can petition courses that are not on the pre-approved list. In addition, five graduate seminars in Neuroscience (i.e. Neuro 215) or research related fields. Neuro 215 may be repeated more than once to satisfy this requirement. The remaining units necessary for completion of the degree and to maintain student status are fulfilled through dissertation research (Neuro 599).

Teaching Experience

One quarter of teaching experience is required.  Students who enter the program through the MSTP and STAR Programs may teach but teaching is not a degree requirement.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

A written qualifying examination is required following completion of the core requirements, generally before the second year. The objective of this examination is to test the ability to relate knowledge in different neuroscience areas, to locate and interpret literature, and to apply research problems.

After passing the written qualifying examination, and after completion of coursework degree audit students, in consultation with the adviser, choose the doctoral committee to administer the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The doctoral committee members should meet the campus wide minimum standards for doctoral committees (effective Fall 2016).

The Oral Qualifying Examination should be completed no later than the end of the third year.  For the examination, students are expected to write a research proposal and orally present the outline of the proposal to their doctoral committee. This presentation usually takes between one and two hours. The written proposal should be no more than 10-pages and should follow the basic format of an NIH grant proposal focusing on an important question pertinent to the student’s field of study, with well-defined Aims, Significance, Innovation, and Experimental Design sections. Students should not have completed significant portions of the dissertation project at the time of the examination. Instead, the purpose of the exercise is for students to (1) formulate their plans in their own words; (2) become acquainted with the faculty committee; and (3) familiarize the committee with their projects at an early stage. The committee will either accept the proposal or suggest changes.  It is expected that the committee agree that completion of the proposed research will suffice for the conferral of a Ph.D.

Doctoral Committee Meetings

Students are expected to hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The yearly doctoral committee meetings provide additional interaction between the committee and the student and serve as an important barometer for the progress of the student’s research proposal since the University Oral Qualifying Examination. Each yearly meeting requires a written progress report (prepared jointly by the doctoral committee chair and the student) to monitor and track the student’s progress in their dissertation research and time-to-degree and to identify the critical experimental and intellectual issues that students need to address prior to their final defense of the dissertation.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

In general, overall progress toward the degree is accomplished with completion of the written qualifying examination by the beginning of the second year. It is recommended that students complete the University Oral Qualifying Examination by the end of spring quarter of the second year, and the examination must be completed no later than spring quarter of the third year. Students must hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination and before the Final Oral Examination (defense of the dissertation). The approved normative time-to-degree is 18 quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	6	18	21

Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A student must receive at least a B- in each core course or repeat the course. A student who receives three B- grades in the core courses, who fails all or part of the written or oral qualifying examinations two times (if the student fails all or part of the written qualifying examination the Written Qualifying Examination Committee determines the form of reexamination), or who fails to maintain minimum progress may be recommended for academic disqualification by vote of the entire interdepartmental degree committee. A student may appeal a recommendation for academic disqualification in writing to the interdepartmental degree committee and may personally present additional or mitigating information to the committee, in person or in writing.

Applicable only to students admitted during the 2024-2025 academic year.

Neuroscience

Interdepartmental Program
School of Medicine

Graduate Degrees

The Neuroscience Program offers the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Neuroscience.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

None.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

The Neuroscience program provides a comprehensive system of advising for students throughout their graduate studies. During orientation, the advising committee and program chair meet with new students to review the first-year requirements in general terms. Throughout the term, students are expected to meet individually with the chair or other members of the advising committee to identify faculty whose research is closest to their own interests and who would be most appropriate for laboratory rotations. At the end of the fall term, the entire advising committee meets informally with the first-year students to field questions that have come up after their initial entry into the program. In subsequent quarters, students’ enrollment and performance in core courses and laboratory rotations are closely monitored and, as the need arises, students are counseled individually by the advising chair. At the end of spring quarter of the first year, students are required to submit a Faculty Mentor Approval Form (co-signed by the mentor) to the advising committee, which meets to consider the choice of mentor and the ability of the faculty to serve in this capacity.

The advising program continues after each student has chosen a faculty research mentor. Every year students receive a memorandum outlining current requirements (for example, course electives, the written and oral qualifying examinations and midstream seminar). The advising committee also meets every year to discuss the progress of all students and identify potential problems. The committee then sends each student a letter that assesses their current progress in the program and makes specific recommendations as needed. An overall assessment of student progress is also made annually to the neuroscience committee. In addition to the formal advising procedures outlined above, students are repeatedly encouraged to seek advice on career development from faculty members in the UCLA neuroscience community. Finally, an annual retreat serves the purpose of allowing informal and organized contacts between faculty and students, which provides further opportunity for advising.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Several subdisciplines are represented by large groups of faculty with common interests who closely interact with each other in a collaborative manner. A number of these clusters of faculty are represented as an area of specialty within the program, which we call a Focused Area of Research (FAR). The FARs currently available in the program are Addiction, Learning & Memory, Neural Development, Degeneration & Repair, Neuroendocrinology, Neurogenetics, Neuroimaging/Cognitive. Synapses, Cells & Circuits, Computational & Systems Neuroscience; and Neurotechnology.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Students are required to enroll full-time in a minimum of 12 units each quarter throughout graduate study, attend an annual program retreat and encouraged to attend the Joint Seminars in Neuroscience (JSN).

First-year students are required to complete the following core, literature and methods-based courses: Neuroscience 201, M202, M203, 205, 210ABC and 211A (211A may be taken during the second year). First-year students participate in three research training rotations, represented by enrolling in Neuro 596 in each term. In the first or second year, students take a course in scientific ethics, Neuro 207 or MIMG C234.

After the first-year, students are required to take one biostatistics or biomathematics course and eight units of advanced elective courses related to their research selected from a pre-approved list. Students can petition courses that are not on the pre-approved list. In addition, five graduate seminars in Neuroscience (i.e. Neuro 215) or research related fields. Neuro 215 may be repeated more than once to satisfy this requirement. The remaining units necessary for completion of the degree and to maintain student status are fulfilled through dissertation research (Neuro 599).

Teaching Experience

One quarter of teaching experience is required.  Students who enter the program through the MSTP and STAR Programs may teach but teaching is not a degree requirement.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

A written qualifying examination is required following completion of the core requirements, generally before the second year. The objective of this examination is to test the ability to relate knowledge in different neuroscience areas, to locate and interpret literature, and to apply research problems.

After passing the written qualifying examination, and after completion of coursework degree audit students, in consultation with the adviser, choose the doctoral committee to administer the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The doctoral committee members should meet the campus wide minimum standards for doctoral committees (effective Fall 2016).

The Oral Qualifying Examination should be completed no later than the end of the third year.  For the examination, students are expected to write a research proposal and orally present the outline of the proposal to their doctoral committee. This presentation usually takes between one and two hours. The written proposal should be no more than 10-pages and should follow the basic format of an NIH grant proposal focusing on an important question pertinent to the student’s field of study, with well-defined Aims, Significance, Innovation, and Experimental Design sections. Students should not have completed significant portions of the dissertation project at the time of the examination. Instead, the purpose of the exercise is for students to (1) formulate their plans in their own words; (2) become acquainted with the faculty committee; and (3) familiarize the committee with their projects at an early stage. The committee will either accept the proposal or suggest changes.  It is expected that the committee agree that completion of the proposed research will suffice for the conferral of a Ph.D.

Doctoral Committee Meetings

Students are expected to hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The yearly doctoral committee meetings provide additional interaction between the committee and the student and serve as an important barometer for the progress of the student’s research proposal since the University Oral Qualifying Examination. Each yearly meeting requires a written progress report (prepared jointly by the doctoral committee chair and the student) to monitor and track the student’s progress in their dissertation research and time-to-degree and to identify the critical experimental and intellectual issues that students need to address prior to their final defense of the dissertation.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

In general, overall progress toward the degree is accomplished with completion of the written qualifying examination by the beginning of the second year. It is recommended that students complete the University Oral Qualifying Examination by the end of spring quarter of the second year, and the examination must be completed no later than spring quarter of the third year. Students must hold doctoral committee meetings each year after the University Oral Qualifying Examination and before the Final Oral Examination (defense of the dissertation). The approved normative time-to-degree is 18 quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	6	18	21

Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A student must receive at least a B- in each core course or repeat the course. A student who receives three B- grades in the core courses, who fails all or part of the written or oral qualifying examinations two times (if the student fails all or part of the written qualifying examination the Written Qualifying Examination Committee determines the form of reexamination), or who fails to maintain minimum progress may be recommended for academic disqualification by vote of the entire interdepartmental degree committee. A student may appeal a recommendation for academic disqualification in writing to the interdepartmental degree committee and may personally present additional or mitigating information to the committee, in person or in writing.