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

Integrative Biology and Physiology

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology offers the Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Physiological Science.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

Students are responsible for becoming acquainted with the departmental faculty and for identifying at the time of application a potential research mentor. Students form an advisory committee by the end of the first quarter of academic residence. Advisory committee membership consists of the research mentor and two or more regular series faculty, one of whom must hold an appointment within the department.

Areas of Study

Consult the department.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Students are required to complete nine courses (36 units), including a second level statistics or research design course approved by the department, a four-unit graduate-level didactic course in molecular biology, Integrative Biology and Physiology 289A-289B, and Integrative Biology and Physiology 270A-270B. Prior completion of Integrative Biology and Physiology 111A-111B (or equivalent) is highly recommended. Should students elect not to take 111A-111B, students must satisfy the physiology course requirement by taking two upper division electives from the pre-approved course list. Consult the department’s SAO for a detailed course list. A minimum of six (24 units) of the nine courses must be graduate level (200-series) courses, toward which two letter-graded 596 courses may be applied. Elective course work is selected by the student and the student’s research mentor, with approval by the graduate affairs committee. All course work must be completed by the end of the second year. Integrative Biology and Physiology 598 may not be applied toward any of the course requirements for the degree. There is no limit on the number of times a master’s student may enroll in course 598.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone 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.

Successful completion of the thesis plan requires completion of the required course work, selected by the student and the student’s research mentor, with approval of the student’s advisory (thesis) committee and the graduate affairs committee, and a master’s thesis. The student advisory (thesis) committee is formed by the end of the first quarter following matriculation and consists of the student’s research mentor from the department and two or more regular series faculty, at least one of whom must hold an appointment in the department.

Students complete a master’s thesis based on original laboratory research in a specific area of physiology. If students have made a good faith effort to complete a laboratory research project but are unable to do so because of circumstances beyond their control, they may petition the Graduate Affairs Committee for approval to submit a non-laboratory research thesis. Approval is granted only under exceptional circumstances. Non-laboratory theses are based on the study of the primary research literature in a current question in modern physiology. Students who are granted approval to submit a non-laboratory thesis are required to make an oral presentation of the thesis topic to the advisory (thesis) committee.

With advisory (thesis) committee approval, students may submit either a thesis or a thesis based on a manuscript that is suitable for publication.

Time-to-Degree

Normal progress from graduate admission to completion of the required course work, is three to four quarters plus an additional one to three quarters for completion of the thesis. If preparation course work is necessary, as much as three additional quarters may be required. Students are normally expected to complete all requirements for the master’s degree within seven quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.S.	7	7	9

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

The Graduate Affairs Committee reviews the records of probationary students and may recommend termination, continuation on contract, or continuation on warning. A student may appeal a recommendation for termination to the Graduate Affairs Committee only with the support of a faculty adviser.

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

Materials Science and Engineering

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Materials Science and Engineering.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

Each department in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has a graduate adviser. A current list of graduate advisers can be obtained from the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, 6426 Boelter Hall, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Students are assigned a faculty adviser upon admission to the School. Advisers may be changed upon written request from the student. All HSSEAS faculty serve as advisers.

Provisionally admitted students meet with the program adviser upon matriculation to plan a course of study to remove any deficiencies.

New students should arrange an appointment as early as possible with the faculty adviser to plan the proposed program of study toward the M.S. or Ph.D. degree. Continuing students are required to confer with the adviser or the Students Affairs Officer (SAO) during the time of enrollment each quarter so that progress can be assessed and the study list approved.

Based on the quarterly transcripts, student records are reviewed at the end of each quarter by the departmental graduate adviser and Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Special attention is given if students were admitted provisionally or are on probation. If their progress is unsatisfactory, students are informed of this in writing by the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

Students are strongly urged to consult with the departmental SAO and/or the Office of Academic and Student Affairs regarding procedures, requirements and on the implementation of policies. In particular, advice should be sought on advancement to candidacy for the M.S. degree, on the procedures for taking Ph.D. written and oral examinations, and on the use of the Filing Fee.

Students in the M.S. program may petition to change to the Ph.D. program, after completing M.S courses requirements, if they have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 and pass the Ph.D. preliminary examination.  The student should consult the MSE student affairs officer for details.

Areas of Study

There are three main areas in the M.S. program: ceramics and ceramic processing; electronic and optical materials; and structural materials. Students may specialize in any one of the three areas, although most students are more interested in a broader education and select a variety of courses. Basically, students select courses which serve their interests best in regard to thesis research and job prospects.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Thesis Plan. Nine courses (36 units) are required, of which six (24 units) must be graduate courses. These courses are to be selected from the following lists, although suitable substitutions can be made from other engineering disciplines or from chemistry and physics with the approval of the departmental graduate adviser. Two of the six graduate courses may be Materials Science and Engineering 598 (thesis research). The remaining three courses in the total course requirement may be upper division courses.

Capstone Plan (comprehensive exam or capstone project). Nine courses (36 units), six (24 units) of which must be MSE graduate courses, selected from the following lists with the same provisions listed under the thesis plan. Three of the nine courses may be upper division courses.

Ceramics and ceramic processing: Materials Science and Engineering 121, 122, 143A, 151, 161, 162, 200, 201, 210, C211, 246D, 298.

Electronic and optical materials: Materials Science and Engineering 121, 122, 143A, 151, 161, 162, 200, 201, 210, C211, 221, 222, 223, 298.

Structural materials: Materials Science and Engineering 121, 122, 143A, 151, 161, 162, 200, 201, 210, C211, 243A, 243C, 250B, 298.

As long as a majority of the courses taken are offered by the department, substitutions may be made with the consent of the departmental graduate adviser.

Undergraduate Courses. No lower division courses may be applied toward graduate degrees. In addition, the following upper division courses are not applicable toward graduate degrees: Chemical Engineering M102A, 199; Civil Engineering 106A, 108, 199; Computer Science M152A, M152B, M171L, 199; Electrical Engineering 100, 101, 102, 103, 110L, M116L, M171L, 199; Materials Science and Engineering 104, 110, 120, 130, 131, 131L, 132, 140, 141L, 150, 160, 161L, 199; Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 102, 103, 105A, 105D, 199.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

Option 1: Comprehensive Exam

The comprehensive examination is offered during each academic quarter in written format. The student must pass five of six questions offered separately from six of the MSE course subjects selected by the student. Students are required to submit a written request which includes the courses the student has taken and wishes to have as part of the exam.  If the comprehensive examination is failed, the student may be reexamined once with the consent of the graduate adviser.

Option 2: Capstone Project

The Materials Science and Engineering M.S. capstone project provides an opportunity for students to culminate their M.S. studies by combining ideas from their prior course work with their own additional research.  The project is expected to help students to polish their expertise in an area that is especially relevant to their career.  A successful capstone project will combine academic knowledge, research, and professional skills into a coherent final product.  The student will define a capstone project in under the guidance of an MSE faculty member (any rank) or MSE Faculty Emeritus (any rank) and demonstrate competency in project design and management skills, written presentation of complex ideas, and analytical and creative thinking.

A capstone project differs from an MS thesis as the capstone project does not requiring original research.  Instead, the capstone should aim to demonstrate the ability to apply what was learned in the MS courses to a problem in materials science and engineering utilizing original analysis (qualitative, quantitative, or both) of a specific situation, to advance expert understanding of the topic.

The capstone project will be evaluated by three MSE department faculty members: (1) Student faculty adviser, (2) MSE Chair/or Vice –Chair of Graduate Studies, and (3) Another MSE faculty member chosen by the student.  The capstone project document length is expected to range from thirty to forty pages, including text, figures, and references using the same style guidelines as required for an M.S. or Ph.D. research thesis.  The project is expected to be completed in the quarter after M.S advancement to candidacy is approved.

Once the student’s adviser has provided some feedback on the project report, the student should furnish each member of the committee with a copy of the capstone project at least twenty calendar days prior to the due date.  Sufficient time must be allowed for the student to interact with the committee members to incorporate changes, if necessary, before delivering the final version to the Department Student Affairs Office.  If the capstone project is failed, the student may resubmit once with the consent of the graduate adviser.

The following guidelines are to be used for the capstone project report.

• Describe the professional issue of interest — explain what is to be addressed.
• Address the significance of the project
• Provide a literature background–enough description of prior knowledge for readers to understand what the nature of the project and what is known.
• A description of the project, which could be theoretical, analytical, computational, and/or experimental.
• The analysis and results of the project (this should be the main body of the project). Students are encouraged to base the structure of the capstone project on past outstanding examples of successful projects as determined by the student faculty adviser.

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.

In addition to the course requirements, students are required to write a thesis on a research topic in material science and engineering supervised by the thesis adviser. An M.S. thesis committee reviews and approves the thesis. Master’s committees consist of a minimum of three faculty members from UCLA – the faculty adviser as chair and two other faculty members. One of the three may be faculty from other UCLA departments. Members must hold one of the following academic ranks: Professor (any rank, regular series), Professor Emeritus, Adjunct Professor (any rank), Professor-in-Residence (any rank) or Acting Professor (any rank).

Time-to-Degree

The average length of time for students in the M.S. program is six academic quarters. The maximum time allowed for completing the M.S. degree is nine academic quarters from the time of admission to the M.S. program in the School.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.S.	5	6	9

Doctoral Degree

Advising

Each department in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has a graduate adviser. A current list of graduate advisers can be obtained from the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, 6426 Boelter Hall, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Students are assigned a faculty adviser upon admission to the School. Advisers may be changed upon written request from the student. All HSSEAS faculty serve as advisers.

Provisionally admitted students meet with the program adviser upon matriculation to plan a course of study to remedy any deficiencies.

New students should arrange an appointment as early as possible with the faculty adviser to plan the proposed program of study toward the Ph.D. degree. Continuing students are required to confer with the adviser and the Student Affairs Officer (SAO) during the time of enrollment of each quarter so that progress can be assessed and the study list approved.

Based on the quarterly transcripts, student records are reviewed at the end of each quarter by the departmental graduate adviser and Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Special attention is given if students were admitted provisionally or are on probation. If their progress is unsatisfactory, students are informed of this in writing by the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

Students are strongly urged to consult with the departmental SAO and/or the Office of Academic and Student Affairs regarding procedures, requirements and on the implementation of the policies. In particular, advice should be sought on the procedures for taking Ph.D. written and oral examinations, and on the use of the filing fee.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Ceramics and ceramic processing; electronic and optical materials; structural materials.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

There is no formal course requirement for the Ph.D. degree, and one may substitute course work by examinations. Students take courses to acquire the knowledge needed for the written and oral preliminary examinations.  The basic program of study for the Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering is built around one major field and one minor field. The major field has a scope corresponding to a body of knowledge contained in six Materials Science graduate courses,  plus the current literature in the area of specialization and three required directed individual study and research courses – MSE 597B, 597C and 599.  Students must also demonstrate their knowledge of the various areas of materials science. This can be satisfied by taking 3 quarters of MSE 282. The major fields named above are described in a Ph.D. major field syllabus, each of which can be obtained in the department office. The minor field normally embraces a body of knowledge equivalent to three courses, at least two of which have to be  graduate courses and one of which can be an undergraduate course (upper division level), or a pre-existing M.S. degree. Grades of B- or better, with a grade-point average of at least 3.33 in all courses including the minor field, are required. If the student fails to satisfy the minor field requirements through course work, a minor field examination may be taken (once only). The minor field is chosen to support the major field and is usually a subset of the major field.

For information on completing the Engineer degree, see Engineering Schoolwide Programs in Program Requirements for UCLA Graduate Degrees.

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.

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

Oral Preliminary Examination

During the first four quarters of full-time enrollment the Ph.D. graduate program,  students must take the Oral Preliminary Examination.  This examination is based on topics in six areas:  Diffusion & Phase Transformation; Electronic Properties; General Materials Science; Thermodynamics; Characterization; and Mechanical Properties which encompasses the body of knowledge in Materials Science at the level equivalent to that required for a B.S. degree.   A student chooses five of the topics.  Students must pass four out of the five subjects they choose to take for the examination.  If the student does not pass the exam, the exam must be retaken within two academic quarters.  If the student fails the exam for a second time, the student will be recommended for Academic Disqualification from the Ph.D. program.

Oral Qualifying Examination

The University Oral Qualifying Examination is taken after passing the Preliminary Oral Examination, after enrollment in four quarters of academic registration, and after completion of the course requirements. The nature and content of the examination are at the discretion of the doctoral committee, but ordinarily include a broad inquiry into the student’s preparation for research. Students must schedule the qualifying examination within the first seven academic quarters in the Ph.D. program.

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

The normative Time-to-Degree from admission to graduate status (includes M.S. degree) to award of the Ph.D. degree is fifteen academic quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	7	15	24

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 recommendation for termination is reviewed by the school’s Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

Master’s

In addition to the standard reasons noted above, a student may be recommended for termination for

(1) Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 in all courses and in those in the 200 series.

(2) Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 in any two consecutive terms.

(3) Failure of the comprehensive examination.

(4) Failure to complete the thesis to the satisfaction of the committee members.

(5) Failure to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree within the three-year time limit for completing all degree requirements.

Doctoral

In addition to the standard reasons noted above, a student may be recommended for termination for

(1) Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.25 in all courses and in any two consecutive quarters.

(2) Failure of the preliminary examination.

(3) Failure of attaining a grade point average of 3.33 in the minor field course work.

(4) Failure of the oral qualifying examination.

(5 ) Failure of the final oral examination (defense of the dissertation).

(6 ) Failure to obtain permission to repeat an examination from an examining committee.

(7 ) Failure to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree within the specified time limits.

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

Linguistics

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

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

The program as a whole is intended to lead to a Ph.D. degree, and admits only applicants who have this goal. Internally, however, the program consists of two stages, an M.A. stage and a Ph.D. stage. To receive the Ph.D. students must complete the requirements of both stages.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

For the majority of the first year, the adviser for all students is the department’s Director of Graduate Studies. First-year students enrolled under either the Capstone Plan or Thesis Plan are required to nominate a Summer Guidance Advisor for the summer after their first year by Week 8 of their third quarter (Year 1 Spring quarter). Second-year students are required to nominate an MA chair by Week 8 of their fourth quarter (Year 2 Fall quarter), and the rest of their MA committee by Week 2 of their fifth quarter (Year 2 Winter quarter). The MA committee composition is subject to the agreement of the committee members and approval of the Department Chair or their delegate.

The student’s adviser is responsible for approving a quarterly Study List submitted to the department, and more generally for guiding the student’s academic progress. Students may have two co-advisers instead of one adviser, either of who may sign the study list.

First-year students are evaluated by the faculty for satisfactory performance at the beginning of Spring Quarter, and are notified of the results of the evaluation. They may be evaluated again at the end of Spring Quarter, at the department’s discretion. All other students undergo an annual evaluation at the end of the academic year, and are notified of the results.

Areas of Study

Consult the department.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

The master’s degree requires the completion, with a B average or better, of nine courses (36 units) in linguistics. All students are required to take Linguistics 200A, 200B, 200C and two of 201A, 201B, 201C.  Students also must take one course chosen from Linguistics 204C, 209A, 213A, 213B, 213C, 217, or 236. The remaining three courses must be chosen from Linguistics 201A, 201B, 201C, 202 through 209C, 211 through 216, 218, 219, 239, 244, 104, 111 or 140. All second-year students must take Linguistics 444.

The following undergraduate courses or the equivalent are prerequisite to graduate courses in the corresponding areas: Linguistics 103, 110, 120A, and 120B. Linguistics 103, or an examination in practical phonetics, must be completed with a grade of B or better as a prerequisite to Linguistics 210A, a required course for the doctoral degree that may be taken at the master’s stage of the program.

A student may petition to apply up to a maximum of two courses toward the master’s degree that were completed with grades of B or better at institutions outside the University of California and not used toward another degree.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

The department’s capstone plan exists in two forms, one with an oral examination requirement, and one with a writing requirement.

Oral Examination Requirement. This version of the Capstone Plan is available to three classes of students: (1) undergraduates who are enrolled for an M.A. degree in the Department Scholar Program; (2) graduate students who have not already received a linguistics M.A. degree elsewhere, and have chosen not to continue in the graduate program past the M.A. level; (3) graduate students who have not already received a linguistics M.A. degree elsewhere, and, by faculty vote, will not be permitted to continue beyond the M.A. level.

To receive the degree under the Oral Examination Requirement version of the Capstone Plan, students must satisfy the course requirements for the M.A. degree, and must in addition pass an oral examination, general in scope, one hour in length, and administered by a committee of three faculty appointed by the Department Chair or his/her delegate. In addition, M.A. students under the Capstone Plan must file a Petition for Advancement to Candidacy form by the third week of the quarter during which they expect to receive the degree.

Writing requirement. This version of the Capstone Plan is available to all graduate students who are in the M.A. stage of the program. To satisfy the requirements of this plan, students must complete all required M.A. level course work, and must also complete a substantial research paper. This paper is written under the direction of a committee of three faculty which is appointed by the Department Chair in consultation with the student. The committee shall consist of a chair, or two co-chairs, plus additional members to make a total of three. The M.A. paper should demonstrate the student’s ability to perform original, independent research.

The M.A. paper is evaluated as either Acceptable or Unacceptable; an Acceptable paper is required in order to satisfy the requirements of the Writing Requirement version of the Capstone Plan. In addition, the quality of the M.A. paper is a key element in the faculty’s decision whether to advance the student into the Ph.D. stage of the program; see “Doctoral Degree” below.

The normal deadline for the M.A. paper is as follows. Copies of the paper, complete and clearly legible but not necessarily in final form, must be given to the committee and the Student Affairs Officer at least two weeks before the last day of classes of the sixth quarter in the program. M.A. students must file a Petition for Advancement to Candidacy form early in the quarter during which they expect to receive the degree.

M.A. students under either version of the Capstone Plan must file a Petition for Advancement to Candidacy form early in the quarter during which they expect to receive the degree.

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 Thesis Plan is available to all graduate students who are in the M.A. stage of the program, but have not already received an M.A. in linguistics elsewhere. To satisfy the requirements of this plan, students must complete all required M.A. level course work, and must also complete an M.A thesis. This thesis is written under the direction of a committee of three faculty which is appointed by the Department Chair in consultation with the student. The committee shall consist of a chair, or two co-chairs, plus additional members to make a total of three. The M.A. thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to perform original, independent research.

In addition, M.A. students under the Thesis Plan must file a Petition for Advancement to Candidacy form early in the quarter during which they expect to receive the degree.

The M.A. thesis is evaluated as either Acceptable or Unacceptable; an Acceptable thesis is required in order to receive an M.A. degree under the Thesis Plan. In addition, the quality of the M.A. thesis is a key element in the faculty’s decision whether to advance the student into the Ph.D. stage of the program; see “Doctoral Degree” below.

The normal deadline for the M.A. thesis is as follows. Copies of the thesis, complete and clearly legible but not necessarily in final form, must be given to the committee and the Student Affairs Officer at least two weeks before the last day of classes of the sixth quarter in the program. M.A. students must file a Petition for Advancement to Candidacy form early in the quarter during which they expect to receive the degree.

Time-to-Degree

Six quarters is considered the normative time to complete the M.A.-level portion of the program. The Department Chair or his/her delegate may authorize in advance one additional quarter of study in order complete experimental work or field work; as well as additional quarters to complete deficiency courses. Allowances to normative and maximum time-to-degree may be made to make up deficiencies due to approved Leaves of Absence.

A student who does not complete the M.A. stage of the program in seven quarters, excluding quarters needed to make up deficiencies and quarters of approved leave of absence, is subject to a recommendation for academic disqualification.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.A.	5	6	7

Doctoral Degree

At the stage they have completed all of the requirements for the M.A. stage of the program, including an M.A. paper or thesis, students are considered by faculty for further advancement through the Ph.D. stage of the program. This vote will be based on consideration of the student’s entire record, including the M.A. paper or thesis. If this vote is negative, the student will be considered not to be making normative progress and will be recommended for dismissal. A student who completes the M.A. portion of the program but who is denied admission into the Ph.D. program will not be permitted to continue to register beyond the end of the academic year in which the M.A. degree is awarded.

Advising

Students are required to formally nominate a doctoral committee prior to the oral qualifying examination. The chair of the doctoral committee is the primary adviser at this stage, is the person responsible for signing the student’s quarterly Study List, and provides intellectual guidance and advice in the student’s area of interest. It is permitted for students to have two co-chairs, either of whom may sign the student’s Study List. Students are encouraged to consult the department’s director of graduate studies at any time and for any academic advice or purpose.

All students in the Ph.D. stage of the program undergo an annual evaluation at the end of the academic year, and are notified of the results.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Students may specialize in syntax, semantics, phonology, phonetics, language change, typology, psycholinguistics, computational linguistics, and many language areas, notably African languages and American Indian languages. Other specializations may be possible, depending on the availability of faculty expertise.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

All doctoral degree students must satisfy the requirements of the M.A. stage of the program, as described above. In addition, doctoral students must take 36 units of additional graduate course work, which must include Linguistics 210A, 210B, and eight units in an area distinct from that of the student’s major area of concentration. If Linguistic 210A and 210B have already been taken at the M.A. stage of the program, other courses must be taken to satisfy the 36-unit requirement. The 36 units may not include Linguistics 275 (colloquium), any 300- or 400-level course, 597, or 599. Of the 36 units, no more than 12 units may be in Linguistics 596A. A maximum of four two-unit seminars may be included in the 36 units. Normative time to complete these 36 units is by the end of the 10th quarter of graduate study.

In the tenth quarter of doctoral study, students are required to meet in a dissertation prospectus meeting with the appointed doctoral committee to discuss the topic of the dissertation research, and the background necessary to pursue it. A written prospectus of the dissertation is to be submitted to the doctoral committee, with a copy for the departmental file, at least one month prior to this meeting. Following the meeting, the doctoral committee is to report, via a departmental form, to the department that the filed prospectus is satisfactory, and that the student has completed the required 36 units of post-master’s course work.

Students who fail to provide an approved prospectus and/or complete the required 36 units of post-master’s course work by the end of the tenth quarter may be subject to academic disqualification, and may not be eligible for departmental teaching assistantships or fellowships.

At some point in time, some of the results of the student’s research must be presented at a meeting of the Department of Linguistics Colloquium. This presentation is a requirement for the degree.

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.

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

In order to be advanced to candidacy, the student is required to prepare and submit one substantive research paper. Normally, this paper will be the M.A. thesis or M.A. paper written earlier during the M.A. stage of the program.

The University Oral Qualifying Examination is administered by the doctoral committee. Students must satisfactorily complete this examination and advance to candidacy no later than the tenth quarter of graduate study. This examination may coincide with the prospectus meeting.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy and awarded the Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree 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 with no deficiencies upon admission to graduate study in the department should be able to complete requirements for the doctoral degree in 15 academic quarters (five calendar years). The normative time-to-degree cannot be changed, but allowances to normative and maximum time-to-degree may be made to make up for deficiencies due to approved leaves of absence. The maximum time limit for the doctoral degree from the first quarter of graduate study in the department is seven years.

In addition, there are departmental policies that link progress through the program to financial support. These policies are based on the normative times for advancement through the program, not on the absolute limits mentioned above.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	10	15	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 who does not complete the M.A. degree in seven quarters, excluding quarters needed to make up deficiencies and quarters of approved leave of absence, is subject to a recommendation for academic disqualification. Any student who has not completed the M.A. degree in three years and one quarter is subject to a recommendation for academic disqualification. A student who completes the M.A. degree but who is denied admission into the Ph.D. program will not be permitted to continue to register beyond the end of the academic year in which the M.A. degree is awarded.

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

Integrative Biology and Physiology

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology offers the Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Physiological Science.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

Students are responsible for becoming acquainted with the departmental faculty and for identifying at the time of application a potential research mentor. Students form an advisory committee by the end of the first quarter of academic residence. Advisory committee membership consists of the research mentor and two or more regular series faculty, one of whom must hold an appointment within the department.

Areas of Study

Consult the department.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Students are required to complete nine courses (36 units), including a second level statistics or research design course approved by the department, a four-unit graduate-level didactic course in molecular biology, Integrative Biology and Physiology 289A-289B, and Integrative Biology and Physiology 270A-270B. Prior completion of Integrative Biology and Physiology 111A-111B (or equivalent) is highly recommended. Should students elect not to take 111A-111B, students must satisfy the physiology course requirement by taking two upper division electives from the pre-approved course list. Consult the department’s SAO for a detailed course list. A minimum of six (24 units) of the nine courses must be graduate level (200-series) courses, toward which two letter-graded 596 courses may be applied. Elective course work is selected by the student and the student’s research mentor, with approval by the graduate affairs committee. All course work must be completed by the end of the second year. Integrative Biology and Physiology 598 may not be applied toward any of the course requirements for the degree. There is no limit on the number of times a master’s student may enroll in course 598.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone 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.

Successful completion of the thesis plan requires completion of the required course work, selected by the student and the student’s research mentor, with approval of the student’s advisory (thesis) committee and the graduate affairs committee, and a master’s thesis. The student advisory (thesis) committee is formed by the end of the first quarter following matriculation and consists of the student’s research mentor from the department and two or more regular series faculty, at least one of whom must hold an appointment in the department.

Students complete a master’s thesis based on original laboratory research in a specific area of physiology. If students have made a good faith effort to complete a laboratory research project but are unable to do so because of circumstances beyond their control, they may petition the Graduate Affairs Committee for approval to submit a non-laboratory research thesis. Approval is granted only under exceptional circumstances. Non-laboratory theses are based on the study of the primary research literature in a current question in modern physiology. Students who are granted approval to submit a non-laboratory thesis are required to make an oral presentation of the thesis topic to the advisory (thesis) committee.

With advisory (thesis) committee approval, students may submit either a thesis or a thesis based on a manuscript that is suitable for publication.

Time-to-Degree

Normal progress from graduate admission to completion of the required course work, is three to four quarters plus an additional one to three quarters for completion of the thesis. If preparation course work is necessary, as much as three additional quarters may be required. Students are normally expected to complete all requirements for the master’s degree within seven quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.S.	7	7	9

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

The Graduate Affairs Committee reviews the records of probationary students and may recommend termination, continuation on contract, or continuation on warning. A student may appeal a recommendation for termination to the Graduate Affairs Committee only with the support of a faculty adviser.

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

Materials Science and Engineering

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Materials Science and Engineering.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

Each department in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has a graduate adviser. A current list of graduate advisers can be obtained from the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, 6426 Boelter Hall, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Students are assigned a faculty adviser upon admission to the School. Advisers may be changed upon written request from the student. All HSSEAS faculty serve as advisers.

Provisionally admitted students meet with the program adviser upon matriculation to plan a course of study to remove any deficiencies.

New students should arrange an appointment as early as possible with the faculty adviser to plan the proposed program of study toward the M.S. or Ph.D. degree. Continuing students are required to confer with the adviser or the Students Affairs Officer (SAO) during the time of enrollment each quarter so that progress can be assessed and the study list approved.

Based on the quarterly transcripts, student records are reviewed at the end of each quarter by the departmental graduate adviser and Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Special attention is given if students were admitted provisionally or are on probation. If their progress is unsatisfactory, students are informed of this in writing by the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

Students are strongly urged to consult with the departmental SAO and/or the Office of Academic and Student Affairs regarding procedures, requirements and on the implementation of policies. In particular, advice should be sought on advancement to candidacy for the M.S. degree, on the procedures for taking Ph.D. written and oral examinations, and on the use of the Filing Fee.

Students in the M.S. program may petition to change to the Ph.D. program, after completing M.S courses requirements, if they have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 and pass the Ph.D. preliminary examination.  The student should consult the MSE student affairs officer for details.

Areas of Study

There are five main areas in the M.S. program: ceramics and ceramic processing; electronic and optical materials; structural materials; soft materials; and computational materials science. Students may specialize in any one of the five areas, although most students are more interested in a broader education and select a variety of courses. Basically, students select courses which serve their interests best in regard to thesis research and job prospects.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Thesis Plan. Nine courses (36 units) are required, of which six (24 units) must be graduate courses. These courses are to be selected from the following lists, although suitable substitutions can be made from other engineering disciplines or from chemistry and physics with the approval of the departmental graduate adviser. Two of the six graduate courses may be Materials Science and Engineering 598 (thesis research). The remaining three courses in the total course requirement may be upper division courses.

Capstone Plan. Nine courses, six of which must be graduate courses, selected from the following lists with the same provisions listed under the thesis plan. Three of the nine courses may be upper division courses.

Ceramics and ceramic processing: Materials Science and Engineering 121, 122, 143A, 151, 161, 162, 200, 201, 210, C211, 246D, 298.

Electronic and optical materials: Materials Science and Engineering 121, 122, 143A, 151, 161, 162, 200, 201, 210, C211, 221, 222, 223, 298.

Structural materials: Materials Science and Engineering 121, 122, 143A, 151, 161, 162, 200, 201, 210, C211, 243A, 243C, 250B, 298.

Soft materials: Materials Science and Engineering 121, 122, 143A, 251, 252, 253, CM280, 298.

Computational materials science: Materials Science and Engineering 121, 143A, 262, 270, 271, 272, 298.
As long as a majority of the courses taken are offered by the department, substitutions may be made with the consent of the departmental graduate adviser.

Undergraduate Courses. No lower division courses may be applied toward graduate degrees. In addition, the following upper division courses are not applicable toward graduate degrees: Chemical Engineering M102A, 199; Civil Engineering 106A, 108, 199; Computer Science M152A, M152B, M171L, 199; Electrical Engineering 100, 101, 102, 103, 110L, M116L, M171L, 199; Materials Science and Engineering 104, 110, 120, 130, 131, 131L, 132, 140, 141L, 150, 160, 161L, 199; Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 102, 103, 105A, 105D, 199.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

Option 1: Comprehensive Exam

The comprehensive examination is offered during each academic quarter in written format. The student must pass five of six questions offered separately from six of the MSE course subjects selected by the student. Students are required to submit a written request which includes the courses the student has taken and wishes to have as part of the exam.  If the comprehensive examination is failed, the student may be reexamined once with the consent of the graduate adviser.

Option 2: Capstone Project

The Materials Science and Engineering M.S. capstone project provides an opportunity for students to culminate their M.S. studies by combining ideas from their prior course work with their own additional research.  The project is expected to help students to polish their expertise in an area that is especially relevant to their career.  A successful capstone project will combine academic knowledge, research, and professional skills into a coherent final product.  The student will define a capstone project in under the guidance of an MSE faculty member (any rank) or MSE Faculty Emeritus (any rank) and demonstrate competency in project design and management skills, written presentation of complex ideas, and analytical and creative thinking.

A capstone project differs from an MS thesis as the capstone project does not requiring original research.  Instead, the capstone should aim to demonstrate the ability to apply what was learned in the MS courses to a problem in materials science and engineering utilizing original analysis (qualitative, quantitative, or both) of a specific situation, to advance expert understanding of the topic.

The capstone project will be evaluated by three MSE department faculty members: (1) Student faculty adviser, (2) MSE Chair/or Vice –Chair of Graduate Studies, and (3) Another MSE faculty member chosen by the student.  The capstone project document length is expected to range from thirty to forty pages, including text, figures, and references using the same style guidelines as required for an M.S. or Ph.D. research thesis.  The project is expected to be completed in the quarter after M.S advancement to candidacy is approved.

Once the student’s adviser has provided some feedback on the project report, the student should furnish each member of the committee with a copy of the capstone project at least twenty calendar days prior to the due date.  Sufficient time must be allowed for the student to interact with the committee members to incorporate changes, if necessary, before delivering the final version to the Department Student Affairs Office.  If the capstone project is failed, the student may resubmit once with the consent of the graduate adviser.

The following guidelines are to be used for the capstone project report.

• Describe the professional issue of interest — explain what is to be addressed.
• Address the significance of the project
• Provide a literature background–enough description of prior knowledge for readers to understand what the nature of the project and what is known.
• A description of the project, which could be theoretical, analytical, computational, and/or experimental.
• The analysis and results of the project (this should be the main body of the project). Students are encouraged to base the structure of the capstone project on past outstanding examples of successful projects as determined by the student faculty adviser.

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.

In addition to the course requirements, students are required to write a thesis on a research topic in material science and engineering supervised by the thesis adviser. An M.S. thesis committee reviews and approves the thesis. Master’s committees consist of a minimum of three faculty members from UCLA – the faculty adviser as chair and two other faculty members. One of the three may be faculty from other UCLA departments. Members must hold one of the following academic ranks: Professor (any rank, regular series), Professor Emeritus, Adjunct Professor (any rank), Professor-in-Residence (any rank) or Acting Professor (any rank).

Time-to-Degree

The average length of time for students in the M.S. program is six academic quarters. The maximum time allowed for completing the M.S. degree is nine academic quarters from the time of admission to the M.S. program in the School.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.S.	5	6	9

Doctoral Degree

Advising

Each department in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has a graduate adviser. A current list of graduate advisers can be obtained from the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, 6426 Boelter Hall, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Students are assigned a faculty adviser upon admission to the School. Advisers may be changed upon written request from the student. All HSSEAS faculty serve as advisers.

Provisionally admitted students meet with the program adviser upon matriculation to plan a course of study to remedy any deficiencies.

New students should arrange an appointment as early as possible with the faculty adviser to plan the proposed program of study toward the Ph.D. degree. Continuing students are required to confer with the adviser and the Student Affairs Officer (SAO) during the time of enrollment of each quarter so that progress can be assessed and the study list approved.

Based on the quarterly transcripts, student records are reviewed at the end of each quarter by the departmental graduate adviser and Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Special attention is given if students were admitted provisionally or are on probation. If their progress is unsatisfactory, students are informed of this in writing by the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

Students are strongly urged to consult with the departmental SAO and/or the Office of Academic and Student Affairs regarding procedures, requirements and on the implementation of the policies. In particular, advice should be sought on the procedures for taking Ph.D. written and oral examinations, and on the use of the filing fee.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Ceramics and ceramic processing; electronic and optical materials; structural materials; soft materials; computational materials science.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

The basic program of study for the Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering is built around one major field and one minor field. The major field has a scope corresponding to a body of knowledge contained in nine courses, at least six of which are graduate courses, plus the current literature in the area of specialization. The major fields named above are described in a Ph.D. major field syllabus, each of which can be obtained in the department office. The minor field normally embraces a body of knowledge equivalent to three courses, at least two of which are graduate courses. Grades of B- or better, with a grade-point average of at least 3.33 in all courses included in the minor field, are required. If the student fails to satisfy the minor field requirements through course work, a minor field examination may be taken (once only). The minor field is chosen to support the major field and is usually a subset of the major field. There is no formal course requirement for the Ph.D. degree and one may substitute course work by examinations with the exception of three quarters of MSE 282 to be taken on S/U basis within the first six quarters of the academic program. For course work by examinations, the student will need to contact the instructor to request to take the final exam during the quarter the course is offered. Please note a that course work by examinations will not fulfill M.S. degree course requirements for students transitioning from PhD to MS program. It is recommended that students take courses to acquire the knowledge needed for the written and oral preliminary examinations.

For information on completing the Engineer degree, see Engineering Schoolwide Programs in Program Requirements for UCLA Graduate Degrees.

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.

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

Oral Preliminary Examination

During the first four quarters of full-time enrollment the Ph.D. graduate program,  students must take the Oral Preliminary Examination.  This examination is based on topics in six areas:  Diffusion & Phase Transformation; Electronic Properties; General Materials Science; Thermodynamics; Characterization; and Mechanical Properties which encompasses the body of knowledge in Materials Science at the level equivalent to that required for a B.S. degree.   A student chooses five of the topics.  Students must pass four out of the five subjects they choose to take for the examination.  If the student does not pass the exam, the exam must be retaken within two academic quarters.  If the student fails the exam for a second time, the student will be recommended for Academic Disqualification from the Ph.D. program.

Oral Qualifying Examination

The University Oral Qualifying Examination is taken after passing the Preliminary Oral Examination, after enrollment in four quarters of academic registration, and after completion of the course requirements. The nature and content of the examination are at the discretion of the doctoral committee, but ordinarily include a broad inquiry into the student’s preparation for research. Students must schedule the qualifying examination within the first seven academic quarters in the Ph.D. program.

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

The normative Time-to-Degree from admission to graduate status (includes M.S. degree) to award of the Ph.D. degree is fifteen academic quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	7	15	24

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 recommendation for termination is reviewed by the school’s Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

Master’s

In addition to the standard reasons noted above, a student may be recommended for termination for

(1) Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 in all courses and in those in the 200 series.

(2) Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 in any two consecutive terms.

(3) Failure of the comprehensive examination.

(4) Failure to complete the thesis to the satisfaction of the committee members.

(5) Failure to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree within the three-year time limit for completing all degree requirements.

Doctoral

In addition to the standard reasons noted above, a student may be recommended for termination for

(1) Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.25 in all courses and in any two consecutive quarters.

(2) Failure of the preliminary examination.

(3) Failure of attaining a grade point average of 3.33 in the minor field course work.

(4) Failure of the oral qualifying examination.

(5 ) Failure of the final oral examination (defense of the dissertation).

(6 ) Failure to obtain permission to repeat an examination from an examining committee.

(7 ) Failure to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree within the specified time limits.

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

Linguistics

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

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

The program as a whole is intended to lead to a Ph.D. degree, and admits only applicants who have this goal. Internally, however, the program consists of two stages, an M.A. stage and a Ph.D. stage. To receive the Ph.D. students must complete the requirements of both stages.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

For the majority of the first year, the adviser for all students is the department’s Director of Graduate Studies. First-year students enrolled under either the Capstone Plan or Thesis Plan are required to nominate a Summer Guidance Advisor for the summer after their first year by Week 8 of their third quarter (Year 1 Spring quarter). Second-year students are required to nominate an MA chair by Week 8 of their fourth quarter (Year 2 Fall quarter), and the rest of their MA committee by Week 2 of their fifth quarter (Year 2 Winter quarter). The MA committee composition is subject to the agreement of the committee members and approval of the Department Chair or their delegate.

The student’s adviser is responsible for approving a quarterly Study List submitted to the department, and more generally for guiding the student’s academic progress. Students may have two co-advisers instead of one adviser, either of who may sign the study list.

First-year students are evaluated by the faculty for satisfactory performance at the beginning of Spring Quarter, and are notified of the results of the evaluation. They may be evaluated again at the end of Spring Quarter, at the department’s discretion. All other students undergo an annual evaluation at the end of the academic year, and are notified of the results.

Areas of Study

Consult the department.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

The master’s degree requires the completion, with a B average or better, of nine courses (36 units) in linguistics. All students are required to take Linguistics 200A, 200B, 200C and two of 201A, 201B, 201C.  Students also must take one course chosen from Linguistics 204C, 209A, 213A, 213B, 213C, 217, or 236. The remaining three courses must be chosen from Linguistics 201A, 201B, 201C, 202 through 209C, 211 through 216, 218, 219, 239, 244, 104, 111 or 140. All second-year students must take Linguistics 444.

The following undergraduate courses or the equivalent are prerequisite to graduate courses in the corresponding areas: Linguistics 103, 110, 120A, and 120B. Linguistics 103, or an examination in practical phonetics, must be completed with a grade of B or better as a prerequisite to Linguistics 210A, a required course for the doctoral degree that may be taken at the master’s stage of the program.

A student may petition to apply up to a maximum of two courses toward the master’s degree that were completed with grades of B or better at institutions outside the University of California and not used toward another degree.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

The department’s capstone plan exists in two forms, one with an oral examination requirement, and one with a writing requirement.

Oral Examination Requirement. This version of the Capstone Plan is available to three classes of students: (1) undergraduates who are enrolled for an M.A. degree in the Department Scholar Program; (2) graduate students who have not already received a linguistics M.A. degree elsewhere, and have chosen not to continue in the graduate program past the M.A. level; (3) graduate students who have not already received a linguistics M.A. degree elsewhere, and, by faculty vote, will not be permitted to continue beyond the M.A. level.

To receive the degree under the Oral Examination Requirement version of the Capstone Plan, students must satisfy the course requirements for the M.A. degree, and must in addition pass an oral examination, general in scope, one hour in length, and administered by a committee of three faculty appointed by the Department Chair or his/her delegate. In addition, M.A. students under the Capstone Plan must file a Petition for Advancement to Candidacy form by the third week of the quarter during which they expect to receive the degree.

Writing requirement. This version of the Capstone Plan is available to all graduate students who are in the M.A. stage of the program. To satisfy the requirements of this plan, students must complete all required M.A. level course work, and must also complete a substantial research paper. This paper is written under the direction of a committee of three faculty which is appointed by the Department Chair in consultation with the student. The committee shall consist of a chair, or two co-chairs, plus additional members to make a total of three. The M.A. paper should demonstrate the student’s ability to perform original, independent research.

The M.A. paper is evaluated as either Acceptable or Unacceptable; an Acceptable paper is required in order to satisfy the requirements of the Writing Requirement version of the Capstone Plan. In addition, the quality of the M.A. paper is a key element in the faculty’s decision whether to advance the student into the Ph.D. stage of the program; see “Doctoral Degree” below.

The normal deadline for the M.A. paper is as follows. Copies of the paper, complete and clearly legible but not necessarily in final form, must be given to the committee and the Student Affairs Officer at least two weeks before the last day of classes of the sixth quarter in the program. M.A. students must file a Petition for Advancement to Candidacy form early in the quarter during which they expect to receive the degree.

M.A. students under either version of the Capstone Plan must file a Petition for Advancement to Candidacy form early in the quarter during which they expect to receive the degree.

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 Thesis Plan is available to all graduate students who are in the M.A. stage of the program, but have not already received an M.A. in linguistics elsewhere. To satisfy the requirements of this plan, students must complete all required M.A. level course work, and must also complete an M.A thesis. This thesis is written under the direction of a committee of three faculty which is appointed by the Department Chair in consultation with the student. The committee shall consist of a chair, or two co-chairs, plus additional members to make a total of three. The M.A. thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to perform original, independent research.

In addition, M.A. students under the Thesis Plan must file a Petition for Advancement to Candidacy form early in the quarter during which they expect to receive the degree.

The M.A. thesis is evaluated as either Acceptable or Unacceptable; an Acceptable thesis is required in order to receive an M.A. degree under the Thesis Plan. In addition, the quality of the M.A. thesis is a key element in the faculty’s decision whether to advance the student into the Ph.D. stage of the program; see “Doctoral Degree” below.

The normal deadline for the M.A. thesis is as follows. Copies of the thesis, complete and clearly legible but not necessarily in final form, must be given to the committee and the Student Affairs Officer at least two weeks before the last day of classes of the sixth quarter in the program. M.A. students must file a Petition for Advancement to Candidacy form early in the quarter during which they expect to receive the degree.

Time-to-Degree

Six quarters is considered the normative time to complete the M.A.-level portion of the program. The Department Chair or his/her delegate may authorize in advance one additional quarter of study in order complete experimental work or field work; as well as additional quarters to complete deficiency courses. Allowances to normative and maximum time-to-degree may be made to make up deficiencies due to approved Leaves of Absence.

A student who does not complete the M.A. stage of the program in seven quarters, excluding quarters needed to make up deficiencies and quarters of approved leave of absence, is subject to a recommendation for academic disqualification.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.A.	5	6	7

Doctoral Degree

At the stage they have completed all of the requirements for the M.A. stage of the program, including an M.A. paper or thesis, students are considered by faculty for further advancement through the Ph.D. stage of the program. This vote will be based on consideration of the student’s entire record, including the M.A. paper or thesis. If this vote is negative, the student will be considered not to be making normative progress and will be recommended for dismissal. A student who completes the M.A. portion of the program but who is denied admission into the Ph.D. program will not be permitted to continue to register beyond the end of the academic year in which the M.A. degree is awarded.

Advising

Students are required to formally nominate a doctoral committee prior to the oral qualifying examination. The chair of the doctoral committee is the primary adviser at this stage, is the person responsible for signing the student’s quarterly Study List, and provides intellectual guidance and advice in the student’s area of interest. It is permitted for students to have two co-chairs, either of whom may sign the student’s Study List. Students are encouraged to consult the department’s director of graduate studies at any time and for any academic advice or purpose.

All students in the Ph.D. stage of the program undergo an annual evaluation at the end of the academic year, and are notified of the results.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Students may specialize in syntax, semantics, phonology, phonetics, language change, typology, psycholinguistics, computational linguistics, and many language areas, notably African languages and American Indian languages. Other specializations may be possible, depending on the availability of faculty expertise.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

All doctoral degree students must satisfy the requirements of the M.A. stage of the program, as described above. In addition, doctoral students must take 36 units of additional graduate course work, which must include Linguistics 210A, 210B, and eight units in an area distinct from that of the student’s major area of concentration. If Linguistic 210A and 210B have already been taken at the M.A. stage of the program, other courses must be taken to satisfy the 36-unit requirement. The 36 units may not include Linguistics 275 (colloquium), any 300- or 400-level course, 597, or 599. Of the 36 units, no more than 12 units may be in Linguistics 596A. A maximum of four two-unit seminars may be included in the 36 units. Normative time to complete these 36 units is by the end of the 10th quarter of graduate study.

In the tenth quarter of doctoral study, students are required to meet in a dissertation prospectus meeting with the appointed doctoral committee to discuss the topic of the dissertation research, and the background necessary to pursue it. A written prospectus of the dissertation is to be submitted to the doctoral committee, with a copy for the departmental file, at least one month prior to this meeting. Following the meeting, the doctoral committee is to report, via a departmental form, to the department that the filed prospectus is satisfactory, and that the student has completed the required 36 units of post-master’s course work.

Students who fail to provide an approved prospectus and/or complete the required 36 units of post-master’s course work by the end of the tenth quarter may be subject to academic disqualification, and may not be eligible for departmental teaching assistantships or fellowships.

At some point in time, some of the results of the student’s research must be presented at a meeting of the Department of Linguistics Colloquium. This presentation is a requirement for the degree.

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.

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

In order to be advanced to candidacy, the student is required to prepare and submit one substantive research paper. Normally, this paper will be the M.A. thesis or M.A. paper written earlier during the M.A. stage of the program.

The University Oral Qualifying Examination is administered by the doctoral committee. Students must satisfactorily complete this examination and advance to candidacy no later than the tenth quarter of graduate study. This examination may coincide with the prospectus meeting.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy and awarded the Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree 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

Full-time students with no deficiencies upon admission to graduate study in the department should be able to complete requirements for the doctoral degree in 15 academic quarters (five calendar years). The normative time-to-degree cannot be changed, but allowances to normative and maximum time-to-degree may be made to make up for deficiencies due to approved leaves of absence. The maximum time limit for the doctoral degree from the first quarter of graduate study in the department is seven years.

In addition, there are departmental policies that link progress through the program to financial support. These policies are based on the normative times for advancement through the program, not on the absolute limits mentioned above.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	10	15	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 who does not complete the M.A. degree in seven quarters, excluding quarters needed to make up deficiencies and quarters of approved leave of absence, is subject to a recommendation for academic disqualification. Any student who has not completed the M.A. degree in three years and one quarter is subject to a recommendation for academic disqualification. A student who completes the M.A. degree but who is denied admission into the Ph.D. program will not be permitted to continue to register beyond the end of the academic year in which the M.A. degree is awarded.

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

Integrative Biology and Physiology

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology offers the Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Physiological Science.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

Students are responsible for becoming acquainted with the departmental faculty and for identifying at the time of application a potential research mentor. Students form an advisory committee by the end of the first quarter of academic residence. Advisory committee membership consists of the research mentor and two or more regular series faculty, one of whom must hold an appointment within the department.

Areas of Study

Consult the department.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Students are required to complete nine courses (36 units), including a second level statistics or research design course approved by the department, a four-unit graduate-level didactic course in molecular biology, Integrative Biology and Physiology 289A-289B, and Integrative Biology and Physiology 270A-270B. Prior completion of Integrative Biology and Physiology 111A-111B (or equivalent) is highly recommended. Should students elect not to take 111A-111B, students must satisfy the physiology course requirement by taking two upper division electives from the pre-approved course list. Consult the department’s SAO for a detailed course list. A minimum of six (24 units) of the nine courses must be graduate level (200-series) courses, toward which two letter-graded 596 courses may be applied. Elective course work is selected by the student and the student’s research mentor, with approval by the graduate affairs committee. All course work must be completed by the end of the second year. Integrative Biology and Physiology 598 may not be applied toward any of the course requirements for the degree. There is no limit on the number of times a master’s student may enroll in course 598.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone 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.

Successful completion of the thesis plan requires completion of the required course work, selected by the student and the student’s research mentor, with approval of the student’s advisory (thesis) committee and the graduate affairs committee, and a master’s thesis. The student advisory (thesis) committee is formed by the end of the first quarter following matriculation and consists of the student’s research mentor from the department and two or more regular series faculty, at least one of whom must hold an appointment in the department.

Students complete a master’s thesis based on original laboratory research in a specific area of physiology. If students have made a good faith effort to complete a laboratory research project but are unable to do so because of circumstances beyond their control, they may petition the Graduate Affairs Committee for approval to submit a non-laboratory research thesis. Approval is granted only under exceptional circumstances. Non-laboratory theses are based on the study of the primary research literature in a current question in modern physiology. Students who are granted approval to submit a non-laboratory thesis are required to make an oral presentation of the thesis topic to the advisory (thesis) committee.

With advisory (thesis) committee approval, students may submit either a thesis or a thesis based on a manuscript that is suitable for publication.

Time-to-Degree

Normal progress from graduate admission to completion of the required course work, is three to four quarters plus an additional one to three quarters for completion of the thesis. If preparation course work is necessary, as much as three additional quarters may be required. Students are normally expected to complete all requirements for the master’s degree within seven quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.S.	7	7	9

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

The Graduate Affairs Committee reviews the records of probationary students and may recommend termination, continuation on contract, or continuation on warning. A student may appeal a recommendation for termination to the Graduate Affairs Committee only with the support of a faculty adviser.

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

Materials Science and Engineering

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Materials Science and Engineering.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

Each department in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has a graduate adviser. A current list of graduate advisers can be obtained from the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, 6426 Boelter Hall, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Students are assigned a faculty adviser upon admission to the School. Advisers may be changed upon written request from the student. All HSSEAS faculty serve as advisers.

Provisionally admitted students meet with the program adviser upon matriculation to plan a course of study to remove any deficiencies.

New students should arrange an appointment as early as possible with the faculty adviser to plan the proposed program of study toward the M.S. or Ph.D. degree. Continuing students are required to confer with the adviser or the Students Affairs Officer (SAO) during the time of enrollment each quarter so that progress can be assessed and the study list approved.

Based on the quarterly transcripts, student records are reviewed at the end of each quarter by the departmental graduate adviser and Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Special attention is given if students were admitted provisionally or are on probation. If their progress is unsatisfactory, students are informed of this in writing by the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

Students are strongly urged to consult with the departmental SAO and/or the Office of Academic and Student Affairs regarding procedures, requirements and on the implementation of policies. In particular, advice should be sought on advancement to candidacy for the M.S. degree, on the procedures for taking Ph.D. written and oral examinations, and on the use of the Filing Fee.

Students in the M.S. program may petition to change to the Ph.D. program, after completing M.S courses requirements, if they have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 and pass the Ph.D. preliminary examination.  The student should consult the MSE student affairs officer for details.

Areas of Study

There are five main areas in the M.S. program: ceramics and ceramic processing; electronic and optical materials; structural materials; soft materials; and computational materials science. Students may specialize in any one of the five areas, although most students are more interested in a broader education and select a variety of courses. Basically, students select courses which serve their interests best in regard to thesis research and job prospects.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Thesis Plan. Nine courses (36 units) are required, of which six (24 units) must be graduate courses. These courses are to be selected from the following lists, although suitable substitutions can be made from other engineering disciplines or from chemistry and physics with the approval of the departmental graduate adviser. Two of the six graduate courses may be Materials Science and Engineering 598 (thesis research). The remaining three courses in the total course requirement may be upper division courses.

Capstone Plan. Nine courses, six of which must be graduate courses, selected from the following lists with the same provisions listed under the thesis plan. Three of the nine courses may be upper division courses.

Ceramics and ceramic processing: Materials Science and Engineering 121, 122, 143A, 151, 161, 162, 200, 201, 210, C211, 246D, 298.

Electronic and optical materials: Materials Science and Engineering 121, 122, 143A, 151, 161, 162, 200, 201, 210, C211, 221, 222, 223, 298.

Structural materials: Materials Science and Engineering 121, 122, 143A, 151, 161, 162, 200, 201, 210, C211, 243A, 243C, 250B, 298.

Soft materials: Materials Science and Engineering 121, 122, 143A, 251, 252, 253, CM280, 298.

Computational materials science: Materials Science and Engineering 121, 143A, 262, 270, 271, 272, 298.
As long as a majority of the courses taken are offered by the department, substitutions may be made with the consent of the departmental graduate adviser.

Undergraduate Courses. No lower division courses may be applied toward graduate degrees. In addition, the following upper division courses are not applicable toward graduate degrees: Chemical Engineering M102A, 199; Civil Engineering 106A, 108, 199; Computer Science M152A, M152B, M171L, 199; Electrical Engineering 100, 101, 102, 103, 110L, M116L, M171L, 199; Materials Science and Engineering 104, 110, 120, 130, 131, 131L, 132, 140, 141L, 150, 160, 161L, 199; Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 102, 103, 105A, 105D, 199.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

Option 1: Comprehensive Exam

The comprehensive examination is offered during each academic quarter in written format. The student must pass five of six questions offered separately from six of the MSE course subjects selected by the student. Students are required to submit a written request which includes the courses the student has taken and wishes to have as part of the exam.  If the comprehensive examination is failed, the student may be reexamined once with the consent of the graduate adviser.

Option 2: Capstone Project

The Materials Science and Engineering M.S. capstone project provides an opportunity for students to culminate their M.S. studies by combining ideas from their prior course work with their own additional research.  The project is expected to help students to polish their expertise in an area that is especially relevant to their career.  A successful capstone project will combine academic knowledge, research, and professional skills into a coherent final product.  The student will define a capstone project in under the guidance of an MSE faculty member (any rank) or MSE Faculty Emeritus (any rank) and demonstrate competency in project design and management skills, written presentation of complex ideas, and analytical and creative thinking.

A capstone project differs from an MS thesis as the capstone project does not requiring original research.  Instead, the capstone should aim to demonstrate the ability to apply what was learned in the MS courses to a problem in materials science and engineering utilizing original analysis (qualitative, quantitative, or both) of a specific situation, to advance expert understanding of the topic.

The capstone project will be evaluated by three MSE department faculty members: (1) Student faculty adviser, (2) MSE Chair/or Vice –Chair of Graduate Studies, and (3) Another MSE faculty member chosen by the student.  The capstone project document length is expected to range from thirty to forty pages, including text, figures, and references using the same style guidelines as required for an M.S. or Ph.D. research thesis.  The project is expected to be completed in the quarter after M.S advancement to candidacy is approved.

Once the student’s adviser has provided some feedback on the project report, the student should furnish each member of the committee with a copy of the capstone project at least twenty calendar days prior to the due date.  Sufficient time must be allowed for the student to interact with the committee members to incorporate changes, if necessary, before delivering the final version to the Department Student Affairs Office.  If the capstone project is failed, the student may resubmit once with the consent of the graduate adviser.

The following guidelines are to be used for the capstone project report.

• Describe the professional issue of interest — explain what is to be addressed.
• Address the significance of the project
• Provide a literature background–enough description of prior knowledge for readers to understand what the nature of the project and what is known.
• A description of the project, which could be theoretical, analytical, computational, and/or experimental.
• The analysis and results of the project (this should be the main body of the project). Students are encouraged to base the structure of the capstone project on past outstanding examples of successful projects as determined by the student faculty adviser.

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.

In addition to the course requirements, students are required to write a thesis on a research topic in material science and engineering supervised by the thesis adviser. An M.S. thesis committee reviews and approves the thesis. Master’s committees consist of a minimum of three faculty members from UCLA – the faculty adviser as chair and two other faculty members. One of the three may be faculty from other UCLA departments. Members must hold one of the following academic ranks: Professor (any rank, regular series), Professor Emeritus, Adjunct Professor (any rank), Professor-in-Residence (any rank) or Acting Professor (any rank).

Time-to-Degree

The average length of time for students in the M.S. program is six academic quarters. The maximum time allowed for completing the M.S. degree is nine academic quarters from the time of admission to the M.S. program in the School.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.S.	5	6	9

Doctoral Degree

Advising

Each department in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has a graduate adviser. A current list of graduate advisers can be obtained from the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, 6426 Boelter Hall, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Students are assigned a faculty adviser upon admission to the School. Advisers may be changed upon written request from the student. All HSSEAS faculty serve as advisers.

Provisionally admitted students meet with the program adviser upon matriculation to plan a course of study to remedy any deficiencies.

New students should arrange an appointment as early as possible with the faculty adviser to plan the proposed program of study toward the Ph.D. degree. Continuing students are required to confer with the adviser and the Student Affairs Officer (SAO) during the time of enrollment of each quarter so that progress can be assessed and the study list approved.

Based on the quarterly transcripts, student records are reviewed at the end of each quarter by the departmental graduate adviser and Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Special attention is given if students were admitted provisionally or are on probation. If their progress is unsatisfactory, students are informed of this in writing by the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

Students are strongly urged to consult with the departmental SAO and/or the Office of Academic and Student Affairs regarding procedures, requirements and on the implementation of the policies. In particular, advice should be sought on the procedures for taking Ph.D. written and oral examinations, and on the use of the filing fee.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Ceramics and ceramic processing; electronic and optical materials; structural materials; soft materials; computational materials science.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

The basic program of study for the Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering is built around one major field and one minor field. The major field has a scope corresponding to a body of knowledge contained in nine courses, at least six of which are graduate courses, plus the current literature in the area of specialization. The major fields named above are described in a Ph.D. major field syllabus, each of which can be obtained in the department office. The minor field normally embraces a body of knowledge equivalent to three courses, at least two of which are graduate courses. Grades of B- or better, with a grade-point average of at least 3.33 in all courses included in the minor field, are required. If the student fails to satisfy the minor field requirements through course work, a minor field examination may be taken (once only). The minor field is chosen to support the major field and is usually a subset of the major field. There is no formal course requirement for the Ph.D. degree and one may substitute course work by examinations with the exception of three quarters of MSE 282 to be taken on S/U basis within the first six quarters of the academic program. For course work by examinations, the student will need to contact the instructor to request to take the final exam during the quarter the course is offered. Please note a that course work by examinations will not fulfill M.S. degree course requirements for students transitioning from PhD to MS program. It is recommended that students take courses to acquire the knowledge needed for the written and oral preliminary examinations.

For information on completing the Engineer degree, see Engineering Schoolwide Programs in Program Requirements for UCLA Graduate Degrees.

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.

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

Oral Preliminary Examination

During the first four quarters of full-time enrollment the Ph.D. graduate program,  students must take the Oral Preliminary Examination.  This examination is based on topics in six areas:  Diffusion & Phase Transformation; Electronic Properties; General Materials Science; Thermodynamics; Characterization; and Mechanical Properties which encompasses the body of knowledge in Materials Science at the level equivalent to that required for a B.S. degree.   A student chooses five of the topics.  Students must pass four out of the five subjects they choose to take for the examination.  If the student does not pass the exam, the exam must be retaken within two academic quarters.  If the student fails the exam for a second time, the student will be recommended for Academic Disqualification from the Ph.D. program.

Oral Qualifying Examination

The University Oral Qualifying Examination is taken after passing the Preliminary Oral Examination, after enrollment in four quarters of academic registration, and after completion of the course requirements. The nature and content of the examination are at the discretion of the doctoral committee, but ordinarily include a broad inquiry into the student’s preparation for research. Students must schedule the qualifying examination within the first seven academic quarters in the Ph.D. program.

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

The normative Time-to-Degree from admission to graduate status (includes M.S. degree) to award of the Ph.D. degree is fifteen academic quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	7	15	24

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 recommendation for termination is reviewed by the school’s Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

Master’s

In addition to the standard reasons noted above, a student may be recommended for termination for

(1) Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 in all courses and in those in the 200 series.

(2) Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 in any two consecutive terms.

(3) Failure of the comprehensive examination.

(4) Failure to complete the thesis to the satisfaction of the committee members.

(5) Failure to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree within the three-year time limit for completing all degree requirements.

Doctoral

In addition to the standard reasons noted above, a student may be recommended for termination for

(1) Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.25 in all courses and in any two consecutive quarters.

(2) Failure of the preliminary examination.

(3) Failure of attaining a grade point average of 3.33 in the minor field course work.

(4) Failure of the oral qualifying examination.

(5 ) Failure of the final oral examination (defense of the dissertation).

(6 ) Failure to obtain permission to repeat an examination from an examining committee.

(7 ) Failure to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree within the specified time limits.

Applicable only to students admitted during the 2025-2026 academic year.

Linguistics

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

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

The program as a whole is intended to lead to a Ph.D. degree, and admits only applicants who have this goal. Internally, however, the program consists of two stages, an M.A. stage and a Ph.D. stage. To receive the Ph.D., students must complete the requirements of both stages.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

For the majority of the first year, the adviser for all students is the department’s Director of Graduate Studies. First-year students are required to nominate a Summer Guidance Advisor for the summer after their first year by Week 8 of their third quarter (Year 1 Spring quarter). Second-year students are required to nominate an M.A. committee Chair by Week 8 of their fourth quarter (Year 2 Fall quarter), and the rest of their M.A. committee by Week 2 of their fifth quarter (Year 2 Winter quarter). The M.A. committee composition is subject to the agreement of the committee members and approval of the Department Chair or their delegate.

The student is responsible for discussing their quarterly Study List with their primary adviser and have it approved. Students may have two co-advisers instead of one adviser, either of who may approve the study list.

All registered and enrolled students undergo an annual evaluation at the end of the academic year by the faculty for satisfactory performance, and are notified of the results.

Areas of Study

Consult the department.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

The master’s degree requires the completion of nine courses (36 units) in linguistics taken for a letter grade. Each course must be passed with a grade C or better and students must maintain a cumulative ‘B’ (3.0) grade point average in all courses. All students are required to take Linguistics 200A, 200B, 200C and two of 201A, 201B, 201C. The remaining four courses must be chosen from the following – Linguistics 201A/B/C (if not already used to fulfill the “two of” requirement), 202 through 209C, C211 through 219, 222, 225, 236, 239, or C244 – and at most two of these courses can be from Linguistics 201A, 201B, 201C, 214, 216, 219, and 222. 500-level courses cannot be applied towards the master’s degree.

All second-year students must take Linguistics 444.

As a prerequisite to Linguistics 210A, a required course for the doctoral degree that may be taken at the master’s stage of the program, students must pass an examination in practical phonetics or complete Linguistics 103 with a grade of B or better.

A student may petition to apply up to a maximum of two courses toward the master’s degree that were completed with grades of B or better in graduate status at institutions outside the University of California and not used toward another degree.

Required Courses
Linguistics 200A	4 units
Linguistics 200B	4 units
Linguistics 200C	4 units
2 courses chosen from Linguistics 201A, 201B, and 201C	8 units
4 courses chosen from Linguistics 201A/B/C (if not already used to fulfill the “2 of” requirement above), 202 through 209C, C211 through 219, 222, 225, 236, 239, and C244. At most two of these courses can be from Linguistics 201A, 201B, 201C, 214, 216, 219, and 222.	16 units
TOTAL REQUIRED UNITS	36 units
All second-year students must take Linguistics 444. The course does not fulfill any of the 36 units required for the M.A.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

The department’s capstone plan exists in two forms, one with an oral examination requirement, and one with a writing requirement. M.A. students under either version of the Capstone Plan must file a Petition for Advancement to Candidacy by the third week of the quarter during which they expect to receive the degree.

Oral Examination Requirement. This version of the Capstone Plan is available to two classes of students: (1) undergraduates who are enrolled for an M.A. degree in the Department Scholar Program; (2) graduate students who have not already received a linguistics M.A. degree elsewhere, and have chosen not to continue in the graduate program past the M.A. level.

To receive the degree under the Oral Examination Requirement version of the Capstone Plan, students must satisfy the course requirements for the M.A. degree and must pass an oral examination, general in scope, one hour in length, held during the quarter which they expect to receive the degree and administered by a committee of three faculty nominated by the student and appointed by the Department Chair or their delegate.

Writing requirement.

This version of the Capstone Plan is available to all graduate students who are in the M.A. stage of the program. To satisfy the requirements of this plan, students must complete all required M.A. level course work and must also complete a substantial research paper. This paper is written under the direction of a committee of three faculty nominated by the student and appointed by the Department Chair or their delegate. The committee shall consist of a chair, or two co-chairs, plus additional members to make a total of three. The M.A. paper should demonstrate the student’s ability to perform original, independent research.

The M.A. paper is evaluated as either Acceptable or Unacceptable; an Acceptable paper is required in order to satisfy the requirements of the Writing Requirement version of the Capstone Plan. In addition, the quality of the M.A. paper is a key element in the faculty’s decision whether to advance the student into the Ph.D. stage of the program; see “Doctoral Degree” below.

The normal deadline for the M.A. paper is as follows. Copies of the paper, complete and clearly legible but not necessarily in final form, must be given to the committee and the Student Affairs Officer at least two weeks before the last day of classes of the sixth quarter in the program.

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 Thesis Plan is available to all graduate students who are in the M.A. stage of the program, but have not already received an M.A. in linguistics elsewhere. To satisfy the requirements of this plan, students must complete all required M.A. level course work and must also complete an M.A thesis. This thesis is written under the direction of a committee of three faculty nominated by the student, approved by the Department Chair or their delegate, and appointed by the Dean of the Division of Graduate Education. The committee shall consist of a chair, or two co-chairs, plus additional members to make a total of three. The M.A. thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to perform original, independent research.

The M.A. thesis is evaluated as either Acceptable or Unacceptable; an Acceptable thesis is required in order to receive an M.A. degree under the Thesis Plan. In addition, the quality of the M.A. thesis is a key element in the faculty’s decision whether to advance the student into the Ph.D. stage of the program; see “Doctoral Degree” below.

The normal deadline for the M.A. thesis is as follows. Copies of the thesis, complete and clearly legible but not necessarily in final form, must be given to the committee and the Student Affairs Officer at least two weeks before the last day of classes of the sixth quarter in the program. M.A. students must also file a Petition for Advancement to Candidacy by the third week of the quarter during which they expect to receive the degree.

Time-to-Degree

Six quarters is considered the normative time to complete the M.A.-level portion of the program. The Department Chair or his/her delegate may authorize in advance one additional quarter of study in order to complete experimental work or field work; as well as additional quarters to complete deficiency courses. Allowances to normative and maximum time-to-degree may be made to make up deficiencies due to approved Leaves of Absence.

A student who does not complete the M.A. stage of the program in seven quarters, excluding quarters needed to make up deficiencies and quarters of approved leave of absence, is subject to a recommendation for academic disqualification.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.A.	5	6	7

Doctoral Degree

At the stage they are expected to complete all of the requirements for the master’s degree, based on the normative time to degree (sixth quarter), students are considered by faculty for further advancement through the Ph.D. stage of the program. The faculty will evaluate a student’s progress in the program based on the student’s entire record, including the M.A. paper or thesis. Possible outcomes of this evaluation are: a) continuation to the Ph.D. program requirements; (b) extension to complete remaining M.A. requirements; or c) recommendation for academic disqualification from the Ph.D. program (see Special Departmental or Program Policy). All students are notified in writing about the outcome of the faculty evaluation concerning their continuation to the doctoral program or degree progress. Registered and enrolled students continue to be reviewed annually at the end of the academic year throughout their time in the Ph.D. program. The purpose of these reviews is to assess academic progress and help to ensure timely completion of the Ph.D.

Advising

Students are required to form a guidance committee by the last day of classes of their seventh quarter. The committee shall consist of a chair, or two co-chairs, plus additional members to make a total of three. The chair of the guidance committee is the primary adviser at this stage and provides intellectual guidance and advice in the student’s area of interest. Students are encouraged to consult the department’s director of graduate studies at any time and for any academic advice or purpose.

Students are also required to formally nominate a doctoral committee by the beginning of their 10^th quarter, prior to the oral qualifying examination. In the typical case, the guidance committee becomes members of the student’s doctoral committee. The chair of the doctoral committee is the primary adviser at this stage and provides intellectual guidance and advice in the student’s area of interest. It is permitted for students to have two co-chairs. Students are encouraged to consult the department’s director of graduate studies at any time and for any academic advice or purpose.

The student is responsible for discussing their quarterly Study List with their primary adviser and have it approved. If a student has two co-advisers, either may approve the study list. All students in the Ph.D. stage of the program undergo an annual evaluation at the end of the academic year, and are notified of the results.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Consult the department.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

All doctoral degree students must satisfy the requirements of the M.A. stage of the program, as described above. In addition, doctoral students must complete 36 units of additional graduate course work in the Department of Linguistics. Each course must be passed with a grade C or better grade and students must maintain a cumulative ‘B’ (3.0) grade point average in all courses No more than eight units of online courses can be counted towards the 36 units.

Of these 36 units, 28 units must be completed and passed by the end of the 10^th quarter of graduate studies and must include Linguistics 210A, 210B, at least two, four-unit Linguistics 250-level course, and eight units of courses offered in the Department of Linguistics in an area distinct from that of the student’s major area of concentration. Passing an examination in practical phonetics, or completing Linguistics 103 with a grade of B or better, is a prerequisite to Linguistics 210A. These 28 units may not include any Linguistics 260-level course taken for one or two units, Linguistics 275/276 (colloquium), any 100-, 300-, 400-, or 500-level course, or any courses taken outside the Department of Linguistics. A student may count one or more courses outside the Department of Linguistics if they receive written approval from their committee chair or co-chairs. A maximum of eight units completed and passed while the student was completing the M.A. requirements, including the M.A. paper or thesis, can be counted toward these 28 units as long as those courses satisfy the requirements described above and were not applied toward the M.A. coursework. If Linguistics 210A and 210B were completed and passed while the student was completing the M.A. requirements, these units will be counted towards the 28 units and no other units taken during the M.A. stage can be counted towards the 28 units.

The other eight of the 36 units must be completed and passed after advancement to doctoral candidacy. They must include at least one, four-unit Linguistics 250-level course; the remaining four units must be 250-level and/or 260-level classes in the Department of Linguistics.

Required Courses to be Completed and Passed by the 10th Quarter
Linguistics 210A	4 units
Linguistics 210B	4 units
2, 4-unit Linguistics 250-level course If applicable, these 2 courses may also count towards the 8 units in an area distinct from the student’s major area of concentration	8 units
Additional allowable courses in the Department of Linguistics to meet the 28 unit minimum (see description above), including the “8 units in an area distinct from the student’s major area of concentration” if not already fulfilled through the “2, 4-unit Linguistics 250-level course” requirement	12 units
Total Units to be Completed and Passed by the 10th Quarter	28 units
Required Courses to be Completed and Passed After Advancement to Doctoral Candidacy
1, 4-unit Linguistics 250-level course	4 units
250- and/or 260-level courses in the Department of Linguistics (see description above)	4 units
Total Units to be Completed and Passed After Advancement to Doctoral Candidacy	8 units

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.

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

In order to be advanced to candidacy, the student is required to prepare and submit one substantive research paper. This paper will be the M.A. thesis or M.A. paper written earlier during the M.A. stage of the program.

In the 10^th quarter of doctoral study, students are required to hold a dissertation prospectus meeting with the appointed doctoral committee to discuss the topic of the dissertation research and the background necessary to pursue it. A written prospectus of the dissertation is to be submitted to the doctoral committee, with a copy for the departmental file, at least one month prior to this meeting.

Students who fail to provide an approved prospectus and/or complete the required 28 units of course work by the end of the 10^th quarter may be subject to academic disqualification, and may not be eligible for departmental teaching assistantships or fellowships.

The University Oral Qualifying Examination is administered by the doctoral committee. Students must satisfactorily complete this examination and advance to candidacy no later than the 10^th quarter of graduate study. This examination may coincide with the prospectus meeting.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy and awarded the Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree 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. The presentation portion of the final defense must be open to the public. The format of the other portion will be determined by the student’s committee.

Time-to-Degree

Full-time students with no deficiencies upon admission to graduate study in the department should be able to complete requirements for the doctoral degree in 15 academic quarters (five calendar years). The normative time-to-degree cannot be changed, but allowances to normative and maximum time-to-degree may be made to make up for deficiencies due to approved leaves of absence. The maximum time limit for the doctoral degree from the first quarter of graduate study in the department is seven years.

In addition, there are departmental policies that link progress through the program to financial support. These policies are based on the normative times for advancement through the program, not on the absolute limits mentioned above.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	10	15	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

At the end of each Spring quarter, a faculty meeting is held to review the progress of graduate students. A student’s progress may also be reviewed by the faculty during any faculty meeting if a student was given an extension to complete the remaining M.A. requirements (see first paragraph of Doctoral Degree section), or has not been making satisfactory progress towards ATC or time-to-degree as determined by the Director of Graduate Studies or Committee Chair, or are beyond normative time to ATC and/or time-to-degree as defined by the program requirements. If, at such a meeting, the faculty vote for academic disqualification and the student had been provided a written academic plan and adequate time to correct deficiencies, a recommendation for academic disqualification is made by the chair of the department.

 

Applicable only to students admitted during the 2025-2026 academic year.

Integrative Biology and Physiology

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology offers the Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Physiological Science.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

Students are responsible for becoming acquainted with the departmental faculty and for identifying at the time of application a potential research mentor. Students form an advisory committee by the end of the first quarter of academic residence. Advisory committee membership consists of the research mentor and two or more regular series faculty, one of whom must hold an appointment within the department.

Areas of Study

Consult the department.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Students are required to complete nine courses (36 units), including a second level statistics or research design course approved by the department, a four-unit graduate-level didactic course in molecular biology, Integrative Biology and Physiology 289A-289B, and Integrative Biology and Physiology 270A-270B. Prior completion of Integrative Biology and Physiology 111A-111B (or equivalent) is highly recommended. Should students elect not to take 111A-111B, students must satisfy the physiology course requirement by taking two upper division electives from the pre-approved course list. Consult the department’s SAO for a detailed course list. A minimum of six (24 units) of the nine courses must be graduate level (200-series) courses, toward which two letter-graded 596 courses may be applied. Elective course work is selected by the student and the student’s research mentor, with approval by the graduate affairs committee. All course work must be completed by the end of the second year. Integrative Biology and Physiology 598 may not be applied toward any of the course requirements for the degree. There is no limit on the number of times a master’s student may enroll in course 598.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone 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.

Successful completion of the thesis plan requires completion of the required course work, selected by the student and the student’s research mentor, with approval of the student’s advisory (thesis) committee and the graduate affairs committee, and a master’s thesis. The student advisory (thesis) committee is formed by the end of the first quarter following matriculation and consists of the student’s research mentor from the department and two or more regular series faculty, at least one of whom must hold an appointment in the department.

Students complete a master’s thesis based on original laboratory research in a specific area of physiology. If students have made a good faith effort to complete a laboratory research project but are unable to do so because of circumstances beyond their control, they may petition the Graduate Affairs Committee for approval to submit a non-laboratory research thesis. Approval is granted only under exceptional circumstances. Non-laboratory theses are based on the study of the primary research literature in a current question in modern physiology. Students who are granted approval to submit a non-laboratory thesis are required to make an oral presentation of the thesis topic to the advisory (thesis) committee.

With advisory (thesis) committee approval, students may submit either a thesis or a thesis based on a manuscript that is suitable for publication.

Time-to-Degree

Normal progress from graduate admission to completion of the required course work, is three to four quarters plus an additional one to three quarters for completion of the thesis. If preparation course work is necessary, as much as three additional quarters may be required. Students are normally expected to complete all requirements for the master’s degree within seven quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.S.	7	7	9

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

The Graduate Affairs Committee reviews the records of probationary students and may recommend termination, continuation on contract, or continuation on warning. A student may appeal a recommendation for termination to the Graduate Affairs Committee only with the support of a faculty adviser.