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

Physics and Astronomy

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) in Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) in Physics, and the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Physics.

Astronomy and Astrophysics – MAT

Admissions Requirements

Master of Arts in Teaching

Advising

The M.A.T. adviser oversees all stages of progress toward the M.A.T. degree. Students are required to see the adviser at the beginning of each quarter through the completion of the degree.

Areas of Study

It is not required to designate an area of specialization for the M.A.T. degree.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Nine courses (36 units) are required for the academic portion of the M.A.T. program. They must include at least five graduate courses (20 units) in Astronomy, Mathematics, or Physics, or 100- or 200-series courses in Education required for the instructional credential. Although it does not count for degree credit, Physics M370A is also required. Courses taken in the 300 or 500 series may not be applied toward the total course requirement or the graduate course requirement. In order to obtain a secondary credential with the M.A.T. in Astronomy, additional courses in Education, including supervised teaching, must be taken.

Teaching Experience

Consult the department.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

The capstone plan is the same as for the M.S. degree.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

The average period of time-to-degree is two years (six quarters) from graduate admission to conferral of degree.

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

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

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A student’s progress is evaluated during each spring quarter by a committee of departmental faculty. A student is advised of the faculty’s evaluation either informally or in writing.

A student may appeal a recommendation for termination in writing to the faculty adviser, who then reconvenes the entire departmental faculty to reconsider the recommendation.

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

Environment and Sustainability

Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Graduate Degrees

The IoES offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Environment and Sustainability.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

The M.S. degree in Environment and Sustainability is not intended to be a stand-alone, terminal degree. Students entering the program without a Masters degree may choose to receive this degree while in progress to the Ph.D. degree.

Advising

Upon entry to the program, all students are assigned two faculty co-advisers from different UCLA departments and chosen to reflect the students’ expressed areas of interest and to provide complementary disciplinary representation. The faculty advisers assist students with planning their program of study. Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisers. Immediately after entry the students and their advisers will formulate a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The faculty advisers will serve as co-chairs of the committee. The Ph.D. Program Administrator, the IoES Academic Director, and the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

None for the M.S. degree, but see the foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree.

Course Requirements

There are two plans of study that lead to the M.S. degree, the capstone and thesis plans, each requiring a total of 9 courses (36 units). At least five of the courses (20 units) must be at the 200-level. In the thesis plan, seven of the nine must be formal 100- or 200-series courses. The remaining two may be 598 courses involving work on the thesis. In the capstone plan, 500-series courses may not be applied toward the nine- course requirement. A minimum 3.0 grade-point average is required in all course work.

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Seminar Requirement: Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar series every quarter in residence for a minimum of 6 quarters (this course may not be applied toward the 36- unit requirement).

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: 24 elective units (6 courses) approved by the student’s graduate committee. These courses can include 8 units of Environment 597 (Masters Thesis Research). Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Capstone Plan

In addition to the course requirements, under the capstone plan, there is a comprehensive written examination covering the subject matter contained in the program of study. The examination is administered by a comprehensive examination committee, which may conduct an oral examination in addition to the written examination. In case of failure, the examination may be repeated once with the consent of the graduate 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, under the thesis plan students are required to write a thesis on a research topic in environment and sustainability supervised by the student’s graduate advisers.  The student’s doctoral committee reviews and approves the thesis.

No oral examination is required.

Time-to-Degree

The normative time to degree for completing the M.S. program is 6 quarters. There is no maximum time to degree for completing the M.S. degree as receipt of this degree is optional for students admitted to the Ph.D. degree..

Ph.D. Degree

Advising

Upon entry to the program, all students are assigned two co-equal faculty advisers from different UCLA departments and chosen to reflect the students’ expressed areas of interest and to provide complementary disciplinary representation. The faculty advisers assist students with planning their program of study. Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisers. Immediately after entry the students and their advisers will formulate a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The faculty advisers will serve as co-chairs of the committee. The Ph.D. Program Administrator, the IoES Academic Director, and the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

No foreign language is required for admission to the Ph.D. program, and there is no uniform language requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, all students are strongly encouraged to obtain a competency in a foreign language and, at the discretion of the faculty, students who pursue certain subspecialties of environment and sustainability may be required to gain proficiency in one or more foreign languages.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain teaching experience, and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain field experience and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Course Requirements

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar for a minimum of 6 quarters.

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: Students entering without a Master’s degree must take 24 elective units (6 courses). Students entering with a Masters degree in one of the program areas must take 16 elective units (4 courses).  Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

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.

After mastering the body of knowledge defined in the major field, the student takes a written preliminary examination in the major field. This preliminary examination should be completed within the first two years of full-time enrollment in the Ph.D. program.

Students may not take an examination more than twice.

After passing the preliminary examination and substantially completing all minor field course work, the student is eligible to take the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The oral exam will be based upon a presentation of a dissertation prospectus also submitted in written form.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written preliminary 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 Advancement to Candidacy is 9 quarters. The normative time to the Ph.D. degree is 15 quarters. The maximum time to degree for completing the Ph.D. degree is 24 quarters.

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 Director of the IoES makes a recommendation for academic disqualification after a vote of the Institute’s faculty. Before the recommendation is sent to the Graduate Division, a student is notified in writing and given two weeks to respond in writing to the Director. An appeal is reviewed by the Institute’s faculty, which makes the final recommendation to the Graduate Division.

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

Environment and Sustainability

Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Graduate Degrees

The IoES offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Environment and Sustainability.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

The M.S. degree in Environment and Sustainability is not intended to be a stand-alone, terminal degree. Students entering the program without a Masters degree may choose to receive this degree while in progress to the Ph.D. degree.

Advising

Upon entry to the program, all students are assigned two faculty co-advisers from different UCLA departments and chosen to reflect the students’ expressed areas of interest and to provide complementary disciplinary representation. The faculty advisers assist students with planning their program of study. Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisers. Immediately after entry the students and their advisers will formulate a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The faculty advisers will serve as co-chairs of the committee. The Ph.D. Program Administrator, the IoES Academic Director, and the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

None for the M.S. degree, but see the foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree.

Course Requirements

There are two plans of study that lead to the M.S. degree, the capstone and thesis plans, each requiring a total of 9 courses (36 units). At least five of the courses (20 units) must be at the 200-level. In the thesis plan, seven of the nine must be formal 100- or 200-series courses. The remaining two may be 598 courses involving work on the thesis. In the capstone plan, 500-series courses may not be applied toward the nine- course requirement. A minimum 3.0 grade-point average is required in all course work.

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Seminar Requirement: Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar series every quarter in residence for a minimum of 6 quarters (this course may not be applied toward the 36- unit requirement).

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: 24 elective units (6 courses) approved by the student’s graduate committee. These courses can include 8 units of Environment 597 (Masters Thesis Research). Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Capstone Plan

In addition to the course requirements, under the capstone plan, there is a comprehensive written examination covering the subject matter contained in the program of study. The examination is administered by a comprehensive examination committee, which may conduct an oral examination in addition to the written examination. In case of failure, the examination may be repeated once with the consent of the graduate 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, under the thesis plan students are required to write a thesis on a research topic in environment and sustainability supervised by the student’s graduate advisers.  The student’s doctoral committee reviews and approves the thesis.

No oral examination is required.

Time-to-Degree

The normative time to degree for completing the M.S. program is 6 quarters. There is no maximum time to degree for completing the M.S. degree as receipt of this degree is optional for students admitted to the Ph.D. degree..

Ph.D. Degree

Advising

Upon entry to the program, all students are assigned two co-equal faculty advisers from different UCLA departments and chosen to reflect the students’ expressed areas of interest and to provide complementary disciplinary representation. The faculty advisers assist students with planning their program of study. Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisers. Immediately after entry the students and their advisers will formulate a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The faculty advisers will serve as co-chairs of the committee. The Ph.D. Program Administrator, the IoES Academic Director, and the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

No foreign language is required for admission to the Ph.D. program, and there is no uniform language requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, all students are strongly encouraged to obtain a competency in a foreign language and, at the discretion of the faculty, students who pursue certain subspecialties of environment and sustainability may be required to gain proficiency in one or more foreign languages.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain teaching experience, and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain field experience and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Course Requirements

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar for a minimum of 6 quarters.

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: Students entering without a Master’s degree must take 24 elective units (6 courses). Students entering with a Masters degree in one of the program areas must take 16 elective units (4 courses).  Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

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.

After mastering the body of knowledge defined in the major field, the student takes a written preliminary examination in the major field. This preliminary examination should be completed within the first two years of full-time enrollment in the Ph.D. program.

Students may not take an examination more than twice.

After passing the preliminary examination and substantially completing all minor field course work, the student is eligible to take the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The oral exam will be based upon a presentation of a dissertation prospectus also submitted in written form.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written preliminary 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 Advancement to Candidacy is 9 quarters. The normative time to the Ph.D. degree is 15 quarters. The maximum time to degree for completing the Ph.D. degree is 24 quarters.

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 Director of the IoES makes a recommendation for academic disqualification after a vote of the Institute’s faculty. Before the recommendation is sent to the Graduate Division, a student is notified in writing and given two weeks to respond in writing to the Director. An appeal is reviewed by the Institute’s faculty, which makes the final recommendation to the Graduate Division.

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

Environment and Sustainability

Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Graduate Degrees

The IoES offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Environment and Sustainability.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

The M.S. degree in Environment and Sustainability is not intended to be a stand-alone, terminal degree. Students entering the program without a Masters degree may choose to receive this degree while in progress to the Ph.D. degree.

Advising

Upon entry to the program, all students are assigned two faculty co-advisers from different UCLA departments and chosen to reflect the students’ expressed areas of interest and to provide complementary disciplinary representation. The faculty advisers assist students with planning their program of study. Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisers. Immediately after entry the students and their advisers will formulate a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The faculty advisers will serve as co-chairs of the committee. The Ph.D. Program Administrator, the IoES Academic Director, and the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

None for the M.S. degree, but see the foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree.

Course Requirements

There are two plans of study that lead to the M.S. degree, the capstone and thesis plans, each requiring a total of 9 courses (36 units). At least five of the courses (20 units) must be at the 200-level. In the thesis plan, seven of the nine must be formal 100- or 200-series courses. The remaining two may be 598 courses involving work on the thesis. In the capstone plan, 500-series courses may not be applied toward the nine- course requirement. A minimum 3.0 grade-point average is required in all course work.

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Seminar Requirement: Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar series every quarter in residence for a minimum of 6 quarters (this course may not be applied toward the 36- unit requirement).

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: 24 elective units (6 courses) approved by the student’s graduate committee. These courses can include 8 units of Environment 597 (Masters Thesis Research). Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Capstone Plan

In addition to the course requirements, under the capstone plan, there is a comprehensive written examination covering the subject matter contained in the program of study. The examination is administered by a comprehensive examination committee, which may conduct an oral examination in addition to the written examination. In case of failure, the examination may be repeated once with the consent of the graduate 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, under the thesis plan students are required to write a thesis on a research topic in environment and sustainability supervised by the student’s graduate advisers.  The student’s doctoral committee reviews and approves the thesis.

No oral examination is required.

Time-to-Degree

The normative time to degree for completing the M.S. program is 6 quarters. There is no maximum time to degree for completing the M.S. degree as receipt of this degree is optional for students admitted to the Ph.D. degree..

Ph.D. Degree

Advising

Upon entry to the program, all students are assigned two co-equal faculty advisers from different UCLA departments and chosen to reflect the students’ expressed areas of interest and to provide complementary disciplinary representation. The faculty advisers assist students with planning their program of study. Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisers. Immediately after entry the students and their advisers will formulate a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The faculty advisers will serve as co-chairs of the committee. The Ph.D. Program Administrator, the IoES Academic Director, and the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

No foreign language is required for admission to the Ph.D. program, and there is no uniform language requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, all students are strongly encouraged to obtain a competency in a foreign language and, at the discretion of the faculty, students who pursue certain subspecialties of environment and sustainability may be required to gain proficiency in one or more foreign languages.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain teaching experience, and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain field experience and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Course Requirements

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar for a minimum of 6 quarters.

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: Students entering without a Master’s degree must take 24 elective units (6 courses). Students entering with a Masters degree in one of the program areas must take 16 elective units (4 courses).  Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

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.

After mastering the body of knowledge defined in the major field, the student takes a written preliminary examination in the major field. This preliminary examination should be completed within the first two years of full-time enrollment in the Ph.D. program.

Students may not take an examination more than twice.

After passing the preliminary examination and substantially completing all minor field course work, the student is eligible to take the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The oral exam will be based upon a presentation of a dissertation prospectus also submitted in written form.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written preliminary 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 Advancement to Candidacy is 9 quarters. The normative time to the Ph.D. degree is 15 quarters. The maximum time to degree for completing the Ph.D. degree is 24 quarters.

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

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

Special Departmental or Program Policy

The Director of the IoES makes a recommendation for termination after a vote of the Institute’s faculty. Before the recommendation is sent to the Graduate Division, a student is notified in writing and given two weeks to respond in writing to the Director. An appeal is reviewed by the Institute’s faculty, which makes the final recommendation to the Graduate Division.

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

Environment and Sustainability

Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Graduate Degrees

The IoES offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Environment and Sustainability.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

The M.S. degree in Environment and Sustainability is not intended to be a stand-alone, terminal degree. Students entering the program without a Masters degree may choose to receive this degree while in progress to the Ph.D. degree.

Advising

Upon entry to the program, all students are assigned two faculty co-advisers from different UCLA departments and chosen to reflect the students’ expressed areas of interest and to provide complementary disciplinary representation. The faculty advisers assist students with planning their program of study. Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisers. Immediately after entry the students and their advisers will formulate a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The faculty advisers will serve as co-chairs of the committee. The Ph.D. Program Administrator, the IoES Academic Director, and the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

None for the M.S. degree, but see the foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree.

Course Requirements

There are two plans of study that lead to the M.S. degree, the capstone and thesis plans, each requiring a total of 9 courses (36 units). At least five of the courses (20 units) must be at the 200-level. In the thesis plan, seven of the nine must be formal 100- or 200-series courses. The remaining two may be 598 courses involving work on the thesis. In the capstone plan, 500-series courses may not be applied toward the nine- course requirement. A minimum 3.0 grade-point average is required in all course work.

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Seminar Requirement: Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar series every quarter in residence for a minimum of 6 quarters (this course may not be applied toward the 36- unit requirement).

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: 24 elective units (6 courses) approved by the student’s graduate committee. These courses can include 8 units of Environment 597 (Masters Thesis Research). Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Capstone Plan

In addition to the course requirements, under the capstone plan, there is a comprehensive written examination covering the subject matter contained in the program of study. The examination is administered by a comprehensive examination committee, which may conduct an oral examination in addition to the written examination. In case of failure, the examination may be repeated once with the consent of the graduate 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, under the thesis plan students are required to write a thesis on a research topic in environment and sustainability supervised by the student’s graduate advisers.  The student’s doctoral committee reviews and approves the thesis.

No oral examination is required.

Time-to-Degree

The normative time to degree for completing the M.S. program is 6 quarters. There is no maximum time to degree for completing the M.S. degree as receipt of this degree is optional for students admitted to the Ph.D. degree..

Ph.D. Degree

Advising

Upon entry to the program, all students are assigned two co-equal faculty advisers from different UCLA departments and chosen to reflect the students’ expressed areas of interest and to provide complementary disciplinary representation. The faculty advisers assist students with planning their program of study. Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisers. Immediately after entry the students and their advisers will formulate a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The faculty advisers will serve as co-chairs of the committee. The Ph.D. Program Administrator, the IoES Academic Director, and the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

No foreign language is required for admission to the Ph.D. program, and there is no uniform language requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, all students are strongly encouraged to obtain a competency in a foreign language and, at the discretion of the faculty, students who pursue certain subspecialties of environment and sustainability may be required to gain proficiency in one or more foreign languages.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain teaching experience, and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain field experience and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Course Requirements

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar for a minimum of 6 quarters.

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: Students entering without a Master’s degree must take 24 elective units (6 courses). Students entering with a Masters degree in one of the program areas must take 16 elective units (4 courses).  Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

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.

After mastering the body of knowledge defined in the major field, the student takes a written preliminary examination in the major field. This preliminary examination should be completed within the first two years of full-time enrollment in the Ph.D. program.

Students may not take an examination more than twice.

After passing the preliminary examination and substantially completing all minor field course work, the student is eligible to take the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The oral exam will be based upon a presentation of a dissertation prospectus also submitted in written form.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written preliminary 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 Advancement to Candidacy is 9 quarters. The normative time to the Ph.D. degree is 15 quarters. The maximum time to degree for completing the Ph.D. degree is 24 quarters.

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 Director of the IoES makes a recommendation for academic disqualification after a vote of the Institute’s faculty. Before the recommendation is sent to the Graduate Division, a student is notified in writing and given two weeks to respond in writing to the Director. An appeal is reviewed by the Institute’s faculty, which makes the final recommendation to the Graduate Division.

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

Environment and Sustainability

Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Graduate Degrees

The IoES offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Environment and Sustainability.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

The M.S. degree in Environment and Sustainability is not intended to be a stand-alone, terminal degree. Students entering the program without a Master’s degree may choose to receive this degree while in progress to the Ph.D. degree.

Advising

Upon entry to the program, each student is assigned a faculty adviser from a UCLA department aligned with their expressed area of interest. The adviser will guide the student in their research, academic progress, and professional development. Regular meetings between the student and adviser are expected. By the end of the student’s second year in the program, the student and their adviser will collaboratively form a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The student’s adviser will serve as the doctoral committee chair. It may be appropriate for students to engage a secondary adviser from a complementary discipline to foster interdisciplinarity and enrich the student’s research perspective. The Graduate Student Affairs Officer, the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, and the IoES Director provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

None for the M.S. degree, but see the foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree.

Course Requirements

There are two plans of study that lead to the M.S. degree, the capstone and thesis plans, each requiring a total of 9 courses (36 units). At least five of the courses (20 units) must be at the 200-level. In the thesis plan, seven of the nine must be formal 100- or 200-series courses. The remaining two may be 598 courses involving work on the thesis. In the capstone plan, 500-series courses may not be applied toward the nine- course requirement. A minimum 3.0 grade-point average is required in all course work.

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Seminar Requirement: Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar series every quarter in residence for a minimum of 6 quarters (this course may not be applied toward the 36- unit requirement).

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: 24 elective units (6 courses) approved by the student’s graduate committee. These courses can include 8 units of Environment 597 (Masters Thesis Research). Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Capstone Plan

In addition to the course requirements, under the capstone plan, there is a comprehensive written examination covering the subject matter contained in the program of study. The examination is administered by a comprehensive examination committee, which may conduct an oral examination in addition to the written examination. In case of failure, the examination may be repeated once with the consent of the graduate 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, under the thesis plan students are required to write a thesis on a research topic in environment and sustainability supervised by the student’s graduate advisers.  The student’s doctoral committee reviews and approves the thesis.

No oral examination is required.

Time-to-Degree

The normative time to degree for completing the M.S. program is 6 quarters. There is no maximum time to degree for completing the M.S. degree as receipt of this degree is optional for students admitted to the Ph.D. degree..

Ph.D. Degree

Advising

Upon entry to the program, each student is assigned a faculty adviser from a UCLA department aligned with their expressed area of interest. The adviser will guide the student in their research, academic progress, and professional development. Regular meetings between the student and adviser are expected. By the end of the student’s second year in the program, the student and their adviser will collaboratively form a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The student’s adviser will serve as the doctoral committee chair. It may be appropriate for students to engage a secondary adviser from a complementary discipline to foster interdisciplinarity and enrich the student’s research perspective. The Graduate Student Affairs Officer, the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, and the IoES Director provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

No foreign language is required for admission to the Ph.D. program, and there is no uniform language requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, all students are strongly encouraged to obtain a competency in a foreign language and, at the discretion of the faculty, students who pursue certain subspecialties of environment and sustainability may be required to gain proficiency in one or more foreign languages.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain teaching experience, and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain field experience and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Course Requirements

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar for a minimum of 6 quarters.

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: Students entering without a Master’s degree must take 24 elective units (6 courses). Students entering with a Masters degree in one of the program areas must take 16 elective units (4 courses).  Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

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.

After mastering the body of knowledge defined in the major field, the student takes a written preliminary examination in the major field. This preliminary examination should be completed within the first two years of full-time enrollment in the Ph.D. program.

Students may not take an examination more than twice.

After passing the preliminary examination and substantially completing all minor field course work, the student is eligible to take the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The oral exam will be based upon a presentation of a dissertation prospectus also submitted in written form.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written preliminary 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 Advancement to Candidacy is 9 quarters. The normative time to the Ph.D. degree is 15 quarters. The maximum time to degree for completing the Ph.D. degree is 24 quarters.

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 Director of the IoES makes a recommendation for academic disqualification after a vote of the Institute’s faculty. Before the recommendation is sent to the Graduate Division, a student is notified in writing and given two weeks to respond in writing to the Director. An appeal is reviewed by the Institute’s faculty, which makes the final recommendation to the Graduate Division.

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

Environment and Sustainability

Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Graduate Degrees

The IoES offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Environment and Sustainability.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

The M.S. degree in Environment and Sustainability is not intended to be a stand-alone, terminal degree. Students entering the program without a Masters degree may choose to receive this degree while in progress to the Ph.D. degree.

Advising

Upon entry to the program, all students are assigned two faculty co-advisers from different UCLA departments and chosen to reflect the students’ expressed areas of interest and to provide complementary disciplinary representation. The faculty advisers assist students with planning their program of study. Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisers. Immediately after entry the students and their advisers will formulate a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The faculty advisers will serve as co-chairs of the committee. The Ph.D. Program Administrator, the IoES Academic Director, and the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

None for the M.S. degree, but see the foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree.

Course Requirements

There are two plans of study that lead to the M.S. degree, the capstone and thesis plans, each requiring a total of 9 courses (36 units). At least five of the courses (20 units) must be at the 200-level. In the thesis plan, seven of the nine must be formal 100- or 200-series courses. The remaining two may be 598 courses involving work on the thesis. In the capstone plan, 500-series courses may not be applied toward the nine- course requirement. A minimum 3.0 grade-point average is required in all course work.

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Seminar Requirement: Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar series every quarter in residence for a minimum of 6 quarters (this course may not be applied toward the 36- unit requirement).

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: 24 elective units (6 courses) approved by the student’s graduate committee. These courses can include 8 units of Environment 597 (Masters Thesis Research). Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Capstone Plan

In addition to the course requirements, under the capstone plan, there is a comprehensive written examination covering the subject matter contained in the program of study. The examination is administered by a comprehensive examination committee, which may conduct an oral examination in addition to the written examination. In case of failure, the examination may be repeated once with the consent of the graduate 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, under the thesis plan students are required to write a thesis on a research topic in environment and sustainability supervised by the student’s graduate advisers.  The student’s doctoral committee reviews and approves the thesis.

No oral examination is required.

Time-to-Degree

The normative time to degree for completing the M.S. program is 6 quarters. There is no maximum time to degree for completing the M.S. degree as receipt of this degree is optional for students admitted to the Ph.D. degree..

Ph.D. Degree

Advising

Upon entry to the program, all students are assigned two co-equal faculty advisers from different UCLA departments and chosen to reflect the students’ expressed areas of interest and to provide complementary disciplinary representation. The faculty advisers assist students with planning their program of study. Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisers. Immediately after entry the students and their advisers will formulate a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The faculty advisers will serve as co-chairs of the committee. The Ph.D. Program Administrator, the IoES Academic Director, and the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

No foreign language is required for admission to the Ph.D. program, and there is no uniform language requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, all students are strongly encouraged to obtain a competency in a foreign language and, at the discretion of the faculty, students who pursue certain subspecialties of environment and sustainability may be required to gain proficiency in one or more foreign languages.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain teaching experience, and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain field experience and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Course Requirements

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar for a minimum of 6 quarters.

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: Students entering without a Master’s degree must take 24 elective units (6 courses). Students entering with a Masters degree in one of the program areas must take 16 elective units (4 courses).  Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

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.

After mastering the body of knowledge defined in the major field, the student takes a written preliminary examination in the major field. This preliminary examination should be completed within the first two years of full-time enrollment in the Ph.D. program.

Students may not take an examination more than twice.

After passing the preliminary examination and substantially completing all minor field course work, the student is eligible to take the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The oral exam will be based upon a presentation of a dissertation prospectus also submitted in written form.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written preliminary 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 Advancement to Candidacy is 9 quarters. The normative time to the Ph.D. degree is 15 quarters. The maximum time to degree for completing the Ph.D. degree is 24 quarters.

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

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

Special Departmental or Program Policy

The Director of the IoES makes a recommendation for termination after a vote of the Institute’s faculty. Before the recommendation is sent to the Graduate Division, a student is notified in writing and given two weeks to respond in writing to the Director. An appeal is reviewed by the Institute’s faculty, which makes the final recommendation to the Graduate Division.

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

Environment and Sustainability

Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Graduate Degrees

The IoES offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Environment and Sustainability.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

The M.S. degree in Environment and Sustainability is not intended to be a stand-alone, terminal degree. Students entering the program without a Masters degree may choose to receive this degree while in progress to the Ph.D. degree.

Advising

Upon entry to the program, all students are assigned two faculty co-advisers from different UCLA departments and chosen to reflect the students’ expressed areas of interest and to provide complementary disciplinary representation. The faculty advisers assist students with planning their program of study. Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisers. Immediately after entry the students and their advisers will formulate a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The faculty advisers will serve as co-chairs of the committee. The Ph.D. Program Administrator, the IoES Academic Director, and the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

None for the M.S. degree, but see the foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree.

Course Requirements

There are two plans of study that lead to the M.S. degree, the capstone and thesis plans, each requiring a total of 9 courses (36 units). At least five of the courses (20 units) must be at the 200-level. In the thesis plan, seven of the nine must be formal 100- or 200-series courses. The remaining two may be 598 courses involving work on the thesis. In the capstone plan, 500-series courses may not be applied toward the nine- course requirement. A minimum 3.0 grade-point average is required in all course work.

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Seminar Requirement: Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar series every quarter in residence for a minimum of 6 quarters (this course may not be applied toward the 36- unit requirement).

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: 24 elective units (6 courses) approved by the student’s graduate committee. These courses can include 8 units of Environment 597 (Masters Thesis Research). Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Capstone Plan

In addition to the course requirements, under the capstone plan, there is a comprehensive written examination covering the subject matter contained in the program of study. The examination is administered by a comprehensive examination committee, which may conduct an oral examination in addition to the written examination. In case of failure, the examination may be repeated once with the consent of the graduate 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, under the thesis plan students are required to write a thesis on a research topic in environment and sustainability supervised by the student’s graduate advisers.  The student’s doctoral committee reviews and approves the thesis.

No oral examination is required.

Time-to-Degree

The normative time to degree for completing the M.S. program is 6 quarters. There is no maximum time to degree for completing the M.S. degree as receipt of this degree is optional for students admitted to the Ph.D. degree..

Ph.D. Degree

Advising

Upon entry to the program, all students are assigned two co-equal faculty advisers from different UCLA departments and chosen to reflect the students’ expressed areas of interest and to provide complementary disciplinary representation. The faculty advisers assist students with planning their program of study. Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisers. Immediately after entry the students and their advisers will formulate a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The faculty advisers will serve as co-chairs of the committee. The Ph.D. Program Administrator, the IoES Academic Director, and the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

No foreign language is required for admission to the Ph.D. program, and there is no uniform language requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, all students are strongly encouraged to obtain a competency in a foreign language and, at the discretion of the faculty, students who pursue certain subspecialties of environment and sustainability may be required to gain proficiency in one or more foreign languages.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain teaching experience, and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain field experience and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Course Requirements

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar for a minimum of 6 quarters.

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: Students entering without a Master’s degree must take 24 elective units (6 courses). Students entering with a Masters degree in one of the program areas must take 16 elective units (4 courses).  Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

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.

After mastering the body of knowledge defined in the major field, the student takes a written preliminary examination in the major field. This preliminary examination should be completed within the first two years of full-time enrollment in the Ph.D. program.

Students may not take an examination more than twice.

After passing the preliminary examination and substantially completing all minor field course work, the student is eligible to take the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The oral exam will be based upon a presentation of a dissertation prospectus also submitted in written form.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written preliminary 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 Advancement to Candidacy is 9 quarters. The normative time to the Ph.D. degree is 15 quarters. The maximum time to degree for completing the Ph.D. degree is 24 quarters.

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 Director of the IoES makes a recommendation for academic disqualification after a vote of the Institute’s faculty. Before the recommendation is sent to the Graduate Division, a student is notified in writing and given two weeks to respond in writing to the Director. An appeal is reviewed by the Institute’s faculty, which makes the final recommendation to the Graduate Division.

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

Environment and Sustainability

Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Graduate Degrees

The IoES offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Environment and Sustainability.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

The M.S. degree in Environment and Sustainability is not intended to be a stand-alone, terminal degree. Students entering the program without a Masters degree may choose to receive this degree while in progress to the Ph.D. degree.

Advising

Upon entry to the program, all students are assigned two faculty co-advisers from different UCLA departments and chosen to reflect the students’ expressed areas of interest and to provide complementary disciplinary representation. The faculty advisers assist students with planning their program of study. Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisers. Immediately after entry the students and their advisers will formulate a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The faculty advisers will serve as co-chairs of the committee. The Ph.D. Program Administrator, the IoES Academic Director, and the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

None for the M.S. degree, but see the foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree.

Course Requirements

There are two plans of study that lead to the M.S. degree, the capstone and thesis plans, each requiring a total of 9 courses (36 units). At least five of the courses (20 units) must be at the 200-level. In the thesis plan, seven of the nine must be formal 100- or 200-series courses. The remaining two may be 598 courses involving work on the thesis. In the capstone plan, 500-series courses may not be applied toward the nine- course requirement. A minimum 3.0 grade-point average is required in all course work.

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Seminar Requirement: Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar series every quarter in residence for a minimum of 6 quarters (this course may not be applied toward the 36- unit requirement).

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: 24 elective units (6 courses) approved by the student’s graduate committee. These courses can include 8 units of Environment 597 (Masters Thesis Research). Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the M.S. degree. However, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Capstone Plan

In addition to the course requirements, under the capstone plan, there is a comprehensive written examination covering the subject matter contained in the program of study. The examination is administered by a comprehensive examination committee, which may conduct an oral examination in addition to the written examination. In case of failure, the examination may be repeated once with the consent of the graduate 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, under the thesis plan students are required to write a thesis on a research topic in environment and sustainability supervised by the student’s graduate advisers.  The student’s doctoral committee reviews and approves the thesis.

No oral examination is required.

Time-to-Degree

The normative time to degree for completing the M.S. program is 6 quarters. There is no maximum time to degree for completing the M.S. degree as receipt of this degree is optional for students admitted to the Ph.D. degree..

Ph.D. Degree

Advising

Upon entry to the program, all students are assigned two co-equal faculty advisers from different UCLA departments and chosen to reflect the students’ expressed areas of interest and to provide complementary disciplinary representation. The faculty advisers assist students with planning their program of study. Students are expected to meet regularly with their faculty advisers. Immediately after entry the students and their advisers will formulate a graduate committee according to the regulations governing doctoral committees. The faculty advisers will serve as co-chairs of the committee. The Ph.D. Program Administrator, the IoES Academic Director, and the Chair of the IoES Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee provide assistance with policy and procedure and, when necessary, act to resolve any conflicts that arise.

Areas of Study

The IoES Masters and Ph.D. Program in Environment and Sustainability covers a wide variety of areas of study drawing upon multiple disciplines. Students interested in this program should consult the program description at www.environment.ucla.edu for more information.

Foreign Language Requirement

No foreign language is required for admission to the Ph.D. program, and there is no uniform language requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, all students are strongly encouraged to obtain a competency in a foreign language and, at the discretion of the faculty, students who pursue certain subspecialties of environment and sustainability may be required to gain proficiency in one or more foreign languages.

Teaching Experience

There is no uniform teaching experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain teaching experience, and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain teaching experience.

Field Experience

There is no uniform field experience requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, students are strongly encouraged to obtain field experience and, at the discretion of the faculty, a student may be required to gain field experience.

Course Requirements

Required Courses

Environment 200 A/B

Enrollment in the Environment 290 seminar for a minimum of 6 quarters.

Analytical Tools and Methods Elective (one course): Courses that introduce students to the tools and methods required for interdisciplinary research such as probability and statistics, decision analysis, life cycle analysis, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), numerical analysis and experiment and survey design, archival research, urban planning, architectural design, ethnographic field work, communications studies, media studies, visual and textual analysis and interpretation. Other courses may be approved by petition to satisfy this requirement. One course approved by the student’s graduate committee. The IoES maintains a list of courses approved for this requirement, and students may propose additional courses by petition.

Guided Electives: Students entering without a Master’s degree must take 24 elective units (6 courses). Students entering with a Masters degree in one of the program areas must take 16 elective units (4 courses).  Elective courses will be chosen to support the student’s dissertation research by insuring that the student has the substantive knowledge and analytical skills necessary to do publishable original research. Students are strongly encouraged to include in their elective courses a course in culture and values chosen to be appropriate to the dissertation topic. A student’s graduate committee must approve all elective course selections. With the approval of a student’s graduate committee and the Chair of the Ph.D. Program Faculty Advisory Committee, a student may be allowed to substitute previous course work or research experience as elective subjects.

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.

After mastering the body of knowledge defined in the major field, the student takes a written preliminary examination in the major field. This preliminary examination should be completed within the first two years of full-time enrollment in the Ph.D. program.

Students may not take an examination more than twice.

After passing the preliminary examination and substantially completing all minor field course work, the student is eligible to take the University Oral Qualifying Examination. The oral exam will be based upon a presentation of a dissertation prospectus also submitted in written form.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written preliminary 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 Advancement to Candidacy is 9 quarters. The normative time to the Ph.D. degree is 15 quarters. The maximum time to degree for completing the Ph.D. degree is 24 quarters.

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 Director of the IoES makes a recommendation for academic disqualification after a vote of the Institute’s faculty. Before the recommendation is sent to the Graduate Division, a student is notified in writing and given two weeks to respond in writing to the Director. An appeal is reviewed by the Institute’s faculty, which makes the final recommendation to the Graduate Division.