Degree Deadlines & Commencement

QUESTIONS? Contact chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu or 858‐534‐2263.

The Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) sets the dates by which a student must turn in a thesis each quarter, including filing between quarters (e.g., in summer or during the Fall/Winter or Winter/Spring breaks). These are posted on the GEPA website. Commencement is once a year, and to be eligible to participate, you must have met the Summer degree deadline listed on the GEPA website. Information concerning ordering cap and gown, as well as dates, location, etc. is on the GEPA website. You may walk in commencement for both the MS and the PhD.

The Quarter You Graduate

PhD Students

Graduating between quarters (winter break, spring break, or summer)

Students graduating in between quarters will need to pay a filing fee ($188) in order to submit their thesis to the Graduate Division. The PhD Coordinator will prepare the general petition for you.

To remain eligible for UCSD support (stipend, fees, tuition), you must:

1. Consult with your advisor on completion plans, including registration/enrollment for upcoming quarter(s).  Please consult with the Student Affairs Office to discuss your individual funding situation.
2. Register for at least 12 units, as applicable in #1. NOTE: If you plan to defend early in the quarter, there is an option to pay a filing fee in lieu of registration. Please discuss with the Student Affairs Office and your PI if this is a more appropriate option.
3. Please consult with the Student Affairs office regarding the timing of submitting your final paperwork/thesis as this may impact your financial support.  Do not turn in the thesis to graduate until the fifth week of the quarter or later. Depending on your funding circumstances, it may be necessary for you to delay the submission of your thesis to the Graduate Division in order to remain eligible for support. Again, please discuss your individual situation with the Student Affairs Office.
4. If registered for the quarter, your PI must support you through approximately seventh week (minimum support equivalent to 25% for a full quarter). IMPORTANT: If your advisor does not agree to fund you for the full quarter, you may be liable to cover the registration/tuition fees for the quarter.
5. You may not withdraw mid-quarter from any TA assignment!

If you will be on leave of absence the quarter you plan to graduate, remember:

• Contact the Ph.D. Coordinator to file the needed paperwork before the first day of classes of the quarter of leave.
• You are eligible to remain in graduate student housing, but contact their main office for details.
• You will not be eligible for any UCSD-affiliated support (e.g., TA, research assistantships, fellowship).
• You will not be allowed to use any campus facilities and do not have Student ID card privileges (e.g. no working in the lab, bus passes, library privileges, rec facilities).
• You will not have Graduate Student Health Insurance coverage. Contact Student Health Insurance, 858-534-0903, for assistance with securing health insurance, or visit their website for more information.
• A General Petition to waive registration and pay a filing fee must be submitted to the Graduate Division at the time you turn in your graduation paperwork and thesis. You pay the filing fee through your TritonLink account or the UCSD Cashier's Office before going to the Graduate Division.

UCSD-SDSU Joint Doctoral Program Students

You must enroll in Chem 899, Dissertation, at SDSU, the quarter you intend to graduate. Any support is via SDSU. Please contact that campus for more information.

Four to Six Week Before Defense

UCSD PhD Students

Confirm your Doctoral Committee Membership

If your Doctoral Committee is changing, contact the Ph.D Coordinator (chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu) ASAP. An online form will need to completed, signed by your Thesis Advisor and the Vice Chair for Graduate Education, and routed to the Graduate Division two weeks prior to the exam.

REMEMBER: Students are expected to submit a draft of the doctoral dissertation to each member of the doctoral committee at least one month before the scheduled defense. Formatting is detailed on the the Graduate Division website.

UCSD-SDSU Joint Doctoral Program Students

Confirm your Doctoral Committee Membership.

If your Doctoral Committee is changing, contact the chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu ASAP. An online form will need to be completed, signed by your Thesis Advisors (UCSD and SDSU), signed by the Vice Chair for Graduate Education (UCSD) and the SDSU campus officials, and sent to the Graduate Division two weeks prior to the exam.

Minimum Three Week Before Defense

Schedule the Exam

Confirm the date and time of your exam with ALL your Doctoral Committee members. Email chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu with the date and time agreed upon by ALL your Doctoral Committee members so that degree requirements can be met.

**IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING COMMITTEE PARTICIPATION:
(Additional details can be found on the Graduate Division website)

• Doctoral committee members can participate at the defense in one of three ways: physically present (meaning they are in the room), telepresent (meaning they participate by live video teleconference), or in advance (if they must be absent on the exam date, it is permissible to examine the candidate in advance of the exam.
• More than half of the doctoral committee must be physically present. No more than 2 members may be telepresent.
• The committee chair, or one co-chair, must be physically present.
• The outside tenured member must be physically present or telepresent.
• If an emergency situation arises that affects the number of committee members present, the committeee chair (or co-chairs) may decide how to proceed. There must be sufficient expertise among present members (either physically or telepresent) to examine the student.
• Departments and programs may impose more restrictive requirements regarding how to conduct these exams, as they deem appropriate.

PARKING - JDP students: The defense is held on the UCSD campus. You must email chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu to coordinate parking permit needs/arrangements for your SDSU Doctoral Committee members.

Reserve a Room and Equipment

AFTER you confirm the exam date AND time with your committee, contact chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu to reserve a room or submit the room request form here. Student Affairs will schedule it a half hour before the exam time so that you will have time to make sure all the equipment is working and to settle in.

Schedule Appointments with the Graduate Division

Visit the Graduate Division website https://gradforms.ucsd.edu/calendar/index.php and schedule a Preliminary Thesis appointment. The purpose of this appointment is for the Graduate Division to review the formatting of your thesis. The rules on thesis formatting are very strict ‐‐ see the Web link above for instructions. A preliminary appointment can save you lots of work and headaches later! Rules for thesis formatting are available on the Graduate Division website.

Two Weeks Before Your Defense

Email chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu with the title of your thesis as well as a photograph of yourself. These are essential in order for required announcements to be posted.

Defense, Paperwork, and Graduation

Effective FA22, all defenses must be conducted in-person, with hybrid exams by exception only. If approved for a hybrid exam, please follow instructions on the Zoom page to learn about setting up Zoom Web/Video Conferencing. The Committee Chair will need to setup the Zoom meeting and invite all the committee members and the student. The student’s folder will not be dropped off at the Business Office.

While we will still post an announcement regarding the Thesis Defense, we will not disclose the Zoom meeting link and will instead direct interested participants to contact the student and/or Advisor directly to RSVP for the defense. Before setting up the Zoom meeting, please take a moment to carefully review these Zoom meeting safeguards to keep your remote exam safe and secure: https://blink.ucsd.edu/technology/file-sharing/zoom/safeguards.html.

The student and committee members will need to have a computer/laptop with webcam/video capability. If anyone does not have access to a webcam/laptop and need to borrow one, please contact ChemHelpDesk.

On the day of your defense, Student Affairs will have the necessary paperwork (see below) in your file. Instructions on who signs what will be included. Your advisor will pick up your file before the defense, and then will return your file afterwards.

After you have finished your dissertation presentation, your committee will likely ask you to leave the room so that they may consult privately. You will then come back in the room, and the committee will tell you whether you passed the defense and what (if any) additional experimentation or revisions to the written dissertation are required. After the exam, your advisor will return the file. Student Affairs ensures that the required Departmental review/signatures are obtained for the Final Report and General Petition (if applicable) forms via DocuSign (see below). Students are responsible for following up with the Ph.D. Coordinator after their defense regarding the status of their “final” paperwork required for final appointment with the Graduate Division. The student will receive a copy once the committee members and department Chair/Vice Chair has signed off. Be certain to ALLOW REASONABLE TIME between the completion of your Final Report and General Petition (if applicable) forms and the date/time of your final appointment. Files with original paperwork may take 2‐3 days to return to Student Affairs and/or availability of required Departmental reviews/signatures may require 1‐2 days.

Dissertation/Thesis Signature Page

The completed/signed signature page must be received by the Graduate Division on or before the student’s final appointment with the Graduate Division. Instructions on how to route the signature page through DocuSign can be found here: https://grad.ucsd.edu/academics/preparing-to-graduate/dissertation-thesis-submission.html. 

Paperwork

1. Alumni Information Form: Complete prior to picking up your Final Report form and/or General Petition form in advance of your final appointment with the Graduate Division: http://che-mf.chem.ucsd.edu/mf/view.php?id=27. This form provides your post-graduation plans and post-graduation address.
2. Final Report Form: Will be routed to Doctoral Committee members 2 days before your scheduled defense. The Ph.D. Coordinator ensures that required Departmental review/signatures are obtained for the Final Report and General Petition (if applicable) forms (see below). Students are responsible for following up with the Ph.D. Coordinator after their defense regarding the status of their “final” paperwork required for the final appointment with the Graduate Division. Be certain to ALLOW REASONABLE TIME between the completion of your Final Report and General Petition (if applicable) forms and the date/time of your final appointment. Files with original paperwork may take 2‐3 days to return to Student Affairs and/or availability of required Departmental reviews/signatures may require 1‐2 days. (JDP students: The SDSU JDP Graduate Advisor (Dr. Douglas Grotjahn) will initiate and route the Final Report form to all required signees via Adobe Sign. The signature routing order will be: SDSU JDP Graduate Advisor > Doctoral Committee Chair > Doctoral Committee > SDSU Co-Directors > UCSD Co-Directors > SDSU Graduate Affairs > UCSD Gradute Division > Final copy sent to everyone. Students are responsible for following up with the Ph.D. Coordinator regarding the status of their Final Report form required for the final appointment with the Graduate Division. Because signatures are required from both campuses, be certain to allow REASONABLE TIME to obtain signatures at two separate campuses when scheduling your final appointment with the Graduate Division.)
3. General Petition: Needed if you were on leave of absence or withdrawal status the quarter you graduate *OR* if you are graduating between quarters (e.g., winter break, spring break, or summer). To be signed by Vice Chair for Graduate Education and you. The Ph.D. Coordinator ensures that the required Departmental review/signatures are obtained for the Final Report and General Petition (if applicable) forms via DocuSign. Any applicable fees can be paid via your TritonLink account or at the UCSD Cashier's Office.
4. Be sure to contact the Graduate Funding Coordinator to confirm the last day of your graduate student employment.
5. The Thesis! This is submitted/turned in after your final appointment with the Graduate Division.

Postdoc at UCSD (If applicable)

If you have been approved by a professor to continue at UCSD as a postdoc, please be sure to contact the PostDoc Coordinator in the Chem/Biochem Business Office to set up an appointment for you.  Postdoc appointments must be prepared in advance of the start date. Therefore, be sure that your have notified her at least three weeks before your intended start date as a postdoc.

Defined Contribution Plan and W2 Form

Be sure to contact the Graduate Funding Coordinator to obtain information on how to manage/rollover the funds in your Defined Contribution Plan. She will also need to confirm your current address in order to ensure that your W‐2 form is mailed to the correct location. 

Congratulations!