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Defense and Graduation Information

RESOURCES

Graduate Division 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 Graduate Division website. Commencement is once a year, and to be eligible to participate you must have met the Spring deadline listed on the Graduate Division website. Information concerning ordering cap and gown, as well as dates, location, etc. is on the Graduate Division website. You may walk in commencement for both the MS and the PhD degrees.

The Quarter You Graduate

UCSD 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 and route the DocuSign General Petition form for you.

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

  • Contact the Ph.D. Coordinator (chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu) 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 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,assistance with securing health insurance.

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 Weeks Before Defense

 

Confirm your Doctoral Committee Membership.

If your Doctoral Committee is changing, contact the Ph.D. Coordinator ASAP. A doctoral committee reconstitution request needs to be submitted, signed by your Thesis Advisor, signed by the Vice Chair for Graduate Education (UCSD) and the SDSU campus officials, and sent to Graduate Division two weeks prior to the exam.

Minimum Three Weeks Before Defense

Schedule the Exam

Confirm the date and time of your exam with ALL your Doctoral Committee members. Email Ph.D. Coordinator with date and time agreed upon by ALL your Doctoral Committee members once you have this date/time info so that degree requirements can be met.

**IMPORTANT: The committee chair and the tenured, outside member must always be present at a defense exam.

PARKING - JDP students: The defense is held in-person, it will be conducted on UCSD campus. You must email the Ph.D. Coordinator 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 Ph.D. Coordinator to schedule a room. The defense will be scheduled half an hour before the exam time, to have time to make sure all equipment is working and to settle in. Refer to room information on the defense instructional email sent by the Ph.D. Coordinator.

Schedule Appointments with Graduate Division

Make sure to schedule a Preliminary Thesis appointment with the Graduate Division. 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 or More Before Your Defense

Email Ph.D. Coordinator the title of your thesis. This is essential in order for required announcements postings.

Defense, Paperwork, and Graduation

On the day of your defense, the Ph.D. Coordinator will have the needed paperwork (see below) in your e-file. The SDSU JDP Advisor will route the required Adobe Sign Final Report Form to the student and committee members. Instructions on who signs what will be emailed in advance to you and the committee members. 

Make sure to route the DocuSign title page to obtain signatures from your Committee members. More instructions can be found here.

After you have finished your dissertation presentation, your committee will likely ask you to leave the room so that they may have a private consult. 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 communicate the results to the Ph.D. Coordinator. The SDSU JDP Advisor and Ph.D. Coordinator ensure that required Departmental review/signatures are requested for the Adobe Sign Final Report and DocuSign General Petition (if applicable) forms (see below).

Paperwork

  1. Alumni Information Form: Complete in advance of your final appointment with 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. Adobe Sign Final Report Form (to Graduate Division at final appointment): The SDSU JDP Advisor and Ph.D. Coordinator ensures that required Departmental review/signatures are requested for Adobe Sign Final Report and DocuSign General Petition (if applicable) forms. JDP students: Your Adobe Sign Final Report form must be signed off by the SDSU Chemistry Chair. After Departmental signatures have been acquired the Adobe Sign form will be routed to the SDSU JDP Graduate Advisor for signature. Once completed, the form is then ready for your 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 Graduate Division.)
  3. DocuSign General Petition (to Graduate Division at final appointment): 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). Signed by the Vice Chair for Graduate Education and you. Ph.D. Coordinator ensures that required Departmental review/signatures are requested for the Final Report and General Petition (if applicable) forms. 
  4. The Thesis! This is submitted/turned in after your final appointment with Graduate Division.

 


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