GRADUATE STUDIES

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deadlines, fees, admission
program of study (master's, Ph.D)
intercampus exchange, fellowships, assistantships and loans
Graduate Certificate Program for Engineers
Teacher Credential Program, Program in College Teaching

UC Davis offers advanced degrees in more than 70 graduate programs. Students' graduate study is guided by either departments or graduate groups. Graduate groups are composed of individual faculty members with similar disciplinary or research interests. The group structure, used extensively at Davis, permits faculty to be affiliated with graduate programs in more than one discipline and offers students flexibility and breadth by crossing the administrative boundaries of the various departments, colleges, schools and sometimes campuses. In keeping with UC Davis' progressive spirit, the group structure also allows for expansion of established degree programs and facilitates the development of new ones. Almost half of the graduate programs at Davis are sponsored by graduate groups. A list of the graduate degrees available at UC Davis can be found in the degree section of this online catalog.

Graduate study is administered by the Graduate Council, a standing committee of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate and by the dean of Graduate Studies. A universitywide Coordinating Committee on Graduate Affairs determines general policies and establishes common procedures.

Preparing for an Advanced Degree

Admission to a graduate program at the University of California requires a bachelor's degree that is comparable to a degree from the University of California both in distribution of academic subject matter and in scholarship achievement.

The primary requirement for admission to any program is evidence of intellectual achievement and promise. Your application will be evaluated primarily on the basis of your transcript to assure that your qualifications meet minimum standards as set by universitywide and UC Davis Graduate Councils. Generally, you must have a minimum B average in undergraduate coursework from an institution of acceptable standing to be considered for admission. Graduate programs frequently require submission of additional materials such as a separate application form, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, letters of recommendation, portfolios, or examples of written work to assist in selecting from among qualified applicants. Admission to graduate study is limited by the number of spaces available in major programs. Not all eligible applicants can be admitted.

UC Davis is committed to maintaining excellence, preserving fairness and promoting diversity in its student population. In addition to an applicant's past scholastic achievement, admissions criteria include an applicant's potential for service in the field, keeping in mind the needs of our society and of underrepresented and disadvantaged communities. Criteria also attempt to take into account any prior disadvantages applicants have experienced that may bear on future achievements and services.

Applying for Admission

March 1 Deadline for international students to file applications for admission to graduate standing, with complete credentials, with the dean of Graduate Studies

April 1 Deadline for United States residents to file applications for admission to graduate standing, with complete credentials, with the dean of Graduate Studies

Applications are accepted for fall quarter only. Combined admission and fellowship application forms are available from Graduate Studies, University of California, Davis, CA 95616. You should begin the application process as early as possible in the academic year, since many programs have early deadlines. In addition, your chances for employment as a teaching or research assistant or of receiving financial support are greatly enhanced by applying early. The application deadlines are as noted above, unless otherwise indicated by the program, or until your proposed graduate program is full, whichever occurs first.

The completed application form, along with the $40 nonrefundable application fee and official transcripts from each college and university you have attended, must be sent directly to Graduate Studies. Supplemental application materials required by the graduate program must be sent directly to the graduate adviser for that program.

When all application materials have been received by Graduate Studies, they will be forwarded to your proposed major program where they will be evaluated along with the supplemental materials you have sent to the program adviser. The Graduate Admissions Advisory Committee for the program will submit its recommendation and evaluation to Graduate Studies; final admission decisions rest with the dean of Graduate Studies. This approval procedure applies to all applicants, including those seeking a transfer to UC Davis from another UC campus.

Applications for the degrees of Juris Doctor, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Master of Business Administration and Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine must be filed directly with the appropriate professional school.

Readmission

April 1 Deadline to file applications for readmission to graduate status with Graduate Studies

If you were formerly registered at UC Davis as a graduate student and wish to return to the same degree program and major, you must apply for readmission and pay the readmission application fee of $40. The readmission application must be filed with Graduate Studies by April 1 (or earlier if the program specifies an earlier date). Readmission to quarters other than fall is granted on an exception basis by special petition to the dean of Graduate Studies. If you are seeking to return to a new degree program and/or new major, you must apply for admission along with other new applicants. Obtain an application from the Graduate Studies office. Transcripts of all work undertaken since you were last registered in graduate status at Davis must be presented with the application. (There is no assurance of reentry, as applicants for readmission will be considered in competition with other applicants for the program.)

International Students

Assessment of a foreign degree is based on the characteristics of the national system of education, the type of institution attended and the level of study completed.

If you are an international student with credentials from universities outside the U.S., you should begin the application process as early as a year in advance. Official copies or certified copies of all transcripts in English and in the original language are required before your application can be processed. Completed applications along with the nonrefundable $40 application fee must be received from international students by March 1, unless your proposed program has an earlier deadline.

English Requirement. If English is not your native language and you have not studied at an institution where English was the language of instruction, you will be required to demonstrate proficiency in English by submitting your test scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). This test is given six times each year by the Educational Testing Service, CN6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151. The minimum score required for admission to graduate study at UC Davis is 550.

Visas. If you need a certificate of eligibility for a student visa issued by UC Davis, you will be required to complete a certification of finances form showing the availability of sufficient funding for your graduate program (see under "International Student Services" in the Academic Advising section for complete details). No financial aid of any kind (grants, loans, fellowships, scholarships, or work-study awards) is available to international students during their first year of registration at UC Davis.

Fees

At the time of registration each quarter, every student must pay the following fees.

These are the proposed fees for the 1996-97 academic year. Because fees are subject to gubernatorial, legislative and regental action, these fees may change without notice.

Graduate Student Fees (per quarter)

*Graduate students must purchase the Graduate Student Health Insurance Plan (GSHIP) unless they are able to prove comparable coverage under another insurance plan. GSHIP is approximately $150.00 per quarter.

Program of Study

A graduate degree is awarded to recognize a student's command of a wide range of knowledge in an academic field. It is not awarded merely for fulfillment of technical requirements, such as residence, or the completion of specific courses.

Master's Degree

Students working toward a master's degree must be
registered in residence for at least three quarters. Two regular six-week Summer Sessions may count as the equivalent of one quarter. Usually, all work for the master's degree is done in residence on the Davis campus. With the consent of the graduate adviser and the dean of Graduate Studies, however, some work taken elsewhere may be credited toward your degree. The normal limit for such transfer credit is 6 units from another institution, or 12 concurrent units, or up to one half of the unit requirement if the courses were taken at another campus of the University--providing the units were not used to satisfy requirements for another degree.

A master's degree may be awarded upon completion of one of two basic plans in which either a thesis or a comprehensive examination is required.

Ph.D. Degree

The Doctor of Philosophy degree, as granted at the University of California, means that the recipient possesses knowledge of a broad field of learning and has given evidence of distinguished attainment in that field; it is a warrant of critical ability and powers of imagination and synthesis. It means, too, that the candidate has presented a dissertation containing an original contribution to the knowledge of the chosen field of study.

Students working toward a doctorate must be registered and in university residence for a minimum of six regular quarters. Experience indicates that it takes considerably longer than this to complete a degree program. Two consecutive regular Summer Sessions may count as the equivalent of one regular quarter.

There is no university unit requirement for the doctoral degree. However, individual programs have course requirements that must be completed before admission to the qualifying examination.

The qualifying examination is administered by a committee appointed by the dean of Graduate Studies. The examination is intended to demonstrate critical thinking ability, powers of imagination and synthesis and broad knowledge of the field of study. Upon recommendation of the Qualifying Examination Committee, and with the approval of the Graduate Council, the examination may be repeated one time.

After successful completion of the Qualifying Examination, the student must file for Advancement to
Candidacy for the degree. At this time, a committee is appointed to direct the research problem and guide in
the preparation of the dissertation.

Graduate students in certain Ph.D. programs may participate in a Designated Emphasis, a specialization that might include a new method of inquiry or an important field of application which is related to two or more existing Ph.D. programs. The Designated Emphasis is awarded in conjunction with the Ph.D. degree and is signified by a transcript designation; for example, "Ph.D. in History with a Designated Emphasis in Critical Theory." Programs approved as Designated Emphases include: Computational Science; Critical Theory; Economy, Justice and Society; Feminist Theory and Research; International Nutrition; Native American Studies; and Social Theory and Comparative History.

Intercampus Exchange Program

An intercampus exchange student has library, health service and other student privileges on the host campus, but is considered a graduate student in residence on the home campus. The grades obtained in courses on the host campus are transferred to the home campus and entered on the student's official graduate transcript.

Application forms may be obtained at the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies and should be submitted six weeks before the beginning of the quarter in which you wish to participate in the program.

Fellowships, Assistantships and Loans

Financial support for graduate study at UC Davis is available in several forms: teaching and research assistantships, financial aid and fellowships/scholarships.

Information and application materials for TAships are available from the department in which you wish to teach. Contact the faculty directly about the availability of RAships.

Financial aid, which is available to U.S. citizens, permanent residents or immigrants only, is awarded on the basis of demonstrated financial need and is administered by the Financial Aid Office. Federal financial aid includes student loans, grants and work-study funding. You may apply for financial aid before you have been admitted. To be considered for financial aid, or for any awards based on financial need, you must file a "Free Application for Federal Student Aid" (FAFSA) no later than February 28, prior to the fall quarter enrollment. This form, submitted directly to the Federal Student Aid Program Office, Iowa City, IA, is used to determine financial need only. Contact the Graduate Financial Aid Office for information regarding loans, grants and work-study.

Fellowships and graduate scholarships are awarded primarily on the basis of scholarship and promise of outstanding academic and professional achievement. Fellowship awards can include a stipend, fees and/or nonresident tuition. Considered in evaluations are the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, undergraduate and graduate grade point averages, academic transcripts, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation and other documentation such as publications or awards. The minimum cumulative undergraduate or graduate grade point average required for a stipend or in-state fee award is 3.5 (A=4.0); for nonresident tuition fellowships the minimum is 3.25. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, or permanent residents of the U.S., or immigrants. To be considered for a nonresident tuition award, applicants must be U.S. citizens, or permanent residents of the U.S. who are not legal residents of California. New international students may be awarded nonresident tuition fellowships, but not stipend or in-state fee fellowships.

Applications for fellowships and graduate scholarships are due by January 15 for awards beginning fall quarter. Entering students submit the "Application for Graduate Admission and Fellowship; continuing students file an "Application for Fellowships and Graduate Scholarship for Continuing Students" with their graduate program.

Graduate Certificate Program for Engineers

For engineers who already have a degree, the College of Engineering offers a Graduate Certificate Program. This program consists of coursework in selected engineering subjects and requires fewer units than the degree programs. The purpose of the Graduate Certificate Program is to provide practicing engineers with an opportunity to develop additional expertise in specific areas and to explore new fields of technical interest.

General requirements for the program are

• 15 or 16 units of specified graduate coursework, or a combination of specified graduate and undergraduate coursework
• Admission to Graduate Studies

Further information on the Graduate Certificate Program may be found in the College of Engineering Bulletin.

Teacher Credential Programs

To apply you need to have done the following:

• completed a bachelor's degree;
• completed most of the required course work in the area you want to teach, or have taken a National Teacher Exam (NTE) and National Evaluation Systems (NES) exam in the area you want to teach;
• taken the California Basic Education Skill Test (CBEST);
• worked with school-age children; and,
• met Graduate Studies minimum GPA requirement (3.0).

There are additional requirements that we encourage you to take as undergraduates. Information is available in the Student Services Office, 2078 Academic Surge, 916-752-0757 (jgmacdonald@ucdavis.edu).

The teaching credential program starts in the fall quarter only and is nine months long. It is a full-time professional program with a rigorous schedule. Student teachers are in classrooms in the morning and early afternoon and back on campus in the afternoon and evening for coursework. The student teaching assignments generally are in the following communities: Davis, Winters, Woodland, Dixon, Vacaville, Fairfield, Sacramento and West Sacramento. Student teachers are required to participate in the schools in the role of a regularly credentialed teacher. A typical course schedule follows:

1. student teaching
2. teaching methods courses [on how to teach your subject area(s) and grade level(s)]
3. reading methods course
4. computer education course
5. health education course
6. special education course

Upon satisfactory completion of all requirements, you will be recommended to receive a California teaching credential.

Applications and filing deadlines should be obtained from the Division of Education, 2078 Academic Surge, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8579 or the Department of Applied Behavioral Sciences (agricultural education), Hunt Hall, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8523.

The teacher education program is also available to upper division students who have a 3.3 GPA and room in their schedule for a full-time teaching program. Satisfactory completion of your degree and the credential program would entitle you to a nonrenewable preliminary credential. Within five years you must complete a graduate year of study to be eligible for an additional credential. Specific requirements may be obtained from the Student Services staff in the Division of Education.

Students considering teaching as a career should consult the Division of Education or the Department of Applied Behavioral Sciences as early as their freshman year. Because of the complexity of the Teacher Preparation and Licensing Law and the requirements of Davis campus programs, students are encouraged to maintain close contact with education advisers throughout their undergraduate years (http://education.ucdavis.edu/).

Program in College Teaching

The heart of the program is co-teaching with a faculty mentor. Many participants choose UC Davis faculty members as their mentors and do their teaching on the Davis campus. Participants considering a career at a community college or at a four-year teaching college are encouraged to find faculty mentors and teaching opportunities at cooperating colleges nearby, thereby developing contacts and references at institutions similar to those at which they intend to eventually teach. Participants also complete individualized learning contracts and attend regularly scheduled "Teaching Roundtables."

The Program in College Teaching is administered through the Office of Graduate Studies and the Teaching Resources Center. The program begins in late spring quarter, lasts until the end of the following spring quarter, and is designed to fit into the student's existing schedule. Further information may be obtained from the Teaching Resources Center, 17 Wellman Hall, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616-8717.

We welcome your comments.