Ph.D. Paperwork Guide

Follow this guide to complete your administrative requirements for passing the Pre-Qualifying and Qualifying Examinations, Advancing to Candidacy, and applying for the Ph.D. in Environmental Studies.

Quick links:

• ENVS Graduate Coordinator
• Faculty Graduate Representative: Elliott Campbell
• Division of Graduate Studies Forms
• The Academic and Administrative Calendar

Pre-Qualifying Exam:

1. Email the ENVS Graduate Coordinator and the ENVS Graduate Director with the list of your pre-qualifying exam committee members, and the date and time of your oral examination.

2. Prior to or on the day of the exam, print out the Pre-Qualifying Examination Report form. Give the form to the Chair of your Pre-Qualifying Exam Committee.  They will submit the completed form to the ENVS Graduate Coordinator.

Qualifying Exam:

*If you are planning on doing a Designated Emphasis (DE) in another program as part of your Ph.D., most programs require you to have a faculty member from that department on your qualifying exam committee.  Similarly, you must declare your intention to complete the DE at the time you advance to candidacy. Check DE requirements through the offering program's website; a list of programs offering a DE is available through the Academic Senate's website.

1. Submit the Nomination of Qualifying Exam Committee form to the ENVS Graduate Coordinator for review. You must submit this form, to the ENVS Graduate Coordinator, at least two months in advance of your exam. Have the form signed by the ENVS Graduate Director, prior to submitting it to the ENVS Graduate Coordinator.  They ENVS Graduate Coordinator will review the form and submit it to the Graduate Studies office for final approval.

2. Since the following forms require the same signatures, or are required to Advance to Candidacy, please submit them along with your Nomination of Qualifying Exam Committee Form: Application for Master's Degree and Nomination for Dissertation Reading Committee.

3. The Division of Graduate Studies will email you and the department with their ruling on the Qualifying Examination Committee members. If approved, print out the Qualifying Examination Report form, and give it to the Chair of your Qualifying Examination Committee at the exam.

4. The Chair will submit the completed form to the ENVS Graduate Coordinator.

5. After passing the qualifying exam, and completing all required coursework and Teaching Assistantships, you are ready to advance to candidacy. Senate Regulations require that students cannot be advanced to candidacy with course grades of "I" (Incomplete) on record.

*If applicable, you will also need to file a Report on the Language Requirement.

Advancing to Candidacy:

1. Turn in your Nominations for Dissertation Reading Committee form and Application for a non-terminal Master's degree, signed by the ENVS Graduate Director, to the ENVS Graduate Coordinator.  The Master's application is typically due no later than the second week of the quarter (see the Academic Calendar), so it is likely that you will be applying for a Master's for the following quarter. These forms will be sent to the Division of Graduate Studies office along with your Qualifying Examination Report form.  Your student account will be charged the $90 Advancement to Candidacy fee.

2. You will be officially Advanced to Candidacy in the term following the submission of these materials and, if applicable, completion of any incomplete (I) grades and language requirements.* You will be notified via e-mail from the Graduate Division of your formal Advancement to Candidacy.

3. The Master's diploma will be mailed to your permanent address on file with MyUCSC, after about 6 months. If you move or change your permanent address within this 6-month time period, you must notify the Registrar's Office directly at (831) 459-4112 to ensure delivery of your diploma.

Applying for the Ph.D.:

1. Print out the Application for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree.

2. Complete the top part of the form and have your dissertation advisor and the ENVS Graduate Director sign the form. Submit the form to the ENVS Graduate Coordinator, who will review the form and submit it to the Division of Graduate Studies office.

3. You must ensure that there is adequate time for:

• All signatures to be obtained, and
• Submitting the form to Graduate Studies by the deadline for Announcing your Candidacy for the Ph.D. in the Academic Calendar (usually the second week of the quarter).

4. Schedule an Exit Talk Seminar with the graduate student and faculty member coordinating seminars for the academic quarter in which you will graduate.

5. All requirements for the degree must be completed prior to the deadline indicated in the Academic Calendar  – including giving your exit talk, emailing a pdf of the final dissertation to the ENVS Graduate Coordinator, submitting a complete and final dissertation on-line, and submitting an original signed title page to the Division of Graduate Studies. Be sure to follow the Division of Graduate Studies'  Guidelines for the dissertation format  and Dissertation Checklist.

7. Complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates and the Exit Survey.

8. Unless they have been have been offered a continuing appointment in our department, graduate students are expected to empty and clean office space (and lab space, if applicable), and turn in all of their keys (both to the department and PBSci Key Program), no later than one month post-graduation.

9. Be sure to keep in touch with the department, and inform us of your professional activities after you graduate! Give the ENVS Graduate Coordinator a permanent email address to reach you at, and keep your contact information updated at MyUCSC. Alumni can contact the Information Technology Services office for assistance in accessing MyUCSC.

10.Prior to Fall 2014, paper Teaching Assistant Course Evaluations were collected. You have the option to take paper evaluations with you upon your departure from campus. Starting in Fall 2014,  all Teaching Assistant Course Evaluations have been collected eletronically and are available to you on eCommons.  Please request paper evaluations from the Graduate Coordinator and download electronic evaluations from eCommons.

10. Your Ph.D. diploma will be mailed to your permanent address as listed in MyUCSC, usually 6 months after the end of the quarter. If you move or change your permanent address within this 6-month time period, you must notify the Registrar's Office directly at (831) 459-4412 to ensure delivery of your diploma.

*After you have advanced to candidacy (ATC), you have a few schedules to keep in mind:

I. The Financial Aid Office requires that students complete their degrees three (3) years after ATC. 

If this Finanical Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) milestone is exceeded, you will be ineligible for financial aid (fellowships, loans, TA/GSR fee remissions, ENVS research grants, etc.).  To regain elibility for financial aid, students may submit an appeal in cases where there have been extenuating circumstances beyond the student's contol, which prevented them from meeting financial aid SAP requirements: examples include childbearing, the death of a close relative, a serious injury, or an illness. 

To apply for an SAP Appeal: At least 6 weeks prior to the start of the quarter, submit a plan for completion of the Ph.D. by a specific point in time not to exceed one academic year in length, signed by your adviser, to the ENVS Graduate Coordinator.  Request your adviser to submit a letter, to the Graduate Committe via the Graduate Coordinator, explaining the reason why SAP was not met, and what changed that ensures you will be able to make satisfactory academic progress in the future.  The Graduate Coordinator will request the approval of the Graduate Committee, obtain the Graduate Director's signature on your plan for completion, and submit the appeal to the Division of Graduate Studies.  The Dean of Graduate Studies will transmit their decision on the appeal in writing to the student and communicate the decision to the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office. 

II. If a student fails to complete the dissertation seven (7) years after Advancing to Candidacy, candidacy shall lapse and the student must re-take and pass the Qualifying Exam to Advance to Candidacy.

III. The normative time to finish your doctorate is six (6) calendar years total.