Policies and Procedures

Good Academic Standing

To be in good academic standing a graduate student must meet university and graduate program standards, including;

• maintain a GPA of 3.0 or the equivalent in upper-division, graduate, and professional course work, and must not have accumulated more than a total of eight units of "F" and/or "U" grades overall, unless the student’s graduate program specifies more stringent grade requirements
• complete a satisfactory annual spring evaluation (doctoral and MFA students)
• maintain satisfactory progress toward completion of degree requirements, as defined by the graduate program, the student’s faculty advisor, and/or the student’s committee (if applicable)
• satisfy examination and other program requirements, as defined by the student’s graduate program
• identify an eligible faculty member who agrees to guide the student’s research and to serve as chair of the dissertation/thesis committee, according to the time period specified by the student’s graduate program
• advance to candidacy (if applicable) and complete the degree, within the established time limits specified by the student’s graduate program
• comply with conditions set at the time of admission to the student’s graduate degree program

Some requirements may only be applicable to Doctoral, MFA, and Master’s Thesis students. Students should check with their graduate program to confirm all applicable policies to be in good academic standing.

Good Academic Standing is a requirement for:

1. Holding academic appointments (e.g., GSR, IA).
2. Receiving fellowship, scholarship, or traineeship appointments.
3. Advancing to candidacy for a graduate degree.
4. Participating in UC Intercampus Exchange or SDSU exchange programs or Education Abroad Program (EAP). 
5. Going on a leave of absence.
6. Obtaining a graduate degree from UC San Diego. 

Graduate students who are not in good standing for any reason are subject to probation and/or disqualification from further graduate study. Academic disqualification is determined by the dean of the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs in consultation with the student’s graduate program, and normally relates to: unsatisfactory academic performance, e.g., failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or better; failure to meet criteria of performance; failure to advance to candidacy or complete the degree within established time limits; accumulation of more than eight units of F or U grades; or failure to comply with conditions set at the time of admission to a graduate degree program.

Graduate programs are responsible for monitoring their students’ overall progress toward degree. Programs should inform students about the expectations for satisfactory progress through published program descriptions and by written evaluations.  

Probation Process (Unsatisfactory Performance in Coursework)

Graduate students who do not meet the requirements for good academic standing are notified of their poor academic standing by a letter from the dean of the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA). Letters are available to students via GEPA’s Student Portal and to staff via the Student Database.  

If it is a student's first instance of academic difficulty and the GPA is above 2.0, the letter serves as a warning and advises the student of the academic situation,  its consequences, and the next steps.

Following the initial probation warning, in subsequent quarters if the student:

• Raises the GPA above a 3.0, no further action is taken.

• Raises the GPA but not to a 3.0, student may have probation extended either by the GEPA Dean's decision or by request of the program faculty with a plan for improvement.

• Shows no change, then student may have probation extended either by the GEPA Dean's decision or by request of the program faculty with a plan for improvement; however, this is dependent on the overall GPA. A hold may be placed on the student’s registration.

• Lowers the GPA further, a hold is placed on the student's registration.

Depending on the student's academic progress during the quarter following an academic probation notice, the Graduate Dean will advise the student of any further academic action and consequences via a letter posted to GEPA’s Student Portal. Staff access is through the Student Database. A hold is typically placed on the student’s registration in subsequent quarters following a warning notification if the student is not showing improvement towards resolving the academic probation status.

Any student with more than 8 units of "U" and/or "F" grades or a GPA less than a 2.0 will have a hold placed on his/her registration for the next available quarter.

When a student’s academic probation results in a registration hold, continuation in the graduate program requires support from the graduate program faculty with submission of an academic plan to the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs.

Note: due to the processing of grades after the next quarter has begun, registration holds are usually placed on the 2nd quarter after the problem arises (i.e. Fall quarter problem, registration hold placed on Spring registration. During the Summer, however, registration holds may be placed on students for Fall quarter.

Regardless of the severity of the problem, students are advised to maintain communication with the department. It is the department and student's responsibility to monitor the student's quarterly academic progress.

• A student must be registered for the quarter in which change is requested.
• A request to change department/program requires the signatures of both the current program Chair and the proposed program Chair.

Change Major or Degree Aim

Normally, duplication of advanced academic degrees—MA, MS, PhD—is not permitted. A duplicate academic degree is one at the same level (e.g., a second master’s degree or second PhD), regardless of the discipline or the specialization awarding the degree. A professional degree at the master’s or doctoral level(e.g., AuD, DMA, EdD, MAS, MBA, MSBA, MPH, MTech, MDSO, DDPM, MCEPA, MEd, MEng, MF, MFA, MIA, MPAc, MPP, MD, PharmD) is not regarded as a duplicate of an academic degree.

Students who already hold an advanced academic degree may be admitted to UC San Diego to pursue a second advanced academic degree at the same level only under limited circumstances, and only with the consent of the Graduate Council. Recognizing that there are circumstances in which it is appropriate for a student to pursue a second degree, the Graduate Council will consider the following criteria when reviewing requests for permission to do so at UC San Diego:

1. The degree already held by the student must be in a fundamentally different disciplinary field from the department or program to which the student is applying. A request for permission to be admitted to a degree program at UC San Diego should document this clearly, and should indicate the differences both in intellectual training and in qualification for future employment that the second degree would confer.
2. The department or program considering the applicant must make a clear case that there is no other way at UC San Diego for the student to obtain the same outcome for future employment prospects (e.g., by pursuing a master’s program or postdoctoral study rather than a second PhD).

If the decision of the Graduate Council is that the student should be admitted to a particular department or program for a master’s degree alone, the student is barred from requesting permission to continue for a PhD in that department or program.

Departments and programs that award an MA or MS in the course of progress toward the PhD may confer the master’s degree on any enrolled PhD student who has met the departmental and university requirements for the degree, unless the student already holds an MA or MS in the same or related field. In particular, departments and programs may confer the MA or MS on a PhD student who holds a master’s degree in a different discipline by submitting the Duplicate Master's Degree form. See the DocuSign Forms page in collab for instructions.

Departments and programs are encouraged to consider waiving precandidacy requirements for students who already hold a master’s degree in the same or related field in order to decrease the time to degree.

Academic Senate policy reference.

Please work with your graduate coordinator if you experience any of the issues below. 

Clerical Errors

Grade changes due to clerical errors may be corrected by the instructor of record via eGrades (for a course taken within one calendar year).  This includes such errors as the incorrect grade was assigned or no grade was assigned and the course has lapsed to a U or F.  In these cases nothing is submitted to the Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs.

Incomplete that has lapsed to a U or F

If the deadline to replace an “I” with a grade is missed (the last day of the quarter), the “I” will lapse to a U or F; the program chair and instructor must petition the Dean of the Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs and the Educational Policy Committee (EPC) to retroactively assign the grade. The following items must be submitted to the Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs for the Dean’s review. If approval is recommended, the Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs will forward the request to EPC for their final decision.

1. General Petition with the “other” section filled out with ALLcourse information (grade to be assigned, course number, section, section id, number of units, and quarter the course was taken). Petition must be signed by the instructor and the Chair of the student’s home department.
2. Official supporting documentation explaining circumstances that prevented the grade from being assigned prior to the deadline.

After the Dean’s review, the Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs will submit the request to the EPC for their final decision.

Extension of an Incomplete Grade

Extensions are not granted due to a leave of absence. Senate policy requires that an incomplete be completed by the end of immediately subsequent quarter, regardless of the student's registration status in that quarter. Extensions are considered ONLY in extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control; health reasons require verification from the health care provider. Request must be filed before the incomplete lapses to an F or U.

1. General Petition with the “other” section filled out with ALL course information (course number, section, section id, number of units, and quarter the course was taken). Petition must be signed by the instructor and the Chair of the student’s home department.
2. Official supporting documentation addressing the student’s inability to complete the pending work by the deadline.

After the Dean’s review, the Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs will submit the request to the EPC for their final decision.

** Grade changes beyond one calendar year require the following:

1. General Petition with the “other” section filled out with ALLcourse information (grade to be assigned, course number, section, section id, number of units, and quarter the course was taken). Petition must be signed by the instructor and the Chair of the student’s home department.
2. A Clerical Error form recording the grade for the course and signed by the instructor.
3. Official supporting documentation explaining circumstances that resulted in the assignment of an incorrect grade.

After the Dean’s review, the Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs will submit the request to the EPC for their final decision.

Academic Senate: Procedures for Requesting Exceptions to Senate Regulations 

Incomplete Grading Policy (Senate Regulation 500)

1. An instructor may file an Incomplete grade only if the student has completed the majority of the coursework at a passing level and only for documented reasons beyond the student’s control (illness, housing insecurity, and family emergency, for example).

An instructor may not grant a request for an Incomplete except as described above. The deadline for filing a request for an Incomplete shall be no later than the first working day after final examination week.

2. The instructor shall make arrangements with the student for completion of the work required at the earliest possible date, but no later than the last day of the finals week in the following quarter.  If not replaced by this date, the I grade will lapse into a failing grade. 

The instructor may neither agree nor require that the student wait until the next time the course is offered in order to make up incomplete work or equivalent. The instructor and student are expected to remain in communication to make individual arrangements for the timely completion of the work before the last day of the finals week in the following quarter.

3. If the instructor assigns an Incomplete grade, without the student having requested it, the instructor must notify the student before the first working day after final examination week of the quarter the I grade is to be assigned.

See the full Senate regulation 500 here.

Information on Leave of Absence and withdrawal can be found at the link below.

Leave of Absence/Withdrawal

Information on being readmitted to UC San Diego can be found below.

Readmission

Repetition of Courses

Read about the time limits for completing a doctoral degree at the link below.

Time to Doctorate Policy

• No more than one-half the total units required for a master's degree may be transferred.
• A student may petition to transfer courses completed while in graduate standing at another UC campus (including UC San Diego Extension XSDC courses) for up to one half the total master's degree unit requirement,
• A maximum of eight quarter units of work completed while in graduate standing at an institution other than UC may be transferred.
• Eligible course work may not have been used to fulfill the requirements of any other degree or certificate, and must have been completed with a B- or better grade and must have been taken prior to enrollment as a graduate student at UC San Diego. 
• A student must submit proof that the course work to be transferred was not used to satisfy requirements for any other degree or certificate program. Degree checks or a letter from the institution from which the courses are being transferred will be required stating the courses were not used toward another degree or certificate. 
• Official transcripts of transfer course work must accompany the petition OR be on file at Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs. 
• Under no circumstances will transferred work be included in calculating a student's GPA nor will it appear by class on the transcript.

• Academic Residency is established by the satisfactory completion of a specific number of units per quarter for a minimum number of quarters. See specifics described below.
• Residence requirements between advancement to candidacy and completion of the degree may be waived under special circumstances.
• A General Petition must be submitted to the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs providing justification. A letter from the faculty advisor, endorsed by the department chair may also be required along with the Petition.
• The Academic Senate's Educational Policy Committee reviews all Petitions to waive academic residency.

Residence requirements are:

MA, MS - Minimum of 3 academic quarters at a minimum of 6 units each quarter (some of which must be graduate level), at least one quarter must follow advancement to candidacy.

MAS, MEng - Minimum of 3 academic quarters at a minimum of 4 units each quarter.

MBA - Minimum of 6 quarters. 

MCEPA - Two years of resident graduate study (6 total quarters, 96 units). 

MDO - Minimum of 3 quarters at a minimum of 4 units each quarter.

MEd - Full-time study during the academic year and during the summer preceding the following the academic year of study (4 total quarters). 

MF/MQF - Students must register and pay fees for the winter, spring, fall and summer quarters (4 total quarters).

MFA - Minimum of 6 quarters for literature and visual arts, and 8 quarters for theatre and dance (some of which must be graduate level), at least one quarter must follow advancement to candidacy.

MIA - One year of resident graduate study (3 total quarters, 48 units).

MPAc - Minimum of 3 quarters. 

MPH -  Minimum of 4 quarters at 8 units each quarter. 

MPP - One year of resident graduate study (3 total quarters, 48 units). 

AuD - Minimum of 6 quarters at a minimum of 6 units per quarter (some of which must be at the graduate level). At least three quarters must be spent in continuous residence at UCSD and at least three quarters must follow advancement to candidacy.

DMA - Minimum of 6 quarters at a minimum of 6 units per quarter (some of which must be at the graduate level). At least three quarters must follow advancement to candidacy. 

EdD - Minimum of 6 quarters at a minimum of 6 units per quarter (some of which must be at the graduate level). At least three quarters must be spent in continuous residence at UCSD and at least three quarters must follow advancement to candidacy. 

PhD - Minimum of 6 quarters at a minimum of 6 units per quarter (some of which must be at the graduate level). At least three quarters must follow advancement to candidacy.

For more information, please see the Academic Senate's Regulations page on "Requirements for Higher Degrees."

This policy applies only to master's degree students who completed their bachelor's degree at UC San Diego. 

• On the recommendation of the graduate program/department and with the approval of the graduate dean, UC San Diego undergraduates admitted to a master's program may request to waive units required for the master's degree.
• Up to one half of the quarter units of credit required for the master's degree may be waived on the basis of upper-division and graduate course work completed with a B- or better while an undergraduate at the San Diego campus.
• Eligible coursework may not have been used to fulfill the requirements of any other degree or certificate.
• Waived coursework will not be included in calculating a student's grade-point average.
• Approval of such a petition will be notated on the transcript as, "X Units of Credit Waived based upon UCSD Undergraduate Record."