Degree Completion

• The minimum residence requirement is three academic quarters; AT LEAST ONE of which must follow advancement to candidacy. Residence is established by satisfactory completion of six units or more per quarter, some of which must be at the graduate level.
• A student must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above in upper division and graduate course work, have no more than 8 units of F or U, and resolve any outstanding grading problems.
• A student must be registered or will be assessed the filing fee in lieu of registration.

The deadline to submit final degree paperwork to GEPA Academic Affairs is the 11^th Friday of each quarter or early September for summer graduation (see our general deadlines and the Registrar’s Enrollment and Registration Calendar for more information on deadlines and specific dates). If the deadline is missed the degree will be awarded in the next quarter. The degree conferral date is always the last day of the given quarter (see the Registrar's Enrollment and Registration Calendar for specific dates). 

Master's thesis and Master of Fine Arts students should check with their advisor regarding when the thesis must be submitted for review by the master committee.

• A student must make an appointment with GEPA Academic Affairs for a preliminary check of his/her thesis. Appointments will continue to be conducted via Zoom. At that appointment the format is checked and instructions on the final preparation and submission of the thesis are given. The thesis must be formatted according to the requirements explained in the "Preparation and Submission Manual for Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses".
• The thesis committee shall supervise and approve the student's thesis.
• *Effective November 18, 2020, faculty signatures are no longer collected on a signature page. Committee approval of the thesis is captured on a revised combined Final Report Form (this form is initiated and managed by the department/program graduate coordinator). Students should check with their department/program graduate coordinator to verify that the combined form is being used.
  • In the event that the combined Final Report Form is not used, faculty signatures must be collected from each committee member via DocuSign. Please let the GEPA Academic Affairs advisor know and s/he will let the student know how to proceed. 
• The requirement for a thesis defense varies by department; students should check with their committee chair or with the graduate coordinator. For departments that require a defense, the following applies. The preferred means to conduct the defense is when all committee members are physically present. The Graduate Council approved the following rules for the scheduling and administration of Master’s and Doctoral qualifying exams and defenses. (The rules detailed below replace the previous rules approved by Graduate Council on 10/8/2018.)

  Effective Fall 2022:

  The default method for the doctoral and master’s committee to conduct graduate examinations (doctoral qualifying examination and final dissertation/thesis defense) is when the student and all members of the committee are physically present in the same room.

  The Graduate Council recognizes, however, that practical exigencies do not always make this possible. Therefore, the Graduate Council will defer to the graduate programs (Department Chair or Program Director) to review requests for exceptions and to make decisions to allow remote participation. The graduate program must ensure that when an exam is approved to be held entirely remote or in a hybrid format (i.e., some members are physically present and some are remote) that the student has agreed to this format.

  It is expected that there will be synchronous participation by all committee members in the scheduled exam. If an unavoidable situation arises that affects a committee member’s ability to participate synchronously, the committee chair (or co-chairs) may decide how to proceed. There must be sufficient expertise among present members to examine the student. If a committee member must be absent for the scheduled exam, it is permissible for one absent committee member to examine the candidate on a separate date. The committee chair, or one co-chair, must participate synchronously in the scheduled exam.

• The Final Report of the Thesis or Comprehensive Examination (Plan I or II) for the Degree of Master of Arts or Science or the Final Report of the Modified Thesis Examination, Plan III, for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts must have the original signatures of all members of the thesis committee, the program’s graduate advisor, and the program’s chair. The form for Plan I must also indicate if the student will continue at UC San Diego or will terminate. (The Final Report form is initiated by the graduate coordinator and signatures are obtained from each faculty member through DocuSign. Instructions are listed on GEPA's collab page). Proxy signatures are not accepted.
• The final version of the thesis must conform to procedures outlined in the "Preparation and Submission Manual for Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses."
• The thesis submission fee will be charged to the student's TritonLink financial account once the Final Report form is received by the Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs. 
• The student submits the final approved thesis to GEPA Academic Affairs at the final document review (the Final Report form is routed electronically from the program's graduate coordinator via DocuSign). Final approval and acceptance of the thesis by the Dean of GEPA (on behalf of the University Archivist and Graduate Council) represents the final step in the completion of all requirements for the Master's degree.

The deadline to submit final degree paperwork to GEPA Academic Affairs is the 11^th Friday of each quarter or early September for summer graduation (see general deadlines and the Registrar’s Enrollment and Registration Calendar for more information on deadlines and specific dates). If the deadline is missed the degree will be awarded in the next quarter. The degree conferral date is always the last day of the given quarter (see the Registrar's Enrollment and Registration Calendar for specific dates). 

• Academic Senate regulations for the MA/MS Thesis (Plan I) 
• Academic Senate regulations for the MFA

Dissertation and Thesis Submission Manual

The Final Report of the Thesis or Comprehensive Examination (Plan I or II) for the Degree of Master of Arts or Science is submitted to GEPA Academic Affairs. The Final Report must list the date the examination was completed, and must have original signatures of the program's graduate advisor and the program's chair. The form must indicate if the student will continue at UC San Diego or will terminate. (The Final Report form is initiated by the graduate coordinator and signatures are obtained from each faculty member through DocuSign. Instructions are listed on GEPA's collab page).

The deadline to submit final degree paperwork to GEPA Academic Affairs is the 11^th Friday of each quarter or early September for summer graduation (see general deadlines and the Registrar’s Enrollment and Registration Calendar) for more information on deadlines and specific dates). If the deadline is missed the degree will be awarded in the next quarter. The degree conferral date is always the last day of the given quarter (see the Registrar's Enrollment and Registration Calendar for specific dates). 

• Academic Senate regulations for the MA/MS Plan II

The M.B.A. is offered as a full-time or a part-time program. There is no advancement to candidacy requirement. Completion of the degree is verified by department submission of the final report via the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS). Check submission deadlines and process with graduate coordinator.

Procedures

• Only courses required for the M.B.A. should be listed on the uAchieve audit - 92 units. Proxy signatures are not acceptable.
• Candidates must have a GPA equivalent to 3.0 or above in upper division and graduate course work, with a total of no more than eight units of "F" and/or "U" grades.
• The uAchieve audit report must be submitted by the last day of the quarter in which the student will receive the degree. The report may be filed anytime during student's last quarter of enrollment. Filing early in quarter is encouraged.
• Academic Senate regulations for MBA

The MEd is a two-year, full-time program, with no advancement to candidacy required.

Completion of the degree is verified by department submission of the final report via the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS). Check submission deadlines and process with graduate coordinator.

Procedures

• Only courses required for MEd should be listed on the uAchieve - 64 units. Proxy signatures are not acceptable.
• Candidates must have a GPA equivalent to 3.0 or above in upper division and graduate course work, with a total of no more than eight units of "F" and/or "U" grades.
• The uAchieve audit must be submitted by the last day of the quarter in which the student will receive the degree. The report may be filed anytime during student's last quarter of enrollment. Filing early in quarter is encouraged.

• Academic Senate regulations for M.Ed 

The MAS is a one-year, full-time program, with no advancement to candidacy required.

Completion of the degree is verified by department submission of the final report via the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS). Check submission deadlines and process with graduate coordinator.

Procedures

• Only courses required for MAS should be listed on the uAchieve audit - 36 units. Proxy signatures are not acceptable.
• Candidates must have a GPA equivalent to 3.0 or above in upper division and graduate course work, with a total of no more than eight units of "F" and/or "U" grades.
• The uAchieve audit report must be submitted by the last day of the quarter in which the student will receive the degree. The report may be filed anytime during student's last quarter of enrollment. Filing early in quarter is encouraged.

• Academic Senate regulations for Master of Advanced Studies 

The MIA is a two-year, full-time program, with no advancement to candidacy required.

Completion of the degree is verified by department submission of the final report via the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS). Check submission deadlines and process with graduate coordinator.

Procedures

• Only courses required for MIA should be listed on the uAchieve audit - 98 units. Proxy signatures are not acceptable.
• Candidates must have a GPA equivalent to 3.0 or above in upper division and graduate course work, with a total of no more than eight units of "F" and/or "U" grades.
• The uAchieve audit must be submitted by the last day of the quarter in which the student will receive the degree. The report may be filed anytime during student's last quarter of enrollment. Filing early in quarter is encouraged.

• Academic Senate regulations for MIA 

• A student must have completed 6 quarters of academic residency, of which 3 quarters must be between advancement and the final examination/defense. Residence is established by the satisfactory completion of six units or more per quarter, at least some of which must be at the graduate level. Joint doctoral students meet the UC San Diego academic residency requirement by successfully completing a minimum of thirty-six units of course work at UC San Diego.
• A student must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above in upper division and graduate course work, have no more than 8 units of F or U, and resolve any outstanding grading problems.
• A student must be registered or will be assessed the filing fee in lieu of registration.
• The doctoral dissertation must be submitted to each member of the doctoral committee at least four weeks before the final examination.
• A student must make an appointment with GEPA Academic Affairs for a preliminary check of his/her dissertation. Appointments will continue to be conducted via Zoom. At that appointment the format is checked and instructions on the final preparation and submission of the dissertation are given. The dissertation must be formatted according to the requirements explained in the "Preparation and Submission Manual for Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses".
• The doctoral committee shall supervise and approve the student's dissertation.
• *Effective November 18, 2020, faculty signatures are no longer collected on a signature page. Committee approval of the dissertation is captured on a revised combined Final Report Form (this form is initiated and managed by the department/program graduate coordinator). Students should check with their department/program graduate coordinator to verify that the combined form is being used. (JDP students with SDSU need to continue following the DocuSign process below)
  • In the event that the combined Final Report Form is not used, faculty signatures must be collected from each committee member via DocuSign. Please let the GEPA advisor know and s/he will let the student know how to proceed.
  • SDSU JDP students are responsible for initiating the signature page in DocuSign at this link. Once all committee members have signed the signature page it will be electronically routed to the GEPA Academic Affairs. Proxy signatures are not accepted.
• Academic Senate policy states that the committee conducts the final oral examination/defense, which is to be public and announced as such.

• San Diego Senate Regulation 715, Requirements for the PhD Degree at San Diego, requires that the doctoral committee conduct the dissertation defense. The Graduate Council approved the following rules for the scheduling and administration of Doctoral defenses. (The rules detailed below replace the previous rules approved by Graduate Council on 10/8/2018.)

  Effective Fall 2022:

  The default method for the doctoral and master’s committee to conduct graduate examinations (doctoral qualifying examination and final dissertation/thesis defense) is when the student and all members of the committee are physically present in the same room.

  The Graduate Council recognizes, however, that practical exigencies do not always make this possible. Therefore, the Graduate Council will defer to the graduate programs (Department Chair or Program Director) to review requests for exceptions and to make decisions to allow remote participation. The graduate program must ensure that when an exam is approved to be held entirely remote or in a hybrid format (i.e., some members are physically present and some are remote) that the student has agreed to this format.

  It is expected that there will be synchronous participation by all committee members in the scheduled exam. If an unavoidable situation arises that affects a committee member’s ability to participate synchronously, the committee chair (or co-chairs) may decide how to proceed. There must be sufficient expertise among present members to examine the student. If a committee member must be absent for the scheduled exam, it is permissible for one absent committee member to examine the candidate on a separate date. The committee chair, or one co-chair, must participate synchronously in the scheduled exam.

• The Final Report form must have the original signatures of all members of the doctoral committee; the Final Report must also be signed by the program chair. (The Final Report form is initiated by the graduate coordinator and signatures are obtained from each faculty member through DocuSign. Instructions are listed on the GEPA collab page). Proxy signatures are not accepted.
• The final version of the thesis must conform to procedures outlined in the "Preparation and Submission Manual for Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses"
• The student submits the final approved dissertation to GEPA Academic Affairs at the final document review (the Final Report form is routed electronically from the program’s graduate coordinator via DocuSign). Final approval and acceptance of the dissertation by the Dean of GEPA (on behalf of the University Archivist and Graduate Council) represents the final step in the completion of all requirements for the doctoral degree. 
• The deadline to submit final degree paperwork to GEPA Academic Affairs is the 11^th Friday of each quarter or early September for summer graduation (see general deadlines and the Registrar’s Enrollment and Registration Calendar) for more information on deadlines and specific dates). If the deadline is missed the degree will be awarded in the next quarter. The degree conferral date is always the last day of the given quarter (see the Registrar's Enrollment and Registration Calendar for specific dates). 

Dissertation and Thesis Submission Manual

• The deadline to file for summer graduation follows the Registrar's dates for Summer Session II (in early September). 
• Master's degree students must have completed and filed the uAchieve audit in a previous quarter (in which they were registered) in order to be eligible for summer degree completion. 
• Students who are registered for the spring quarter prior to summer graduation, or who are registered for summer, will not need to pay any additional fees to file in the summer. 
• A filing fee and / or a readmit fee may be required for students not registered for the prior quarter. Please check with the GEPA Academic Affairs advisors for specifics.

Students may be eligible to pay the filing fee in lieu of tuition/registration fees during the quarter of graduation under the following circumstances:

• The student must have completed all requirements except for the final defense of the dissertation/thesis or the taking of the final examination.
• The student must be registered in the immediately preceding quarter, or on an approved leave of absence.
• The filing fee applies to both residents and nonresidents.

The Filing Fee is always half the amount of the registration fee. The fee will be indicated at the bottom of the combined Final Report Form and will be assessed on the student's TritonLink financial account after the final document review.

Please refer to the "Preparation and Submission Manual for Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses" for additional information. Students may also check with their graduate program or with the Division of Graduate Education regarding payment of the filing fee.