Qualifying Exam Guidelines

QUESTIONS? Contact chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu or 858‐822‐6014.

Advancement to Candidacy Overview

1. Contact chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu with your proposed Committee by the end of week 6 of Spring Quarter.  The Doctoral Committee must be approved by UCSD Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs at least two weeks prior to the Oral Qualifying Exam.
2. Pass the Oral Qualifying Exam.
3. The Graduate Coordinator will route your advancement paperwork to the Doctoral Committee and/or Vice Chair for their signatures via DocuSign.
4. Pay the advancement fee ($50) via your TritonLink account or by going to the UCSD Cashier's office.
5. The DocuSign advancement paperwork will automatically update and route to the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs and the Registrar's Office for final processing.

Your records will only show you as Advanced once you are advanced for a full quarter. For example, to be considered an Advanced student in Fall 2021, you must complete the steps above by the first day of classes of Fall 2021. (Since there is not an official Summer quarter at UCSD, it is not possible to advance in the Summer.)

ADVANCEMENT TO CANDIDACY DEADLINE: last day of Finals Week of Spring Quarter
To remain in good academic standing in the PhD program, you must complete all of the steps listed above by the end of Spring Quarter. Extensions require prior approval by the Thesis Advisor and the Graduate Affairs Committee. Students who do not advance by deadline will have a hold placed on their fall quarter registration.

Doctoral Committee

One of the purposes of a Doctoral Committee is to provide students with mentorship and guidance beyond that provided by the Thesis Advisor. UCSD policies on who serves on the committee were developed, in part, to provide some consistency across departments. Exceptions to their policies require both the Graduate Affairs and Dean's approval. The Department policy of having Departmental Exam Committee members continue to serve on the Doctoral Committee is to provide students with Faculty who, over time, are familiar with the student, their research, and the history of the exams. If a student has found other Faculty with particular interests pertinent to the research, it is quite permissible to expand the committee to beyond the minimal four members; it is not necessary to remove a Departmental Exam Committee member to compensate. A Doctoral Committee must be approved by the Department and the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs at least two weeks prior to the examination. To ensure that the Department meets this deadline, students should inform chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu of their committee a minimum of four weeks prior to the examination date.

Below are guidelines for selecting a committee*; please contact chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu if you have questions.

• Member 1: Doctoral Committee Chair = Your Thesis Advisor
• Member 2: Chair of Departmental Exam Committee, Inside Research Division/Track
• Member 3: Either: 2nd Member of Departmental Exam Committee, Inside Research Division/Track; Or Chemistry & Biochemistry Co‐Advisor, (if Thesis Advisor is an adjunct in Chemistry & Biochemistry, or is from outside the Department)
• Member 4: 3rd Member of Departmental Exam Committee, Outside Research Division
• Member 5: UCSD Faculty with primary appointment in a different department than the Doctoral Committee Chair's primary department (may not have joint or adjunct appointment in Chemistry and Biochemistry)

*Effective Fall 2021, the Senate revised the Ph.D. committee composition to require a minimum of 4 members. Students who opt to utilize this updated rule may submit a request to chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu (cc the Research Advisor to indicate their endorsement) to "drop" one of their Departmental Exam Committee members. The request will be forwarded to the Vice Chair for Graduate Education for review.  Note that prior to submitting the request, students should ensure that their proposed Ph.D. committee will comply with the Manual of the San Diego Division, Academic Senate, Regulation 715.

Other members are optional, and there are no constraints. The Doctoral Committee must be approved by the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs two weeks prior to the Qualifying Exam. A minimum four‐faculty committee is required. Other members may be appointed at the student's discretion. Of the four‐member committee:

• At least 4 must have UC San Diego faculty appointments.
• At least 1 member must have a primary appointment in a different department than the chair's primary department.
• At least 2 members must be from the student's home department or program (Chemistry & Biochemistry).
• At least 1 member must be tenured or emeritus (Associate or full Professor). 
• Proposed members from other UC campuses, other universities, or industry are exceptions and must be requested in writing.
• At least 2 members of the Departmental Exam Committee continue to serve on the Doctoral Committee.
• The student and Advisor choose the remaining member(s).
• There may not be more than one affiliate professor.
• If the research Advisor is an affiliate, a ladder‐rank faculty member must act as Co‐chair.

Subsequent changes to a committee require both Departmental and Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs approval. Please contact chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu for information.

Oral Qualifying Exam

Occasionally the Qualifying Exam may require one or more faculty attend by Zoom. In those cases, please follow instructions on the Zoom page to learn about setting up Zoom Web/Video Conferencing. The Committee Chair will need to setup the Zoom meeting and invite all the committee members and the student. The The Committee Chair will need to setup the Zoom meeting and invite all the committee members and the student. The student’s folder will not be dropped off at the Business Office.Before setting up the Zoom meeting, please take a moment to carefully review these Zoom meeting safeguards to keep your remote exam safe and secure: https://blink.ucsd.edu/technology/file-sharing/zoom/safeguards.html.

The student and committee members will need to have a computer/laptop with webcam/video capability. If anyone does not have access to a webcam/laptop and need to borrow one, please contact ChemHelpDesk.

The University requires a Qualifying Examination for Advancement to Candidacy for the PhD. The purpose of the examination is for students to gain approval of their proposed thesis research project from their Doctoral Committee. The exam must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance. Students should confirm the date and time of the examination with ALL of their committee members, and then contact chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu. Student Affairs ensures that the necessary paperwork is filed, the room is scheduled, and notices are sent. Students submit a summary to their Doctoral Committee and to chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu at least two weeks before the Qualifying Examination. The summary should include a comprehensive description of the proposed thesis research (including key references), its significance, and the progress that has already been made.
The day of the examination, Ph.D. Coordinator ensures the needed forms are in the file. The Thesis Advisor will pick up the file and take it to the exam; the Advisor is in charge of returning the file, also. At the examination, students first give a 30‐minute presentation. The presentation is followed by a question‐answer period when the committee examines students for indications of the knowledge, insight, motivation, and demonstrated productivity required to produce an acceptable thesis in the normal time. The student may or may not be asked to leave the room for a time prior to hearing the committee's evaluation. Students may Pass, Provisionally Pass, or Fail the exam. The committee will inform the student of the results, and will explain any recommendations or requirements. These will be written on the internal form referenced above. The original stays in the student file, and students receive a copy at a later date.

Finishing up paperwork and Fee payment

Once a student has fully passed the Oral Qualifying Examination, the committee will e-sign the “Report of Qualifying Examination” form. It then needs to be e-signed by the department (typically Vice Chair for Graduate Education). Our office will coordinate securing the required departmental signatures via DocuSign after the student successfully passes the Qualifying Exam. The student will receive a DocuSign copy of the completed form once the committee members and department Chair/Vice Chair has signed off. (JDP Students: The SDSU JDP Graduate Advisor (Dr. Douglas Grotjahn) will initiate and route the Advancement to Candidacy form to all required signees via Adobe Sign. The signature routing order will be: SDSU JDP Graduate Advisor > Doctoral Committee > SDSU/UCSD Co-Directors >  Student > SDSU Graduate Affairs > UCSD Gradute Division > Final copy sent to everyone. Because signatures are required from both campuses, be certain to allow REASONABLE TIME to obtain all the required signatures.) Next, the student pays the $50 Advancement to Candidacy fee through either their TritonLink account or by going to the UCSD Cashier's office. The advancement paperwork will automatically update and route to the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs and the Registrar's Office for final processing.