Dissertation

Confirm Your Funding End Date

All students must confirm their funding end date with their Research Advisor and Student Affairs. Submit this information to chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu by Week 5 of the quarter prior to your graduation quarter.

Filing Fee Option

If you plan to defend early in the quarter, you may be eligible to pay a filing fee instead of registering. Discuss this with your Research Advisor and the Student Affairs Office to determine if this is the right option for you.

Advisor Funding Expectations

If you are enrolled for the quarter you defend:

• Your Research Advisor must fund you through approximately Week 7 the quarter you defend to be eligible for Tuition & Fees remission. Check in with Student Affairs for a specific date.
• If your advisor does not agree to fund you through Week 7, you may be responsible for Tuition & Fees.

Teaching Assistant 

Students with an active Teaching Assistant (TA) position cannot withdraw from their TA assignment mid-quarter. They must fulfill the contracted dates and requirements in their TA Offer Letter.

Leave of Absence the Quarter You Graduate?

• Contact Student Affairs to file the required paperwork before the first day of classes.
• You may remain in graduate student housing. Contact the Gradate Housing office for more information.
• You will not be eligible for UCSD-affiliated support (e.g., TA, research assistantships, fellowships)
• You will not be allowed to use any campus facilities and do not have Student ID card privileges (e.g. no working in the lab, bus passes, library privileges, rec facilities).
• You will not have Student Health Insurance (UCSHIP), contact Student Health Insurancefor voluntary UCSHIP coverage.
• Pay the filing fee when submitting your thesis and graduation paperwork to the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs.

1. Students can review the filing for degree process here, Preparing to Graduate, and here, Dissertation and Thesis Submission.
2. Student submits “File for Doctoral/Master’s (Thesis) Degree” form, ideally by week 4 of the graduation term. 
3. GEPA Academic Affairs reviews the student’s academic record and notifies the student of any necessary corrective action/s. At this point, the student may request an optional formatting pre-check (through the Kuali form). If a pre-check is requested, the student is notified via email once the dissertation/thesis is reviewed, feedback on formatting will be provided in the Kuali form.
4. Student then follows the “Final Degree Checklist” in the Kuali “File for Degree” form, submitting the checklist when all items are complete. The GEPA advisor is notified that all final degree paperwork is submitted.
5. GEPA reviews the student’s final degree paperwork. If there are any issues, the GEPA advisor contacts the student via email.
6. Department Student Affairs routes the Final Degree Form, must be received by GEPA no later than the Friday of Finals Weeks of the graduation term.

The deadline to submit the Final Degree Checklist to GEPA is the 11th Friday of the 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.

If you need to update a previously approved committee, contact chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu at least 2 weeks before the Defense. Include agreement confirmation of this change from the changing committee members and your Research Advisor.

Visit the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs websitefor committee membership requirements and regulations.

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

Students are responsible for coordinating with their committee to schedule a two-hour, in-person exam. All committee members must attend in person unless prior approval for a hybrid format is granted by both the Research Advisor and the Vice Chair of Graduate Education. Begin scheduling early to ensure the exam is completed by the end of the quarter. Once the exam date is confirmed, it is strongly recommended that students send a calendar invite to all committee members to ensure the time is reserved on their schedules.

Students must submit a Room Reservation Request  no later than two weeks before the defense. Student Affairs will send room confirmations via email. Conference room details and availability can be found on our website.

Two Weeks Before the Defense

Email chem-gradadvising@ucsd.edu with your thesis title and a headshot for Department announcement postings and your Final Report Form.

Once you've finished your dissertation presentation, your committee may ask you to leave the room for a private discussion. When you return, the committee will inform you whether you've passed your defense and if any revisions or additional experimentation are required.

Student Affairs will ensure that the required departmental reviews and signatures for the Final Report and General Petition (if applicable) are obtained via DocuSign by the Friday of Finals Weeks. Once your committee members and department chair/vice chair sign off, you will receive a copy of the completed forms.

Your final thesis must be submitted to the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs by the deadline the graduation term.