Pre-Candidacy
Source: https://grad.ucsd.edu/academics/progress-to-degree/pre-candidacy.html Parent: https://grad.ucsd.edu/academics/progress-to-degree/index.html
Pre-candidacy represents the first stage of a graduate student's career. All academic activities should be planned with the advice of the faculty advisor.
- Fulfill residency requirements
- Fulfill departmental course requirements
- Satisfy any foreign language requirement
- Take and pass preliminary exams if required
Plan I Master's Thesis Students
Identify thesis committee members and submit a committee constitution form online. The committee constitution form must be submitted and approved at least two weeks before a thesis defense is scheduled. Students should work with their graduate coordinator to submit the online form. Graduate Coordinators can access the online Committee Membership tool here. Committee composition rules can be found here.
- Submit the application for candidacy to the Graduate Division using the degree audit (uAchieve form) in TritonLink.
- The uAchieve form must be submitted to the Graduate Division within the first 3 weeks of the quarter in which the degree requirements are to be completed. Ideally, the form is filed when the student is registered in the last of the program’s courses.
Plan II Master's Comprehensive Exam Students
- Submit the application for candidacy to the Graduate Division using the degree audit (uAchieve form) in TritonLink.
- The uAchieve form must be submitted to the Graduate Division within the first 3 weeks of the quarter in which the degree requirements are to be completed. Ideally, the form is filed when the student is registered in the last of the program’s courses.
Plan III Master of Fine Arts Students
Identify thesis committee members and submit a committee constitution form online. Students should work with their graduate coordinator to submit the online form. Graduate Coordinators can access the Committee Membership tool here.
- Submit the application for candidacy to the Graduate Division using the degree audit (uAchieve form) in TritonLink.
- The uAchieve form must be submitted to the Graduate Division within the first 3 weeks of the quarter in which the degree requirements are to be completed. Ideally, the form is filed when the student is registered in the last of the program’s courses.
Doctoral Students
Identify Qualifying Exam committee members and submit a committee constitution form online. Students should work with their graduate coordinator to submit the online form. Graduate Coordinators can access the Committee Membership tool here.
- Committee constitution form must be submitted to and approved by the Dean of the Graduate Division at least two weeks before the Qualifying Exam takes place. Committee composition rules can be found here.
- Complete any program requirements before the Qualifying Exam
- Prior to the Qualifying Exam the graduate coordinator initiates the Report of the Qualifying Examination and Advancement to Candidacy for the Doctoral Degree form in the DocuSign system (instructions for graduate coordinators are listed on the Graduate Division's collab page).
- After the exam is completed, signatures from each committee member, the program chair, and the student are obtained through DocuSign. The form is then routed electronically to the Graduate Division.
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