Registration

For current registration information and deadlines, visit the Registrar's website: http://www.registrar.ucsb.edu/

Please make sure that you enroll and pay fees by the deadlines printed in the quarterly "Schedule of Classes". You should review your study list with your advisor every quarter. Approximately 2 weeks after the quarter begins, the department is sent a list of courses that all grads are enrolled in. At this time, the Graduate Program Assistant and Graduate Advisor review the list to make sure that you are registered in the appropriate courses and number of units. Students who fail to pay fees and/or to register by the 3rd week of the quarter lose student status, and relinquish virtually all student privileges (university housing, library privileges, student health insurance, employment in TA, GSR, or Associate titles). If your status lapses, you must petition for reinstatement. Petitions are available from the Graduate Division or can be downloaded at: http://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/pubs/. Reinstatement is not guaranteed, especially if you have exceeded maximum time limits for completion of the degree.

Full-Time Enrollment

The standard course load is 12 graduate units per quarter. Since resources come to the campus (and in turn to the Department) in the form of block grant fellowships, teaching assistantships, tuition fellowships, etc., based on the 12 graduate unit formula, it is strongly recommended that students enroll in 12 graduate units each quarter. You may have to provide a justification/reason why you cannot enroll in 12 units at the time of registration. With the availability of courses in the 500 series (596, 597, 598, 599), it should be no problem for everyone to enroll in at least 12 graduate units per quarter. There is no upper limit on the number of units a graduate student may take.

Grades/Incompletes

Letter grades assigned at UCSB are A, B, C, D, and F. Non-letter grades are: S (Satisfactory), U (Unsatisfactory), I (Incomplete), IP (In Progress), P (Passed), and NP (Not Passed). S/U grades are for graduate courses only; P/NP grades are for undergraduate courses. The grade S may be assigned only if the work is of B or better quality (not B-); the grade P may be assigned only if work is of C or better quality (not C-). Only upper-division and graduate courses in which grades of A, B, C, or S are received are counted toward satisfying graduate degree requirements. A student must petition the Office of the Registrar to obtain an Incomplete (I) grade. In the absence of this petition, a grade of F, NP, or U will be recorded. Incomplete grades must be completed by the end of the first quarter following the incomplete class, or the I grade will be changed automatically to an F, NP, or U.

Grading Policy

The UCSB Faculty Legislature recently revised regulations concerning unfinished graduate coursework (defined as any course in which a graduate student enrolls, regardless of the course number). The revisions bring a greater degree of uniformity to the way unfinished coursework is treated and thereby makes it more important than ever that students complete their coursework in a timely manner.

Students are allowed to carry No Grades (NG) and No Records (NR) for only one quarter past when the course was originally undertaken before the NG or NR automatically reverts to a failing grade. This brings the grade notations of NG and NR in line with the policy governing Incomplete grades, except that students will not be able to petition for extensions of NG and NR (as they can with an Incomplete). This rule applies to courses numbered 597, 598 or 599.

As a result of these policies, any grades of NG or NR from coursework in any previous quarter will automatically revert to failing grades unless a letter grade, S/U, or P/NP is reported to the Registrar by the instructor of record. While a NG or NR requires no Registrar's petition (as does the I grade), they automatically expire at the end of the next quarter with no possibility of extension. Incomplete grades "can" be extended.

These policy changes were implemented to reduce the number of students with excessive unfinished coursework (defined as 12 or more units of Incomplete, No Grade, and/or No Record). Students are reminded that if they have 12 or more units of unfinished coursework, they will be placed on academic probation after first receiving an advisory letter. Students continuing on for a doctorate must remove all unfinished coursework before a master's degree can be awarded. Finally, excessive units of unfinished coursework may block appointment to an academic apprenticeship (TA, GSR).

Standards of Scholarship

To remain in good academic standing, a student must make timely progress toward degree completion and satisfactorily meet the following standards of scholarship established by University and campus Academic Senate regulations or Graduate Council rulings:

1) maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0

2) keep the student transcript free of excessive units of unfinished coursework, defined as 12 or more units of Incomplete, No Grade, and/or No Record

3) advance to doctoral candidacy within four years of admission (applies to students admitted Fall 1995 or later)

4) complete the master's degree within the four-year time limit

5) complete the doctoral degree within the seven-year time limit

6) meet all departmental degree requirements in accordance with departmental time limits, including satisfactory performance in core courses and on required examinations; pass departmental examinations within the number of attempts permitted by the student's department and Graduate Council

7) form a master's or doctoral committee; present a thesis plan or dissertation research proposal acceptable to the committee; complete a thesis or dissertation acceptable to all committee members; and successfully pass a final defense of the thesis or dissertation when required.

All disciplinary actions are taken after consultation with department Chair and Graduate Advisor except where otherwise noted.

Geography 596, 597, 598 and 599

These independent study type courses are designed to provide flexibility for individual study towards the masters and Ph.D. degrees and to enable students to easily maintain a 12.0 unit course load each quarter.

596 - Directed Reading and Research: 2-8 units; must use an instructor number when registering. The student, with the instructor's endorsement (the instructor is usually the student's thesis or dissertation advisor) writes a brief proposal for each tutorial. No more than half the graduate units necessary for the master's degree may be taken in Geography 596.

597 - Individual Study for the Ph.D. Examinations: 1-12 units. Must use an instructor number when registering. Graded S/U and does not provide unit credit towards the degree.

598 - Master's Thesis Research and Preparation: 1-12 units. Must use an instructor number when registering. Graded S/U and does not provide unit credit toward the master's degree. Instructor normally is the chair of the student's thesis committee.

599 - Ph.D. Dissertation Research and Preparation: 1-12 units. Must use an instructor number when registering. Graded S/U. Instructor normally is the chair of the student's doctoral committee.

Leaves of Absence

UCSB requires continued registration of all graduate students until completion of all requirements for the degree. In extraordinary circumstances, however, students, admitted winter 1990 or thereafter, who have registered for and completed at least one quarter and are in good academic standing may petition for and be approved for a leave of absence.

An approved leave of absence is designed for students who encounter extraordinary circumstances that require a break in their progress toward their degree objectives. The mechanism guarantees persons a place in their degree program upon return from their approved leave, and it provides a very minimal use of University resources during the approved leave time as listed below. Persons expecting to use additional University resources or faculty time will be required to register.

The circumstances for which students may apply for a Leave of Absence include the following: 1) documented medical/health difficulties which would reasonably inhibit graduate studies; 2) pregnancy/parenting needs up to the age of 12 months of the child or up to the first 12 months of adoption placement in the home; 3) family emergencies of an unusual and unanticipated nature; 4) military service required by the student's country; 5) research leave to conduct research away from UCSB; 6) Filing Fee Quarter of Leave during student's last quarter at UCSB to file thesis or dissertation (terminal students only). Petitions for leaves must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation.

The following examples are not circumstances for which an approved leave of absence will be granted; 1) financial hardship and the desire to not pay fees; 2) desire to take "time off" from the pressure of studies; 3) the necessity to focus primary energies on library, laboratory, or field work related to examinations or thesis/dissertation requirements, including study abroad or outside the University community; 4) exigencies resulting from outside employment; or 5) desire to protect visa status.

Request a leave of absence petition from the Graduate Division front desk (see sample), or download a copy at: http://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/pubs/. If you go to the Graduate Division, you may wish to meet with an Advising Assistant to discuss your particular situation.

In Absentia Registration

Graduate students whose research or study requires them to remain outside California throughout the quarter, but who need to be registered, may be able to take advantage of "in absentia" registration, which reduces the registration fee by one-half. Other fees, notably non-resident tuition and the education fee, remain unchanged. This option will be of use to graduate students who must register to receive fellowships, for example, or for students fulfilling required internships out-of-state. Students may apply by completing a Graduate Student Petition (a copy can be downloaded at: http://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/pubs/); the departmental Graduate Advisor must verify on the petition that the student will be conducting research or engaging in study which will require the student to be outside California for one to three quarters.

Degree Dates and Filing Deadlines: Degrees are granted four times a year; the degree conferral date is the last day of each quarter. For the 2007/2008 academic year, filing deadlines are:

A student must have finished all requirements by the final Friday of the quarter to get a degree dated that quarter, even though the conferral date may be the next day; i.e., a Saturday when Graduate Division is closed. Theses and dissertations filed between quarters (in late August or during the break between Fall and Winter quarters, for example) will not cost students additional fees if they were enrolled the previous quarter; but the degree will be dated the end of the next quarter.

Annual Review of Graduate Student Progress

The Graduate Council and the Graduate Division suggest that every department conduct a faculty review of all graduate students' progress each year in order to spot problems, evaluate chances of successful completion, and encourage good work. The Geography Department normally conducts this review in the Spring. Marginal students and those on probation or making poor progress must receive clear explanations of problems, along with specific requirements to remedy deficiencies in a specific amount of time. In this way, problems can be addressed early before they become serious grievances.

Appeals Procedures for Graduate Student Disputes with Graduate Committees

From time to time, disagreements about decisions, deadlines, policies, procedures, and issues of academic judgment may arise between a student and members of a thesis or dissertation committee. As in all such disputes, involved parties should, in the spirit of collegiality, attempt to resolve these issues internally.

a) A student should, therefore, first meet with the chair of the committee in an effort to resolve the dispute. If the student feels that she or he is unable to do this, or if areas of disagreement still remain after this meeting, a written appeal describing the situation and requesting involvement should be addressed within 14 days to the department chair. If the chair is a member of the committee, appeal should be made to the Graduate Advisor, or, if a conflict of interest is also present there, to the chair of the committee responsible for departmental graduate affairs.

b) The department should act to resolve the issue, or declare it irresolvable, and inform the student in writing within 30 days.

c) If the dispute cannot be resolved within the department, or if the student finds the department’s resolution unacceptable, the student may appeal to the Graduate Dean who will attempt further resolution. This appeal must be made in writing within 14 days of the department’s decision.

d) If the Graduate Dean is unable to resolve the dispute to the parties’ satisfaction within 30 days, the graduate student has 14 days to submit a written appeal to the Graduate Council. The Graduate Council must inform the student of its decision within 30 days. In this area, decisions of the Graduate Council are final.