A variety of Ph.D. programs can be generated based on selections of major systematic (Earth System Science and Human-Environment Relations) and minor techniques (Modeling, Measurement and Computation) emphases. All Ph.D. students must major in a systematic area of study and are expected to develop great depth in one or more technical area but will be tested only in one technical area. No foreign language is required.

Admission Requirements

In addition to fulfilling the general requirements for admission to graduate status, the Department requires a Master's degree for most students entering the Doctoral program. In unusual circumstances highly qualified candidates may be directly admitted without a prior Master's degree. Students applying to the department with an undergraduate degree only are encouraged to apply for the MA/Ph.D. program if the Ph.D. is their final degree objective.

Residency Requirement for the Ph.D. Degree

Students in doctoral programs must enroll for at least 6 regular academic quarters. Three consecutive quarters of residence must be completed prior to advancement to candidacy. If you were enrolled in the MA/PhD program and you were registered for 6 quarters as a Masters student (including 3 consecutive quarters), you do not have to enroll for another 6 quarters to satisfy the residency requirement.

Continuous registration is expected of all graduate students. Under special circumstances students may request a leave of absence from the Dean. Students who are neither registered nor on an approved leave of absence, lose all status and privileges as students, cannot hold fellowships or other forms of financial support, and must apply for reinstatement, and when applicable, readvancement to candidacy.

Maximum Time/Normative Time for the PhD Degree

The University sets time limits called degree deadlines for completion of the master's and doctoral degrees. Doctoral candidates in all fields are expected to complete their degree requirements within 7 years. This is the maximum time allowed. The University's 7-year degree deadline for completion of a doctorate is distinct from normative time, which is the number of years considered to be reasonable by the faculty of an individual department for completion of a Ph.D. by a full-time student in that program. The Geography Department established a normative time for completion of the Ph.D. at 6 years for those entering without a Masters degree, and 5 years for those entering with a Masters degree. Normative time is measured from the time a student begins graduate study at any level at UCSB. In the case of Leave of Absence for medical, family emergency, or pregnancy/parenting reasons, three quarters Leave of Absence are permitted in which no time shall accrue toward the normative time deadline. More Leaves of Absence or periods of lapsed status will not stop the student's normative time clock. The Department will enforce these rules and approve exceptions only under unusual circumstances.

If you exceed the 7 year maximum before completion of the requirements for the Ph.D., you must petition the Graduate Council for a degree deadline extension. Graduate Council is concerned that degrees be granted only to students who are current in the scholarship of their fields, and who have kept abreast of the literature and research in the discipline. The nature of the petition depends on the length of time by which the degree deadline has been exceeded. If the degree deadline has been exceeded by less than two years, a Graduate Student Petition requesting the extension, endorsed and signed by the Graduate Advisor, must be submitted. Approval of such petitions will typically be routine. If the deadline has been exceeded by more than two years, a Graduate Student Petition requesting the extension, endorsed and signed by the Graduate Advisor must be submitted. The petition must be accompanied by a memo documenting and certifying currency in the field, signed by all members of the dissertation committee. Graduate Council has identified continuous registration, teaching or research apprenticeships, or contact with current literature and research in the field as examples of currency. If additional information is needed, Graduate Division will contact the Graduate Advisor. Approval of such petitions may be considered by the Chair of Graduate Council, or referred for inclusion on the Graduate Council agenda as necessary. Petitions are available from the Graduate Division (see sample), or download at: http://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/pubs/.

Required Courses

Students in the Ph.D. program are expected to complete the degree requirements in effect at the time they are admitted to the program, though they may elect to follow a subsequent set of requirements.

Geography 201 - Seminar in Geography (required every qtr offered until advancement)

Geography 200A, B and C - Introduction to Geographic Research, normally taken during 1st year

Geography 210A, B and C - Analytical Methods in Geography I, II, III

Strongly recommended:

Geography 276

Geography 500 (T.A. Training, required for all Teaching Assistants)

Geog 210, A,B, and C: Students may petition out of 210SA,B, and C if a) they have taken Geog 172 or b) they have taken the equivalent elsewhere or will take its equivalent from another department on campus, or c) their faculty advisor does not feel the student needs the courses.

Geog 500: All Ph.D. students must TA 1 qtr so they all must take Geography 500 if they haven't already taken it as an MA student.

In addition, all doctoral students must have basic computational skills and knowledge of spatial analysis. These requirements will be filled through courses selected by the student and his/her major advisor.

To petition out of a department requirement, you need to submit a Petition for Graduate Degree Requirements (see sample) which justifies/explains your request for exemption, have it endorsed/approved by your Ph.D. committee chair, and then submit it to the Graduate Advisor for approval.

The Ph.D. Committee

The Ph.D. Committee in the Geography Department consists of four members: at least three must be UC ladder faculty members, two of which must be from the Geography Department (or who hold an Affiliated appointment in the Geography Department), one of whom will be appointed as the chair or co-chair; and one member must be from outside the discipline of Geography (i.e., the outside member should not have a Ph.D. in Geography nor work in a Geography Department). If the outside member is not UC faculty, you should include a short c.v. with the Ph.D. committee nomination form. Additional members may be added to the committee beyond the four required where appropriate.

Any three or more members of the Ph.D. Committee (including the chair of your committee and at least one additional member from the Geography Department) constitute an examining committee for administering the oral or written exam. The dissertation requires the signatures of all members of the Ph.D. Committee, as nominated on Ph.D. Form I. If there is one or more member of your committee who will not be participating in your written or oral examinations but will be serving as a reviewer for your dissertation only, you should clearly indicate that on Form I (Nomination for Qualifying Examinations for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, see sample). The Committee requires the approval of the Department Chair and the Graduate Dean.

Ladder faculty who retire when a student's dissertation is still being written may continue to serve on and chair the committee in question without any further approval or re-approval being needed. In instances where the faculty member retires before the doctoral committee is nominated, the retired faculty may serve as a second or third member without special approval from Graduate Division. Graduate Council approval is required when the faculty member who has retired is being nominated to serve as chair of a doctoral committee and the student has not yet advanced to candidacy or started dissertation work. Emeriti faculty who continue with the University as "research professors" enjoy the same committee privileges and may chair committees without special approval.

Requirements of the Ph.D. Program

For advancement to candidacy, the Geography Department requires:

- a diagnostic interview

- a written comprehensive examination

- an approved dissertation proposal

- an oral qualifying examination

Diagnostic Interview

All Ph.D. students (including those who transfer or continue in the Ph.D. program after completing their Masters degree in the Geography Department) will be required to take a diagnostic interview to assist in the preparation for undertaking a doctoral program in Geography. The interview will normally be oral and last about an hour. Two professors, appointed by the departmental Graduate Committee, will be responsible for administering it, however, any department faculty member may also participate should he or she so elect. Although the student's primary area of interest will be emphasized, students should anticipate questions which will probe their general knowledge of the entire field of geography; thus, a systematic review of geography coursework may be helpful in preparing for the interview. Within ten days of completion of the diagnostic interview, the student will receive an analysis of the results of the interview (see sample) from the chair of the examining committee, assessing strengths and weaknesses, and suggesting coursework or independent study by which such weaknesses may be strengthened. A copy will also be lodged in the department files. The interview will normally be administered during the first quarter of the student's residence.

Students must be registered the quarter they take qualifying exams. Registration as a graduate student in the Spring quarter maintains graduate status until the beginning of the next Fall quarter. A student who registered in Spring may therefore take examinations or file a dissertation during summer without additional fees. A student who did NOT register Spring quarter, however, will have to use filing fee status to file a dissertation, and may NOT take PhD qualifying examinations in the summer unless he/she registers in summer session.

Written Qualifying Examination

The written qualifying examination will be administered by the student's doctoral committee. Ph.D. written exams will conform to the following standards, as voted on and approved by the faculty on 5/18/99:

- 3 days, 3 examiners, 2-3 questions per day. Student should be given 24 hours to answer each day's questions.

- The questions should be coordinated and reviewed by the Chair of the committee before being given to the student.

- Open book, including access to the Web and the Library/Melvyl; Department should provide special assistance for disabled students.

- Questions will not be given in advance.

- The exam should be structured to test the student's knowledge, research skills, problem solving skills and the student's ability to do academic work. The content of the questions is a matter of suggestion, but ideally they should include general geography, techniques and the student's systematic area of study.

Past examination questions are maintained in a department file so that you may see the types (and relative difficulty) of the questions asked. To aid in preparation for the examination, the Department will provide a reading list (see Appendix B). The reading list is simply a guide for study, and should not be interpreted as a catalogue of required knowledge. Consult with the chair of your committee for additional suggested reading. The written qualifying examination will normally be administered in the student's fourth, fifth, or sixth quarters of his/her residence. Following administration of the examination, the faculty will evaluate the student's performance in each section. Except in unusual circumstances the chair of the student's dissertation committee will provide the student with a written evaluation of the examination within 2 weeks, and in all cases no longer than 6 weeks, of finishing the exam. An unsatisfactory section of the examination may be repeated once, in the same quarter, or the quarter immediately following the receipt of the written evaluation.

Dissertation Proposal

Prior to the student's oral qualifying examination, the student will prepare a dissertation proposal which describes the dissertation topic, summarizes the relevant background literature, and presents a comprehensive research plan for the student's doctoral dissertation, including a timetable and budget which identifies any financial support essential to preparation of the dissertation. This proposal must be approved by all members of the student's doctoral committee. Students should be aware that the first draft of the proposal is unlikely to be accepted as is. Several drafts are usually necessary. Proper and correct use of the English language is required for the proposal.

Oral Qualifying Examination

Having successfully completed the diagnostic interview, written comprehensive examination and dissertation proposal, the student's doctoral committee will conduct an oral qualifying examination. Graduate Division regulations require that three consecutive quarters of residence must be completed prior to taking the oral qualifying exam. Thus, the oral will normally be taken in the fourth, fifth, or sixth quarters of residence. The general objective of this examination is to ensure that the student possesses the full knowledge and competence required to carry out his or her dissertation research. Thus, the examination will emphasize (but not necessarily be limited to) the systematic and technical areas relevant to the student's proposed dissertation research. Following the examination, the committee members shall vote "Pass" or "Fail" on the student's level of preparation. A majority of passing votes will be required for advancement to candidacy. This examination is usually open only to voting committee members.

Advancement to Candidacy/Doctoral Fee Offset/Reduced Nonresident Tuition

A student is advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. after completing all course requirements and residence requirements, passing the written and oral qualifying exams, filing PhD Form II (see sample) and paying the $65.00 advancement to candidacy fee. Students with Incompletes, NG or NR grades on their record are ineligible to advance to candidacy until they have been removed. Following advancement, the student will normally devote full-time effort during the academic year to carrying out the research for, and writing of, the doctoral dissertation. Graduate Division regulations require that the student be registered and enrolled continuously during this time.

Students who have advanced to candidacy and have not exceeded the normative time, and whose fees are not paid from other sources, become eligible for a Doctoral Fee Offset, which pays a portion of their fees, currently $921. Eligibility, which lasts until the end of normative time, is determined on a quarter-by-quarter basis. Students no longer have to come to Graduate Division to sign up for the Doctoral Fee Offset each quarter. Once students have advanced to candidacy for the doctorate and IF they are within the normative time set by the faculty in their department, the appropriate Doctoral Fee Offset will be credited for each successive quarter they remain eligible. Students who have not completed their degree requirements 3 years after advancing to candidacy risk losing financial support from the department.

Students are reminded that they have until the last work day before the next quarter officially begins (as indicated in the quarterly Schedule of Classes) to officially advance to candidacy, including paying the $65 advancement fee at Graduate Division.

Students whose fees are paid for under a research grant or through external funding are not eligible for the Doctoral Fee Offset. Students whose fees are paid because they qualify as TAs for TA Fee Offsets will receive a combined Fee Offset total up to what the Doctoral Fee Offset maximum pays. Continuation of the Doctoral Fee Offset Program is subject to funds being available.

International Students: the annual nonresident tuition fee will be reduced by 75% for a maximum of three registered years after the student is advanced to candidacy.

Beginning Fall 1995, the Graduate Council has approved a four-year time limit for advancement to Ph.D. candidacy for all graduate students. The policy will not be retroactive, i.e. it does not apply to students who were admitted prior to Fall 1995. Any exception to the policy must be requested by the home department on behalf of each graduate student.

Dissertation and Open Defense

Following the completion of doctoral research, each candidate for the Ph.D. degree must present a dissertation demonstrating the ability to contribute significantly and independently to the major field. The candidate's doctoral committee guides the student in this work and judges the merit of the completed dissertation. Approval of this dissertation by each member of the doctoral committee is required for the degree. (Academic Senate Reg. 355B). After receipt of the final draft of the dissertation, a formal oral defense will be scheduled and announced to the department as a whole. The purpose of the defense will be to clarify segments of the dissertation and/or acquaint the candidate with the nature of any further work that needs to be undertaken prior to approval of the dissertation. Graduate Division cannot award a degree until a Doctoral Form III is received from the department indicating that the student has successfully defended the dissertation (see sample). All approved committee members must sign Form III. These signatures must be the same as the signatures appearing on the approval pages of the dissertation (it's a good idea to circulate Form III at the same time that the approval pages are circulated for signatures). A public lecture (Colloquia) is encouraged to present the results of the doctoral research to the entire University community. The defense may be waived only in unusual circumstances, with the unanimous consent of the candidate's doctoral committee and the Department Chair, using Doctoral Form III-A. (Senate Regulation 355C).

Teaching Requirement

All doctoral candidates must teach (usually in the capacity of a Teaching Assistant) a minimum of one quarter at some time before being granted the Ph.D. degree.

Cognitive Science Ph.D. Emphasis

Students pursuing a Ph.D. may petition to add an emphasis in cognitive science. The interdisciplinary program in Cognitive Science involves faculty from the Ph.D. programs in Anthropology, Computer Science, Education, Electrical and Computer Engineering, English, Geography, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology, . Its goal is to give students an appreciation of the interdisciplinary study of thinking, perception, and intelligent behavior, as determined jointly by the nature of the environment and by the internal architecture of the intelligent agent, whether human, animal, or machine. The program features a structured set of courses which are taught individually and collaboratively by faculty from a variety of disciplines.

Students who petition to add the emphasis in cognitive science must fulfill the following requirements in addition to the requirements of the Ph.D. in their home departments: (1) participation for at least three quarters in proseminar Interdisciplinary 200ABC; (2) completion of at least three cognitive science elective courses with one each in three different departments; (3) completion of either (a) a research project, completed before the dissertation, resulting in a publishable paper, or (b) an extramural grant proposal for a study in cognitive science suitable for submission to an identified granting agency; (4) presentation of a research paper in s suitable academic forum, such as an emphasis or departmental colloquium, or a professional meeting; and (5) a Ph.D. dissertation centrally focused on a question emerging from cognitive science with at least two committee members representing faculty participating in the cognitive science interdisciplinary emphasis.

Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (QMSS) Ph.D. Emphasis

Students pursuing a Ph.D. in this department may petition to add an interdisciplinary emphasis in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (QMSS). This interdisciplinary emphasis involves faculty from the Ph.D. programs in Communication, Economics, Education, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Statistics and Applied Probability. The areas of specialization of the participating faculty include advanced regression modeling techniques, multivariate statistics, bootstrap estimation methods, demography, econometrics, psychometrics, social network theory, mathematical psychology, spatial statistics, survey research, and educational and psychological assessment. The QMSS emphasis helps students to attain the competencies needed to conduct quantitative social science research through core design and analysis classes, courses in advanced and specialized methodologies, and participation in interdisciplinary colloquia and research projects.

Each admitted student will develop, with his or her advisor, an individual contract listing the QMSS requirements to be completed. The contract must include the following:

- One year of calculus, one course in linear algebra, and a one-year statistics sequence (These requirements can be waived if equivalent courses have already been completed.)

- Attendance for at least three quarters at the ongoing QMSS seminar series, including the presentation of at least one paper.

- Completion of at least three quantitative methods courses (excluding those listed above), at least two of which are outside the student's home department.

- A Ph.D. dissertation that is centrally focused on an issue that is appropriate to the QMSS emphasis. The dissertation may make a contribution to methodological theory or may involve an advanced or innovative application.

- A dissertation committee that includes at least one QMSS faculty member from outside the student's home department.

INDIVIDUAL INTERDISCIPLINARY Ph.D. PROGRAM

The Individual Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program (IIDPP) is not mentioned in the General Catalog. The Graduate Council believes students for whom it is a good option will come upon it by word of mouth or by faculty referral. The number of students admitted to this program is extremely limited. The IIDPP is meant to provide outstanding graduate students with an opportunity to pursue advanced research which cannot be accommodated easily within the confines of an established Ph.D. program. Applicants for an IIDPP must normally have completed at least one year of graduate study at UCSB. Guidelines initiated in 1986 are available in the Graduate Division. Students must have strong faculty support on campus, and a track record in research. Successful candidates must be admissible to an already established program on campus, propose a program in which the advancement-to-candidacy procedure is at least as rigorous as one of the departments in which he/she is working, and offer convincing arguments that the proposed program cannot be accommodated in a regular department. The emphasis should be on interdisciplinary research methods, not topics, since almost any topic can be approached in an interdisciplinary way. This program should never be used as an alternative degree path for students who are drifting and without focus. In general, interdisciplinary degrees are harder and take longer than standard degrees.

Ph.D. DEGREE - FORMS, HOOPS AND
BUREAUCRATIC PROCEDURES

Please keep in mind that you are ultimately responsible for making sure that all forms, fees, documents, etc. are filed in order to fulfill the requirements of the degree. Please be sure that Steps 1-5 are all completed:

Many of these forms can be found at: http://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/pubs/

1. File Ph.D. Form I - "Nomination of Ph.D. Committee", with the Graduate Division (see sample). This form should be filed as soon as you know who will make up your official Ph.D. committee. It must be approved and on file BEFORE taking written and oral examinations. The form should include the names of all members of your committee. Type (or print legibly) the names and titles of the committee members on the form. Be sure to indicate on the form if any members will serve as a reviewer for your dissertation only. The form requires the approval of the departmental Graduate Advisor, the department Chair and the Graduate Dean. If you are including any members that are not UC faculty, be sure to attach a C.V. or other information describing the person's qualifications. If you wish to change a member or members of your committee after Form I has been filed and approved, you need to submit Committee Form I-A - Changes in Thesis or Dissertation Committee (see sample).

2. File Ph.D. Form II - "Report on Qualifying Examinations for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy" (see sample). Take the form with you to the oral examination. You should obtain signatures from your committee members on Form II immediately following successful completion of the oral examination. Take the completed Form II to the Cashier's Office, pay the $65 advancement to candidacy fee, and then file it with the Graduate Division. This form officially advances you to candidacy. You will not be permitted to advance to candidacy if you have an Incomplete or "No grade" on your record - no exceptions.

3. See the Graduate Program Assistant to check course requirements: Make sure that you have fulfilled all course requirements for the degree, that you don't have any Incompletes, NGs or NRs on your record, and that you have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. See sample for a copy of the Degree Check form.

4. File Ph.D. Form III - "Report on Final Examination for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy" (see sample). Graduate Division cannot award the degree until a Doctoral Form III is received from the department indicating that the student has successfully defended the dissertation. All approved committee members must sign the Doctoral Form III. These signatures must be the same as the signatures appearing on the approval pages of the dissertation. Because your dissertation approval page and Form III require the same signatures, if at all possible, CIRCULATE THEM TOGETHER! The defense may be waived only in unusual circumstances, with the unanimous consent of the candidate's doctoral committee and the Department chair, using Doctoral Form III-A.

5. File two (2) copies of the dissertation with the Graduate Division, and (1) copy of the dissertation with the department. The Department copy of the dissertation DOES NOT have to be on 100% cotton paper. The approval pages must include the signatures of all members of your Ph.D. committee as listed on Ph.D. Form I. See Appendix D, "Guide to Filing Theses and Dissertations" (http://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/pubs/filingguide.shtml) for more information on formatting and filing your dissertation. While it is not mandatory for you to give a copy of your dissertation to your committee members, it is customary.

Filing Fee: All graduating students must be in a fee relationship with the university, that is, either registered or using the filing fee. The filing fee is a reduced fee paid instead of full registration fees the quarter a student is completing the last requirements for a degre and is equal to half of the registration fee or roughly $120.00. Paying the filing fee terminates graduate status, therefore it may be used only by Ph.D. students and terminal Master's degree students (those NOT planning to continue into the Ph.D. program). If you are registered during the quarter in which you plan to complete and graduate, then you do not have to pay a filing fee when you file your thesis or dissertation because you are already in a fee relationship with the university. If you are not registered (on leave of absence or lapsed status), you must pay the filing fee when you file your dissertation. If you finish during the summer and you were enrolled during the previous Spring Quarter, you do not have to pay the filing fee because your enrollment status technically lasts until the day before the next regular academic quarter begins (i.e., the day before Fall Quarter begins).