PhD DEGREE

(The following information is intended for students currently enrolled in the Ocean Sciences Ph.D. Program and is subject to change.  Please contact your Sponsor and/or Advising Committee member with questions.)

Course Requirements
Required Meetings and Exams
Normative Time From Matriculation to Degree
Scheduling Meeting
Departmental Exam
Qualifying (oral) Exam
Dissertation

Requirements for Ph.D. students in the Ocean Sciences Department

To introduce students to the breadth and depth of the field of Ocean Sciences, students will be required to complete the following:

1. Four Core Courses. These courses are expected to be completed in the first year of the program (and prior to taking the departmental exam) in the sequence listed below:

2.  A minimum of three graduate level or upper division Elective Courses to provide depth in the chosen area of emphasis or supporting disciplines.  These courses are chosen in consultation with your advisor and department graduate advising committee (a maximum of one can be a graduate level seminar (290) – at least two must be graduate or upper division undergraduate lecture courses).

3.  OCEA 296 – Teaching in Ocean Sciences taken prior or concurrent to being a teaching assistant.

4.  Teaching Experience – satisfied by two quarters of teaching assistant experience in Ocean Sciences or supporting departments.

5.  OCEA 293 – a two unit Graduate Research Seminar required to be taken each spring quarter by all Ph.D. students.

6.  OCEA 292 – Attendance at the Ocean Sciences Seminar series each quarter of enrollment .

7.   A minimum of three courses in Thesis Research (OCEA 299) under direction of sponsor.  Each quarter in residence a student should take 15 units of classes.  Students beyond their first year will usually take 10 or 15 units of Thesis Research each quarter.

8.   Comprehensive Departmental Exam.  This oral exam, covering material from the core courses, is usually taken at the beginning of a student’s second year in the program.  This exam must be completed successfully within two years of entering the program.

9.   Pass the Qualifying Exam to Advance to Candidacy.  This exam requires a written research proposal to be defended orally in front of the student’s dissertation committee and is normally taken at the beginning of the third year of the program.  This exam is expected to be completed successfully within three years of entering the program.

10. Ph.D. Dissertation.  The Ph.D. Dissertation, demonstrating original thought and research, must be written, presented in an open seminar, and defended to the student’s thesis committee.  Chapters of the dissertation may be written in publication format, but must conform to University publication guidelines for submission.

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Required Meetings and Exams

Note: QE Nomination, QE Exam Report, Dissertation Reading Committee, Application for the PhD Degree forms are found with instructions on the Graduate Divisions website: http://www.graddiv.ucsc.edu/

Normative Time From Matriculation to Degree

Students are normally expected to complete the Ph.D. degree in five years. Years one and (to a lesser extent) two will include a heavy courseload, during which the required core course sequence will be taken, course deficiencies (if any) will be made up, and elective subject area courses will be taken.  The qualifying examination will be taken at the beginning of the third year.  All recommended courses to fill out the specialty area for each student will be completed by the end of the third year.  Years three through five will be devoted primarily to research (which will normally be initiated during the summer after year one or in year two) and the required seminars.

Scheduling Meeting

During the fall quarter of their first year (ideally during October), students must have a Scheduling Meeting with a committee composed of their advisor, at least one core ocean sciences faculty member, and another appropriate academic senate faculty member.  The purpose of this Scheduling Meeting is to formally review a student’s academic record and to establish a schedule of classes (entered in the student's file) which the student will complete during their first two years in the program. At least four Ocean Sciences core courses must be taken during the student’s first year. Additionally, during the first year, students must make up any deficiencies they might have upon entering the program. Taking these courses during the first year will prepare the student for the Departmental Exam.  Other courses will be suggested to further develop their academic background in their particular area of expertise, and this decision about courses requires the input of the student’s academic advisor.

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Departmental Exam

During the fall quarter of their second year (ideally during October), students are required to take an oral Departmental Exam.  The purpose of the exam is to serve as an early screening tool to flag situations where students may not make timely progress toward their qualifying exam based on the their overall academic/oceanographic background.  The department exam also allows an early assessment of any shortcomings or positive/negative patterns of performance thereby allowing the committee to recommend to students a course of action to address them.

The Department Exam tests students in the general areas of ocean sciences learned from material covered in the four or more required Ocean Sciences Core Courses and in the general area of the student's expertise in their parent (undergraduate) discipline.  The Departmental Exam is distinct from the qualifying exam because of its focus on core knowledge in oceanography; the qualifying exam is focused on the student’s research area. Performance in core coursework will also be taken into consideration.

The Departmental Exam committee will be composed of three Ocean Sciences core faculty members.  The advisor can be included as an additional member also.  Students entering the Ocean Sciences Ph.D. program from the Ocean Sciences Masters Program may take this Departmental Exam during the spring quarter of their first year.

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Qualifying (Oral) Exam

During the fall quarter of their third year (ideally during October), students will take their

Qualifying Exam.  Students entering the Ocean Sciences Ph.D. Program with a Masters degree from the Marine Sciences Program are encouraged to take their Qualifying Exam during the spring quarter of their second year. Students must be registered the quarter they take the exam.  The Qualifying Exam will consist of a written thesis proposal and an oral exam. The Qualifying Exam Committee nomination form needs to be submitted to the department at least one month prior to the exam. The nomination form must list the title and institution of all committee members. The department must also have contact information for all the committee members including mailing address, email, phone and fax.  It is the student’s responsibility to be sure that the correct information is submitted to the department.

The Qualifying Exam Committee will consist of at least four examiners usually consisting of the thesis committee (usually three members) and an outside member.  The Chair of the Qualifying Exam Committee must be a tenured faculty member and can be the thesis advisor.  At least one of the exam committee members must be a core member of the Ocean Sciences Department.  The outside member should be a tenured faculty member (Associate or Full Professor) either from a different discipline from the Santa Cruz campus or a tenured member from the same or a different discipline from another campus. Outside members must submit their CV for department and Graduate Dean review. The department then submits the Qualifying Exam Committee nomination to the dean of Graduate Studies for approval.  Nominations must be forwarded to the graduate dean at least one month prior to the date of the examination. 

The written thesis proposal should be approximately 10 to 20 pages in length and it should set forth the details of their proposed thesis research.  It will include the background information and detailed scientific hypotheses or questions which will be addressed along with methods to be used and any preliminary data already gathered.  An abstract of the thesis proposal needs to be provided to the Qualifying Exam Committee a month in advance of the exam and the written proposal needs to be in the hands of the Qualifying Exam Committee members 10 days in advance of the exam. 

Students will then be expected to orally defend their written proposal during the formal Qualifying Exam.  After the exam a Report on Qualifying Examination must be filled out immediately after the examination by the Chair of the Qualifying Exam Committee and signed by all committee members.  It is the responsibility of the chair of the committee to get all the committee signatures. These signatures are to show that the student passed or failed the exam.  This form is then given to Diana.

Within one month of the examination, a written review of the exam is produced by the chair and committee and given to Diana.  A copy of the exam report and the review is then forwarded to the student and the Graduate Division.  Upon successfully completing the Qualifying Exam and naming a Dissertation Committee (usually the same as the qualifying committee), students can fill out a Dissertation Reading Committee form and pay $65 to UC Regents.  Only then will the student Advance to Candidacy.

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Dissertation

A dissertation based on original research is required.  A Dissertation Committee approved by the Chair of the Ocean Sciences Department and by the dean of Graduate Studies will help guide and evaluate the student’s program, study, and progress.  The Dissertation Committee must have a minimum of three readers, the majority of whom must be members of the Santa Cruz Division of the Academic Senate. At least one of the exam committee members must be a core member of the Ocean Sciences Department. A change in the membership of the committee must be approved by the Graduate Dean.  The committee, named within one quarter of the qualifying examination, will review the student’s work at least annually in writing.  The dissertation must be acceptable to all members of the Dissertation Committee.  It may be a conventional dissertation or it may be a compilation of published or to be published papers, as long as its format and content meet with the approval of the Dissertation Committee.

The Application for the PhD Degree and dissertation guidelines can be downloaded on the Graduate Division website under forms.  Deadlines for submission can be found on the Registrar's Academic and Administrative Calendar.

The Application for the PhD Degree and dissertation guidelines can be downloaded on the Graduate Division website under forms.  Deadlines for submission can be found on the Registrar's Academic and Administrative Calendar.

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Final Examination

The final examination will be a public oral defense of the dissertation.  Normally this will occur after the written dissertation has received substantial approval from the Dissertation Committee.  The student will be required to defend the thesis to public questioning, as well as to the committee after the public part of the seminar. 

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Degree requirements, as reviewed and approved by the Graduate Council (on 6/8/00), pertaining to all applicants for a doctoral degree ...
may be reviewed at the Graduate Handbook on the Graduate Division website.

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