Application and Admission

The admission process has as its prime objective the selection of those students most likely to complete their chosen graduate programs with distinction. After consultation between the program and the Graduate Division, the final authority to admit rests with the Graduate Dean.

Applicants are initially reviewed and rated based on their undergraduate and, where appropriate, postbaccalaureate GPAs. The minimum requirement for admission to graduate status is the bachelor’s degree or its academic equivalent from an accredited institution. However, the evaluation process is intended to be flexible, and programs take a variety of other factors into consideration when making their admissions recommendations, including GRE or other test scores, GPA in the major subject, letters of recommendation, and the reputation of the degree- granting program or institution.

Soon after the program forwards its recommendation to the Graduate Division, the applicant is notified of the dean’s decision. If admission is offered with work still in progress, official transcripts reflecting the satisfactory completion of this work and the awarding of the degree (where appropriate) must be submitted as soon as possible. An offer of admission is valid for a specific quarter only. Accepted students who wish to be admitted for a subsequent quarter must reapply and, if additional course work has been completed, submit updated transcripts.

Applicants should apply at graduate.ucr.edu/grad_admissions.html

Campus-wide application deadlines for domestic students are September 1 for the fall quarter, November 15 for the winter quarter, and March 1 for the spring quarter. Visit graduate.ucr.edu/app_deadlines.html for deadline information.

The deadline for students seeking fellowship awards, teaching or research Graduate Studies

Discipline M.A. M.S. M.F.A. Ph.D. Accounting, Auditing and Assurance M.P.Ac. Anthropology • • • Art History • • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology • •

Bioengineering •2 •

Biomedical Sciences •1 • Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology • •

Chemical and Environmental Engineering •2 • Chemistry • •

Classics •1 •

Comparative Literature •1 •

Computer Engineering •2

Computer Science •2 • Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts •

Critical Dance Studies •1 •

Economics •1 • Education • M.Ed. •

Electrical Engineering •2 • Engineering •

English •1 • Entomology • • Environmental Sciences • • Environmental Toxicology • • Ethnic Studies • • Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology • • Experimental Choreography • Finance M.Fin.

Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics •1 • Geological Sciences • • History • •

Management Flex M.B.A., M.A.1, M.B.A. •

Materials Science and Engineering • •

Mathematics • • • Mathematics, Applied •

Mechanical Engineering •2 • Medicine M.D. Microbiology • • Music • •

Neuroscience •1 • Philosophy • • Physics • • • Plant Biology • • Plant Pathology • • Political Science • •

Psychology •1 • Public Policy M.P.P. Religious Studies • •

Sociology •1 • Southeast Asian Studies • Spanish • •

Statistics • Statistics, Applied •

Visual Art •

1 Applications are not accepted from students wishing to work toward the master’s degree only.

2 A combined B.S. + M.S. program is offered in this discipline (designed to lead to a B.S. degree as well as an M.S. degree in five years.) Graduate Studies / 60 assistantships, and other merit-based forms of support is January 5. These deadlines may vary somewhat by program, so applicants should not hesitate to contact programs directly for additional information. Please refer to International Student Admissions section below for information about international student deadlines.

A nonrefundable application fee must be submitted at the time of application:

Domestic application fee (US citizens and US permanent residents):

$80 all programs (except M.B.A., M.Fin. & M.P.Ac.)

$100 M.B.A., Flex M.B.A., M.Fin. & M.P.Ac.

International application fee (non-immigrant):

$100 all programs (except M.B.A., M.Fin. & M.P.Ac.)

$125 M.B.A., Flex M.B.A., M.Fin. & M.P.Ac.

The following must also be submitted:

• 1. Official transcripts from each college or university attended since high

school

• 2. Three letters of recommendation

• 3. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test score is required by

most programs

Some programs also require the appropriate GRE subject test. GRE scores are not required for the teacher education credential programs or the MFA programs in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts, Experimental Choreography, and Visual Art. The M.B.A., M.Fin., M.P.Ac. & Ph.D. in management programs accept either the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the GRE. Test scores should not be older than five years.

Domestic applicants whose first language is not English and who have not earned an advanced degree at an institution where English is the exclusive language of instruction must provide proof of English proficiency. Please see complete information below under International Student Admission.

International students follow the same procedures and are governed by the same regulations as domestic applicants with the following exceptions.

Applicants whose first language is not English and who have not earned an advanced degree at an institution where English is the exclusive language of instruction must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). This exam is administered by the Educational Testing Service and offered in nearly every country abroad. The minimum acceptable scores are: 550 for the written exam; 213 for the computer- based exam, and 80 for the internet-based exam (iBT). Applicants should arrange to take the examination in their home country by visiting ets.org.

The TOEFL must be taken no more than two years prior to the intended quarter of enrollment.

Applicants may submit scores from the Academic Module of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). This exam also must be taken no more than two years prior to the intended quarter of enrollment at UCR. The minimum acceptable score is an overall bandscore of 7 with no score less than 6 on any individual component. Please request an official Test Report Form (TRF) from the test center where the test was taken.

International students must also complete a financial statement (provided on the application). The university will be unable to issue a Certificate of Eligibility (I-20 or DS2019) without evidence of the applicant’s ability to pay all fees and expenses for the duration of the program of study.

Application deadlines for international students are May 1 (January 5 for admission with fellowship support) for the fall quarter, July 1 for the winter quarter, and October 1 for the spring quarter. These deadlines may vary somewhat by program, so applicants should not hesitate to contact programs directly.

The International Student Resource Center specializes in providing information and a broad range of services to international students and can be contacted at (951) 827-4113 or visit internationalcenter.ucr.edu.

Students who have not maintained continuous enrollment and have no student status will have to reapply to the University to continue in their degree programs. They should follow the same process as new students to apply for readmission. The Graduate Division will retain a students’ file for five years. Students applying for readmission within that five year period will not have to provide the University with new transcripts if they have not enrolled elsewhere but will need to provide a new statement of purpose and one letter of recommendation. Students who have been gone over five years must order transcripts from all former institutions attended.

Students will be held to the new catalog requirements at the time of readmission and will lose their candidacy when they fail to maintain continuous enrollment unless the Graduate Dean approves an exception. Students may return on filing fee status to graduate if they have not used it before and the Dean approves an exception and allows them to reenter under their original catalog requirements and approves their continued advancement to candidacy.

Prospective applicants to teaching credential programs should contact the Graduate School of Education, education.ucr.edu for admission information and application materials or see Graduate School of Education later in this catalog.

The minimum requirements for master’s and doctor of philosophy degrees are outlined below. Individual program requirements are described in the Programs and Courses section of this catalog.

Each program determines what, if any, knowledge of a foreign language or languages should be required of students pursuing graduate degrees. Proficiency in a foreign language may be demonstrated by (1) passing a written examination administered by the department or program or (2) successfully completing a course or courses specified by the program. With the support of the program and the approval of the graduate dean, students may receive credit for foreign language examinations or course work completed not more than four years before being admitted to graduate study at UCR.

Professional development training is a requirement of all master’s and Ph.D. programs. Training typically includes elements of research and professional ethics, grant and professional writing, strategies for success in graduate school and the profession, pedagogy, public speaking, career and job market guidance, and other relevant topics to help students become successful professionals. Each program determines the format, content, and extent of its training in order to make it specific to, and appropriate for, the discipline. A program may provide all of its training independently, or it may partner with other programs, or utilize services provided by other campus units or professional organizations.

Training must be for unit credit and may be delivered as a single course or as portions of multiple courses.

Only courses in which grades of “A,” “B,” “C,” or “S” are received may be counted toward satisfying graduate degree requirements. To continue in good standing and obtain an advanced degree, students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.00 in all upper division and graduate level courses related to the degree. In addition, students must demonstrate acceptable progress toward their degree objectives. This entails the acceptable completion of all course work and other degree requirements in a timely fashion. Students are considered to be making unacceptable progress and become subject to dismissal when

• • they have 12 or more units of “I” grades outstanding;

• • the overall GPA falls below 3.00;

• • the quarterly GPA falls below 3.00 for two consecutive quarters;

61 / Graduate Studies

• • they fail to fulfill program requirements such as exams or research in a

timely and satisfactory manner;

• • they have not completed their programs within one year after reaching

the normative time; or

• • they fail to pass comprehensive or qualifying examinations in two

attempts;

• • they fail to make progress in research for two consecutive quarters

Graduate students may take course work on an S/NC basis only when the course description indicates that this is an option. Students who wish to enroll in undergraduate courses on an S/NC basis may petition the Dean. The Graduate Advisor must certify that these courses are not in the student’s major or program of study and these course work cannot be used for graduation. A grade of S is equivalent to a grade of B (3.0) or better but does not count towards the student’s grade point average. No credit is given for a course in which a grade of NC is assigned.

Most commonly, professors will grant an Incomplete if students were unable to take the final examination or finish a paper at the required time due to illness or other unavoidable problems that can be verified, providing the student’s work in the course was of passing quality. In order to remove the “I”, students must complete the work required by the end of the next academic quarter (whether in attendance or not)—professors will then report the grade to the Registrar on a Grade Change Form. Incompletes cannot be removed by enrolling in the course during the following quarter. Make arrangements with your instructor on how to replace the “I” for a grade. The “I” will automatically revert to an “F” (or NC) after one quarter. PhD students cannot graduate with an “I” grade on their record. Master’s students can only graduate with an “I” if they do not need the course for the degree and are continuing in the PhD program.

Grades are final at the end of each quarter. If you discover a clerical or procedural error was made in the posting of your grade, contact the instructor immediately and request a revision. This type of revision can be made only if: 1) the basis for the change is found in work which you submitted as part of the regular assignments during the quarter; 2) the change is not the result of re-examination (unless your initial grade was Incomplete); 3) the change does not involve a change in the grading basis (from S/NC to letter grade or the reverse). Only the instructor can change a grade.

The Regulations of the Riverside Division of the Academic Senate state that if a student believes that non-academic criteria have been used in determining a grade, the student shall attempt to resolve the grievance with the instructor of the course through written appeal to the instructor via the chair of the department. If the grievance is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction at the departmental level, the student may file a complaint with the Dean of the Graduate Division. The complaint should be filed immediately after the alleged use of non-academic criteria but no later than six weeks after the beginning of the subsequent quarter. Non- academic criteria are criteria not directly reflective of class performance, such as discrimination on political grounds or for reasons of race, religion, sex, or ethnic origin or for other arbitrary or personal reasons.

The procedures for appealing adverse outcomes on qualifying exams, dismissal from graduate standing, placement on probationary status, denial of readmission to the same program (if the student was previously in good standing), disputes over joint authorship of research in accordance with joint authorship policies of campus departments or units, revocation of campus fellowships, and other administrative or academic decisions that terminate or otherwise impede progress toward academic or professional degree goals can be found at graduate.ucr.edu/academic_affairs.html

Only two attempts at major exams are allowed unless the program has special approval from the Graduate Council for additional attempts.