Student Success

Student Success is here to support students in their academic journey and ensure they are well prepared in the skills of communication, critical thinking, and career readiness. It embraces students’ sense of belonging and their engagement in and out of the classroom, including their sense of community.

Director: Rena M. Roberts, Ed.D. Skye Hall, Room 156

• (951) 827-3721; arc.ucr.edu

The Academic Resource Center (ARC) provides academic support to all enrolled undergraduate students at UCR with the goal of helping students succeed and excel academically. Programs and services are at no additional cost. unless otherwise noted. See the ARC website for hours of operation and service locations.

In addition to the programs and services listed below, the ARC offers student employment and leadership development opportunities for undergraduate students as peer educators: SI leaders, tutors, peer mentors, math advisory exam and administrative support assistants. Highlander Early Start Academy (HESA) also offers TA positions for graduate students. ARC programs and services include the following:

Assistance, Coaching & Encouragement (ACE) Provides individualized support to students who are encountering academic difficulty, helping them to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements. The ACE coaching team is made up of full-time professional staff and peer mentors who are trained and experienced at sorting out the factors that can adversely affect academic performance.

Transfer Success Program The Transfer Success Program is a support program for incoming and matriculated transfer students. In collaboration with campus wide partners, the program provides programming and connects students to student success services to empower them in their academic, professional, and personal endeavors while assisting students in navigating the university system. The Transfer Student Success Zone located in the ARC, provides a space for transfer students to meet and attend events that address their needs.

Early Assist The Early Assist program supports first-year students in the Bourns College of Engineering (BCOE) and the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) who as a result of their score on the Math Advisory Exam, place into College Mathematics Fundamentals & Problem Solving (Math 3). arc.ucr.edu/early-assist

Highlander Early Start Academy (HESA) Offers incoming first-year students an opportunity to prepare for the academic rigors and challenges of UCR in the summer before their 1st fall quarter. Students must have placed into English through the Analytical Writing Placement Exam (AWPE), OR Math through the Mathematics Advisory Exam (MAE) to be eligible. HESA participating students will take a primary course (English or Math), a secondary course, and a College Success Course for a total of 8-10 units. The goal of this program is to enhance English & Math skills, support incoming first-year students during the transition from high school to university, connecting them to campus resources for academic and personal success, and helping to build a community with fellow HESA peers. earlystart.ucr.edu; earlystart@ucr.edu Placement and Advisory Examinations Used by UCR to assess student readiness for University-level coursework and to determine the appropriate course placement in English, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Foreign Languages. UCR students must satisfy placement requirements before registering for these subjects. Exam results are used for advising and placement purposes only; unit credit cannot be earned with these exams. There are four placement and advisory exams:

• Analytical Writing Placement Exam (AWPE) Used to satisfy the University

of California Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR) and to place first-year students into an appropriate English composition course.

• Mathematics Advisory Exam (MAE) Used to place first-year students

into an appropriate Mathematics course.

• California Chemistry Diagnostic Test (CCDT) Optional placement exam

that may be used for placement into the First-year Chemistry series.

• Foreign Language Placement Exams Used to determine the appropriate

level of Foreign Language entry.

R’Success Workshop Series The workshop series covers a variety of study and life skills topics aimed at enhancing study and life skills. If you’re looking for ways to strength your study habits and time management skills, you’ve come to the right place. R’success provides students the flexibility to choose workshop sessions on various study and life skills workshops that align with their individual interests and schedule. Receive a stamp for each session you attend (some workshops are worth two (2) stamps); 7 stamps earn you a certificate of completion, an invitation to the Academic Resource Center recognition event held at the end of spring quarter.

Supplemental Instruction (SI) Peer-led group study to help students succeed in targeted high-priority courses. SI consists of regularly scheduled study sessions, giving students an opportunity to practice and develop academic skills necessary for success. Marketed as “guaranteed study time,” SI helps students develop study strategies specific to the course. The goal of SI is to improve academic performance in traditionally difficult courses offered in both lower and upper divisions.

Tutorial Assistance Program (TAP) The Tutorial Assistance Program (TAP) provides tutoring for a variety of subjects and disciplines. The ARC’s trained tutors are multi-talented and multi-disciplined students that have performed well at the University. Students can utilize tutoring by appointment and on a walk-in basis. Most tutoring is done in small groups with each session lasting for about an hour. The tutoring schedule can be found on the ARC’s website.

Writing Support Writing Support provides writing support to all UCR undergraduate students through writing consultations and workshops. We provide writing assistance in any academic discipline during any stage of the writing process. The professional staff also provides targeted support to students applying for prestigious scholarships/fellowships, Undergraduate Research Journal submissions, and Honors theses.

ARC’s Special Cohort Programs

• Highlander Early Start Academy (HESA) is a seven-week intensive

in-person program for incoming first-year students. HESA allows students to earn up to 8-10 units before starting their first-year in fall quarter.

• Mathematics Advisory Exam (MAE) is used by UC Riverside to assess

student readiness in mathematics for University work and to determine the appropriate placement.

• Early Assist is a support program for first-year, College of Natural

and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) and Bourns College of Engineering (BCOE) students who have placed into the Math 3. The program follows students as they progress through Math 3 (Fall), Math 6A (Winter) and Math 6B (Spring) to assist them through the math perquisite series in order to begin the required core STEM courses.

• The Transfer Success Program is a support program for incoming and

matriculated transfer students. In collaboration with campus wide partners, the program provides programming and connects students to student success services to empower them in their academic, professional, and personal endeavors while assisting students in navigating the university system. The Transfer Success Zone, located in the Academic Resource Center, provides a space for transfer students to meet and attend events that address their needs. arc.ucr.edu/tsp

Student Services Building #2106

• (951) 827-1822

blackstudentsuccess.ucr.edu

Black Student Success engage with Black Scholars at the undergraduate and graduate level to ensure that scholars are accessing the full breadth of academic resources, professional development resources, social-cultural development resources, and wellness resources UC Riverside has to offer. They advocate for Black Scholars on all matters pertaining to their overall wellbeing and comprehensive college experience. Additionally, they collaborate with key UC Riverside staff and faculty to create and facilitate programming practices, and opportunities that utilize the Anti-Deficit Framework to ensure that the needs and aspirations of Black Scholars are both heard and addressed.

Rivera Library, B03 (Lower Level)

• (951) 827-6233

hpac.ucr.edu

The Health Professions Advising Center (HPAC) provides information, advising, and support for students who aspire to graduate/professional programs in the health professions and wish to enhance their academic and extracurricular preparation. Professional staff and peer mentors are available to guide students as they plan their pre-health professions coursework, health-related experiences, service work, and research in preparation for applying to programs.

Student Services Building #2106

• (951) 827-1490

ue.ucr.edu/kessler

The Kessler Scholars Program at the University of California, Riverside provides four years of support to students who are the first in their family to attend college. The goal is to help students achieve college success through holistic support services via a cohort-based model. The program is part of the national Kessler Scholars Collaborative along with 15 other institutions. Together, these schools are rethinking how to support first-generation college students as they navigate higher education. Students who join the Kessler Scholars Program are part of a powerful network of first-generation leaders, connected across multiple institutions throughout their undergraduate college experience and beyond.

Student Services Building #2106

• (951) 827-7389

armyrotc.ucr.edu

UC Riverside Army ROTC is one of six universities in the Claremont McKenna College Golden Lions designed to teach, coach, and mentor cadets on their academic and leadership development journey prior to becoming commissioned officers in the United States Army. ROTC Cadets currently earn academic credit for ROTC courses through a cross-enrollment procedure with California State University, San Bernardino. Students participate in the cross-enrollment process with the permission of their college dean. Academic units earned in ROTC programs are counted as elective units toward UC Riverside graduation requirements.

Student Services Building #2106

• (951) 827-7750

Undergraduate Education (UE) assembled three-part advising governance structure led by the Advising Governance Committee (AGC). The AGC now serves as the lead advocacy/oversight body for academic advising at UCR working closely with the SAMs and the Advising Council. SUMMER

SUMMER.UCR.EDU UC UNDERGRADS YOU PAY FOR EIGHT-UNIT FEE CAP MEANS TAKING 12 OR EVEN 16 UNITS RESULTS IN HUGE SAVINGS!8 REGISTRATION OPENS APRIL 1 GRADUATE STUDIES

Graduate students at UCR are an essential part of the university’s distinguished research teams and full partners in the undergraduate teaching mission of the faculty. Founded as a research institution in 1907, Riverside is the oldest of the UC’s southern campuses. UCR combines the intellectual and material resources of the UC system with a uniquely intimate research environment, fostering a type of frequent and high-powered faculty-student contact unavailable at other universities.

Graduate degrees at UCR are research degrees, certifying that students are trained in the techniques of independent inquiry and have demonstrated the capacity to make unique contributions to their fields. Occupying a distinctive niche in disciplines ranging from chemistry to critical dance studies, computer science to economics, UCR offers graduate and professional programs leading to the degrees of doctor of philosophy, master of arts, master of business administration, master of education, master of finance, master of fine arts, master of professional accountancy, master of public health, master of public policy, and master of science.

Campus regulations concerning graduate education are set by the Graduate Council, a committee of the Academic Senate, and carried out by the Graduate Division staff under the direction of the Graduate Dean.

Each academic program has a faculty graduate advisor appointed by the Graduate Dean. Advisors assist students in program planning and completing degree requirements and write a yearly evaluation of each student’s progress toward the degree. Students should make an effort to confer regularly with their graduate advisor.

The Graduate Student Association (GSA) seeks to represent the views of graduate students and promote their interests with the faculty and administration, both at the campus level and universitywide. All graduate students whose fees include the GSA fee are members. Further information can be found under Graduate Student Association in the Services for Students section of this catalog. For more detailed descriptions of GSA activities and services, visit gsa.ucr.edu.

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 may submit a deferment request. If additional course work has been completed, submit updated transcripts.

Applicants should apply at grad.ucr.edu/apply.

Campus-wide application deadlines for domestic students are August 1 to June 1 for the fall quarter, November 1 for the winter quarter, and February 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 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 (AB 540 and/or DACA status, US citizens, and US permanents residents):

$135 all programs (except Business Analytics, M.B.A, M.Fin., & M.P.Ac.)

$155 Business Analytics, M.B.A., M.Fin., M.P.Ac. & Professional M.B.A.

International application fee (non-immigrant):

$155 all programs (except Business Analytics, M.B.A., M.Fin., & M.P.Ac.)

$180 Business Analytics, M.B.A., M.Fin., M.P.Ac. & Professional M.B.A.

The following must also be submitted:

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

high school

• 2. Three letters of recommendation are required by most programs

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

some programs

Some programs also accept 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 Business Analytics, M.B.A., M.Fin., M.P.Ac. & Ph.D. in Business Administration 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 undergraduate (bachelor’s or first-degree equivalent) or advanced degree (master’s or doctorate) 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. Discipline M.A. M.S. M.F.A. Ph.D.

Art History • •

Accounting, Auditing and Assurance M.P.Ac.

Anthropology • • •

Astronomy • •

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology • •

Bioengineering • 2 •

Biomedical Sciences • •

Biophysics • •

Business Administration •

Business Analytics •

Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology • •

Chemical and Environmental Engineering • 2 •

Chemistry • •

Classics • 1 •

Comparative Literature • 1 •

Computational Data Science •

Computer Engineering • 2

Computer Science • 2 •

Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts •

Critical Dance Studies • 1 •

Earth and Planetary Sciences • •

Economics • •

Education • M.Ed. •

Electrical Engineering • 2 •

Engineering •

English • 1 •

Entomology • 2 •

Environmental Sciences • •

Environmental Toxicology • •

Ethnic Studies • •

Evolutionary Biology (w/SDSU) •

Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology • •

Experimental Choreography •

Finance M.Fin.

Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics • 1 •

History • •

Management • 1 M.B.A.

Materials Science and Engineering • •

Mathematics • • •

Mathematics, Applied •

Mechanical Engineering • 2 •

Medicine M.D.

Microbiology • 2 •

Music • •

Neuroscience • 1 •

Philosophy • •

Physics • • •

Plant Biology • •

Plant Pathology • • Graduate Degrees and Programs (Continued)

Discipline M.A. M.S. M.F.A. Ph.D.

Political Science • •

Psychology • 1 •

Public Health M.P.H.

Public Policy M.P.P. 2

Religious Studies • •

Robotics •

Sociology • 1 •

Southeast Asian Studies •

Spanish • •

Statistics • 2

Statistics, Applied •

Visual Art •

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

2 A combined 4+1 program is offered in this discipline (designed to lead to a bachelor’s

degree and master’s degree in five years.)

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 undergraduate (bachelor’s or first-degree equivalent) or advanced degree (master’s or doctorate) 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.

Admitted international students will be required to provide a minimum verification of support (based on program) after accepting an offer of admission. The International Students and Scholars office 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 June 1 (January 5 for admission with fellowship support) for the fall quarter, September 1 for the winter quarter, and December 1 for the spring quarter. These deadlines may vary somewhat by program, so applicants should not hesitate to contact programs directly.

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

Students who have no student status or are not identified as ready to enroll, 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 UCR School of Education, education.ucr.edu for admission information and application materials or see 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

or (3) alternative methods outlined by the specific 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 required for all MS, MA, MFA, MPP, and Ph.D. programs. Such training is ideally designed to help students achieve mastery of some core competencies including communication (e.g., writing and publishing, presentation skills, networking); academic development (e.g., skill building in teaching and mentoring, grant writing); leadership and professionalism (e.g., abilities in research/scholarship, professional ethics, and inclusiveness); and career development (e.g., strategies for success in graduate school and the profession, maintaining work/life balance, time management, and career and job market guidance). This list is not meant to be exhaustive or prescriptive, but rather to reflect the range of skills our students need to be successful.

Each program determines the format, content, and extent of its training in order to make it specific to, and appropriate for, the discipline. Training must be for unit credit and may be delivered as a single course or as portions of multiple courses. The courses must be listed in the catalogue and clearly noted as serving to meet the professional development requirement.

GR 1.2 Standards of Scholarship and Disqualification

Graduate students are expected to prove themselves worthy of the privilege of advanced study and research offered at the university by making acceptable progress towards degree objectives and maintaining the standards of scholarship established by the Graduate Council.

Acceptable Progress includes, but is not limited to:

• 1. Completing courses with letter grades of “C-“ or better or “S”. Only

these grades and higher may count toward satisfying graduate degree requirements

• 2. Completing course work and other degree requirements in a timely

manner. In order to support timely progress, students may take courses outside of their required course work only with approval of the Graduate Advisor 3. Applying to graduate and completing the academic program once all degree requirements are met

Students are considered to be making unacceptable progress and become subject to dismissal when:

• 1. Cumulative grade point average falls below the required level of 3.0

at any time or

• 2. Quarterly GPA in two consecutive terms falls below 3.0, even if the

cumulative GPA remains above 3.0 or

• 3. Fail to make progress in research for two consecutive quarters

resulting in NC grades in research units or

• 4. Program requirements such as exams or research are not fulfilled in

a timely or satisfactory manner or

• 5. Fail to pass critical exams (including comprehensive or qualifying

exams) in two attempts or

• 6. Does not have a faculty advisor to supervise research in accordance

with the standard of practice in the student’s program or

• 7. PhD students not advanced to candidacy by their 15th quarter or

any student not having completed all degree requirements within one year beyond normative time

After consultation with the appropriate department or graduate group, the Dean of the Graduate Division will notify students who become subject to dismissal of action taken.

Courses must be completed with letter grades of C- or better or S. Only these grades or higher may count toward satisfying graduate degree requirements. To continue in good standing and obtain an advanced degree, students must complete course work and other degree requirements in a timely manner. In order to support timely progress, students may take courses outside of their required course work only with approval of the Graduate Advisor. In addition, students must apply to graduate and complete their academic program once all degree requirements are met. Students are considered to be making unacceptable progress and become subject to dismissal when

• cumulative grade point average falls below the required level of 3.0

at any time or

• quarterly GPA in two consecutive terms falls below 3.0, even if the

cumulative GPA remains above 3.0 or

• failing to make progress in research for two consecutive quarters

resulting in NC grades in research units or

• program requirements such as exams or research are not fulfilled in

a timely or satisfactory manner or

• failing to pass critical exams (including comprehensive or qualifying

exams) in two attempts or

• does not have a faculty advisor to supervise research in accordance

with the standard of practice in the student’s program or

• PhD students not advanced to candidacy by their 15th quarter or any

student not having completed all degree requirements within one year beyond normative time

Academic Standing is noted internally in the student profile, not publicly on the transcript or diploma.

Good Standing means the student has at least a 3.0 GPA both cumulative and quarterly. Academic Warning means the student has received one quarterly GPA of below 3.0, but the cumulative GPA is still above 3.0.

Academic Probation means the student has a cumulative GPA of below 3.0 or two quarterly GPAs of below 3.0.

Graduate students may take course work on an S/NC basis only when the course description indicates it is an option. Graduate students may not use undergraduate or graduate courses taken on an S/NC basis to complete their master’s or PhD degree requirements, unless the course only is offered on an S/NC basis. Exceptions must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate Division. 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.

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 or college 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. For additional information on grade appeals please visit https://senate.ucr.edu/regulations/section/558/05

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), 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/regulations-and-procedures#appeal_procedures.

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