Doctor of Philosophy Degree

Requirements of the Ph.D. Program

Prior to 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 incoming Ph.D. students will be required to take a diagnostic interview to assist in the preparation for undertaking a doctoral program in Geography. Graduate students who have completed the M.A. in our Department and are continuing to the Ph.D. are exempt from the Diagnostic Interview requirement. 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 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 year of the student’s residence.

Students must be registered during the quarter in which 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 Quarter 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 Ph.D. qualifying examinations in the summer unless he/she registers in summer session.

Written Comprehensive Examination

The student’s Ph.D. Committee will administer the written comprehensive examination. Ph.D. written exams conform to the following standards:

1. The exam will span three days, with questions from at least three examiners. There will be 2-3 questions per day. Student will be given 24 hours to answer each day’s questions.
2. The questions should be coordinated and reviewed by the Chair of the committee before being given to the student.
3. The exam is open book, enabling the student to access internet resources as well as the Library/Melvyl.
4. 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, it 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 questions asked. To aid in preparation for the examination, the Department will provide a reading list. 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. It is expected that all committee members will grade all questions, although a member may skip questions well outside his/her expertise. Each member will assign one of the following grades to each question: Excellent; Satisfactory; Unsatisfactory.

 If one or more committee members grades a question as Unsatisfactory, it must be rewritten according to feedback from the committee. An Unsatisfactory section may be rewritten 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. All members of the student’s Doctoral Committee must approve this proposal. 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. A list of theses and dissertations is posted at the department’s website at http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/graduates/. Copies of most theses and dissertations are available for checkout in the department - those that are not available in the department can be found in the Special Collections Department of the main Library. Theses and dissertations are cataloged and searchable in Pegasus, the Library’s online catalog.

Oral Qualifying Examination

Having successfully completed the diagnostic interview and written comprehensive examination, the student’s doctoral committee will conduct an oral qualifying examination, based on a draft proposal for doctoral research. It is expected that the oral exam will take place soon after the written exam, normally within four months following the successful completion of the written exam. Graduate Division regulations require that three consecutive quarters of residence must be completed prior to taking the oral qualifying exam. Thus, the oral exam 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 has a satisfactory proposal for dissertation research, and that the student possesses the full knowledge and competence required to carry out his or her dissertation research. Upon successful completion of the oral exam, a student who carries out the program of research agreed upon by the committee will be entitled to the Ph.D. degree, assuming the research is carried out with demonstrated quality, is written up satisfactorily for the dissertation, and is defended satisfactorily at the doctoral defense. Thus, the examination will emphasize (but not necessarily be limited to) the systematic and technical areas relevant to the student’s proposed dissertation research and the viability and relevance of the specific elements of that research. Following the examination, the committee members shall vote “Pass” or “Fail” on the student’s level of preparation. A unanimous passing vote is required for advancement to candidacy. This examination is usually open only to voting committee members.

Advancement to Candidacy

A student is advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. after completing all course requirements and residence requirements, passing the written comprehensive and oral qualifying exams, filing Ph.D. Form II, and paying the $50.00 advancement to candidacy fee. Students with Incompletes, NG, or NR grades on their record are ineligible to advance to candidacy until such grades have been removed. Following advancement, the student will normally devote a 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 are reminded that they have until the last working day before the next quarter officially begins (as indicated in the Graduate Division calendar) to officially advance to candidacy, including paying the $50.00 advancement fee. After advancing to doctoral candidacy, a student’s class level changes to P2 the next registered quarter, non-resident supplemental tuition is waived for three years (9 academic quarters), if applicable, and additional borrowing privileges are granted at the Davidson Library.

International Students: The non-resident supplemental tuition is reduced by 100% for graduate doctoral students who have advanced to doctoral candidacy, subject to the understanding that (a) a graduate student may receive the reduced nonresident fee rate for a maximum of three continuous years (9 academic quarters), and (b) any such student who continues to be enrolled or who re-enrolls after receiving the reduced fee for three continuous years will be charged the full nonresident tuition that is in effect at that time.

Graduate Council has set a four-year time limit for advancement to Ph.D. candidacy for all graduate students. 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. The 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. 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 (colloquium) 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).

Filing your Ph.D. Dissertation

In the quarter when you plan to file your Ph.D. dissertation, you should meet with the Staff Graduate Program Advisor to get advice on the process of completing your degree and to obtain a copy of the current Ph.D. Dissertation Filing Checklist.

Optional Interdisciplinary Emphases

Students pursuing a doctoral degree in Geography may petition to add the following Optional Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Emphases: Climate Sciences and Climate Change, Cognitive Science, Demography, Environment and Society, Global Studies, Information Technology and Society, Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences.