Geography

A minimum of nine courses (36 units) are required for the degree. The course requirement includes five graduate courses, two electives, one methods requirement, two graduate core courses, and the research group seminars. Of this minimum, seven courses (28 units) must be graduate level. One appropriate course may be applied toward the Department's methods requirement, if approved by the student's committee chair, though this requirement can be fulfilled in other ways in consultation with the committee chair. Fulfillment of the methods requirement through other means does not reduce the total number of courses the student is required to complete. One 500-series course may be applied toward the minimum course requirement for the M.A. degree, but not toward the minimum graduate course requirement. The core courses (Geography 200A and 200B) must be completed within the first year and with a grade of B or better in GEOG 200A and a grade of S in 200B. Each student must in every term of residence enroll in one of the two research group seminars, either Geography 299A or C299B. The courses GEOG 200B, 299A, and C299B do not count toward the minimum nine-course requirement. With the exception of GEOG 200B, 299A, C299B, and any 500-level courses, all courses must be taken for a letter grade, and a minimum grade of B is required. Quarterly course enrollment plans should be approved by the student's committee chair.

Individual Study Courses. The following rules pertain to individual study courses (Geography 199, 596, 597, 598, 599):

(1) Before enrolling in one of these courses, students must consult with the responsible faculty member and work out a program of study and consultation.
(2) All 500-series courses must be taken for S/U grading only.
(3) Students may enroll in Geography 597, 598, or 599 as often as required.

Teaching Courses. Geography 375 and 495 may not be applied toward course requirements for the M.A. degree.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

None.

Thesis Plan

Every master's degree thesis plan requires the completion of an approved thesis that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research.

Students must present a thesis based on original research. Selection of a thesis topic, development of a thesis proposal, and conduct of the investigation proceed under the supervision of the student's M.A. committee. The thesis proposal consists of a description of the problem to be researched and the proposed methods of research, a preliminary outline, an assessment of the originality and significance of the project, and a timeline describing the anticipated time of completion of the various stages of the study. The entire thesis project must be carried out in close consultation with all members of the thesis committee. The thesis should generally be no more than 20,000 words in length, exclusive of appendices and bibliography.

To ensure progress, each student is expected to establish their master’s thesis committee and finalize a thesis proposal by the third quarter following enrollment in the program (normally Spring quarter). The thesis should be filed no later than the fifth or sixth quarter in residence (normally Winter or Spring quarter).

Time-to-Degree

The M.A. degree should be completed within nine academic quarters of admission to the program. Failure to show timely progress toward the degree may result in a departmental recommendation for termination from the graduate program.

MAXIMUM TTD

Advising

In the first quarter of residence and in consultation with the graduate adviser, students must form a guidance committee chaired by their interim adviser. This guidance committee consists of three members of the departmental faculty. As their work develops, students are permitted to change interim advisers or other committee members, as long as the faculty selected to serve are appropriate to the student's objectives and plans and all involved are kept properly informed. The guidance committee sets, administers, and assesses the written qualifying examination. Upon successful completion of this examination the student formally creates an official doctoral committee. The doctoral committee consists of three departmental faculty and one faculty member from another department. This committee oversees the formulation of the dissertation proposal, conducts the oral qualifying examination, supervises the dissertation research and writing, and conducts the final oral examination (defense of the dissertation).

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Students commonly specialize in one or more areas of geographical knowledge, such as: geomorphology, climatology, biogeography, geospatial information systems, remote sensing, demography, economic, political, social, cultural, historical, regional, and urban geography. However, because geographical knowledge and its associated research questions frequently transcend disciplinary and sub-disciplinary boundaries, students are expected to refine and deepen their research interests further, in consultation with faculty, within, across, and beyond research and teaching areas.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Students must, within their first year and with a grade of B or better in each, successfully complete the required graduate core courses (if they were not already completed at the M.A. level). At least four graduate geography courses, in addition to completed M.A. course work (excluding core courses, and Geography 375, 495, and courses in the 500 series), are required, as are three upper division or graduate courses in one or two fields (outside of geography) related to the student's major research area or sub-disciplinary specialization, subject to approval of the guidance committee. One appropriate course must be taken to fulfill the department's methods requirement, though this requirement can be fulfilled in other ways in consultation with the committee chair. Fulfillment of the methods requirement through other means does not reduce the total number of courses the student is required to complete. Instead, students will be required to complete one course in place of the methods course. All course requirements must be met before the student takes the oral qualifying examination. Each student must in every term of residence enroll in one of the two research group seminars, either Geography 299A or C299B. The courses GEOG 299A and C299B do not count toward the minimum 10-course requirement. The requirement is eight courses for students who earned their MA in Geography at UCLA. With the exception of GEOG 200B, 299A, and C299B all courses must be taken for a letter grade, and a minimum grade of B is required. Quarterly course enrollment plans should be approved by the student's adviser.

Individual Study Courses. The following rules pertain to individual study courses (Geography 199, 596, 597, 598, 599):

(1) Before enrolling in one of these courses, students must consult with the responsible faculty member and work out a program of study and consultation.
(2) All 500-series courses must be taken for S/U grading only.
(3) Students may enroll in Geography 597, 598, or 599 as often as required.
(4) Individual Study courses do not count toward the minimum course requirement.

Teaching Courses. Geography 375 and 495 may not be applied toward course requirements for the Ph.D. degree.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

The goal of the written examinations is to ensure that students develop a command of literature in two subdisciplines or fields of geography and that they are adequately prepared to carry out their dissertation research. Command of that literature is demonstrated through the completion of field statements. Each of the two statements consists of a substantial document prepared over the course of three months. A third practical examination, significantly shorter in length and completed within 48 hours, assesses the ability of the student to develop a research strategy around a particular geographical problem. The three papers are to be completed no later than the student’s sixth term of residence. Exceptions may be made for students who enter the program without a Geography degree. In case of failure, the student may make one more attempt, but no sooner than three months nor longer than one year after the first examination.

Preparation of the dissertation proposal follows successful completion of the written qualifying examination. The dissertation proposal must specify: the research question, describing in some detail the problem to be studied, its scientific background, an outline of the subject matter; the proposed methods of research; the degree of originality involved; and a timetable for completion of the degree. The dissertation proposal is written in consultation with the official doctoral committee and should be no more than 12,000 words in length. Once the proposal is accepted, significant changes in the project title must be approved by the committee. Committee members should receive the dissertation proposal at least two weeks before the oral qualifying examination.

The University Oral Qualifying Examination is conducted by the appointed doctoral committee and focuses on the dissertation proposal. The maximum length of time permitted between written and oral examinations is six months. Oral examinations will normally be scheduled no later than the end of the quarter following completion of the written examinations. After successfully completing the oral qualifying examination, the student is eligible for advancement to candidacy. In instances of failure, the oral qualifying examination may be repeated once. Students have one year to repeat the examination.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy and awarded the Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

Students are expected to complete the Ph.D. degree within fifteen academic quarters. Seven calendar years is the maximum time permitted for completion of the degree. Failure to show timely progress toward the degree may result in a departmental recommendation for termination from the graduate program.

MAXIMUM TTD

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

Every Spring quarter, the departmental faculty hold a review of all of its graduate students. The purpose of the Spring Review is twofold: first, to provide the faculty with an opportunity to assess the progress toward the degree of every student; and second, to provide every student with that assessment. The criteria are timely completion of coursework with satisfactory grades; timely completion of examinations; timely preparation of thesis/dissertation proposals; satisfactory research progress; and timely completion of the degree. Additionally, regular participation in the EOS (C299B) and SOPHOS (299A) courses is also evaluated. Each year, before the Spring Review faculty meeting, the student should meet with his/her committee members to discuss the student's progress (a Spring Review form will be sent by the Student Affairs Officer to all students). The student's advisor brings the results of the discussion to the Spring Review meeting. Hence, it is important that early in the first year, the student begins to construct at least a provisional committee. In the event that a student has not decided on a committee, the Director of Graduate Studies shall, in consultation with the interim advisor, choose a reviewing committee.

The student's interim adviser or committee chair has the primary responsibility in setting forth the necessary information for the assessment. Other members of the student's committee, instructors in courses the student has taken, and other faculty may contribute to the appraisal. After discussion, the faculty assess the student's progress as Favorable, With Reservations, or Unfavorable. The interim adviser or committee chair and the graduate adviser inform the student by letter of the appraisal. The three possible outcomes indicate the following:

Favorable - student is making good progress towards the degree in keeping with the suggested timetables outlined in the Graduate Manual.

With Reservations - student has made some visible progress since the previous Spring Review (for example, has completed additional required coursework, has finished a thesis/dissertation proposal, has passed the written or oral qualifying examinations), but has made insufficient progress overall. For example, the student has well exceeded the suggested timeline for fulfilling requirements, extending their time to degree, or the student needs to make major revisions to their proposed project in order to fulfill their requirement (e.g., thesis/dissertation proposal, written or oral qualifying exam, or dissertation). The committee chair will provide a letter that details the reasons why “With Reservations” was given. This letter will include an individualized academic plan for the student that includes expectations and a timeline for the student to meet until the next Spring Review.

Unfavorable - student has made little, if any, visible progress toward the degree since the last Spring. The committee chair will detail the reasons for the “unfavorable” evaluation and specify steps to rectify the situation in a letter. This letter will include an individualized academic plan for the student that includes expectations and a timeline for the student to meet until the Spring Review. Usually, the student will be asked to complete a specified thesis/dissertation-related task within a given period. Failure to meet this deadline may result in a recommendation for academic disqualification from the program.

The decision to recommend academic disqualification is made by a vote of the faculty in a formal meeting. Appeal of recommendation of academic disqualification is made to the faculty in a formal meeting.

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