Path to the Ph.D.
Normative time to the Ph.D. is five years: two years before candidacy and three years in candidacy. A typical timeline:
| Year | Coursework | Milestones |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | LES 200, 201, 202, 290; one elective; LES 295 | Form faculty advisory committee (by end of 2nd semester); complete the integrative paper (end of Year 1) |
| Year 2 | Second elective; LES 203; LES 295 | Second-Year Talk at the January department retreat; Qualifying Exam and advancement to candidacy (by end of 4th semester) |
| Year 3 | LES 295 | Dissertation research; annual committee meeting |
| Year 4 | LES 295 | Dissertation research; Fourth-Year Talk in the LES Seminar Series; annual committee meeting |
| Year 5 | LES 295 | Complete and defend the dissertation |
Requirements specific to LES are the integrative paper, the NSF-style qualifying proposal (including a broader impacts section), and the Second- and Fourth-Year Talks. The Ph.D. requires four semesters of academic residence; the M.S. requires two. There is no second-language requirement.
See Curriculum & Courses for course descriptions and unit requirements.
Advisor Selection
LES uses a direct-admit advising model: every admitted student is matched with a faculty advisor at the time of admission, and there are no lab rotations. Prospective students should contact faculty whose research interests them before applying, since a faculty member's commitment to mentor and fund a student is central to admission. In LES 200, first-semester students also hear from faculty across the department, which helps them build connections and choose committee members.
Integrative Paper (No Preliminary Exam)
LES does not require a preliminary or field examination. Instead, first-year students write an integrative paper: a critical review of a topic in their own field that draws on all three cornerstones and considers global change and sustainability. Students write it with structured support in LES 202. It is designed as a standalone exercise in interdisciplinary thinking, and students may align it with their thesis research if they choose.
Advisory Committee
- Composition: At least three members who are UC Senate faculty or LES adjuncts. The advisor is a member, at least two members must be UC Merced Senate faculty in the LES program, and a non-advisor LES member chairs the committee. Additional members may come from other UC Merced programs, other UC campuses, or outside the university.
- Formation: The committee is formed by the end of the second semester by mutual agreement between the student and advisor. The same committee serves as the Candidacy and Doctoral Committee.
- Changes: A committee may be reconstituted for a major change in research topic or a member's departure or extended absence, with approval from the Graduate Program Chair and the Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Education.
- Annual meetings: Students meet with their full committee each year to review progress, discuss challenges, and refine goals.
- Annual evaluations: Advisors evaluate each student's progress every year, with oversight by the Graduate Program Chair.
Qualifying Exam & Advancement to Candidacy
Ph.D. students advance to candidacy by passing the Qualifying Examination, normally by the end of the second year (fourth semester), with flexibility in justified cases.
- Prerequisites: Completed integrative paper and Second-Year Talk, and a GPA of at least 3.0.
- Qualifying proposal: An NSF-style proposal that serves as the dissertation prospectus, covering objectives, framework, methods, anticipated outcomes, significance, and broader impacts. Preliminary data are not required. Submit the proposal to the committee at least two weeks before the exam.
- Exam format: A three-hour oral exam with (1) a presentation of the research proposal and (2) a structured oral exam on graduate coursework and topics related to the proposed research.
- Outcomes: Pass (a unanimous vote is required), Partial Pass (a follow-up exam on specified areas), or Fail (the exam may be retaken after at least three months; a second failure may lead to disqualification).
- Paperwork: Submit the Graduate Division Application for Qualifying Examination at least one month before the exam. After passing, file the Advancement to Candidacy and Conflict of Interest forms and pay the candidacy fee.
Dissertation & Defense
The Ph.D. dissertation presents creative, independent research of publishable quality, conducted under the supervision of a program faculty member. It should form the basis of peer-reviewed publications and follow the UC Merced Thesis and Dissertation Manual.
- Give each committee member the dissertation at least one month before the defense. The defense is postponed if significant concerns are raised.
- Report the defense date to the Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Education at least three weeks in advance.
- The defense is an open public seminar followed by a closed examination with the committee (up to three hours). Passing requires a unanimous vote, which may be contingent on revisions verified by the advisor.
- To graduate in a given semester, submit the Graduation Application, the dissertation, and final paperwork to the Graduate Division by the end of that semester.
See the Graduate Division's Graduation Requirements and Dissertation & Thesis Submission pages for deadlines and formatting.
Master's Degree Requirements
- M.S. Plan I (thesis): Coursework plus a research thesis, defended in an oral exam.
- M.S. Plan II (non-thesis): Coursework plus either a capstone literature review (a critical, integrative analysis) or a three-hour written or oral comprehensive exam. Ph.D. students earning the M.S. en route may use a passed qualifying exam in place of the comprehensive exam.
