This timeline contains the required and recommended benchmarks for the successful completion of the doctoral degree. Specific details can be found in the EEB Graduate Handbook.
Year 1
Fall Quarter
Required:
- September:
- Students who are not California residents must begin gathering documentation to establish residency the following summer.
- September/October: Students must form and meet as soon as possible with their Guidance Committee to plan coursework for their first year.
- Enroll in EE BIOL 200A: Ecology
Recommended:
- September: Students are strongly recommended to enroll in EE BIOL 201: Introduction to R for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
- October: Attend weekend field excursion for new students by enrolling in EE BIOL 297: Selected Topics in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Winter Quarter
Required:
- Enroll in EE BIOL 200B: Evolutionary Biology and EE BIOL 250: Professional Skills for Biological Research
Spring Quarter
Required:
- Contact the EEB Graduate Office to request a Permission to Enroll (PTE) number to enroll in LIFESCI 495: Preparation for College-Level Teaching in Life Sciences in Spring quarter
- By the end of week 1, submit the first draft of the Departmental Written Qualifying Exam (DWQE) to guidance committee for feedback
- By week 8 of Spring quarter, submit the final draft of the DWQE to guidance committee. Students must pass this exam at the PhD level before Year 2.
Summer
Recommended:
- Conduct pilot studies / begin development of dissertation proposal.
- Students who are not California residents, must apply for residency. The department does not guarantee payment of non-resident tuition for students who fail to obtain residency.
Year 2
Year-Long
Required:
- Take an advanced quantitative course in Statistics, Biostatics, or Bioinformatics. This may be taken after advancement to candidacy if approved by faculty advisor.
Spring Quarter
Required:
- Form doctoral committee and submit Nomination of Doctoral Committee form to the EEB Graduate Student Office.
- Students must pass the Qualifying Exam and advance to doctoral candidacy between the end of the second year and Winter quarter of Year 3.
Year 3
Winter Quarter
Warning:
- Any student who has not advanced to candidacy by the end of the Winter Quarter of Year 3 will lose “good standing” and risks losing on-going Departmental or University support (e.g., Teaching Assistantships, departmental funding, and some UCLA fellowships).
Recommended:
- Students must meet with entire committee some time during year 3. This is an annual requirement starting the year after advancement to candidacy, but it’s always a good idea for students to stay in touch with committee members. A single meeting with all the committee present is preferable, but if it is logistically difficult or impossible individual meetings are acceptable.
Years 4 and 5
Year-Long
Required:
- Until students have completed the Ph.D., each year they must arrange a physical meeting with dissertation committee members and file an annual progress report signed by all committee members to the EEB Graduate Office. Committee meetings should involve the participation of at least 3 committee members (counting the committee chair). Scheduling multiple faculty to be in the same room (physical or virtual) at the same time can be challenging, so students are strongly encouraged to start scheduling >1 month ahead of an intended meeting time.
Recommended:
- During year 4, students should attend conferences, career events, and panels, to strengthen professional networks for upcoming job searches. Students should ideally apply for positions at least one year before they plan to file the dissertation.
Graduating
Required:
- Students must be enrolled in the quarter they plan to file the dissertation, or, if eligible, apply for a Filing Fee in lieu of tuition during the filing quarter. The Division of Graduate Education (DGE) deadlines vary by quarter, but typically dissertations are due Friday of finals week by 5 PM.