The PhD programs at UCSF are committed to helping students graduate in a timely fashion. To that end, they employ several strategies, which are listed below. Please note that every program does not employ every strategy; this list is a compilation of our “best practices.”
- Programs conduct a review of students’ progress at the end of the first year, which includes consideration of evaluations from all course instructors and lab mentors
- In some programs, students must apply to take qualifying exams. In others, they are required to take them by the end of the second year.
- The terminal master's degree is given to students who have not made satisfactory progress in the first two or three years.
- Students work with their primary mentors to develop a timeline toward completion.
- Students complete a written annual plan that is shared with their primary mentors.
- Students and mentors/thesis committees meet at least annually to discuss the student’s development plan. Some programs hold these meetings on a semi-annual basis.
- Students give a fourth year talk on their research, as a milestone between the qualifying exam and the completion of the dissertation.
- Students must petition the executive committee for an extension to remain in the program beyond six years.
Presented by year of study, the UCSF PhD Life Cycle for Basic Science Students and the PhD Life Cycle for Social Science Students are informative, illustrative summaries of academic, community, and career aspects of the pathway to degree completion.