dissertation filing ucla

UPDATED: UCLA Thesis and Dissertation Filing Requirements

The UCLA Thesis and Dissertation Filing Requirements has been revised effective September 10, 2016.  There have been no changes to policy. Rather, we have clarified filing requirements and updated information on procedures and copyright.  We have also created a checklist that we hope will make the process of finalizing the manuscript easier for students.  Please be sure to use this revised version and update any links on your department’s webpage or communication.  The attached document is available now on the Graduate Division website .

For any questions, please contact [email protected] or (310) 825-3819.

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Thesis and Dissertation Writing Programs

In addition to one-on-one writing appointments, the Graduate Writing Center has a number of programs and workshops that offer support to dissertators and thesis writers.

During the academic year, the GWC offers single-session overview workshops on master's theses, dissertation proposals, and dissertation writing. Click our current schedule or browse past workshops to see when these topics may be offered. We also encourage you to look at relevant workshop videos .

Writing Groups

The Graduate Writing Center sometimes organizes writing groups of various types (online writing groups, facilitated writing groups, or independent writing groups). We are also happy to help groups of graduate students self-organize into writing groups. For best practices on setting up writing groups, see our writing groups resource page . For information about writing groups currently being offered or organized by the GWC, see our writing groups web page.

Master's Thesis Mentoring Program

The Graduate Writing Center offers a program to support graduate students who are working on master's theses (or other master's capstone projects) and doctoral qualifying papers. The program provides workshops and one-on-one writing appointments. For more information, read Master's Thesis Mentoring Program .

Spring Break Writing Retreats

The Graduate Writing Center offers writing retreats for graduate students who are working on master's theses, dissertation proposals, dissertations, and other writing projects. These programs are usually offered in spring break and summer. Retreats are open to all graduate and professional students. For more information and registration instructions for spring break writing retreats, scroll to the bottom of this web page and click on the relevant program. For programs offered during to the summer, go to the summer boot camp and thesis retreat page.

Summer Dissertation Boot Camps and Thesis Retreats

The Graduate Writing Center holds a number of programs during the summer to help graduate students who are at the dissertation and dissertation proposal stages. We also offer dissertation/thesis retreats during the summer. See our most current summer dissertation boot camp and program offerings for more information.

Spring Break Writing Retreat (All Fields) with Online and In Person Options

This program is for graduate or professional students who are writing large-scale projects like master's theses or capstones, doctoral dissertations or proposals, or manuscripts for publication. The program provides dedicated time to focus on your writing and has online and in-person options. For STEM students, it additionally offers workshops related to scientific writing issues. To read more and register, please see the program description below. Deadline to register is Monday, March 18th.

CLICK HERE for application and program details for spring break writing retreat.

SCHEDULE, March 25th – 27th (in person); March 25th – March 28th (online):

Daily Schedule: 9:00-10:00: Online productivity workshops & discussion 10:00-12:00: Online writing groups or individual work (in person) 12:00-1:00: Lunch break 1:00-2:00: Online Workshops or individual work 2:00-4:00: Online writing groups or individual work (in person)

Morning Online Productivity Workshops (9-10 am) Morning workshops will address project organization, time management, and productivity tips.

Online Writing Group or Individual Work If you are doing the retreat online, you will join online writing groups via Zoom at the designated times. If you are at the in-person location, you may work independently or join the online writing groups via Zoom.

How to Sign Up for the Writing Retreat : Fill out the web form (linked here) by Monday, March 18th . We don't anticipate any capacity issues, but if we have any, we will accept registrants on a first-come, first-served basis.

Morning Productivity Writing Workshops (9-10 am)

Monday, March 25th, 9:00–10:00 AM — Project Organization for Writing In this workshop, we will discuss how to set up an organized system for a large-scale research and writing project, especially the writing components.

Tuesday, March 26th, 9:00–10:00 AM—Time Management and Productivity Tips for Writing In this workshop, we will discuss effective strategies for time management, goal setting, and productivity when conducting large-scale research and writing projects, especially for the writing components.

Wednesday, March 27th, 9:00–10:00 AM — Demos of Tools Writing consultants will demo a couple of organizational tools and how they use these tools to support writing.

Afternoon Scientific Writing Workshops (1-2 pm)

Monday, March 25th, 1:00–2:00 PM — Strategies for Writing Effective Scientific Papers This workshop will address basic principles for writing scientific papers and offer strategies for avoiding common pitfalls. We will also introduce key points from Joshua Schimel's book Writing Science on developing good narrative structure and clarity to make writing engaging and impactful.

Tuesday, March 26th, 1:00–2:00 PM — Creating Effective Figures and Visual Aids This workshop focuses on strategies for designing effective figures and visual materials. The workshop will also introduce different software packages that can be used to create high-quality figures and offer further resources for learning these programs.

Wednesday, March 27th, 1:00–2:00 PM — Thesis and Dissertation Writing in STEM Fields (Final Stages) This workshop will give an overview of the final components and writing stages of a STEM thesis or dissertation.

Further Resources

Advice for Thesis Writing If you haven’t seen a final thesis or dissertation in your field, we recommend looking one from your department in the ProQuest Dissertation database available through the UCLA Library. This database allows you to search by institution, advisor, and manuscript type (master's thesis versus dissertation).

Optional Reading: Joan Bolker. Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes A Day . 1998. Paul Silvia. How to Write a Lot . 2007.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]

Ph.D. Program

Advising The vice chair for graduate studies is the chief graduate adviser and heads a committee of faculty advisers who may serve as academic advisers. The research interests of the members of this committee span most of the major areas of statistics. During their first quarter in the program students are required to meet with an academic adviser who assists them in planning a reasonable course of study. In addition, the academic adviser is responsible for monitoring the student’s degree progress and approving the study list each quarter. Students are encouraged to begin thinking about their research interests as early as possible. After the student identifies a dissertation topic, the chair of the dissertation committee becomes the student’s academic adviser.

Continuing students should meet with either the vice chair for graduate studies or their academic adviser at least once each quarter and a record of this interview is placed in the student’s academic file. Each fall a committee consisting of all regular departmental faculty meet to evaluate the progress of all enrolled doctoral students. This committee decides if students are making satisfactory progress, and if not offers specific recommendations to correct the situation. For students who have begun dissertation work, the determination of satisfactory progress is typically delegated to the academic adviser. Students who are found to be consistently performing unsatisfactorily may be recommended for termination by a vote of this committee. Doctoral students normally are considered to be making satisfactory progress if they take the written qualifying examination in the summer following their first year of study and the University Oral Qualifying Examination by the end of their second year.

Major Fields or Sub-disciplines The strengths of current and prospective faculty dictate the specific fields of emphasis in the department: applied multivariate analysis; bioinformatics ( Center for Statistical Research in Computational Biology ); computational and computer-intensive statistics; computer vision; cognition; artificial intelligence; machine learning ( Center for Vision, Cognition, Learning, and Autonomy ); social statistics ( Center for Social Statistics ); experimental design and environmental statistics.

Foreign Language Requirement None.

Course Requirements Students are required to pass, with a grade of B- or better, 54 units of approved graduate course work (200 series) and to maintain an overall grade-point average of 3.0 or better. At least 40 of these units must be in courses from this department; the remaining units may be from courses in related departments. Students are strongly encouraged to take Statistics 200A-200B-200C, 201A-201B-201C, and 202A-202B-202C. All doctoral students are required to take Statistics 290 for at least six quarters, and strongly encouraged to take Stats 290 during each quarter of enrollment. In addition, all doctoral students can take Statistics 296 and/or 596, or 599 as needed. Please note that up to two units of Statistics 285 and eight units of Statistics 596 can be counted toward the 40 units from our department. Stats 290, 296, and 599 are not counted.

Students with gaps in their previous training are allowed to take, with the approval of their academic adviser, undergraduate courses offered by the department. However, Statistics 100A-100B-100C, 101A-101B-101C and 102A-102B-102C may not be applied toward course requirements for a graduate degree in the department. Students who need a basic refresher course are encouraged to take Statistics 100A-100B-100C.

Teaching Experience Students are required to complete at least one quarter of service as a teaching assistant for a minimum of 25% time appointment. Students who serve as teaching assistants in the department must have taken or be currently enrolled in Statistics 495A-495B-495C. International students for whom English is a second language must pass either the Test of Spoken English (TSE) or the UCLA Test of Oral Proficiency (TOP) in English before they may serve as teaching assistants.

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 written qualifying examination consists of a high-quality paper, solely authorized by the student. This paper can be a research paper containing an original contribution, or a focused critical survey paper. The paper should demonstrate that the student understands and can integrate and communicate ideas clearly and concisely. The paper should be approximately 10 pages, single-spaced, and the style should be suitable for submission to a first-rate journal or technical conference. Any contributions that are not the student’s, including those of the student’s adviser, must be explicitly acknowledged in detail.

After passing the written qualifying examination, students select a doctoral committee that administers the University Oral Qualifying Examination, required for advancement to candidacy. Students are encouraged to begin thinking about their research interests as early as possible and to seek out faculty members who might serve on their doctoral committee. Students making satisfactory progress are expected to take the written qualifying examination in the summer following their first year of study and the University Oral Qualifying Examination by the end of their second year.

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 (Defense of the Dissertation) Required for all students in the program. Please see the Advice on Taking the Oral Exam for more information.

Time-to-Degree Students are expected to advance to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree within six quarters of full-time work. Completion of all degree requirements (including the dissertation) normally takes 15 quarters. The maximum time to degree is 24 quarters.

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 for the Ph.D. Program

A student who does not advance to doctoral candidacy within six quarters of full-time study is subject to a recommendation for termination. The graduate vice chair informs a student of such a recommendation and the student is asked to submit a written appeal and to solicit letters of support from members of the faculty. The appeal is considered by the Graduate Studies Committee, which makes the final departmental decision.

For Students Who Entered Before Fall 2022 Please click this link . Then navigate to “Program Requirements” in the tab that opens and select the academic year when you matriculated.

Timeline to Filing Your Dissertation

• By Fall of your 2nd year, choose your Faculty Adviser and discuss with your faculty adviser who will be on your committee.
• Complete and submit the Nomination of Doctoral Committee Form at least one month before you take your orals.
• Contact Student Affairs to schedule a time and date to take your orals. Confirm the time and date with your committee.
• Your Adviser will let you know when you are ready to take your final orals and submit your dissertation online. When that time comes, arrange time, date and location with the student affairs office.
• If you still need more time and after you’ve advanced choose to do a Filing Fee instead please read this website carefully: https://grad.ucla.edu/academics/graduate-study/filing-fee-application/
• You must also complete the Filing Fee application found here: https://grad.ucla.edu/gasaa/etd/filingfee.pdf
• Important dates and workshops are found here: https://grad.ucla.edu/academics/calendar/thesis-dissertation-filing-deadlines-and-workshops/
• Should you choose the Filing Fee for a specific quarter, you must be registered and enrolled the quarter before AND you must submit a complete first draft of your dissertation to all committee members at the time you submit your filing fee application (in order to apply the filing fee, students must be registered and enrolled in at least 2 units the quarter before).

Faculty Research Interest See the faculty directory listing for current members and their interests at http://directory.stat.ucla.edu/ .

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UCLA Graduate Programs

Filing Fee Application

Graduate students (who meet the criteria below) can apply for a Filing Fee and pay a nominal fee in lieu of standard tuition and registration fees. Filing Fee is intended for students who are in good academic standing and who have completed all degree requirements except for filing their dissertation or thesis, submitting their capstone project, or taking their comprehensive exam.  Graduate students who are approved to use a Filing Fee will have the entire academic term to complete their degree requirements.  While on Filing Fee status, a student may no longer: take courses, be employed by UCLA, receive financial support, or access certain campus services.

Students may use the Filing Fee application only if they were registered for the previous academic term, and satisfy the eligibility criteria below.

Summary of Filing Fee Requirements

* Excerpted from Standards and Procedures .

Eligibility Criteria

If a student has completed, while registered, all requirements for a degree except for the doctoral final oral examination (defense), master’s comprehensive examination, or submission of the master’s capstone project, the student may be eligible to pay a Filing Fee during the quarter in which the degree is to be awarded instead of registering. Four conditions must be satisfied to be eligible for this fee:

• All formal requirements for the degree, except for filing the thesis/dissertation and/or taking the master’s comprehensive/doctoral final oral examination or submitting the master’s comprehensive capstone project, must be completed before the first day of classes;
• Since last being registered and up to the first day of classes, the combined use of University facilities and faculty time must not exceed 12 hours;
• During the quarter in question, the thesis/dissertation committee suggested only stylistic and/or typographical changes in the thesis/dissertation OR, in the case of master’s comprehensive examinations OR, in the case of master’s capstone projects, the faculty only graded the final comprehensive project; and
• The student must have been registered in the previous academic term.

Important Notes

• While on Filing Fee students must meet certain criteria to be eligible to purchase voluntary UCSHIP coverage. For more information, students must contact Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center .
• Students paying the Filing Fee are not eligible for the privileges normally accorded regularly registered students, such as the use of University facilities, other than the attention of the faculty necessary for the final reading of the dissertation or thesis and/or the taking of a doctoral final oral examination or master’s comprehensive examination or the grading of the master’s capstone project.
• A student may not use this fee for the purpose of taking course work of any kind.
• If the student is a fellowship or assistantship holder, an alien with a certain visa or one whose status depends on maintenance of a particular course load, the student is not eligible to use the Filing Fee.
• The Filing Fee is not a substitute for registration for purposes of deferring student loans.
• If, after paying the Filing Fee in any one quarter, and a student should find it necessary to use the educational facilities of the University in any way other than requiring the attention of the faculty for a final reading of the dissertation or thesis or the taking of a doctoral final oral examination or master’s comprehensive examination or the grading of the master’s capstone project, the student must resume registration and enrollment before Friday of Week 10. If this late registration and enrollment occurs during a quarter in which the student has already paid the Filing Fee, the student must notify the Academic and Postdoctoral Services office at [email protected] to cancel the Filing Fee.  Please note that the Filing Fee is non-refundable.  However, students who cancel the Filing Fee within the usage term are eligible to pay and use the Filing Fee in any future term.  Filing Fee cancellations after Friday of Week 10 are not allowed and the Filing Fee will be considered “spent”.
• The Filing Fee will not be refunded because the dissertation or thesis was not filed or the examination not taken or passed.  The student must apply for readmission for the following academic term.
• If a student is on an approved Filing Fee and is registered for the term, they must submit a query to the DGE Portal or email [email protected] , and we will notify the Registrar’s Office on the student’s behalf to cancel registration fees.

Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility.

1. Does a graduate student need to be registered in summer to use the fall Filing Fee?

No, but the graduate student must have been either registered for classes or registered in absentia in the Spring. If the student was on a Leave of Absence in the Spring, s/he cannot be on Filing Fee status in the Fall.  If the student was on a Leave of Absence in the Spring, and registers and enrolls in summer, then s/he is eligible to be on Filing Fee status in the Fall.  If a student has lapsed status and intends to return in the Fall, they are not eligible for Filing Fee and must apply for readmission.

2. Can a graduate student advance to candidacy while on Filing Fee status?

No. All graduate students must have advanced to candidacy at least one quarter prior to the term of filing fee usage.

3. May a graduate student hold employment at UCLA while using a Filing Fee?

A graduate student may not be employed in a) an Academic Apprentice Personnel Title (AAP) such as Graduate Student Researcher (GSR), Teaching Assistant/Associate/Fellow (TA), Reader or Tutor per Academic Apprentice Personnel Manual , page 6, b) an academic title at UCLA per Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA , page 34 (for a list of academic titles, see UC Office of the President Index of Academic Title Names ) or c) a Staff Research Assistant/Associate in lieu of the GSR title unless under special circumstances and with the pre-approval by the Division of Graduate Education per GSR Administrative Policies. For questions about academic apprentice appointments while a graduate student please contact Fellowships & Financial Services at (310) 825-1025.

4. If a graduate student was on an official Leave of Absence last quarter can they use a Filing Fee this quarter?

No. To be eligible to use the Filing Fee, a graduate student must have been registered in the previous quarter.

5. If a graduate student is registered in absentia this quarter can they use a Filing Fee next quarter?

Yes. Being registered in absentia qualifies a graduate student to use the Filing Fee.

6. If a master’s student finished their coursework last fall and has not been registered in two quarters can they still pay the Filing Fee?

No. If a graduate student has not been registered or on an official Leave of Absence, they must apply for readmission to your program.

7. If a graduate student applies for readmission can they use a Filing Fee the quarter they are readmitted?

No. If a graduate student is readmitted, they must register the first quarter.

1. What is the deadline to submit a Filing Fee application?

View the Deadlines page .

2. What is the Filing Fee deadline for summer?

For summer, the deadline is 8 business days prior to the last day of Summer Session C.

3. Will exceptions be granted to the Filing Fee application deadline or filing deadline?

Generally, no exceptions will be granted. Extraordinary circumstances warranting consideration are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

1. What does continuous registration mean?

All graduate students must be either registered for classes, on an official leave of absence, registered in absentia , or on filing fee for each quarter at UCLA. If a graduate student does not register, apply for a leave, or pay the filing fee, s/he is considered to have withdrawn from the university and must apply for readmission to return.

2. For what length of time is the Summer Filing Fee valid?

The summer Filing Fee is valid until the last day of Summer Session C.

3. If a graduate student paid the Filing Fee but didn’t finish their thesis or dissertation or take their final exam. What should they do?

If a graduate student did not complete their final degree requirements within the term in which they paid the Filing Fee, they must apply for readmission for the following academic term and will need to register and enroll in order to complete their degree OR register and enroll in a minimum of four units during the Summer term.

4. If a graduate student is going to be on Filing Fee this term, but was assessed registration fees, how can they cancel the registration fees for the term?

If a graduate student is eligible to use the Filing Fee for the term in which they expect to complete their final degree requirements and has NOT paid registration fees for the term, they may use MyUCLA to declare nonattendance . Declaring nonattendance will cancel their registration fees. If their Filing Fee is approved by the Division of Graduate Education then they will be billed the Filing Fee in lieu of full registration fees.

If a graduate student PAID registration fees for the term, they must submit a query to the DGE Portal or email [email protected] , and DGE  will notify the Registrar’s Office on the student’s behalf to cancel registration fees.

5. Why does a graduate student need to include the date that they have taken or will take their doctoral final examination, take their master’s comprehensive examination or submit their master’s capstone project on the Filing Fee application?

Graduate students are eligible to use the Filing Fee when they have met all requirements for a degree except for the doctoral final oral examination (defense), master’s comprehensive examination, or submission of the master’s capstone project. By including these dates (as applicable) on their application it will help our office confirm their eligibility.

6. Can a graduate student hold employment at UCLA after completing degree requirements on Filing Fee?

Graduate students on Filing Fee cannot hold Academic Student Employees (ASE) employment while completing degree requirements. However, students may hold staff employment in the remainder of the ‘final quarter’ after completing degree requirements.

7. If a graduate student does not complete their capstone project or comprehensive exam, thesis or dissertation, during the Filing Fee usage term and consequently has to apply for readmission and pay registration fees, is that Filing Fee still “spent?”

Yes. If a graduate student is unsuccessful in completing all degree requirements during the Filing Fee usage term, s/he cannot use the Filing Fee again.

8. Can a graduate student subsequently use a Filing Fee at another UC campus?

Yes. They can use one here and then one at another UC as applicable.

Filing Deadlines and Fees

UCLA has specified dissertation filing deadlines each quarter. Degrees to be officially conferred during a particular quarter must be filed by the posted filing deadline for that quarter. If you file your dissertation by the official filing deadline, your degree date will be the filing deadline date.

University Filing Deadline:

For detailed filing deadline and filing fee status deadlines, please visit Dissertation Filing Deadlines website .

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PhD Handbook

University policies, department policies.

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A Guide to the Policies, Procedures, and Practices of the Urban Planning PhD Program at UCLA

All doctoral students at UCLA are subject to university-wide policies and procedures governing study for the PhD degree.  These policies and procedures are administered by the UCLA Graduate Division, which is a campus-wide unit dedicated to ensuring high quality graduate degree programs at UCLA.  Some of the most important of these requirements are summarized below.  For additional details on these and other policies and procedures, refer to Standards & Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA .

Academic Residence

Students are required to complete at least two years of academic residence in graduate status at the University of California, including one year, ordinarily the second, in continuous residence at UCLA. Students who earn a Master’s degree at UCLA may have met one year of the residence requirement for the doctorate as well. Academic residence is defined as completing one course (4 units) in graduate or upper division course-work during a quarter.

Leave of Absence & In Absentia

The Graduate Division has very strict policies regarding Leaves of Absence and In Abstentia Registration . Please refer to the Graduate Division website then consult with your Graduate Advisor before submitting a petition.

Full-Time Enrollment Requirements

Students who have not yet advanced to candidacy must be enrolled in minimum of 12 units per quarter. Students who have advanced to candidacy need to enroll in only 8 units with the exception of students who have a fellowship/GSR/TA/Reader position which requires that he/she is enrolled in 12 units.

Incomplete Grades

The grade of Incomplete (I) is given only for good cause. If the course work is not completed by the end of the next full term in residence, the (I) grade will lapse automatically to an F or U. In addition to completing the coursework, to remove an Incomplete, students must request that the Graduate Advisor submit a UCLA Report of Academic Revision to Graduate Division.

Scholastic Requirements

Students must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 (B) in all course work undertaken. Students failing to do so are placed on probation. Students whose cumulative GPA is below 3.0 for any three quarters will be dismissed from the Program.

Termination

A student who fails to meet the degree 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. See the Departmental Policies for additional information.

The Department of Urban Planning at UCLA is famous for producing outstanding planning scholars and teachers through its distinct mix of three program elements: top faculty in critical fields, a flexible curriculum, and superb opportunities for important and progressive research. Approximately 3-6 doctoral students are enrolled in the program each fall.

UCLA is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and by numerous special agencies. Information regarding the University’s accreditation may be obtained from the Office of Academic Planning and Budget, 2107 Murphy Hall.

Length of Study Period

The doctoral degree typically can be obtained after 15 quarters (5 years) of full-time study. While the length of the course of study depends upon the academic background and experience of the candidates, students must complete the degree in no more than 18 quarters (6 years).

Academic Courseload

The Urban Planning program is a full-time program and students are expected to take a minimum of 12 units (3 courses) in each term in order to complete the program. Students are generally not permitted to take less than 12 units (full time) in a term. See University Enrollment policy for additional details.

Students who plan to enroll in only one or two formal courses in any given quarter should also enroll in the appropriate number of units of 500-level, independent study courses (see below) to equal a full load.

• URBN PL 596 Research in Planning. To be used for independent study courses that are not related to degree progress examinations or dissertation.
• URBN PL 597 Preparation for Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations. To be used until the student Advances to Candidacy
• URBN PL 599 Dissertation Research in Planning. To be used once the student has Advanced to Candidacy until graduation.

Advisory Committee

Upon admission to the program the department faculty will assign each entering student an advisory committee. The committee is composed of two faculty members, one of whom is the primary advisor. Students may amend their committee with approval from the current committee, new committee, and PhD Program Director.

Course Waivers

Students may request a waiver for one or more of the required courses if they took an equivalent course at another university or UCLA department.  Students who wish to waive a course must submit the syllabus (or syllabi if there was more than one course) and official grade report for the course they took. Requests will be reviewed by the course instructor, primary advisor, PhD Program Director, and the Graduate Advisor.

Major Fields

Students choose a major field by the end of the first quarter in the program in consultation with his/her faculty advisor and the Ph.D. Program Chair. Expertise in the major field is primarily reflected in an ability to teach a sequence of Urban Planning courses at a major university, from introduction to the field to an advanced research seminar. Within each major field, students should identify two to three subdisciplines that reflect their particular interests and approach. Each of these sub-fields must have established body of research literature associated with it which the student is expected to master prior to the major field examination. Students are encourages to select from the following list of major fields:

Additional Major Fields

In special circumstances, students may devise their own field in consultation with appropriate faculty members. Final approval of the proposed additional major field must be obtained from the faculty advisor and department chair. Further details may be obtained from the graduate adviser.

PhD Student Shared Drive

Urban Planning doctoral students are encouraged to join and contribute to PhD Student Shared Drive. This is a shared forum so students can learn from each other. Documents uploaded to the site are meant to serve as examples for newer students, not as final drafts. Please contact authors directly if you would like to share their work with others. Students will find:

• Advanced Methods & Research Design Course List
• Advanced Methods & Research Design Syllabi
• Plan of Study Examples
• Field Exam Question Examples
• Field Paper Examples
• Dissertation Proposal Examples
• CV Examples
• Grant Proposal Examples
• Faculty Presentations on Research Methods

Students are free to upload their own materials as examples for others!

Generally, entering doctoral students are automatically provided access to the drive. If you cannot access it please contact the Graduate Advisor.

Foreign Language Requirements

A foreign language is not required either for admission to or completion of the doctoral program. However, if students are expecting to do dissertation research abroad, they are strongly advised to obtain the necessary language skills prior to beginning such research. However courses below 100-level cannot count towards a graduate degree.

Teaching Experience

Not required. Because not all Urban Planning PhD graduates go into teaching following graduation, there are no formal teaching training requirements.  However, those students planning a career in teaching following graduation should work out a plan for teaching training with their advisers.

Probationary Status

A counseling board of three faculty members is established for every student whose grade point average is below 3.0 or who fails to make sufficient progress toward the degree. The board is responsible for reviewing the student’s record, determining strengths and weaknesses, and aiding the student to raise academic performance to minimum standards. In addition, the faculty and the graduate counselor meet each winter and spring quarter to discuss the progress of all registered students.

A student whose grade point average is below 3.0 for any three quarters may be subject to a recommendation for termination. Recommendations for termination based on other reasons may be made by (1) the counseling board submits a written statement to the department chair; and (2) the department chair, acting in consultation with the student’s adviser, recommends termination. In certain circumstances a student may be given the option to withdraw from the program. A student may appeal a recommendation for termination to the three-person faculty review board.

The Urban Planning Program at UCLA, established in 1969, initiated a democratic form of governance, unique to the university system, which involves the active participation of faculty, staff, and students in the various administrative and programmatic functions of the school including admissions, financial aid, and staffing.   Working Groups for each of these concerns, chaired by ladder faculty (faculty with titles of Assistant, Associate, full, and Distinguished Professor or Professor Emeritus), meet regularly throughout the school year to discuss relevant issues and to make proposals and/or designate action.   The Working Groups derive their mission and authority from the Assembly of Working Groups (a variation on the “town meeting” which meets at least once every quarter) both for ensuring a common information base within the program and to hear the proposals for changes in policy and/or degree requirements.   The Assembly is open to the entire Urban Planning community with each member given voting privileges.   The Working Group system has endured as a progressive approach to program development.   Working Group membership is by voluntary sign-up.

PhD Program Working Group

This working group was established to discuss general issues relating to the structure and functioning of the Ph.D. program. Student participation in the Working Group is limited to those in the Ph.D. program, and the Working Group meets once a quarter or more often if necessary.

Faculty Meeting Representative

Each year one doctoral student is elected to represent all Urban Planning doctoral students at the week faculty meetings. The elected student, along with an elected MURP student, are invited to attend Urban Planning Faculty Meetings in order to share student news/concerns/updates with the faculty, and conversely, share news/concerns/updates from the meeting with the student body.

Continuing doctoral students have several funding opportunities available to them outside of the financial offer provided at the time of admission. Regardless of the admission offer, students are encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities, and any other opportunities that they find. If a student secures additional funding they should consult with the Graduate Advisor ASAP to confirm that their awards do not conflict or exceed the annual  maximum limit of merit-based support .

Travel Grants for Conferences, Professional Development and Off-Campus Research

Doctoral students are encouraged to present their work and network at conferences in their field, travel for off-campus research and to take advantage of off-campus professional development opportunities. The Graduate Division will support these efforts by providing each new and continuing doctoral student with up to $1,000 total in reimbursements that can be used, in whole or in part, at any time through the student’s seventh year in the doctoral program, as long as the student and the activities meet the eligibility requirements.

For more information on these travel grants please visit the Graduate Division website.

Graduate Division Funding

The UCLA Graduate Division provides substantial support for graduate students through fellowships and traineeships. Financial support information and application forms for campus-wide fellowship programs are available at the  Funding for Continuing Students website. Applications for the Graduate Division Awards typically open during Winter Quarter.

Extramural Funding

In addition to the UCLA Graduate Division awards, student can search for awards from among 625 scholarships, grants, fellowships, and postdoctoral awards at the UCLA GRAPES website. See the PhD Student Shared Drive for proposal examples.

Doctoral students in the department of Urban Planning typically spend years one and two completing the required coursework. A high level of competence in a major field and in planning theory and history, as measured by course work and doctoral examinations, is required.

*Can be substituted for UP M204: Research Design and Methods for Social Policy (quarter varies)

** Students who do not have a Master’s degree in Urban Planning must complete the master’s core. A placement examination is required before enrolling in UP 207 and UP 220A. Please see your Graduate Advisor for details. These courses will replace the outside field course requirement

*** Students who have had a basic statistics course in their Master’s program may waive UP 220B.

Research Design Requirement: 208A, B, and C The PhD in Urban Planning requires a mastery of research design, with a focus on the applied questions central to the field of planning.  To satisfy this requirement, students are required to complete a three-course sequence in research design:  UP 208A, UP 208B, and UP 208C.  The PhD Plan of Study must be completed and approved in order to pass UP 208A.  Only UP 208B may be waived with prior coursework, with approval of the PhD Program Director.  Students who have passed their major field examination, but have not yet advanced to candidacy must take UP 208C each time it is offered.  UP 208C may be waived if the student advances to candidacy before the term that UP 208C is offered.

Planning Theory and History Requirement: 222A, B, and C Planning theory is concerned with the ways that philosophers and social scientists have examined the question of how scientific and technical knowledge is to be joined to practice and action, with particular emphasis on the field of urban and regional planning. Planning history looks at how planning has evolved in the U.S., Western Europe, and elsewhere in the world as a form of institutionalized practice. Students are expected to acquire an understanding of both and become familiar with the several styles and forms of planning and the major debates in the field. To satisfy the planning theory and history requirement students must complete a three-course sequence in planning theory and history:  UP 222A, UP 222B, and UP 222C.  UP 222A may be waived by prior coursework with approval of the PhD Program Director.

Research Methods Requirement Urban Planning PhD students must complete or waive out of UP 220A (if they do not have a masters in urban planning) and UP 220B and, in addition, must complete three graduate-level methods courses beyond basic statistics with grades of B or better. These three courses must be related to the major field, must be approved in advance by the student’s adviser and the PhD Program Director, and cannot be waived by prior coursework.  A list of recommended methods courses is included in the Ph.D. handbook.  One of the three methods courses may be an upper division undergraduate course, if approved in advance by the PhD Program Director.

Students can search for methods course options on the PhD Student Shared Drive .

Outside Field Requirement Urban planning is an explicitly multi-disciplinary field that draws from a variety of intellectual traditions and academic disciplines.  As such, part of the training of Urban Planning PhD students at UCLA includes in-depth study of an outside field that supports and supplements the student’s chosen field of study in planning.  To satisfy this requirement, students must take and complete at least three closely related graduate courses in departments outside of the Urban Planning program with a grade of B+ or better.  These courses may all be taken in one department or in multiple departments, as long as they are closely related to one another and the student’s defined outside field.  For example, students studying community organizing might take three graduate courses in labor organizing offered in Law, Management, and Sociology to satisfy their outside field requirement.  Or students interested in environmental policy might take three graduate courses in atmospheric sciences and air pollution in Environmental Sciences and Engineering, the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, and Public Health.  With advance approval of both the student’s Faculty Adviser and the PhD Program Director one of these three outside field courses may be an upper division undergraduate course offered by a department outside of Urban Planning and one may be a graduate Urban Planning course – provided that the Urban Planning course is logically part of the student’s outside field defined in the Plan of Study and is closely related to the other two outside field courses***. Methodology courses taken in other departments do not count toward satisfying the outside field requirement.  PhD students who hold a master’s degree in a field other than planning are exempt from this outside field requirement.  But otherwise, none of the three outside field courses may be waived by prior coursework.

*** An Urban Planning course that is cross-listed with another department counts as an Urban Planning course, even if the student enrolls in the course through the other department.

YEAR ONE: Plan of Study

Plan of Study

During the first quarter of the PhD program, students work with their advisers and the PhD Program Director in order to develop a detailed Plan of Study for their doctoral program as part of UP 208A.  The plan details the student’s major field, coursework plan, timeline, and proposed dissertation topic.  Each plan must include:

• A one to two-page description of the major field and its sub-fields
• A short indicative bibliography for each of the sub-fields
• A list of courses and research papers to be completed to help the student prepare for each of the sub-fields
• A course plan showing how the student plans to satisfy all of the PhD course requirements
• A timetable indicating expected completion dates for all requirements and examinations
• A brief statement identifying a possible dissertation research topic. Once approved, the plan is filed with the graduate adviser.

Once completed, the Plan of Study must be approved by the student’s faculty advisor and by the Ph.D. Coordinator, and filed with the Graduate Advisor. Every effort should be made by faculty advisors and the Ph.D. Coordinator to have students file their Plan of Study by the end of the fall quarter of their first year. If this does not happen, a Counseling Board should be established by the Fall of the second year.

See the PhD Student Shared Drive for plan of study examples.

• Major Field Committee Nomination and Plan of Study Cover Sheet

Major Field Requirement

The major field is the planning subject area in which a student will be prepared to teach three courses and conduct advanced research. The Major Field subject area should be generally recognized by academics in other planning schools and should be substantially broader than a dissertation topic. The normal time for completion of the major field requirement is two academic years. The actual timing for the Major Field Examination is set by agreement between the student and the advisory committee.

See the PhD Student Shared Drive for field paper examples.

Major Field Committee

By the end of the first year, students must ask a third faculty member to join the advisory committee for the purpose of administering the Major Field Examination.

The Major Field committee consists of three Urban Planning faculty members- a Chair and two other members. At least two of the members must be Urban Planning ladder faculty (0% appointment or higher). One of the members may be a UP non-ladder faculty who has been granted approval to serve on committees by the UCLA Graduate Council. Any exception to this policy must be approved by the student’s advisor(s), the PhD Coordinator, and the Department Chair. Please see the Graduate Advisor if you have questions or need additional information.

Students typically convene a first meeting of the advisory committee to discuss how to prepare for the examination. The exam should be held no more than six months after the meeting, therefore the meeting should be held either in Spring Quarter of the first year or no later than the Fall Quarter of the second year.

YEAR TWO: Major Field Examination

Preparation for Exam

Exam preparation can include courses, papers, practice questions, specific readings, and so forth. Prior to the formulation of the written examination, students typically present their committees with a list of topics on which they are prepared to be examined. The chair of the examination committee then parcels out the task of writing the questions. No more than six questions shall be asked on the examination.

At this time the chair, in consultation with the other members of the committee, works out a tentative schedule for the examination, its format (required questions, choices and so forth), and whether the exam will be open or closed book. The entire committee should review a draft of the examination to ensure that the questions are fair and unambiguous, that they cover the appropriate range of topics, and that they adequately prove the student’s knowledge.

Students may prepare for the field examination in several ways. Many find it worthwhile to write answers to questions asked on previous examinations. Best of all, groups of students may meet regularly to critique each other’s’ responses to these questions. Some committee chairs meet periodically with students to discuss readings and other types of preparation. Others organize the meetings around discussions of a series of papers prepared by the student in advance. These papers should not be seen as original research work aimed at eventual publication, but as comprehensive and critical review essays that synthesize and integrate knowledge and literatures around major themes and key debates in the Major Field. They will serve as the basis for informing the chair and other committee members of how comprehensively the student has investigated those themes and debates, and identify the main areas for which the student is prepared to be examined.

• Major Field Examination Checklist

Format of Exam

The committee decides whether the written examination will be closed or open book. Each format has its merits. A closed-book examination by definition is one in which the student brings to the examination venue no documents or notes, books or periodicals, nor other prepared materials including those on data storage devices (such as flash drives, CDs, etc.). A closed-book exam is arguably more a measure of the candidate’s quality of mind rather than his/her ability to “research” a topic from available materials. Because the open-book option allows access to, in principle, any documentation, the option presumes a generally higher standard of performance that the committee should take into account in its evaluation of the written work. Open-book examinations may distract students into reviewing documents for evidence to cull rather than to think through the issues raised in the questions.

Students may not copy and paste any pre-written text to their written examination answers. Under no circumstances are prepared discs or flash drives allowed.

Scheduling of Exam

In consultation with the committee, the candidate sets the date/time for both the written and oral parts of the examination. The oral examination should be administered within the ten days of the written examination.

The student will then work with the Graduate Advisor to book rooms and select a student observer for the oral examination. The Advisor will send an email reminder to the committee 1-2 days before and prepare the exam report which will be signed by all committee members at the end of the exam.

The Written Exam

The Chair of the examination committee provides to the Graduate Advisor an electronic copy of the examination prior to the start of the written exam. The Graduate Advisor delivers the examination questions to the candidate, and the candidate returns the completed examination paper to the Graduate Advisor or the delegate. The Graduate Advisor or the delegate distributes the examination paper to the committee members.

Six hours (including breaks) are allowed for writing the examination. Students whose first language is not English are allowed seven hours. The examination should be written on a computer.

See the PhD Student Shared Drive for exam examples.

The Oral Exam

All three committee members must be present during the oral exam. In exceptional cases, when an exam committee member is unavailable for a face-to-face meeting, the faculty member may be part of the oral exam via conference call. The student or the faculty member must bear the expense of the call. The Graduate Advisor, in conjunction with the student, must invite a non-voting Ph.D. student observer to sit in on the exam. An oral examination has no time limit but generally runs about two hours.

The oral examination, a continuation of the written examination, provides the candidate and the examining committee with the opportunity to clarify and expand on answers to questions on the written examination and, of course, other issues in the field. The candidate’s overall performance on the oral and written portions is reported to the Graduate Advisor as “fail, re-examination,” he/she has one more chance to take the full exam should be immediately determined by the examining committee, and this timeline should be submitted to the Graduate Advisor.

The written and oral portions of the examination are usually “graded” as a unit. If members of the committee disagree on the evaluation of answers to specific questions or on the overall recommendation, it is the committee chair’s responsibility to reconcile those differences.

YEAR THREE: Oral Qualifying Examination & Advancement to Candidacy

URBN PL 208C: Advanced Research Design

Advanced Research Design is required of all PhD students who have passed their Major Field examinations but have not yet advanced to candidacy. The advanced research design course guides students in selecting problem/question to study, reviewing previous research on problem/question, framing specific research questions/hypotheses, and selecting methodology and plan for testing hypotheses. The aim of this course is to help students complete their dissertation proposal and prepare for the oral defense.

If a doctoral student advances to candidacy before the start of the Fall Quarter they do not have to take the course. If they plan to advance in early fall (first three weeks) they must enroll in the class until the exam is scheduled. If they plan to advance beyond the first three weeks of the quarter they must enroll and participate in the class until the exam is complete and approved.

See the PhD Student Shared Drive for dissertation proposal examples.

Nomination of Doctoral Committee

University Minimum Standards

• Minimum of four members
• Two of the three current UCLA members must hold the rank of Professor or Associate Professor
• One of the three current UCLA members may be an Adjunct or Professor of Clinical X series who is certified and approved by the Committee on Degree Programs (CDP).
• One member may hold an Academic Senate faculty appointment or its academic equivalent from another university (without need of an exception petition).

Departmental Minimum Standards

In addition to the above University Minimum Standards, the Department of Urban Planning also requires that doctoral committees meet the following criteria.

• The doctoral committee chair must be an Academic Senate faculty member from the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA.
• A second committee member must be a faculty member in a department of Urban Planning, either at UCLA or another institution.
• One of the four committee members must hold an appointment in a department “outside” of the student’s major department. Faculty who hold multiple appointments count as “inside” if one of those appointments is in the urban planning department.
• Nomination of Doctoral Committee – A completed nomination form must be submitted to the Graduate Advisor  AT LEAST TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THE EXAM .
• Doctoral Candidacy Checklist

Oral Qualifying Examination

Registration Requirements Students must be registered during the quarter in which they take this examination. Students who are registered Spring quarter may take the examination during the summer.

Format of Exam Students defend their dissertation proposal. All four committee members must be present in the room during the oral exam. By exception only, one committee member (not the chair) may teleconference into the examination, see Graduate Advisor for more details. Students may pass the exam with one negative vote. The examination has no time limit but generally runs about two hours.

Scheduling of Exam In consultation with the committee, the candidate sets the date/time for the examination. The student will then work with the Graduate Advisor to book a room. The Advisor will send an email reminder to the committee 1-2 days before and prepare the exam report which will be signed by all committee members at the end of the exam.

Students who have not passed the oral qualifying examination by the end of the fifth year (except those with approved leaves of absence) will be dismissed from the program. However students are entitled to request that a review board be established to consider their case.

Advancement to Candidacy Once the Graduate Division receives the examination report form, students are advanced to candidacy. An international student who has advanced to candidacy will then have his/her non-resident tuition reduced fully for up to three years after the date of advancement.

YEARS FOUR & FIVE: Dissertation

Dissertation

The doctoral committee guides students in preparing the dissertation, a monograph representing an original contribution to planning knowledge. Students may receive academic credit for dissertation research by enrolling in UP 599.

The dissertation typically requires one to two full years of work, including field research (if any), data analysis, and the final writing. To enable students to devote this time to their research, every effort should be made to obtain extramural funding.

Final Oral Examination

This examination, taken only at the discretion of the doctoral committee (the necessity of this requirement is noted on the Advancement to Candidacy form at the end of the Oral Qualifying Examination), involves a defense of the completed dissertation. All members of the committee must attend the final oral examination and submit a vote. A student may pass with one negative vote. Passing the final oral examination does not imply final approval of the dissertation document.

Electronic Thesis & Dissertation (ETD) Filing System

Students must submit their finalized dissertation via the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Filing System by the filing deadline for the quarter in which they wish to graduate. ALL committee members must approve the dissertation via the ETD system.

• Dissertation Filing Deadlines and Information

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The UCLA Linguistics Department’s normal business hours are M-F 8am-12pm, 1-4pm. Office schedule and availability may change based on UCLA protocol ( www.covid-19.ucla.edu). Masks are optional but strongly recommended indoors. All UCLA affiliates and visitors must self-screen for symptoms before coming to campus.

The Department of Linguistics

Advancing to master’s candidacy and filing the thesis.

In order to advance to candidacy, M.A. students must complete the following steps:

*Note: The Graduate Division normally takes 2 weeks to process paperwork. Please allow sufficient time when submitting paperwork.

1) Foreign Language Petition

Please submit the Language Petition form, along with any supporting documents, to the Graduate Advisor for approval. Refer to the Program Requirements  for information on how to satisfy the foreign language requirement. To use coursework at a different institution to fulfill the requirement, students need to submit official transcripts showing relevant coursework.

2) Nomination of Master’s Committee Form

All thesis committees require approval from the Graduate Division. To nominate their thesis committees, students fill out the Nomination of Master’s Thesis Committee form and submit it to the Graduate Advisor. For Thesis Committee Regulations, please see p. 8 of Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA .

3) Master’s Advancement to Candidacy Petition

It is each student’s responsibility to file the advancement to candidacy petition for the master’s degree in the department no earlier than the quarter preceding his or her expected date of graduation, and no later than the second week of the quarter in which you expect the award of the degree. Students who plan to file the M.A. thesis in the Spring can submit their advancement petitions in Winter or Spring by Friday of Week 2.

*Please note that students have one calendar year from the date of advancement to candidacy to complete all requirements for the degree by filing your thesis.

A copy of all M.A. thesis proposals (written in APPLING 200/400) must be submitted to the department.

Before Filing The M.A. Thesis

Formatting and use of human subjects.

Effective Spring 2012, all students are required to file their theses and dissertations online. For guidance in the final presentation of the manuscript, students should consult the thesis and dissertation adviser, Office of the University Archivist, 21560 Young Research Library, and Thesis and Dissertation Preparation and Filing . Students are encouraged to attend one of the orientation meetings on manuscript preparation and filing procedures presented by the thesis and dissertation adviser and the Graduate Division each quarter. Orientation meeting dates are listed on the Graduate Division’s Thesis and Dissertation Filing Deadlines and Workshops page.

Research that entails the use of human subjects (questionnaires, interviews, etc.) must also receive approval from the appropriate Human Subject Protection Committee at UCLA, prior to the start of data collection. Additional information regarding application procedures may be obtained from HSPC, (310) 825-7122.

Registration and Filing Fee

In order to file, students must be registered full-time (12 units during the academic quarter, or 4 units during the summer), or pay a filing fee (~$150) in lieu of registration.

Students who have completed all of the requirements for the M.A. except filing the thesis may be eligible to pay a filing fee during the quarter in which the degree is to be awarded. To be eligible, students must meet the following criteria:

• All formal requirements for the degree, except for filing the thesis, must be completed before the first day of classes
• Since last being registered and up to the first day of classes, the combined use of University facilities and faculty time must not exceed 12 hours
• During the quarter in question, the thesis committee suggests only stylistic and/or typographical changes in the thesis.

To establish eligibility to pay the filing fee, students should submit a Filing Fee Application signed by the Chair of the Department and the chair of their thesis committees to 1255 Murphy Hall. Please consult the Graduate Advisor before submitting a filing fee application.

After Filing The M.A. Thesis

After filing the m.a. thesis, students should:.

1) Provide (via CD or e-mail) an electronic PDF copy of their theses to the department.

2) Fill out the Alumni Survey and provide current contact information.

3) Declare non-attendance for the quarter AFTER the one in which they filed via URSA. This measure will ensure that the Registrar’s Office does not automatically assess the next quarter’s fees.

4) Review various account policies (i.e. UCLA Logon ID, URSA, MyUCLA, etc.). Tips for graduating students are available on the UCLA Registrar website .

5) If students would like to keep (or create) “@ucla.edu” e-mail addresses, they can sign up for lifetime forwarding on the  Bruin OnLine website .

6) Return any department building / office keys to the main department office.

7) Return all library books.

8) Review the Registrar’s FAQ on diplomas .

9) Review post-graduation health insurance options, including the “SHIP GAP Plan” (available to students who were registered in the previous term and were enrolled in student SHIP during that term).

Commencement Ceremonies

M.A. students may participate in the Humanities II Commencement ceremony that is normally held on the Saturday following Finals week.

For more information, please contact the Graduate Advisor.

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Reference Sources in the Social Sciences and Humanities

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Online Catalogs of Dissertations and Theses

Ucla dissertations and theses, dissertation guides for area studies.

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• Center for Research Libraries (CRL) Foreign Dissertations Search the CRL Catalog for dissertations already held at the Center. If a foreign dissertation is not at CRL, UCLA's Interlibrary Loan Service will request that CRL acquire it for your use. This special issue of Focus on Global Resources describes CRL's extensive collection of foreign dissertations.
• OATD.org Open Access Theses and Dissertations is an index of over 3 million electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). To the extent possible, the index is limited to records of graduate-level theses that are freely available online.
• UCLA Dissertations and Theses in print: Library Catalog Historically, most doctoral dissertations and selected master's theses were deposited in the Library's main collections. Those theses and dissertations can be found in the Catalog under the subject headings Dissertations, Academic--UCLA--[Department] . As of 2012, UCLA's Graduate Division switched to all digital submissions, so the Library no longer receives print copies of UCLA theses and dissertations. See online sources below.
• UCLA Dissertations and Theses in print (archives) UCLA masters theses and doctoral dissertations, written from 1934-1972. These are non-circulating and must be requested in Library Special Collections.
• Theses in microfilm: University Archives Microfilm negatives of theses going back to 1968, with some individual titles back to 1942.
• eScholarship, University of California This link opens in a new window UC's open access repository. May include recent (2012–present) theses or dissertations not available in ProQuest. Search for author or title of the dissertation.
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