Unit Requirements
At the Ph.D. level, students are required to take
a minimum of 36 units, exclusive of research units, of required and recommended
courses and write a dissertation. At least a B+ (3.3 grade-point) average
must be achieved in all graduate and upper division course work to maintain
graduate standing in this program.
Electives & Course Requirements
Ph.D. Students must complete the courses outlined in the
Core in Epidemiology. Additionally,
students must select an Area of Emphasis and complete a number of approved electives
courses. A minimum of 12 units of electives are required, 9 of which must
selected from the student's Area of Emphasis
Approved Electives.
Research Proposal
A Ph.D. student is required to submit a proposal
for dissertation research to the qualifying examination committee at least
two weeks before the qualifying examination.
Qualifying Examination
To be eligible for this oral examination, the student
must have satisfied all departmental or group requirements (e.g. course
work), have removed all deficiencies, and must have at least a B+ (3.3)
average in all work undertaken in this program.
The qualifying examination is administered by a
committee generally comprised of five persons, four of whom are ladder
faculty members of the GGE. The fifth member may be either ladder GGE or
a person from outside the Group who is an expert in the student's area
of specialization and/or dissertation topic. The student's major professor
is not a member of this committee. The committee will include at least
one member from each of the following areas: 1) principles of epidemiology,
2) research methodology/quantitative skills, 3) advanced topics in the
student's area of emphasis, and 4) topics directly relevant to the student's
proposed research.
Dissertation
A dissertation, on a subject chosen by the candidate
and of such character as to show ability to conduct independent original
and creative investigation and which demonstrates an organized investigation
that adds to the body of knowledge in epidemiology, must be approved by
the Dissertation Committee and by the Graduate Council. A degree cannot
be granted only on the basis of completion of a course of study, however
extensive. A doctoral student who, after a written warning from the Dissertation
Committee, has not made acceptable progress on a dissertation for at least
one year, may be subject to disqualification.
Preparation of the dissertation will be under the
guidance of a Thesis Committee of at least three members recommended by
the Adviser and appointed by the Administrative Committee of the Graduate
Council. The major professor serves as Chair. Candidate and committee will
meet at least once each year during the conduct of the research and until
the dissertation has been completed and accepted. The dissertation must
meet the approval of the student's thesis committee.
Final Examination
Ph.D. students are required to defend their research
before the Thesis Committee in a seminar that is open to the public.
Preparation for Careers in Teaching
All students enrolled in the Ph.D. program are strongly
encouraged to serve as a teaching assistant or equivalent position for
at least one quarter. Those expecting to embark upon a teaching career
will be encouraged to obtain additional teaching experience. All students
are required to present at least one seminar while they are attending UCD.
This seminar usually describes their thesis research.