Graduate Student Petitions, Forms & Procedures
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- Establishing Residency
- FAFSA Information
- Core and Elective Course Check-off Sheet
- Previously Approved Electives Outside the Physics Department
- Forming or Changing a Supervising Committee
- Annual Update Form
- Advancement to Candidacy Checklist
- Synopsis Form
- Registration and Employment Verification Letters
- TA Requests
- Graduate Division Forms
- Registrar's Office Forms
- Filing Your Dissertation
Establishing Residency
- Domestic students must take steps to establish California residency in Fall Quarter, when they arrive. Non-residents incur higher fees. Visit this link for more information. Contact the Residence Deputy at (805) 893-3592 or at ReqResidency@sa.ucsb.edu, if questions.
- Take steps to establish the Reclassification Residency Procedure by the end of Spring Quarter of your first year to become a California resident for Fall Quarter. Go to this link for more information. Eligible students must establish residency their first year. The student will be responsible for non-resident tuition if California residency is not established at the end of the first year.
FAFSA Information
The FAFSA Priority Filing Deadline is March 2nd. Please download the forms below to learn how to have your campus based fees paid for the academic year. For more information on the FAFSA itself, please visit the UCSB financial aid website.
Core and Elective Course Check-off Sheet
Core course requirements should be met during the first year, and must be completed before advancing to candidacy. Elective requirements must be met before graduation. If you receive any waivers for courses, please forward the waivers to the Staff Graduate Advisor.
- Download Core and Elective Course Check-off Sheet for the standard Physics Ph.D.
- Download Core and Elective Course Check-off Sheet for the Physics Ph.D. with Astrophysics Emphasis
Previously Approved Electives Outside the Physics Department
Students who are interested in taking a non-physics course to satisfy part of their elective requirement must consult with the Faculty Graduate Advisor, even if the course appears on the above list. Please see program description pages for more information.
Forming or Changing a Supervising Committee
In the first year of graduate studies, students must form a Supervising Committee of at least three faculty. Students must meet with this committee at least once a year to complete an Anuual Update form. Check in with the Staff Graduate for the appropriate DocuSign form for the form below.
Download Contract to Create or Change a Supervising Committee Form
Annual Update Form
This form should be completed by the student and their Supervising Committee and returned to the Staff Graduate Advisor by July 15th of each year. Check in with the Staff Graduate for the appropriate DocuSign form for the form below.
- Download Annual Update Form
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Advancement to Candidacy Checklist
This checklist will guide the student through the process of scheduling and holding their advancement exam.
- Download Advancement to Candidacy Checklist
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Synopsis Form
The Synopsis Form should be completed during a joint meeting between the student, Research Advisor and the Wiseperson assigned to the advancement exam. The Wiseperson is the member of your committee that is outside your area of study. For example, if you are an experimentalist, then your Wiseperson will be the theorist on your committee. It must be returned to the Staff Graduate Advisor before the exam can be officially scheduled, at least one week before the date of the exam. Check in with the Staff Graduate for the appropriate DocuSign form for the form below.
- Download Synopsis Form
Registration and Employment Verification Letters
Please see the Staff Graduate Advisor. Students typically need verification letters for things such as residency classification, student insurance discounts, housing applications, fellowship documentation, and student loan deferrals.
TA Requests
TA requests are done quarterly about a month before the quarter beings. Please contact the Staff Graduate Advisor for more information.
Graduate Division Forms
Graduate Division Petitions require the signature of the Faculty Graduate Advisor. A $20 petition fee will need to be paid at the Billing Office. After obtaining the necessary signatures, take the petition to the Billing Office to pay the fee, then return it to the Staff Graduate Advisor or take it directly to Graduate Division in Cheadle Hall. If adding the Master's degree or petitioning for a leave of absence, be sure to inform the Physics Department. More information is available on the Graduate Division website.
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Graduate Student Petition
Multi-purpose petition. Primarily used for adding the Master's degree in Physics either upon advancing to candidacy or applying for the terminal master's degree. When adding the MA upon advancing to candidacy, check the boxes for "adding MA" and "remain in Ph.D." Master's degree petitions must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from the Department. Please inform the staff graduate advisor when petitioning for the MA degree. Please visit the Graduate Division website for the petition. -
Leave of Absence Request
Complete this form when requesting a medical, parenting, military, personal, family emergency, research, or filing fee leave of absence. Leaves of absence must be approved by the Department prior to submitting the request to Graduate Division. When requesting a Filing Fee Quarter Leave of Absence, the Supplemental Filing Fee Request Form (below) must also be submitted. More infomation can be found on the Graduate Division website. -
Reinstatement from Lapsed Status
Submit before the start of the quarter during which you will be returning from an approved Leave of Absence. Please visit the Graduate Division website for the Petition for Reinstatement for Graduate Status.
Registrar's Office Forms
Graduate Student Schedule Adjustment Petition
Use this petition to add, drop, change number of units, or change grading option after the deadline for making these adjustments via GOLD. A $3.00 petition fee will be charged to your BARC. Only one course may be included per form. Please check the Schedule of Classes for add/drop deadlines. Petitions require the instructor and Faculty Graduate Advisor signature. More information is available on the Office of the Registrar website.
Filing Your Dissertation
The Graduate Division website has valuable information on filing your dissertation, including tutorials and templates for your dissertation. Set up an appointment with the Staff Graduate Advisor for assistance on preparing the necessary forms for your graduation. If there are any changes to your PhD Committee after your advancement, you must complete the Form I-A: Changes to the Doctoral Committee form at least 4 to 6 weeks before your defense to allow time for the Graduate Division to approve of the changes. The Form III: Report on Doctoral Degree Report of Final Defense must be prepared before your defense and must be completed by your committee members after your defense. Click on this link for detailed information on filing requirements and click here about filing deadlines.