H. Master's Degree Requirements
Academic Residency
To establish academic residency master's students must be registered and enrolled in courses of instruction, research, or study totaling or equivalent to at least 4 units of upper-division or graduate work during a regular term; registering for at least 2 units in two six-week summer sessions may be substituted for one of the required quarters. Full-time status requires 4 units in a summer session.
Master's students will spend a minimum of three quarters in residence at the UC Santa Barbara campus pursuing a program of full-time study and research. With the exception of M.F.A. degree candidates, students seeking a master's degree may substitute attendance in two six-week summer sessions for one of the three quarters of required residence (non-consecutive attendance is allowed).
Degree Requirements
The Graduate Council has determined the following guidelines to be used by all departments in ensuring students timely completion of a master's degree:
- Candidates for a master's degree must satisfy all requirements for the degree within four years after admission to the master's program. [Am 7 Nov 96]
The Graduate Council's regulations mandate that master's students meet minimum academic requirements. Departments may have degree requirements (i.e., units, and/or core course GPA) that exceed this minimum.
In most departments offering the Master of Arts, Master of Education, or Master of Science, the degree may be obtained in one of the following ways: Plan 1 requires a thesis; Plan 2 requires a comprehensive examination or a project. Students in each plan must satisfy all departmental and University requirements.
Master's Plan 1, Thesis Option
In addition to the submission of an acceptable thesis, this plan requires completion of a minimum of 30 units of upper-division and graduate coursework, of which at least 20 units must be at the graduate level (excluding courses numbered 597 or 598, units for teaching assistant duties or training, or service as a graduate student researcher). A maximum of 10 units of the required 20 graduate units may be in 596 coursework. Some departments also require completion of an examination at the conclusion of coursework. [Senate Regulation 305B]
Master's Plan 2, Non-Thesis Option (Comprehensive Examination or Project)
This plan requires completion of at least 36 units of upper-division and graduate coursework plus either (a) a comprehensive final examination set by the major department and administered by a master's committee appointed by the department, or (b) a research project supervised by at least one ladder faculty member and approved by a project committee that includes at least two members of the department's ladder faculty. No fewer than 24 of the 36 units required for the non-thesis option must be in graduate courses in the major subject or in graduate courses related to that subject as approved by a graduate advisor. Teaching and research practica, 597, or 598 courses may not be used to meet this minimum unit requirement. No more than half of the required 24 graduate units may be in 596 coursework. [Senate Regulation 305C, Am Jan 02]
For additional information pertaining to the master's degree, see Handbook sections on Master's Committees (Section H), Appeal Procedures for Graduate Student Disputes with Graduate Committees (Section F), Master's Degree Check (Section L), and Office of the Registrar's Quarterly Schedule of Classes.
Degree Milestones
The term "degree milestone" is used to refer to the steps graduate students take to complete a master's degree which includes the following:
- completion of language, methodology, and other departmental requirements;
- nomination of faculty to serve on master's thesis committee; and
- passing comprehensive, project option, or thesis option.
Departments vary in their language and methodology requirements. Departments must notify the Graduate Division when a student has satisfied the department's language requirement or special examinations, so that this may be noted on the transcript, along with the appropriate date. These milestones should be included in a master's degree memo that departments send to the Graduate Division when the student has completed the master's degree requirements.
Master's Committees
What constitutes a master's committee depends on how the degree is completed by (Plan 1) submitting an acceptable master's thesis to a thesis committee, or (Plan 2) passing a master's comprehensive examination(s), or submitting an acceptable master's project.
• For the Master's Thesis Option . The thesis committee is approved by and responsible to the Graduate Dean under policies established by the Graduate Council. The master's thesis committee consists of at least three UC ladder faculty members. Two members of the committee must be ladder faculty from the student's home department, one of whom will be appointed as chair or co-chair. Recommendation of the appointment of additional members to the master's committee is at the discretion of the department and does not require approval. Departments are asked to indicate the current title and departmental affiliation of every faculty member being nominated for thesis committee service when submitting the Master's Form I for approval to the Graduate Division Academic Services unit, Cheadle Hall 3117, mail code 2070. [Am 23 Oct 86; Am 7 Nov 96; Am 4 Mar 99]
*NOTE: The special cases of non-ladder faculty, emeriti, research professors, and professors from other campuses, including other UC campuses, are discussed in Section J, Master's and Non-Ladder Faculty Committee Service.
*NOTE : Affiliated Faculty with zero-percent appointments in the student's department are considered to be members of that department and may be nominated to chair or serve as one of the first two required department members of a master's thesis committee.
• For the Non-thesis, Comprehensive Examination Option . The department appoints the master's committee, which is responsible for conducting and grading the examination(s). Following the examination(s), the department graduate advisor/department chair informs the Graduate Division in writing that the student has successfully completed the comprehensive examination and related requirements to be awarded the master's degree. The Graduate Division neither reviews nor approves examination committees for individual master's degree candidates.
• For the Non-thesis, Project Option. The department appoints a project committee that includes a minimum of three members; two members must be from the department's ladder faculty. The student's project is completed under the supervision of at least one of the ladder faculty, with final approval by the student's entire project committee. Following approval of the project, the graduate advisor/department chair informs the Graduate Division in writing that the student has successfully completed the project and related requirements to be awarded the master's degree. The Graduate Division neither reviews nor approves project committees for individual master's degree candidates.
Changes in Thesis Committees
Committee Form I-A is used to add and remove committee members to or from a thesis committee as necessity dictates. Committee Form I-A is reviewed by the Graduate Division staff and approved by the Graduate Dean. Students and departments must ensure that their committee forms are up-to-date; a degree cannot be awarded when the thesis signature pages bear names different from the committee of record.