Psychology Graduate Program Requirements

Students transferring into the Ph.D. program from another institution should consult with their advisors and the faculty head of the student’s research area, to see if any courses previously completed might satisfy our course requirements. Any petition for alternative courses to satisfy course requirements should be signed by the student, advisor and area head before it is forwarded to the Graduate Affairs Committee for final approval. 

If students are not enrolled in 15 units during their first two years, they are required to enroll in independent study with their advisor. After their second year in the graduate program, students are required to enroll every quarter in independent study with their faculty advisor. 

Each student is required to serve as a teaching assistant (TA) for at least two courses during their graduate career. This requirement must be met regardless of whether a student is financially supported through research assistantships or through other graduate fellowships. 

Students in the developmental area must serve as a TA for PSYC 10 (Introduction to Developmental Psychology) at least once during their graduate careers. Students in the cognitive area must serve as a TA for at least one cognitive course. When a student serves as the instructor of a course (i.e., in the summer session), that course may count as one of the required TAships. If a developmental student teaches PSYC 10 or a cognitive student teaches a cognitive course it may count as fulfilling the area requirement. 

All students are required to complete the Online TA Training Course sponsored by the Graduate Division, TLC, and Online Education during the first quarter they hold a TAship. First-year students are required to participate in the Psychology TA training workshop and will be assigned a TA mentor during their first two quarters in TAship.

Please review the complete section on Graduate Student Teaching in this website for more information on Psychology Policies for TAs, TA Course Support & Reader Support. 

Petitioning for an Exception

The student may petition for an exception. The petition must be signed by the student, the student’s advisor, and the relevant area head and then submitted to the Graduate Affairs Committee for final approval. The petition should describe the student’s teaching experiences, making clear why the requirement may not be necessary in their case. They should also explain any other circumstances relevant to their situation.

At the end of each academic year, the faculty in each research area (cognitive, social and developmental) will meet to evaluate the progress of the students in their respective areas. By the last day of instruction (see academic and administrative calendar), all students must provide their faculty advisor with a 1 or 2-page annual progress report, evaluating their achievements each year, including publications and conference presentations, courses completed and TA assignments. They are also asked to describe their progress on research, completion of program requirements (i.e., coursework, qualifying exam, etc.) and their research goals for next year.

In the annual end-of-year student evaluation meeting, the faculty will review each student’s progress report and file, and faculty evaluations of their progress to make a summary evaluation. The summary evaluation is meant to indicate to faculty and to students their progress toward becoming mature researchers and scholars. Students will be evaluated as one of the following:

• Being on-track (developing as one would expect for their stage of training)

• Needing improvement (specific steps will be recommended for working on the problem area)

• On probation (specific goals and deadlines will be given that a student must meet to remain in academic good standing)

• Termination from the Ph.D. program recommended to the Graduate Council (which occurs only after stated goals and deadlines have not been met during the earlier period of probation).

A written report of this evaluation signed by the advisor and the faculty area head will be presented to each student at the end of each year. In addition to the year-end letters, first-year students get a formal mid-year letter of evaluation to aid in their transition into graduate school. Students should talk to their advisors about the contents of their evaluation letters. Any changes in what students are expected to do as a result of these conversations should be put in writing and communicated to both the faculty area head and to the psychology graduate program coordinator.

Occasionally students are unable or unwilling to complete their academic work in a satisfactory manner. When this occurs, the Psychology Department has the option to recommend to the Dean of the Graduate Division that the student be placed on academic probation and to terminate a student from the graduate program if the terms of the academic probation are not met. The first step is a warning letter from the advisor and area head to the student, indicating where problems lie and providing a clear timetable of what must be done to return to good standing. The student has the option to meet with the Chair or the Vice Chair of the department to discuss the situation. If the student fails to meet the goals set out in the warning letter, or fails to remove the problems set out in the warning letter; then the following steps will be taken. The faculty in the student’s area must meet and decide if they wish to recommend to the Chair to recommend to the Graduate Dean that the student be placed on academic probation. The Chair can follow the recommendation as closely or as loosely as they want in the department’s recommendation to the Graduate Dean. Normally, the area recommendation to the Chair would occur toward the end of a quarter and the Chair would write to the Dean at the close of the quarter so that the Dean might have a letter ready for the student at the start of the next quarter.

If special circumstances occur that prevent a student from meeting the deadline for completing a requirement specified in the Psychology Graduate Program Requirements, the student may petition for an extension. The petition must explain the special circumstances and specify the date by which the requirement will be completed. The petition must be signed by the student, advisor, and program area head and submitted to the graduate affairs committee for final approval. The Graduate Advising Team can help facilitate this process and should be contacted if students anticipate needing an extension or have any questions on the process to request an extension. 

The relationship between student and advisor will continue so long as it is mutually agreeable for the student and the faculty member. There is no penalty for changing advisors. Students seeking to change advisors should consult with the faculty member who serves as head of their research area and/or the Graduate Affairs Committee chairperson. The Area Head and the Psychology Graduate Program Coordinator should be notified when the change is effected. To continue in the Psychology graduate program, it is essential that every graduate student have an academic advisor. Some adjustment in the timing of the dissertation requirements may be made when a change of advisor comes late enough to affect a student’s progress toward this goal. 

Students who seek a new advisor outside their area have two options: (a) remain a student in their current area with the area faculty approving the selection of the new advisor; or (b) apply for admission to the new advisor’s area and, if accepted, meet the requirements of the new area. This application process is internal to the department and can occur any time during the academic year.

If a graduate student and their advisor find it is necessary to separate prior to the student securing a new advisor, it is the student’s responsibility, in consultation with the program, to find a new advisor as quickly as possible. The Department Chair or Area Head will serve as the interim advisor. The interim advisor has no responsibilities to help the student find an advisor but serves as the official conduit of information between the department and the student. The deadline for finding a new advisor is at the discretion of the program. However, at most, the interim advisor can serve for no more than two quarters or until the end of the current academic year, whichever comes first. In the latter case, the deadline for securing an advisor will be 10 days after the start of instruction in the ensuing fall quarter. If the student has not secured a new advisor during this period, the program will recommend to the Graduate Division that the student immediately be placed on probation. If the student does not obtain an advisor within one quarter of being placed on probation, the program will recommend that the student be dismissed from graduate study at UCSC. Students in good standing can petition for an exception if special circumstances seem to warrant an extension of the deadline for finding an advisor.