Graduate Student Policies

It is recommended that students be familiar with the rules and regulations that govern students at UCI as outlined in the UCI General Catalogue, shown below in alphabetical order.

Other policies important for students to know include the Non-Discrimination Policy Statements, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Jeanne Clery Act.

A-C

Every student should be familiar with the UCI Academic Senate Policies on Academic Honesty. This text is also duplicated in the appendix of the UCI General Catalogue. The policies outlined for the campus also apply within the Bren School.

(And if you are not familiar with UCI’s Code of Student Conduct, which is another aspect of academic integrity, we would encourage you to also take the time to explore the website of the Office of Student Conduct)

Academically Honest Conduct

To be academically integrous means holding to values such as honesty, fairness, respect, and accountability in your scholastic pursuits. Students are expected to follow the rules and guidelines established by instructors for assignments and exams, and to accept responsibility for his or her own work. Examples of academically honest conduct are:

Turning in work done alone or with the help of the course’s staff (instructor, teaching assistant, or reader).
Submission of one assignment for a group of students if group work is explicitly permitted (or required).
Getting or giving help on how to operate the computer or terminal.
Getting or giving help on how to eliminate minor syntax errors.
High-level discussion of course material for better comprehension.
Discussion of assignments with the instructor or TA to better understand what is being asked for.
Seeking help from course staff and/or other campus resources if you do not understand the material or are feeling overwhelmed by your courseload.

Academically Dishonest Conduct

Actions associated with academic dishonesty include cheating, lying, plagiarizing, forging, and stealing. Examples of such behavior in the classroom are:

Turning in someone else’s work as your own (with or without his or her knowledge). Submitting a completely duplicated assignment is a flagrant offense, but even copying only a portion of the assignment and turning it in as your own is considered cheating.
Allowing someone else to turn in your work as his or her own.
Several people writing one program and turning in multiple copies, all represented (implicitly or explicitly) as individual work.
Using any part of some else’s work without proper acknowledgement. This is plagiarism.
Stealing an examination or a solution from the instructor. This is an extremely flagrant offense.

For instance, an example of program plagiarism would be if an assignment that calls for independent development and implementation of a program (assignment intent and specified ground rules) results in two or more solutions so similar that one can be converted to another by a mechanical transformation. Or, cheating might be suspected if a student who was to complete an assignment independently cannot explain both the intricacies of his or her solution and the techniques used to generate that solution.

Any case in which academic dishonesty is suspected is given careful, individual scrutiny. The intent of an assignment, the ground rules specified by the instructor, and the behavior of the student are all factors considered before a decision is made.

In the event that an instructor writes a letter accusing a student of academic dishonesty, the student may prepare a statement giving his or her side of the case for inclusion in the student’s file.

Penalties of Academic Dishonesty

A recorded incident of academic dishonesty may disqualify you for consideration for honors at graduation.
A first incident of academic dishonesty (if egregious) may be sufficient to cause suspension or dismissal from the University; a second incident likely will result in suspension or dismissal.
An incident of academic dishonesty is sufficient to cause denial of a petition to change major into the Bren School.
An incident of academic dishonesty may be sufficient to cause denial of admission into the Bren School Honors Program.

Advancing to Candidacy for the M.S. Degree

Advancement to candidacy implies that a student is almost finished with his/her degree requirements. This is not an automatic process. The student is responsible for making sure his or her form is completed and gets filed. The Advancement to Candidacy form should be submitted at least one quarter before the student plans on graduating.

Advancing to Candidacy for the Ph.D. Degree

Prior to advance to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree, students must complete the following steps:

Complete coursework
Pass the Phase II exam at the Ph.D. level (if applicable to the student’s program)
Complete a research or survey paper of publishable quality (if applicable to the student’s program)

The advancement exam is an oral presentation to a five-member committee of senate faculty. Note that you may combine your Ph.D. advancement with your topic defense with the consent of your advisor. The committee must be composed of the Committee Chair, three general members, and one outside member. The Chair of the candidacy commitee must hold either a primary or joint appointment in the student’s department, and the majority of the committee must be from the student’s department. The outside member must be a UC Irvine faculty member and may not be affiliated with the student’s department.

Each committee member must agree on the research you would like to complete for your doctoral dissertation.

Preparing for the Advancement Exam

Arrange a date when all involved parties can meet
Reserve a conference room with your department
The Ph.D. Form I can be downloaded from Graduate Division here

After the Advancement Exam is complete

Get appropriate signatures on the Ph.D. Form I (including your own!)
The ICS Graduate Office can provide the Department Chair and Associate Dean signatures.
Pay $90 advancement fee at the Cashier’s office
Turn form into Graduate Division (120 Aldrich Hall)

Complete policy and procedural guidelines regarding advancement and doctoral committee membership can be found on the instructions attached to the Ph.D Advancement to Candidacy form.

The Advancement Committee

The advancement committee is comprised of five members: one chair, three general members and one outside member.

Chair: must hold either a primary or joint appointment in the student’s department, and must be a voting member of the UC Academic Senate. Senate faculty have the following titles: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, and Lecturer/Senior Lecturer with Security of Employment (SOE).

General Member: at least two of the general members must hold a primary or joint appointment in the student’s department. Non-voting Senate members or faculty holding professorial titles at other Universities will be considered on an exception-only basis.

Outside Member: represents the faculty at large and must be from the Irvine Division and may not hold either a primary or joint appointment in the student’s department.

For students whose committee chair or advisor may have a financial interest in their work, an Oversight Member is also required.

The Doctoral Committee

The three members of the dissertation committee is selected during the advancement phase. It is comprised of three voting members of the University of California Academic Senate (not necessarily the Irvine Division) or equivalent. A majority of the committee must be affiliated with the student’s program.

The Chair of the Doctoral Committee is the faculty responsible for providing primary guidance for the student’s dissertation. He or she must hold either a primary or joint appointment in the student’s department, and must be a voting member of the UC Academic Senate.

For students whose committee chair or advisor may have a financial interest in their work, an Oversight Member is also required in addition to the two general members.

Complete policy and procedural guidelines regarding advancement and doctoral committee membership can be found on the instructions attached to the Ph.D Advancement to Candidacy form.

The Advancement Committee

The advancement committee is comprised of five members: one chair, three general members and one outside member.

Outside Member: represents the faculty at large and must be from the Irvine Division and may not hold either a primary or joint appointment in the student’s department.

For students whose committee chair or advisor may have a financial interest in their work, an Oversight Member is also required.

The Doctoral Committee

For students whose committee chair or advisor may have a financial interest in their work, an Oversight Member is also required in addition to the two general members.

Written Comprehensive/Phase II Exam

M.S. students who elect for the Comprehensive Exam option must pass a comprehensive examination offered by the department or by a representative of the specific research area. Students should speak to the ICS Graduate Counselor or research area representative regarding test dates, preparation, and reading lists. The faculty within the particular area develops the exam; this may result in the content and structure varying from year to year.

Ph.D. students must also pass a written comprehensive examination offered by the student’s department (see specific degree requirements for more information as this exam may vary by degree/concentration). Students should speak to their advisor, research area representative or the ICS graduate counselors regarding test dates, preparation, and reading lists. Faculty from the particular research area develop the exam, so the content and structure may vary from year to year.

The exam is graded on three levels: M.S. Pass, Ph.D. Pass, and Fail.

Students may re-take the exam once. Ph.D. students who receive an M.S. Pass can qualify for the M.S. degree, but must re-take the exam and pass at the Ph.D. level to continue in the Ph.D. program.

To take the exam for a third time, students must petition both the ICS Associate Dean for Student Affairs and the Dean of Graduate Division for permission. If the petition is denied, the student may be dismissed from the program.

Once the exam is passed at the desired level, please make sure the appropriate paperwork is filed with the Bren School graduate counselor.

At UCI (formerly ACCESS UCI):

If you would like to enroll in a UCI course and are currently not a UCI student, please follow the steps below to submit a request to register in a Bren School of ICS (ICS) course. Paper submissions will no longer be accepted.

Use the following link to request an ICS course (link deactivated on Thursday, October 10th at 3pm).
1. Please be sure to fill out a survey for each ICS course you are requesting.
2. Do NOT request a course that is currently full or on waitlist as you will not be accepted into the course.
3. Deadline to submit request will be Thursday, October 10th, 2019, at 3 pm for the Fall 2019 quarter.
4. Please check your email daily for any updates regarding your status. You will most likely receive a notification of acceptance or denial starting Monday of Week 2.
5. Please do not email us regarding your status, we will email you.
6. If approved, you will have 3 days to come pick up your form and take it to the the Division of Continuing Education. If you do not pick up your form in 3 days, it will expire.

General Guidelines

The Donald Bren School of ICS enforces a strict Friday of Week 2 deadline to add, drop, or change the grade option of the course. Any requests to add, drop, or change the grade option for a course past the Friday of Week 2 will not be granted.
Obtaining the instructor’s approval on the Concurrent Enrollment form does NOT mean that you will gain access to the course. The ICS Student Affairs Office has final approval as to who is allowed or is not allowed in their courses.

It is illegal to distribute copyrighted materials—such as software, movies, music, pictures—without proper authorization.

If a complaint of copyright infringement is reported involving a computer assigned to a Bren School student, the student’s account will be locked out until Bren School support personnel have a chance to investigate the allegations. If copyrighted materials are found, they will be removed immediately.

For the initial complaint (first violation), the Bren School Student Affairs Office (SAO) staff and the appropriate Associate Dean (as well as the academic advisor, for grad students) will be notified.

The student will be required to meet in person with appropriate SAO staff to review applicable campus policies, and to sign a statement verifying receipt and notice of such policies. This signed statement will be placed in the student’s file.

For any subsequent complaints, the appropriate Associate Dean, academic advisor (for grad students) and SAO staff will be notified.

The student will then be referred to the campus Director of Student Judicial Affairs for academic suspension (upon second violation) or expulsion from the university(upon third violation).

Please see the most current UCI Copyright Information.

International students may be eligible for CPT, a type of employment authorization that allows students to complete an internship/training off-campus during the summer. CPT is not available after a student completes a degree program.

Consult the International Center for CPT policies and application requirements. Students will need the approval of their advisor on the CPT application.

D-O

Topic Defense

Once a dissertation topic is determined, it must presented it in a defense to your doctoral committee. Each area differs as to when students present this defense, so please confirm with your advisor as to when this requirement should be completed. Note that you may combine your Ph.D. advancement with your topic defense with the consent of your advisor.

A “Topic Defense ” form must be brought to the committee at the time of the defense, to be signed after they have approved your defense. These forms are available for download from the ICS Graduate Student Affairs website page. The signed form should be returned to the ICS Graduate Office.

Final Defense

The Ph.D. final defense committee is a three-member committee of senate faculty drawn from your advancement committee. The majority of the committee MUST be from your department. Consult with the ICS graduate counselors if changes to the composition of your defense committee occur.

For the final defense of your dissertation, email the ICS Graduate Office with the date, time and location of the defense, the names of your committee members, and the title and abstract of your dissertation. This information will be made available to all Bren School faculty and graduate students. In addition to your committee members, anyone else who wishes to attend your defense may do so.

Also, be sure to obtain a Ph.D. Form II: Report on Final Examination for the Ph.D. Degree. At the end of the defense, have each of your committee members sign it.

When you have finished your dissertation, submit it and the Ph.D. Form II to the UCI Library Archives (Langson Library). Alternatively, the dissertation may be submitted electronically. Guidelines for thesis submission can be found on the UCI Library website. A Thesis Submission Checklist can also be downloaded from the Graduate Division website.

The Library will notify the UCI Graduate Division that your dissertation has been turned in and your degree is ready for conferral. Graduate Division will notify you once your degree has been conferred.

Graduate students are eligible for one filing fee quarter during their graduate career. During the filing fee quarter, students pay one-half the registration fee and do not enroll in any classes.

The Filing Fee option applies only to students who have completed ALL requirements for a M.S. or Ph.D. degree except for official submission of a thesis or dissertation to the University Archives, or completion of the final formal examination (e.g., the comprehensive examination).This means that prior to the beginning of the “filing fee” quarter ALL other requirements for the degree must have been met by the student, including advancement to candidacy and the resolution of any NR or I grades. Consult the ICS Graduate Counselors for other policies and limitations related to the filing fee.

International visa restrictions may preclude filing fee status for students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States. International students should verify their eligibility for filing fee status via the International Center well in advance of need.

Students should note that there is a separate form when submitting a summer filing fee petition. Both the Filing Fee Petition and the Summer Filing Fee Petition can be found on the Graduate Division website.

Grades are available from the Registrar’s Office (fees apply for copies of official transcripts; unofficial transcripts are free of charge) or through Student Access. It is the student’s responsibility to check grades at the end of each quarter.

Traditional grades (A, B, C, etc…)

Students are expected to maintain a B average (this is an absolute requirement if on a fellowship—GSR, TA, GAANN, etc.). In order to receive graduation credit, students must earn a grade of B or better in all required courses, core courses and breadth courses. A grade of B- or below does not have to be improved and can remain on the transcript if that grade is not going to be counted toward graduation requirements.

Pass/No Pass

P/NP is for undergraduate students only. Graduate students must receive a letter grade to pass a course. Graduate students should not sign up for a course P/NP.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

S/U is for graduate courses only and is considered to be a letter grade. Faculty can assign an S/U instead of an A, B, C, etc. Students are responsible for asking the instructor if they can receive the S/U option instead of an A, B, C, etc. at the beginning of the quarter. Please keep in mind that the S grade is equal to a B or better and the U grade is equal to a B- or below. A student who receives a U grade will have to repeat the course if it is going to count towards degree requirements.

Incomplete

The “I” grade is reserved for occasions when a student’s work is satisfactory but is incomplete because of circumstances beyond the student’s control, and when the student has been excused in advance from completing the quarter’s work. Students may ask the instructor to assign an “I,” but it may or may not be granted. If granted, a student has up to three quarters to complete the work. If the work is not completed and a grade has not been assigned after three quarters, the “I” will turn to an F. Once the work has been completed, the instructor must turn in a grade change report to change the “I” into a letter grade. The student should check Student Access often to confirm that the grade has been changed.

Graduate Division will not continue to approve employment for a student who has more than two Incompletes on their transcript.

No Report

NR means no grade was reported. This can be the result of a variety of reasons:

The faculty member did not turn the grades in on time
The faculty member does not recognize the student’s name on the class roster
The faculty member turned in the wrong grade
The course’s grade roster was unreadable

An NR will turn into an F after one quarter. Students who receive an NR should talk to their instructor immediately. The professor will need to complete a grade change report.

The ICS Graduate Student Affairs Office, in consultation with the department Vice Chairs and the Associate Dean, conducts an annual, formal review of all graduate students enrolled in an ICS graduate program. The Department of Informatics conducts a review in Fall and Spring quarters. The Bren School Graduate Office, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, and the student’s advisor review each student’s progress.

In order to maintain satisfactory academic progress, all graduate students must:

retain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher
pass all required and elective courses with a grade of B or better
not have more than two (2) “I” grades (Incompletes) on your transcript
pass all oral exams in a timely manner
meet published timelines for completion of the degree
meet deadlines and requirements imposed on them as individual students

Ph.D. students, in addition to the above, must also:

affiliate with a primary research advisor by the end of the first year and remain affiliated with an advisor throughout your tenure as a student (Ph.D. students onl
meet the requirements to qualify as a teaching assistant, including demonstrating English proficiency, by the specific date mentioned in your funding letter
make adequate progress in research and/or creative work as determined by the department faculty
not have two consecutive cautionary letters resulting from formal departmental reviews

If unsatisfactory progress is being made, a letter of probation is sent to the student and placed in their file. The probation period varies, depending on the individual’s situation. If the problem is not cleared during the probation period, the Bren School Graduate Office may recommend to the UCI Graduate Division that the student be dismissed from the program. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure the Bren School Graduate Office is aware that a problem has been cleared during the probation period.

All graduate students can petition for a leave of absence from the program for a period of up to, but no more than, three quarters total.

The LOA petition is available for download from the Graduate Division website. Students should fill out the form well in advance to make sure it gets approved. The campus deadline is Friday of the third week of classes. However, ICS recommends that students submit the Leave of Absence petition by the registration deadline each quarter.

The leave must be approved by both the ICS Graduate Office and the Dean of Graduate Division, as well as the International Center for all international students. The Graduate Division will notify students via email once the leave has been approved or denied.

The thesis option is available to M.S. students who do not plan to take the comprehensive exam and who are in good academic standing with the School (note this option not available to students in the Statistics program). Students pursuing this option must enroll in at least two quarters of Thesis Supervision (CS 298 or Inf 298), which will substitute for two required courses as specified under the concentration area or track of choice.

A committee of three faculty members, the majority of whom must be from the student’s department, will guide the student and give final approval of the thesis. The committee consists of an advisor, who must be from the student’s department and who is willing to supervise the thesis project, and two other faculty members who are willing to serve on the committee as readers. An oral presentation of the thesis to the committee is required.M.S. Thesis Option PolicyA thesis option is available to M.S. students who do not plan to take the comprehensive exam and who are in good academic standing with the School. Students pursuing this option must enroll in at least two quarters of Thesis Supervision (CS 298 or INF 298) which will substitute for two required courses as specified under the concentration area or specialization of choice (not available to students in the Statistics program).

A committee of three faculty members will guide the student and give final approval of the thesis. The committee consists of an advisor (from the student’s department/program), who is willing to supervise the thesis project, and two other faculty members (one of whom must be from the student’s department/program), who are willing to serve on the committee as readers. An oral presentation of the thesis to the committee is required.

International students may be eligible for OPT after graduation. OPT provides the opportunity to gain employment experience in the student’s major/field of study.

Consult the International Center for OPT policies and application requirements. The ICS Graduate Counselors can verify your graduation date and sign the Graduation Confirmation/OPT Recommendation Form that is required as part of the OPT application package.

P-X

Unless enrolled in an approved part-time master’s degree program (as described in UCI’s General Catalogue), approval of part-time enrollment status may be granted only for reasons of occupation, family responsibilities or health. Eligibility for part-time study also depends on other factors, such as citizenship or residency, and fellowships. ICS Ph.D. are typically not eligible to apply.

The full guidelines to determine part-time eligibility, as well as instructions on how to submit the request, can be found on the Reduced Fee Part-Time Study Program petition.

The campus deadline to submit a Part-Time Study petition is noon on Wednesday of the third week of classes. However, ICS recommends that students submit the Part-Time petition by the registration deadline each quarter.

Bren School Ph.D. students with an M.S. degree in computer science or a related field from another university may qualify to receive credit for some or all required courses.

Ph.D. students waived from the M.S. portion of their degree may not, in future, request that they be granted an M.S. degree in Computer Science or a closely related field from UC Irvine.

Be aware that advisors can require that students take additional courses when appropriate.

Course equivalency will be determined by the ICS Associate Dean for Student Affairs following a written recommendation from the student’s advisor. Advisors may require that students take additional courses when appropriate. Final approval will be determined by the Dean of Graduate Division. Students will be notified of the decision by email.

Residency Requirement

A minimum of six quarters for Ph.D. students or three quarters for M.S. students in academic residence is required prior to the award of the degree. Typically, a longer period of study (two to six years) is required for completion of all degree requirements.

After a Ph.D. student has been registered for over 21 quarters (seven years), and a M.S. student has been registered for over six quarters (two years), they are considered to be beyond normative time for completing the degree.

A letter regarding this status is sent to the student and to the department requesting a deadline be implemented for the student to complete all requirements and submit their dissertation. If this deadline is missed the student is subject to academic disqualification.

California Residency

To establish California residency for tuition/fee purposes students must:

File a Petition for Residence Classification with the Registrar’s Office
Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
Be physically present in California for more than one calendar year
Have come to California with the intent to make California their permanent home
Show that they intend California to become their home

Examples of (#5) include:

Registration as a voter in California
Designation of California as their permanent residence on all University documents
Obtaining a California Driver’s License or ID Card
Registration of their car with the State of California
Payment of California income taxes as a resident
Maintenance of a home in California

More information about residence classification can be found on the Registrar’s website here.

Continuing graduate students generally do not need to enroll in Summer Session (international students on CPT may be required to enroll). However, students who will graduate during summer quarter MUST either be enrolled or on Filing Fee (if eligible). During the summer, graduating students will generally enroll in the minimum allowable units (two) of Individual Study or Thesis Supervision with their advisor. Graduating students who do not have an advisor should consult the ICS Graduate Counselors for assistance with summer enrollment.

All Ph.D. students are required to participate in teaching activities for two quarters.

Summer teaching or teaching at another university may be accepted in fulfillment of this requirement.

Students who fulfill this requirement with a teaching assistantship at UCI are required to meet these requirements:

Take this orientation course, ICS 398A
Enroll in four units of ICS 399, each quarter they serve as a TA
Attend the school’s TA training seminar during Welcome Week of fall quarter

For each quarter assigned as a TA/Reader, the student will receive four units of academic credit by signing up for ICS 399. Note: ICS 399 does not count toward degree requirements.

All Ph.D. students are required to participate in teaching activities for two quarters.

Summer teaching or teaching at another university may be accepted in fulfillment of this requirement.

Students who fulfill this requirement with a teaching assistantship at UCI are required to meet these requirements:

Take this orientation course, ICS 398A
Enroll in four units of ICS 399, each quarter they serve as a TA
Attend the school’s TA training seminar during Welcome Week of fall quarter

For each quarter assigned as a TA/Reader, the student will receive four units of academic credit by signing up for ICS 399. Note: ICS 399 does not count toward degree requirements.

Effective December 14, 2004, the Office of the President issued a revised University of California Policy on Sexual Harassment and associated Procedures for Responding to Reports of Sexual Harassment.These policies cover all members of the University community, including faculty and other academic personnel, staff employees, students, and non-student or non-employee participants in University programs.

Revisions to the policy include an updated definition of sexual harassment, clarification of the University’s obligation to respond promptly and effectively to reports of sexual harassment, provisions for training employees and educating the University community regarding sexual harassment, and a statement that the policy shall be implemented in a manner that recognizes principles of free speech and academic freedom.

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity has developed local policy and guidelines that implement the system wide procedures and address consensual relationships.

These supersede any previous UCI Policies on Sexual Harassment.

The University of California Policy on Sexual Harassment can be found here.

All documents can be accessed through the Sexual Harassment Officer website at www.sho.uci.edu