Policies and Forms

Advancement to candidacy implies that a student is almost finished with their degree requirements. Students must advance to candidacy at least one quarter before the student plans on graduating.

Prior to submitting final degree paperwork, students must complete the following steps:

1. Must be your final quarter, completing degree requirements or on a filing fee. Please refer to the UCI Catalogue for specific degree requirements.
2. Advanced to candidacy one quarter prior to submitting final degree paperwork.
3. You must be enrolled full-time, part-time (approved status), or on a filing fee (approved status).

If your program requires a thesis or if you plan on taking the thesis option (if applicable to your program) you must announce your final defense to the ICS community. Please be sure to send the following information at least 2 weeks prior to your defense date to gcounsel@ics.uci.edu. Committees containing faculty members who are immediate family members, married couples, or domestic partnerships will require an additional committee member to the below committee membership make up to protect against any potential conflict of interest.

• Date: Insert Date
• Time: Insert Time
• Location: Insert Location
• Zoom Info: Insert Zoom Link If Applicable
• Meeting ID: Insert Zoom Meeting ID If Applicable
• Passcode: If Applicable
• Committee: Insert name of chair and committee members
• Title: Insert Title
• Abstract: Insert Abstract

M.S. in Computer Science and M.S. Networked Systems program allows students to earn their degree by completing either the comprehensive exam or a master’s thesis.

M.S. in Statistics students must take the comprehensive exam option.

M.S. in Software Engineering and M.S. Informatics students must take the thesis option.

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

1. Complete coursework as shown in the course catalogue.

2. Pass the additional requirement at the Ph.D. level depending on the program you are enrolled in. Please be sure to view specific requirements for each major on the course catalogue.

• Informatics: a research paper must be completed by the end of the 2nd year
• Software Engineering: a research assessment/paper must be completed prior to advancement
• Computer Science: Pass three comprehensive exams in your core courses or complete a master’s thesis.
• Statistics: Each Ph.D. student is required to take a written comprehensive examination, ordinarily at the end of the first year, covering the material from STATS 200A-STATS 200B-STATS 200C, and a comprehensive data analysis examination covering the material from STATS 210, STATS 211, and STATS 212
• Network Systems: To view network systems requirements please visit the UC Networked Systems page.

3. Committee Membership by Department

• All Departments: Committees containing faculty members who are immediate family members, married couples, or domestic partnerships will require an additional committee member to the below committee membership make up to protect against any potential conflict of interest.
• Informatics: Committee membership requires, at minimum, 3 UCI Senate members: 1 chair plus 2 general members. The Chair of the committee must hold a primary appointment in the Informatics department. A faculty member with a joint appointment in Informatics may serve as co-Chair of the Committee. The majority of the committee must have an affiliated appointment in the Informatics department. For students who are either 1) co-advised 2) have members of their committee who are domestic or married partners, or 3) may have a financial interest in the work, an additional member affiliated with the Informatics Department is also required to protect against any potential conflict of interest. In the case of Advancement, this additional committee member will sign on the “Oversight” line of Advancement to Candidacy form.
• Software Engineering: Committee membership requires, at minimum, 3 UCI Senate members: 1 chair plus 2 general members. The Chair of the committee must hold a primary appointment in the Informatics department. A faculty member with a joint appointment in Informatics may serve as co-Chair of the Committee. The majority of the committee must have an affiliated appointment in the Informatics department. For students who are either 1) co-advised 2) have members of their committee who are domestic or married partners, or 3) may have financial interest in the work, an additional member affiliated with the Informatics Department is also required to protect against any potential conflict of interest. In the case of Advancement, this additional committee member will sign on the “Oversight” line of Advancement to Candidacy form.
• Computer Science: Committee membership requires, at minimum, 4 UCI Senate members: 1 chair plus 3 general members. The Chair of the committee must hold a primary appointment in the Computer Science department. The majority of the committee must have an affiliated appointment in the Computer Science department; 1 member may be from outside of the Computer Science program.
• Statistics: Committee membership requires, at minimum, 4 UCI Senate members: 1 chair plus 3 general members. The Chair of the committee must hold a primary appointment in the Statistics department. The majority of the committee must have an affiliated appointment in the Statistics department; 1 member must be from outside of the Statistics program.
• Network Systems: Committee membership requires, at minimum, 4 UCI Senate members: 1 chair plus 3 general members. The Chair of the committee must be affiliated with the Networked Systems program. The majority of the committee must also have a Networked Systems affiliation; 1 member may be from outside of the Networked Systems program.

4. The advancement exam is an oral presentation to a committee of senate faculty. 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 or plan to have it virtually via Zoom.

5. You must announce your advancement to candidacy to the ICS community. Please be sure to send the following information at least 2 weeks prior to your defense date to gcounsel@ics.uci.edu.

• Date: Insert Date
• Time: Insert Time
• Location: Insert Location
• Zoom Info: Insert Zoom Link If Applicable
• Meeting ID: Insert Zoom Meeting ID If Applicable
• Passcode: If Applicable
• Committee: Insert name of chair and committee members
  (Student must forward SAO the outside member’s email confirmation that they do not have a joint appointment)
• Title: Insert Title
• Abstract: Insert Abstract

6. After the Advancement Exam is complete

• Contact the ICS Graduate Counselors so they can initiate paperwork on your behalf.
• The ICS Graduate Office will provide the Department Chair and Associate Dean signatures.
• Pay the $90 advancement fee at the Cashier’s office.

ICS PhD students with a MS degree from another university may qualify to receive credit for all or part of the required coursework portion of their degree requirements if their previous MS degree was in an ICS-related field. Course equivalency will be determined by the student’s advisor through the Waiver Request form which can be obtained by contacting a graduate counselor. Advisors may require that students take additional courses when appropriate.

Once approved, PhD students waived from the MS portion of their degree may not, in the future, request that they be granted an MS degree in Computer Science or a closely related field from UC Irvine.

All PhD 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, by exception.

Students who fulfill this requirement with a teaching assistantship at ICS are required to attend UCI’s TA training seminar during Welcome Week of fall quarter (once).

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, after nine months of continual in person enrollment. CPT is not available after a student completes a degree program. Please note that CPT is not automatic and is not guaranteed; CPT is not a Master of Science or Doctoral degree requirement.

Consult the International Center for CPT policies and application requirements.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Valid F-1 immigration status
• Full-time enrollment for three consecutive quarters
• Have a job offer related to your field of study/major
• Enroll in a course during the quarter you plan to participate in CPT (if required for a course or of your program)
• Obtain CPT authorization BEFORE beginning your employment; authorization cannot be backdated.

Submit the following documents:

CPT Application

• Signed by your academic department-advisor. If you do not already have an advisor, explore the possibility of a professor who is within the same department as you, and conducts research in the same interest area as your internship.

Upload CPT Course Enrollment

• Contact Summer Session via summer-coursechanges@uci.edu to inquire about independent study enrollment.
• Course enrollment form will be initiated by Summer Session and signed by an advisor and the ICS Graduate Office.
• Must enroll in your advisor’s Individual study course (CS 299, SWE 299, IN4MATX 299, STATS 299). If your advisor does not have an independent study course during the summer, please contact an ICS graduate counselor.

Upload CPT Letter

• Letter must include:
  • Company’s Letterhead
  • Addressed to you (the student)
  • Job Title
  • Job Description
  • Address of Employment
  • Specify if work is Part-time/Full-time
  • Specify the Start and End Date of Employment
  • Employer’s Signature

Graduate students are eligible for one filing fee quarter during their graduate career.

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. If you are interested in pursuing a filing fee please consult with the ICS graduate Counselors. The deadline to apply for filing fee is the Friday of the third week of each quarter. Please note the filing fee cost is $201.

Previously taken graduate-level courses may count toward ICS degree requirements. Please read through the following information.

Transfer: Transfers of credit toward master’s degree requirements

• Must have been passed with a grade of B or better.
• Must not have been applied toward a bachelor’s degree or a graduate degree from another university.
• Cannot have been taken while the student was on a leave of absence from the ICS program.
• Must be approved by the ICS Graduate Associate Dean for Student Affairs and the Dean of Graduate Division.

For additional information, please refer to the Senate policy.

Waive: Graduate courses taken at another institution may not be transferred to Ph.D. requirements. However, a course requirement may be waived if a similar course was taken at another institution.

Note: For students earning a master’s degree en route to a Ph.D., please see the Transfer of Credit policy for details. Students earning a master’s degree en route can only transfer and not waive courses that overlap with the master’s degree.

For additional information, please refer to the Senate policy.

Substitution: A student who has taken relevant graduate courses at UCI may petition to have a specific course certified as equivalent to one that satisfies UCI requirements. The petition should describe the two courses and the student’s prior course work.

To obtain a general petition please contact the ICS graduate counselors, gcounsel@ics.uci.edu. Please keep in mind general petitions must be approved by the ICS Graduate Office, the Vice Chair of the student’s department, the ICS Associate Dean of Graduate Affairs, and Graduate Division.

In absentia registration applies to full-time, regularly enrolled, and registered students who have an academic need to conduct coursework or research related to their degree program outside of California. View in absentia frequently asked questions.

Eligibility Criteria:

• The student must be enrolled full-time in regular UC units.
• Research or coursework:
  • Must be of a nature that makes it necessary to be completed outside of Southern California for at least one full academic term.
  • Must be directly related to the student’s degree program as evidenced by faculty approval.
  • Must involve only one indirect supervision appropriate to evaluating the student’s academic progress and performance from UC faculty during the in absentia period.
  • Must involve no significant studying or in-person collaboration with UC faculty during the in absentia period.

Doctoral students

• Must be advanced to candidacy to be eligible.
• May only use in absentia registration for a maximum of six quarters.

Masters’ only and graduate professional students

• Must have completed at least one year of coursework by the time in absentia begins.

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

A leave may be granted to be away from their studies for any of the following reasons:

1. Serious illness or other temporary disability
2. Concentration on an occupation not directly related to the student’s academic program.
3. Responsibilities related to family obligations.
4. Temporary interruption of the student’s academic program for other appropriate reasons.

In accordance with visa restrictions, a student who is not a permanent resident or a citizen of the U.S. is not permitted to take an academic leave of absence. Any exception to this policy requires written approval by UCI’S International Center, as indicated on the LOA form, which must then be submitted to the Graduate Division.

If you are interested in pursuing a leave of absence please contact ICS Graduate Counselors as soon as possible. The campus deadline to submit an academic leave of absence is Friday of the third week of classes. However, ICS Graduate Counselors recommend 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.

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. You must have Advanced to Candidacy and be making satisfactory academic progress to obtain a signature. OPT forms will only be accepted at the beginning of your final quarter.

Part-time enrollment status may be granted for reasons of occupation, family responsibilities, or health issues.

Eligibility for part-time study also depends on other factors, such as citizenship or residency, and fellowships. Information for international students wanting to pursue part-time study can be found on the UCI International Center website.

PhD students are not eligible to apply to part-time study, unless exceptional approval has been granted.

The part-time study form can be found by logging into your student access, going to applications and selecting part-time study. 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.

A minimum of six quarters for PhD students or three quarters for MS students in academic residence are 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.

Learn more about the normative time to degree on the UCI Graduate Division website.