Academic Services

Finishing Your Degree

University Requirements for All Graduate Degrees

• Degree candidates must be in good academic standing when completing their degrees. They must have been registered a minimum of 3 quarters for the master's or 6 quarters for the doctorate degree; have a cumulative 3.0 GPA; and remove any Incompletes or No Grades from their transcripts

• All degree candidates must be in a fee relationship with the University either by being registered the quarter they file OR by paying the Filing Fee (currently $131.00; fees are subject to change without notice by the UC Regents).

  Use of the filing fee terminates graduate status; thus it may be used only once during a graduate student's career and never by a master's degree student continuing for a doctorate at UCSB.

• All parts of the thesis or dissertation must be reviewed and approved by the committee, including any prefatory pages, end notes, etc. Nothing can be added to the document once the committee members have signed the Signature (or Approval) Page indicating acceptance of the thesis or dissertation.

• Students who exceed either the 4-year master's degree time limit or the 7-year time doctoral completion time limit must submit a Graduate Student Petition signed by the departmental Graduate Advisor to extend their degree deadlines.

  If the degree deadline extension is for more than two years, the Graduate Student Petition must be accompanied by a memo documenting and certifying currency in the field, signed by all members of the thesis or doctoral committee.

Your Patience Will Be Appreciated

Diplomas and transcripts are ordered through the Registrar; all questions about ordering and receipt of transcripts or diplomas should be directed to the Registrar. An official diploma takes about 4-6 months to receive; an official transcript with your degree posted can take 1 to 2 months. You must keep the Registrar notified of any changes in your address to receive your diploma and/or transcripts.

Graduate Academic Services can furnish you or a prospective employer with an official letter of degree verification that will satisfy most employers, until an official transcript can be secured. If your situation is truly urgent because of pending employment, please let us know and we'll do our best to help you. Because we cannot furnish a degree verification letter until a degree check has been completed and there may be students in line ahead of you, such letters cannot be guaranteed for instantaneous delivery.