Current PhD Students Resources

Current PhD Students

  • Aggie Compass
  • Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center offers a wealth of resources and support: mental wellness, financial, food security, housing and more
  • Program of Study
  • This degree is offered under Plan B which specifies a a committee of a minimum of three members, including its chair. This committee will be designated as the Dissertation Committee and the chair of this committee will be the candidate’s major professor.

    A Ph.D. student will select an area of specialization and will choose a major professor from Graduate Program in Microbiology faculty working in that area. The Ph.D. student will select their faculty mentor by the Spring quarter of their first year of study. The student's program of study will be developed by the student jointly with their major professor and faculty advisor.
  • Qualifying Exam and Dissertation Committees
  • The qualifying exam committee will be appointed in accordance with the policies of the Graduate Council and Office of Graduate Studies at the recommendation of the Graduate Advisor who consults with the student prior to making the recommendation. The major professor is not eligible to serve as chair of the examining committee.

    Dissertation Committee: the student, in consultation with their major professor, nominates two qualified faculty members to serve on the Dissertation Committee. The major professor and the two nominees will be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies for formal appointment in accordance with Graduate Council Policy (DDB 80. Graduate Council B.1.). The major professor serves as Chair of the committee.
  • Advising structure and mentoring
  • The Major Professor is the faculty member who supervises the research and dissertation; this person serves as the Chair of the Dissertation Committee.

    The Faculty Graduate Advisor is identified by the chair of the program from among the appointed Graduate Advisors. The graduate advisors assist graduate students in developing a study plan, and has signatory authority for the Master’s and Ph.D. programs.
  • Ph.D. Qualifying Exam
  • The candidate’s prior academic record, and ability to discuss the proposals and background during the examination, as well as and overall performance and potential for scholarly research will be evaluated during the exam. While it is expected for normal progress that candidates will present preliminary data in support of the Research Proposal, the QE committee’s evaluation of dissertation proposals is to be based on the candidate's research promise, not on research accomplishments or publications to date. Breadth and critical thinking skills are addressed with examination of the Research proposal and should be emphasized also during the examination of the Alternate Proposal. Microbiology taught in the Core and Elective courses is considered breadth in Microbiology. It is expected that the Committee will be able to reach a consensus. An outcome of:

    1)   “Pass”: advances the student to candidacy for the Ph.D. (no conditions may be appended to this decision)

    2)   “Not Pass”: indicates that the student is required to retake all or part of the examination. Alternatively, the QE Committee can establish that particular requirements need to be satisfied by the committee within a specified time frame. This may include either an oral and/or written component. The conditions must and timeline must be described in the report of the QE Chair and communicated in writing to the candidate. Only one retake of the Qualifying Examination is allowed. A second examination should be administered by the same QE Committee and must be scheduled within a specified time frame.

    3)   “Fail”: on the first or second QE examination means that the student is recommended for disqualification from the Ph.D. program.

    PAPERWORK before the QE: The qualifying exam committee will be appointed in accordance with the policies of the Graduate Council and Graduate Studies at the recommendation of the MGG Ed Policy Committee. When you are preparing for your Qualifying Exam, please complete the QE Request Form (request from program coordinator, Karryn Doyle at kddoyle@ucdavis.edu) and the MGG Ed Policy Committee will assign your committee members. Your major professor is not eligible to serve as the chair of your QE committee.

    Once your QE committee has been confirmed and you are ready to submit your Qualifying Exam application, you will go to GradSphere to complete the form.

    The student is eligible for Advancement to Candidacy for the Ph.D. degree upon completion of all course requirements and after passing the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination, normally in the fifth quarter.

    PAPERWORK after the QE: Once you’ve passed your QE, fill our the Plan B candidacy form (GS-321) at GradSphere and pay the $90 fee online.
  • Advancement to Candidacy
  • The student is eligible for Advancement to Candidacy after successfully completing all graduate program requirements except for the dissertation and exit seminar, and after passing the Qualifying Examination. A student’s application for advancement to candidacy form is signed and dated by the Chair of the Qualifying Examination Committee. The candidate, in conjunction with the Major Professor, identifies two other faculty members to serve on the Dissertation Committee, obtains their agreement, and obtains signatures of the Major Professor and the Graduate Advisor. After payment of the Advancement to Candidacy fee, the candidate files the form with Graduate Studies. The Dissertation Committee of three faculty members is appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies to direct the student in the dissertation research and to approve the dissertation. MGG students are expected to advance to candidacy by the end of their seventh quarter of academic enrollment. A student must have advanced to candidacy by the beginning of the tenth quarter of academic enrollment to be eligible for continued appointment as a Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) or Teaching Assistant (TA).
  • Dissertation
  • The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is given under dissertation Plan B, which specifies a three-member (minimum) Dissertation Committee and optional final oral examination (made on an individual student basis by the Dissertation Committee). All students are required to present an Exit Seminar. The requirements include:

    a) An Annual Dissertation Committee meeting: Annual progress meetings of the candidate and Dissertation Committee are required. A written report must be filed with the MGG Graduate Coordinator and Graduate Advisor after each meeting. The report includes a 1-page form summarizing the committee’s assessment of progress and recommendations for the next year. In addition, the student must write a 2-page progress report summarizing the work of the previous year and listing future goals. The report must be sent to Dissertation Committee members within one week before the Dissertation Committee meeting.

    b) Dissertation: The research conducted by the student must be of the quality to indicate an ability to pursue independent research. The dissertation reports a scholarly piece of work of publishable quality that solves a significant scientific problem in Microbiology, carried out under the supervision of a member of MGG while the student is enrolled in the MGG program. This work may necessarily already have been published at the time of filing the dissertation. There is no formal requirement for a specific number of publications to file a dissertation, although often dissertation chapters are published. There is often an introductory Chapter that outlines the rationale and literature and current progress in the field of study. The Chair (e.g. Major Professor) of the Dissertation Committee must be a member of the MGG and must be immediately involved with the planning and execution of the experimental work done to formulate the dissertation. The Major Professor’s laboratory is the setting for most of the student’s research activities, unless an alternative site and immediate supervisor are approved in advance by the MGG Executive Committee. The final dissertation must be submitted to each member of the Dissertation Committee for review at least one month before the student expects to submit to Graduate Studies, in order to make requested revisions. The dissertation must be approved and signed by the Dissertation Committee before it is submitted to Graduate Studies for final approval. The dissertation must be filed in a Quarter in which the student is registered or on filing fee. Instructions on preparation of the dissertation and a schedule of dates for filing the dissertation in final form are available from Graduate Studies. The Dissertation submission dates are also printed in the UC Davis General Catalog and in the Class Schedule and Registration Guide issued each quarter.

    c) Exit seminar: Each student must present a public seminar on the dissertation research. The seminar (roughly one hour) is arranged through the Major Professor and advertised by the MGG program coordinator. Satisfaction of this requirement should be verified by the Dissertation Committee Chair.
  • Filing to graduate
  • Graduate Studies has a comprehensive guide to filing to graduate here.
  • I graduated, now what?
  • Congratulations! All of that hard work paid off!  Here are some FAQs to hopefully answer, "Now what?"

    Q: Will I be notified about my graduation? What happens with all of that candidacy & graduation paperwork I turned in?
    A: Your graduation paperwork will be processed by the Graduate Studies office and you'll receive an email with confirmation of your degree and a conferral letter approximately a month after the quarter ends.

    Q: When will I get my diploma?
    A: Diplomas are mailed about 4 months after the quarter ends. In the degree confirmation email Graduate Studies sends out, there will be instructions about the diploma. But, if you want to get a head start, please see the information on the Registrar’s site. Fill out the diploma mailing address change form at the end of the quarter (at least one month before the diploma will be distributed.

    Q: Can I keep my UC Davis email address?
    A: Information about your UC Davis Computing Account (access, email, listservs, Library, etc) after graduation is available on Knowledge Base: IT. You maintain student-level access until the end of your enrolled or filing-fee quarter.

    If you want to discontinue your UC Davis email account and redirect future incoming emails to a different email account, fill out a request form on the IET website to redirect your UC Davis emails to an external email address of your choice.

    If your deadline to retain a UC Davis email address has lapsed, you may obtain an alumni email account by becoming a CAAA member and contacting member services to set up an email account.

International Students

SISS (Services for International Students & Scholars) is your best resource for information and questions.

Funding and Financial Support

  • Sign-up for Direct Deposit

  • All students who will be employed at UCD or who receive funding through MyBill will need to enroll in the Direct Deposit system.

    To sign up for Direct Deposit, please go to My Bill and click on the ‘Refunds’ tab. Here’s a step-by-step reference guide to walk you through the enrollment process.

    Questions? Please contact Student Accounting at 530-752-3646 or myaccount@ucdavis.edu. Please include your student ID when emailing Student Accounting.
     

    Why Enroll in Direct Deposit?


    What happens if I do not enroll in Direct Deposit?
    Any payment or refund made to you will be issued as a paper check and you will have to pick it up in-person at the Student Accounting office during regular business hours. This will likely cause a delay in receiving your funds.

  • Financial assistance at UC Davis
  • Sign up for Direct Deposit for reimbursements and refunds
    Financial Aid office (Dutton Hall, 1st floor); campus grants, loans, scholarships & work study
    Student Accounting: Dutton Hall, 2nd Floor
    Complete your FAFSA! (must be U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen). Opens October, priority deadline of March but fill out at any time. You may be eligible for a $600 campus grant just by filling out your FAFSA.
    UCD Financial Systems info: Answers: Which accounting system? Is it visible on MyBill? Is tax withheld?
    Emergency, Short-term and Assistant Loans
  • Fellowships and awards at UC Davis
  • Grad Studies internal fellowships: Review each one and apply for ones in which you are eligible. Annual deadline of January 15th
    Grad Studies Travel Awards – for travel to present a research paper at professional meetings. Due annually on March 15th and October 15th
    GSA Funding opportunities
  • External fellowships
  • How Do I: Apply for External Funding
    Every external fellowship has its own unique set of rules and requirements – the External Fellowships team in Graduate Studies is here to help you navigate this.  Below you’ll find the basic steps you’ll need to take to apply for external funding. Learn more here.

    Tax Resources
    Student employees: Your W2 and 1095 (health coverage statement, if you need it) should be in UCPath (log in with your Kerberos ID and password) but your 1098-T (Tuition/Fellowship/Reimbursement/Stipend Statement) should come via email from UCD Student Accounting.

    Students in VITA (the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) is a student organization that gives free tax advise.

    Tax info on UC Davis sites: W2 information & Tax information from Student Accounting

Academics and Registration

  • Academic information from Grad Studies at UCD
  • Full-time students must register for 12 units per quarter including research, academic and seminar units. Courses that fulfill any of the program course requirements may not be taken S/U unless the course is normally graded S/U.

    Information on how to register, late enrollment, etc.

    Academic Services from Grad Studies (registration, finishing your degree & filing deadlines, academic probations, policies and forms!)
  • PELP, In Absentia and Filing Fee

  • Cheat sheet below. More information found for PELP & Filing Fee and In Absentia on the Graduate Studies site.

     In AbsentiaPELPFiling Fee
     Indep Research or enrolled at another Univ outside of CA.Planned Education Leave Program: Suspend academic work for personal reasons.Dissertation is in final draft form. Must graduate at the end of the quarter.
    Benefit?Reduced fees while out of CA doing research or finishing diss.No fees while you take a break from the program for various personal reasons.Reduced fees while finalizing diss & paperwork to graduate.
    Deadline to Apply10th day of instruction10th day of instruction1st day of instruction
    Keep SHIP?YesMay purchase health cards that entitle you to full student health benefits for 1 quarter**.Must enroll in voluntary coverage
    Duration allowed?6 Qtrs for PhD, 3 Qtrs for Masters3 (new grad students not eligible); Extension may be requested.One quarter.
    EligibilityPhDs must be AC; MS must be 2nd year.AllMust be AC.
    Fees15% of tuition, 15% of Stud Svcs Fee, Full SHIP, Full out-of-state fees.No fees - not a registered status.$192
    Summer, too?No, only F/W/SNANo
    Eligible to receive fellowship?YesNoNo fellowships or financial aid.
    Academic Appt?GSR: Yes; TA/AI/Reader/Tutor: NoNoNo
    MiscNo in-person collab with UC faculty 

    If you go on FF in Spring, you could file in Sept.

    Must be a registered student in prior quarter (not PELP).

    FF at same time?YesNo 
    Registered Student?YesNo (do not register)No


    ** If students are out of the area, they may purchase an optional health insurance plan to provide coverage. If students intend to continue UC SHIP benefits, they must notify Student Health & Counseling Services before the first day of the quarter in which PELP status begins.

Health & Wellness

Around Davis – Local Resources

Graduate Students with Families