About this guideThis guide is intended for use by faculty and staff graduate advisors. It presents policies governing the sequence of steps involved in completing a graduate degree at Berkeley and procedures to implement them. Browse by topic, search, or view/print/save the Guide as a single document. A. Introduction A. Introduction A1. How to use this guide A1.1 Partners in Student Progress A1.2 Special Resources for Students with Difficulties B. Admission B1.1 Admission and Enrollment Allocations B1.2 Admission Cycle and Requirements B1.3 Evaluation of Applicants B1.4 Redirection of an Application B1.5 Ranking of Applicants B1.6 Reporting Admission Recommendations to the Graduate Division B1.7 Informing Applicants of Admission or Denial B1.8 Special Categories of Students B1.9 Documentation of Admission Decisions B2. Applicant Records B2.1 Registration of New Graduate Students C. Diversity C1. Graduate Council Statement: “Diversity in Graduate Student Recruitment and Selection” — Reissued February 1998 C1.1 University of California Statement on Diversity C1.2 Resources for Increasing Graduate Diversity C1.3 Admissions Procedures to Enhance Diversity C1.4 Graduate Student Retention C1.5 Graduate Diversity Program: Best Practices for Retention C1.6 Financial Assistance D. Registration Policies and Exchange Programs D1. Registration D1.1 Registration and Enrollment Requirements D1.2 How Students Register D1.3 Registration Fees D1.4 Establishing California Residency for Tuition Purposes D1.5 Registration and Health Coverage D1.6 Reinstatement as a Registered Student D1.7 Cancellation of Registration D1.8 Withdrawal D1.9 Readmission and Re-enrollment D2. Filing Fee D2.1 Exchange Programs E. Coursework, Grading, Probation and Dismissal E1. Coursework E1.1 Full-time Status E1.2 Minimum Course Loads: Other Considerations E1.3 Grades E1.4 600-Level Courses E1.5 Academic Standing E1.6 Program Review of Student Progress E1.7 Academic Probation E1.8 Dismissal E1.9 Graduate Student Appeal Procedure F. Degrees F1. Master’s Degrees F1.1 Degree Plans F1.2 Academic Residence Requirement for a Master’s Degree F1.3 Concurrent Master’s Degree Programs F1.4 Unit Credit for the Master’s Degree F1.5 Advancement to Candidacy for a Master’s Degree F1.6 Master’s Thesis (Plan I) F1.7 Comprehensive Final Examination (Plan II) F1.8 Completion of Courses for the Degree F1.9 Master’s Time in Candidacy F2. Doctoral Degrees: Policies Prior to Advancement to Candidacy F2.1 Doctoral Degrees with a Designated Emphasis F2.2 Academic Residence Requirement for a Doctoral Degree F2.3 Program Review Requirement for First-Year Students F2.4 Foreign Language Requirement F2.5 Preliminary Examinations F2.6 Qualifying Examination F2.7 Qualifying Examination Results F2.8 Advancement to Candidacy for a Doctoral Degree F2.9 Normative Time and Calculation of Normative Time in Candidacy F3. Doctoral Degrees: Policies Governing Doctoral Candidates F3.1 Doctoral Completion Fellowship (DCF) F3.2 Dissertation Plans A and B F3.3 Final Report F3.4 Candidate in Philosophy Degree F3.5 Annual Review of Doctoral Candidates F3.6 Reduction in Nonresident Tuition F3.7 Lapsing, Reinstatement, and Termination of Candidacy F3.8 Planning for the Dissertation F3.9 Faculty and Student Interaction During the Dissertation Process F4. Policies Affecting Both Master’s and Doctoral Students F4.1 Time Limits on the Use of Courses for Degrees F4.2 Change or Add a Major or Degree Goal F4.3 Duplication of Graduate Degrees F4.4 Submitting the Thesis or the Dissertation in a Foreign Language F4.5 Faculty Committees for Higher Degrees F4.6 Academic Senate Status F4.7 Configuration Requirements for Higher Degree Committees F4.8 Role of the Committee Members F4.9 Exceptions to Policies on Committee Membership F5. Student Records F6. Graduate Council Student Parent Policies G. Financial Assistance G1. Financial Support and Recruitment G1.1 Types of Financial Assistance G1.2 Taxes on Financial Assistance G1.3 Fellowships G1.4 Extramural Fellowships G1.5 Grant Proposal Advising G1.6 Financial Aid G1.7 Educational Allowance Top-Offs for External Fellowships H. Appointments H1. Academic Appointments H1.1 Types of Employment H1.2 New Students H1.3 Visiting Students H1.4 Undergraduate Students H1.5 Fee Remissions H1.6 GSI Preparation for Teaching H1.7 Summer and University Extension Teaching Appointments H1.8 Summer, Winter, and Spring Break Appointments H1.9 Discipline and Termination of Appointment I. Glossary of TermsVisit our Glossary of Terms section. Policy MemosVisit our policy memos page Expand All