Applied Science and Technology, UC Berkeley

Administration

Administration

Head Graduate Advisor and Faculty Academic Advisors

The Head Graduate Advisor and the Faculty Academic Advisors complement a student’s Faculty Research Advisor, who has primary responsibility for the conduct of the student’s dissertation (see next section). The Head Graduate Advisor approves all petitions for Preliminary Examinations and Qualifying Examinations, Blue Cards, applications for Advancement to Candidacy, the constitution of all Dissertation Committees, and recommends the granting of all degrees. Students may also meet with the Head Graduate Advisor for confidential matters that cannot be resolved by Faculty Research Advisors or by Faculty Academic Advisors. Faculty Academic Advisors are assigned to AS&T students primarily to offer counsel in matters of curriculum options, degree requirements, career planning, and other academic matters. Students must meet with their assigned Faculty Academic Advisors at least once per semester to discuss proposed course selections and secure an advisor code that is required during TeleBears registration for classes.

Faculty Research Advisors

Faculty research advisors serve the principal role known on the Berkeley campus as “chair of the dissertation committee.” At times students have co-advisors (co-chairs of the dissertation committee) from different departments, and the primary responsibility of faculty research advisor(s) is to offer mentorship to students during the conduct of their dissertation research and writing. Faculty research advisors are the first point of contact for financial support, but they serve many more mentorship roles, including career advisor, confidant, morale booster, problem solver, and friend. It is therefore advisable for students to secure a faculty research advisor soon during their graduate careers, even if they have fellowships or other forms of support during their first semester. AS&T students are expected to have a faculty research advisor before taking the Preliminary Examination during their second semester of their program.

Most students have little problem finding a faculty research advisor. For those who do have difficulty, the least common reason is a lack of qualifications. Any professor is likely to be flattered by an invitation to supervise a student’s research, even if he or she feels compelled to decline the invitation. So students are advised to be assertive, flexible, and diligent. Begin by interviewing other graduate students to learn about the mentorship styles of potential faculty research advisors, then follow up with a request to speak to candidate faculty members directly.

It is common for students to change research directions on the way to the doctoral degree, which may be best executed by a change of faculty research advisors. Unfortunately, it can be awkward for students to leave advisors who have invested heavily in them, having given generously of their time, talent, and precious financial support. As a team, students and their faculty research advisors have obligations to meet specific milestones established by the funding agencies, and these must be met by the filing of progress reports and/or publications in the archival literature. The best way to avoid awkwardness and misunderstanding is free and open communication between students and their advisors, and the best time to change faculty research advisors is after the completion of a project report.

California Residency

Every entering student is classified as a Resident or Nonresident of the state of California for tuition purposes. Fees and tuition vary depending upon the student’s residency status. Eligible students are expected to become California residents after their first year of graduate studies.

Resident Classification

To be classified as a California Resident, you should meet all the requirements set by the Office of the Registrar. These requirements can be found at http://registrar.berkeley.edu/Registrar/establish.html.

International Students If you are not a U.S. citizen, you cannot be classified as a California resident unless you are a Permanent Resident of the U.S. or are in the process of adjusting your status to Permanent Resident (you must be in a valid immigration status during the entire adjustment process). International students with F-1 or J-1 visas must pay Nonresident tuition during their entire graduate careers. However, doctoral candidates who have been advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. may be eligible for a 100 percent reduction in Nonresident tuition for three (3) years after advancement to candidacy.

Registration

New graduate students should meet with their student affairs officer to discuss the registration process. Students should schedule meetings with their Academic Advisors to discuss their coursework. Before meeting with any advisors, students should construct a tentative schedule of classes and oral examinations.

All Berkeley students enroll in courses using the Telebears system, which can be accessed only by a valid CalNet ID and passphrase.

Students receive email notification each semester from the Office of the Registrar confirming Telebears “appointment times” as well as a Personal Identification Number (PIN), needed for registration. Please note that changes in study list, including addition (“add”) or deletion (“drop”) of classes, change of grading option, or changes in the number of units of a variable unit course (e.g. independent study courses) may be made by submitting an approved Add/Drop form to the Graduate Office according to the schedule established by the Office of the Registrar. Students may acesss Bearfacts to obtain information regarding current schedules, final grades from previous semesters, financial aid applications and award status, CARS billing information, and the like. For further details about how to access Telebears or Bearfacts, please go the Office of the Registrar’s website < http://registrar.berkeley.edu >.

Important note: Registration involves two (2) steps, enrolling in classes and paying registration fees. Full-time students must carry a minimum of 12 units (200 series classes) each semester AND must pay at least the first installment of their fees by the published deadline each semester. Failure to pay on time will result in loss of enrollment status and “blocked” future registration. In addition, GSR and GSI appointments, as well as fellowships, may be cancelled for students not registered by the deadline each semester. Registration fees can be paid by check or money order with SID number clearly indicated. Credit cards are not accepted.

Student Conduct

Copying all or part of another person’s work, or using reference material not specifically allowed, are forms of cheating that are not tolerated in the community of scholars comprising the Berkeley campus. Any student who cheats does so at great risk. The instructor may take actions such as: (a) requiring repetition of the subject work; (b) assigning an F grade or a ‘zero’ grade to the subject work; and/or (c) assigning an F grade for the entire course. For cheating on examinations or term papers the recommended course of action is (c). The instructor must inform both the student and the department chair in writing of the incident, the action(s) taken, if any, and the student’s right to appeal through the appropriate channels in the department, or to the Director of the Office of Student Conduct.

In such circumstances, the instructor must retain copies of any written evidence or observation notes. Moreover, the Department Chair must inform the Office of Student Conduct of the incident, the student’s name, and the action(s) taken by the instructor. The Office of Student Conduct may choose to conduct a formal hearing on the incident and to assess a penalty for misconduct. Ultimately, students willingly involved in a second incident of cheating are dismissed from the University.

Withdrawal

The Graduate Division requires that students be registered continuously until a degree is completed. Students requiring a leave of absence should notify the Student Services Advisor, who can process a request for withdrawal electronically, without the need to file a petition at the Office of the Registrar. A student’s withdrawal is effective the day it is entered into the system even though processing may take up to 10 days on campus. International students requesting a leave of absence should also see an advisor at the Berkeley International Office after consulting with the Student Services Advisor to obtain the necessary paperwork. Students with definite plans for returning to Berkeley may apply for withdrawal and readmission at the same time; those who wish to discontinue their graduate study must formally withdraw from the University, which simplifies the readmission procedure if requested later.

Readmission to the AS&T Graduate Group

Students who have withdrawn from the university and later decide to return and finish their degree requirements must file a “Petition for Readmission,” available from the Graduate Division Degrees Office, 318 Sproul Hall, or on the web. The petition with all required signatures is filed with the Student Services Advisor and the Graduate Division.

Petitions for readmission may also require additional documentation, as advised by the SSA, including official transcripts from other institutions and letter(s) of support from former Faculty Research Advisors. Performance on the oral preliminary examination is an important component of the readmission decision, so it is strongly recommended that all students take the preliminary examination early.

Transfer Policy

Currently enrolled graduate students from departments in the College of Engineering and from departments in the College of Letters and Sciences that are considered to be “science”, “mathematics”, or “technology” departments will be recommended to the Graduate Division for transfer into the Graduate Program in Applied Science and Technology if they have written approvals from the AS&T Head Graduate Advisor and from the Chair of the AS&T Admissions Committee and if they meet the following requirements:

  • They are in good standing with their current department and the Graduate Division
  • They have a UC Berkeley GPA > 3.6
  • They have either passed their Department’s Preliminary Examination or have never failed their Department’s Preliminary Examination
  • They have never failed their Department’s Qualifying Examination
  • They have written evidence that they have full financial support for at least two years
  • They have a written letter by a faculty member currently in AS&T stating that they agree to be the student’s PhD Research Advisor

All other graduate students will be considered for recommendation to the Graduate Division for transfer into the Graduate Program in Applied Science and Technology only after their case has been reviewed by the full AS&T Executive Committee and has received a majority vote of the Executive Committee for recommending transfer. A “Change of Major or Degree Goal” form must be completed and submitted to Graduate Division upon approval of transfer.

Important note: Applications for Readmission and Change of Major or Degree Goals are evaluated simultaneously with all other (new) applications to the graduate group in Applied Science & Technology, and must be received by the same deadline. For AS&T’s annual admission cycle (Fall semester admissions only), the deadline is December 1st for admission in the following year.