Academic Advising Appointments

Scheduled appointments are available during specified times in 15- to 30-minute increments. Advising appointment topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Developing long-term academic plans
• Students facing academic difficulty or other challenges that may require a referral
• Assistance preparing/submitting academic forms
• Discussions of academic difficulty or other challenges

Students should contact DSC Student Affairs at least 48 hours in advance to schedule an appointment. To schedule an appointment:

• PhD w/Kimber
• MS w/Laura

If you need to cancel your appointment, we request that you notify the department at least 24 hours in advance.

E-mail

Prospective students not currently enrolled at UC San Diego can contact the department with questions at DSCGradAdmissions@ucsd.edu.

Current students can contact DSCgradinfo@ucsd.edu if they have an urgent need requiring an immediate response, but should prioritize using the VAC

We also reach out to current students about internship and research opportunities along with program announcements using the DSCgradinfo@ucsd.edu address, so please make sure the email is set up to filter into your inbox and not to your junk or spam folders.

A course petition is available to MS and PhD Students. This form may be used to:

1. Receive credit for a course substitution. For example, if you have taken a course that is not on an approved list published in the general catalog or department publications and you would like to receive credit for the course towards your degree, you will use this petition.
2. Request to waive a prerequisite requirement for any required course. Remember to include a course number.

*Please keep in mind that submitting a petition does not guarantee approval. It is dependent on faculty or course instructor review and approval.

Completing the Course Petition Instructions

The Graduate Committee has established a formal process to ensure that all course petitions are reviewed efficiently. Petitions will be returned to the submitter until they have been properly completed. Follow the steps below carefully to submit your petition through the petition portal. Incomplete or unclear submissions may result in immediate denial.

Steps to Submit Your Course Petition
Step 1: Gather Required Documents
You must prepare and group the following documents into a single PDF:

• Transcript: Include a copy of your official transcript, highlighting the relevant course(s) to your petition and the grading scale/system. If document is not in English, please include a translation.
• Course Syllabus/Description: Provide the syllabus and/or a detailed course description. Do not provide only links, but include the actual PDF pages.
• Petition Justification: Write a clear, well-organized explanation of why you believe you should receive the prerequisite or course waiver.

Step 2: Prepare Supporting Documentation
To ensure clarity and proper review, follow these expectations when preparing your documents:
1. Highlight Relevant Courses on Your Transcript:

• Use a highlighter, box, or arrow to clearly indicate the specific course(s) relevant to your petition.
• This ensures faculty can easily locate the information on your transcript.

2. Include Score Conversion Details (if applicable):

• If your transcript includes grades in a non-standard format (e.g., 3 out of 4 or 9 out of 10), provide a page explaining the grade conversion to the 4.0 scale.
• This step is crucial for international transcripts.

3. Edit Your Petition Justification for Clarity:

• Outline the content of the relevant course(s).
• Clearly state the grade you earned for each course.
• Provide a detailed explanation of why the course(s) meet the petition requirements.
• Do not include hyperlinks. Instead, organize your documents as follows:
• First Document: Highlighted transcript
• Second Document: Course syllabus or description

Step 3: Submit Your Petition
Upload all required and properly prepared documents to the petition portal as a single packaged PDF. Ensure your submission meets the requirements outlined above to avoid denial.
Important Reminder
The Graduate Committee has emphasized that petitions not submitted properly will be denied by faculty. Supporting documentation that is unclear, incomplete, or unorganized will result in delays or rejection.
If you have any questions about the process, please reach out before submitting your petition.

For Course Petition Click Here

Drop In Advising

All students are strongly encouraged to attend drop-in advising PRIOR to scheduling an advising appointment. Drop-in sessions are designed to be 10-15 minutes in length and are open to all students, regardless of program. These sessions are for 1-2 questions that can quickly be addressed. If the DSC Grad Advisor determines an inquiry will take longer to address, students will be asked to schedule a follow-up advising appointment.

Drop-in advising is given on a first come, first served basis; there is no guarantee that you will see an advisor during drop-in advising. Students will not be allotted additional time as we often have several students waiting. The last student will be seen 15 minutes before the end of the advising hours available that day. Drop-in advising topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Degree checks
• Review of courses for the current quarter
• Selection of courses for the upcoming quarter
• Review already completed forms (Petitions, Study Abroad documents, Financial Aid Academic Plans, etc.)