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.
3. Petition for reasons other than the above, but which are exceptions to University Policy.

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

Completing the Course Petition Instructions

1. Please fill out the petition with as much detail as possible.
2. Send the completed petition to your faculty mentor for approval. Include the course syllabus for your mentor to review.
3. Once your mentor has signed off on the petition and approves your request, you will send the signed petition to DSCgradinfo@ucsd.edu.

Example:

A student would like UWB 200: Underwater Basket Weaving to count as a Group C elective. The student will fill out the course petition and discuss it with their faculty mentor. The student will provide a syllabus of the course for their mentor to review. Once the form is signed and complete, the student will email it to DSCgradinfo@ucsd.edu.

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 declared major. 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.)

E-mail

Students not currently attending UC San Diego can contact the department with questions at dscgradinfo@ucsd.edu.

Current students can contact dscgradinfo@ucsd.edu to schedule academic advising appointments. We also reach out to current students about internship and research opportunities along with program announcements, so please make sure the email is set up to filter into your inbox and not to your junk or spam folders. We will not address duplicate messages sent to both the VAC and the DSC student email.

Virtual Advising Center (VAC)

All students are strongly encouraged to connect with the DSC graduate department through the Virtual Advising Center for non-urgent academic inquiries. The DSC Graduate Student Affairs team will respond to student inquiries in the VAC within 24-48 hours.

Students can access the Virtual Advising Center through TritonLink or by directly by clicking the VAC Button on this page. To reach the DSC Graduate Advising Office directly, choose “Data Science” from the drop-down menu under “Direct To.” Choose “Notify Via Text Message” to ensure you see the VAC response as soon as a DSC Advisor has responded.

Students can refer to the VAC after drop-in sessions and advising appointments for a summary of the meeting and access any discussed links.