UCLA Psychology Graduate Program Admission Requirements

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The UCLA Psychology Department offers graduate Ph.D. training (there is no separate M.A. program or Psy.D. program offered) with area emphases in Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical, Cognitive, Developmental, Health, Quantitative, and Social Psychology. In all of these fields, the central objective is to train researchers dedicated to increasing the body of scientific knowledge upon which the discipline of psychology rests. The program is designed to prepare psychologists to function effectively as researchers, college and university instructors, and professional research psychologists. Graduates are prepared for careers in both academic and applied settings including positions at universities and colleges, research and governmental organizations and business and industry.

Rigorous scientific training is the foundation of the UCLA Psychology Ph.D. program. As part of this training, the Department encourages student participation in the activities of a number of related departments, schools, or organized research units of the University. For instance, the Brain Research Institute, the interdisciplinary Neuroscience and Cognitive programs, the Institute for Social Science Research, and the Neuropsychiatric Institute provide extensive research facilities for interested students. The Fernald Child Study Center, moreover, bolsters the department’s long-standing commitment to training in childhood learning and behavioral disorders. Other departmental resources include the Psychology Clinic. Our close working relations with local hospitals (the Veterans Administration), clinics, and institutes provide a unique opportunity for year-round training and research. UCLA’s exceptionally strong library system (the University Research, Biomedical and Research libraries, among others) perfectly complements the Department’s scholarly activities.

The Psychology Ph.D. program is one of 18 Ph.D. programs in the Division of Life Sciences.

UCLA

The University of California, Los Angeles is one of the nine campuses of the University of California. Located in west Los Angeles, five miles from the Pacific Ocean, UCLA is located in one of the most attractive areas of Southern California. The campus is bordered on the north by the Santa Monica mountains and the Getty Museum, and at its southern gate by Westwood Village, an entertainment magnet with theaters, restaurants, and the Hammer Museum. The treasures of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art are a few miles to the east, as are the communities of Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and the downtown business and entertainment districts.

APPLICATION & INSTRUCTIONS

The deadline to submit the application and all supporting materials (e.g. letters of recommendation, transcripts, etc.) for Fall 2022 admission for the Clinical area only is November 1, 2021. The deadline for all other areas (Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognitive, Developmental, Health, Quantitative, and Social) is December 1, 2021. 

IF YOU HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ONLINE UCLA GRADUATE DIVISION APPLICATION, PLEASE EMAIL THE UCLA GRADUATE DIVISION ADMISSIONS OFFICE AT onlineAppHelp@grad.ucla.edu.

Please note there is no departmental application. The only application you need to complete is the online UCLA Graduate Division Application.  Applications are accepted once a year for the Fall quarter only. 

BE SURE TO READ Information for Prospective Students and Preparation PRIOR TO SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION!  In addition, be sure to visit the link to the specific program to which you plan to apply for additional information. 

You may only apply to one of the seven areas in the Department of Psychology: Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical, Cognitive, Developmental, Health, Quantitative and, Social.

We do not offer rolling admissions or early acceptance into our program. We also do not offer a graduate open house, group information sessions, or tours of the department. 

We do not accept current graduate students transferring directly into our program. Current graduate students that wish to transfer into our program would need to apply and have their material reviewed with the rest of the applicants that apply. 

Please note that a writing sample is not required but can be submitted through the online UCLA Graduate Division Application.

FACULTY ACCEPTING STUDENTS FOR FALL 2022 ADMISSION:

Behavioral Neuroscience Area: Avi Adhikari, H. Tad Blair, Aaron Blaisdell, Dean Buonomano, Michael Fanselow, Adriana Galván, Alicia Izquierdo, Katherine Karlsgodt, Pamela Kennedy, Barbara Knowlton, Hakwan Lau, Martin Monti, Lara Ray, Dario Ringach, Jesse Rissman, Stan Schein, Ladan Shams, Melissa Sharpe, Kate Wassum, Andrew Wikenheiser, Cindy Yee-Bradbury

Clinical Area: Denise Chavira, Bruce Chorpita, Michelle Craske, Katherine Karlsgodt, Steve Lee, Lauren Ng, Lara Ray, Cindy Yee-Bradbury

Cognitive Area: Idan Blank, Alan Castel, Patricia Cheng, David Clewett, Keith Holyoak, Phil Kellman, Barbara Knowlton, Zili Liu, Hongjing Lu, Martin Monti, Jesse Rissman, Ladan Shams

Developmental Area: Bridget Callaghan, Erica Cartmill, Adriana Galvan, Andrew Fuligni, Jennifer Silvers, Catherine Sandhofer, James Stigler

Health Area: Julienne Bower, Christine Dunkel Schetter, Theodore Robles, Jennifer Sumner, Annette Stanton, A. Janet Tomiyama, Patrick Wilson

Quantitative Area: Han Du, Craig Enders, Amanda Kay Montoya, Steven Paul Reise

Social Area: Tiffany Brannon, Naomi Eisenberger, Yuen Huo, Kerri Johnson, Martie Haselton, Matthew Lieberman, Carolyn Parkinson, Efren Perez

INTERVIEW SCHEDULE FOR FALL 2022 ADMISSION:

Applicants that are invited to interview will be notified through email at least two weeks prior. Applicants that are not offered admission to our program for Fall 2022 will be notified by email no later than April 15, 2022. 

Behavioral Neuroscience and Cognitive Areas: TBD

Clinical Area: TBD

Developmental Area: TBD

Health Area: TBD

Quantitative Area: TBD

Social Area: TBD

*** NOTE: ALL OF THE FOLLOWING APPLICATION MATERIALS ARE REQUIRED ***

A) Statement of Purpose & Personal Statement:

The Statement of Purpose and Personal Statement must be submitted electronically through the UCLA Graduate Division Application. Guidelines for the Statement of Purpose: Your statement can be up to 1000 words in length. Please state your purpose in applying for graduate study. Describe your scholarly and research area(s) of interest, experiences that contributed to your preparation in the field, and your plans for your future occupation or profession. Briefly describe experiences that have prepared you for advanced study or research, and provide any additional information that may aid the selection committee in evaluating your preparation and aptitude for graduate study. You are encouraged to indicate specific research interests and potential faculty mentors. Guidelines for the Personal Statement: Your statement can be up to 500 words in length (approximately 1 page, single spaced, using 1-inch margins and 12-point font). Describe how your background, accomplishments, and life experiences (those not already described in your Statement of Purpose) led to your decision to pursue the graduate degree for which you are applying. Include any educational, personal, cultural, economic, or social experiences, challenges or opportunities relevant to your academic journey. In addition, please describe any aspects of your personal background, accomplishments, or achievements that will allow the department to evaluate your contributions to the University’s diversity mission. Contributions to diversity and equal opportunity can take a variety of forms, such as efforts to advance equitable access to education, public service that addresses the need of a diverse population, or research that explores inequalities. Additional Essays: Applicants to the Quantitative area must provide a supplementary essay up to 1000 words describing their research interests in more detail. Supplementary essays are available in the ‘Psychology’ section of the application once you select ‘Psychology PHD’ under ‘Plans for Graduate Study’.

B) Three Letters of Recommendation:

It is your choice who you would like to choose as your recommenders. Your letters of recommendation can be submitted electronically by your recommenders either before or after you submit the UCLA Graduate Division Application. It is also possible to send your letter of recommendation requests to your recommenders before you submit the application. Three (3) letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically through the UCLA Graduate Division Application. Letter of recommendation services such as your school’s career center, Interfolio.com, etc. must also submit letters electronically through the UCLA Graduate Division Application for the letters to be accepted. It is possible to submit more than three (3) letters of recommendation through the UCLA Graduate Division Application. However, only three (3) letters of recommendation are required. The Letter of Recommendation Rating/Reference Form will only be sent to your recommenders when they submit your letters electronically through the UCLA Graduate Division Application.

C) Transcripts:

All applicants must upload transcripts with the application. Unofficial copies of transcripts are acceptable for review purposes. If you are recommended for admission and decide to accept the offer, you must submit final, official copies of your transcript for final approval of your admission by Graduate Division’s Graduate Admissions Office. Any discrepancies between the unofficial and official transcripts could lead to withdrawal of an offer of admission. International applicants must upload copies of original and translated international transcripts per the country- or educational system-specific guidelines here: https://grad.ucla.edu/gasaa/admissions/ACADRECS.HTM. UCLA does not accept international transcripts evaluated or verified by a service such as World Education Services (WES). 

D) Test Scores:

• GRE General Test: Students who wish to apply for admission to our graduate program for the 2022-2023 academic year are not required to take the GRE or submit a GRE score report as part of their application package. However, students may voluntarily submit GRE test scores and they will be reviewed as part of the holistic application consideration. The applications with GRE scores will not be given greater weight than those that do not include scores. 
• GRE Psychology Subject Test: Under normal circumstances, the GRE Psychology Subject Test would be required for all applications to the Clinical area. However, in light of the challenges posed by COVID-19, the GRE Psychology Subject Test will be optional for students submitting applications to our program in 2021 (i.e. for entry in Fall 2022). Applications will be accepted without GRE Psychology Subject test scores. However, applicants offered admission to the Clinical program may be advised to take and submit GRE Psychology Subject Test scores prior to starting the program in Fall 2022. For details, see the Clinical area website. 
• To ensure your official test scores are properly processed if you choose to submit them, please be sure the personal information provided in the UCLA Graduate Division Application matches exactly the information provided to the testing service. Do not wait for your test results to complete the UCLA Graduate Division Application. Educational Testing Service (ETS) sends scores electronically to UCLA. The institution code for UCLA is 4837. The department/major code is not necessary.  
• Official test scores for both the General and the Psychology Subject Test cannot be more than five years old. If the GRE General and Psychology Subject Test are taken more than once, the most recent scores are considered. There are no minimum scores required for the GRE General and Psychology Subject Test.
• TOEFL or IELTS EXAM: INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS whose first language is not English must, in addition to the GREs, submit an official TOEFL (Test of English As a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score. Applicants who hold a bachelor’s or higher degree from a university located in the United States or in another country in which English is both the primary spoken language of daily life and the language of instruction (i.e., Australia, Barbados, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, United Kingdom) and the medium of instruction, or who have completed at least two years of full-time study at such an institution, are exempted from both theTOEFL/IELTS requirement and the English as a Second Language Placement Examination. The minimum TOEFL or IELTS scores are 560 on the paper and pencil test, 220 on the computer-based test, or 87 on the internet-based test (TOEFL/IBT), or overall band score of 7.0 (IELTS). TOEFL and IELTS test scores are valid for only two years. Educational Testing Service (ETS) sends scores electronically to UCLA. The institution code for UCLA is 4837. The department/major code is not necessary. Please contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS) for GRE and TOEFL test scheduling, registration, and information. Visit the Educational Testing Service web site at www.ets.org or call them at (510) 873-8100 (West Coast) or (609) 771-7100 (East Coast). IELTS is administered by local IELTS test centers throughout the world. Applicants should consult www.ielts.org for the nearest IELTS test center.

Upon admission to graduate status, each student is assigned an adviser on the basis of the student’s interests as indicated in the application. Students are required to meet with their adviser to receive approval of their enrollment plan in their first quarter and are strongly encouraged to consult with their adviser about coursework throughout the program. Students who would like to change advisers may request to do so. Students are evaluated quarterly while satisfying core program requirements, a period of time expected to span over six quarters. The evaluations are conducted by the Vice Chair for Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee. Students who are not making satisfactory progress in the program are notified in writing.

In addition, each Spring Quarter, areas are required to conduct a comprehensive review of all graduate students in their program. Each student receives from the area a written evaluation letter. Each Fall Quarter, students in their fourth and sixth year in the program complete progress reports, which are reviewed by their adviser, the area chair, the Graduate Studies Committee Chair, and the Vice Chair for Graduate Studies.

Areas of Study

Not applicable.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

The M.A. degree requires nine graduate courses (36 units). This must include Psychology 250A, 250B, 250C (or a course substitute for 250C approved by the Department), 251B, 251C, and three of the four core courses required for the Doctoral Degree. One 596 course (four units) may be applied as an elective. In addition, the Psychology 251C research project must be completed. Courses in the 300 or 400 series may not be applied. Any undergraduate deficiencies must be cleared before the M.A. degree is awarded. Students who have earned a previous Master’s Degree in Psychology are not permitted to earn a duplicate Master’s Degree in Psychology at UCLA.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Comprehensive Examination Plan

Students must complete a research project which demonstrates their knowledge of relevant scientific literature and their ability to design and conduct a research project and write a complete research report. Students must enroll in Psychology 251A, 251B, and 251C consecutively, beginning in the Winter Quarter of the first year and concluding in the Fall Quarter of the second year.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

Students typically receive the master’s degree by the end of their fourth quarter in residence.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
MA	4	4	4

Doctoral Degree

Advising

Upon admission to graduate status, each student is assigned an adviser on the basis of the student’s interests as indicated in the application. Students are required to meet with their adviser to receive approval of their enrollment plan in their first quarter and are strongly encouraged to consult with their adviser about coursework throughout the program. Students who would like to change advisers may request to do so. Students are evaluated quarterly while satisfying core program requirements, a period of time expected to span over six quarters. The evaluations are conducted by the Vice Chair for Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee. Students who are not making satisfactory progress in the program are notified in writing.

In addition, each Spring Quarter, areas are required to conduct a comprehensive review of all graduate students in their program. Each student receives from the area a written evaluation letter. Each Fall Quarter, students in their fourth and sixth year in the program complete progress reports, which are reviewed by their adviser, the area chair, the Graduate Studies Committee Chair, and the Vice Chair for Graduate Studies.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Students are required to obtain a thorough background in research methodology and psychological theory by completing requirements for both a major and a minor field. Major specialized training is available in the following eight areas of psychology: Behavioral Neuroscience; Clinical; Cognitive; Developmental; Health; Learning and Behavior; Quantitative; and Social Psychology. In addition, students admitted in either the Behavioral Neuroscience or Cognitive Areas may take the program in cognitive neuroscience. The course requirements for the cognitive neuroscience program serve as a combined major and minor. Students who select this option remain in their area of admission for administrative purposes. Students admitted in the Cognitive Area may take the program in Computational Cognition. The course requirements for Computational Cognition serve as a combined major and minor. Student who select this option remain in the Cognitive Area for administrative purposes. Minor areas of study are described below.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Students should refer to the Psychology Handbook available on the departmental web site for additional information on courses that can be applied toward the program requirements listed below.

General Core Course Requirements

All doctoral students must complete the core program, which includes a research sequence (Psychology 251A, 251B, 251C), a statistics sequence (Psychology 250A, 250B, 250C), or a course substitute for 250C approved by the Department, and four additional core courses. Psychology 250A and 250B must be completed in the first year. Psychology 251A, 251B, and 251C must be completed by the end of the Fall Quarter of the second year. The four additional core courses must be completed within the first six quarters in residence. Two core courses are selected from the student’s major area, and two courses are selected from two separate areas outside the student’s major. Core courses can be applied toward major or minor area requirements but not both. Students must complete the core program with a grade of B or better.

Students must enroll in one independent study course each quarter, beginning with Psychology 251A in the Winter Quarter of the first year. Students may select from the following independent study courses: Psychology 251A, 251B, 251C, 596, 597, 599. Beginning in the second year, students must also take at least 4 units of Psychology 596 or 599 each year.

Major Area Course Requirements

Courses applied toward the major must be passed with a grade of B- or better.

Behavioral Neuroscience. Neuroscience M203 and either Neuroscience M202 or Psychology M117A are required. Students interested in molecular biology generally take Neuroscience M203 and minor in neuroscience. All majors must also take eight units from the Psychology 205 series (which are core courses for this major), three quarters of Psychology 212, and two behavioral neuroscience seminars.

Clinical. Psychology 270A and 270B (which are core courses for this major), 270C, 271A, 271B, 271C, 271D, 273A, 273B, 273C, 277, 289A, 289B, 289C, and two advanced clinical courses are required. Psychology 287 may not be applied toward fulfillment of the advanced clinical course. Students who wish to apply Psychology 298 courses toward this requirement must obtain departmental consent.

Prior to the clinical internship, and in consultation with program faculty, all students are required to take courses that enable them to meet the ‘Broad and General Preparation’ coverage required for program accreditation by the American Psychological Association.

Practicum and Internship Requirements for Clinical Students

At least 400 hours of approved, supervised, pre-internship practicum (Psychology 401) are required, of which 150 hours must involve direct clinical service and 75 hours must be formal scheduled supervision. These hours are usually completed during the second through fourth years. All advanced students working with clients must enroll in Psychology 401 (one to four units). All students must take a second‐year practicum in the Psychology Clinic as well as a practicum in the third and/or fourth years at approved practicum sites outside of the Department or within the Psychology Clinic.

All clinical training must be approved by the Director of Clinical Training (DCT) while students are enrolled in the program. Students are discouraged from making independent arrangements for clinical training and are prohibited from providing direct clinical services in clinical settings not expressly approved by the DCT, including private practice psychological assistantships.

The equivalent of one-year’s full-time supervised internship (Psychology 451) in an acceptable setting approved by the faculty is required. This is usually taken in the fifth or sixth year. Students must enroll in at least 12 units of coursework while on internship, including at least eight units in Psychology 451. Students should contact the Department for further information on internship, enrollment, and registration requirements.

In exceptional cases, a student who has completed at least nine months of an approved internship may submit a petition to the DCT to file the dissertation and receive the Ph.D. degree if the student has (1) completed all academic requirements; (2) passed the final oral examination; (3) received doctoral committee approval to file the dissertation; (4) provided evidence of satisfactory completion of at least nine months of an internship approved by the faculty; and (5) obtained approval from the clinical area chair. If the petition is approved, it is with the clear understanding of the student and the Department that the remaining months of internship that are required by the American Psychological Association will be completed as outlined in the internship contract. Such petitions are considered to be exceptions rather than the rule. Documentation of subsequent internship completion will be provided by the DCT.

Cognitive. Two courses from Psychology 261-264 (which are core courses for this major), Psychology 260A and 260B, and two additional cognitive area courses are required.

Cognitive Neuroscience. The following course requirements satisfy both major and minor area requirements in cognitive neuroscience: Eight units from the Psychology 205 series or four units from the Psychology 205 series and the four-unit Neuroscience 205 course (which are core courses for the behavioral neuroscience major), one cognitive area core course, and one additional core course in an area outside of behavioral neuroscience and cognitive. Students must also take Neuroscience M203, three quarters of Psychology 212, Psychology 260A and 260B, and five additional courses.

Computational Cognition. The following course requirements satisfy both major and minor area requirements for cognitive area students who elect the major area track in computational cognition: Two courses from Psychology 261-264 (which are core courses for the cognitive major), Psychology 260A and 260B, Statistics 200A, three courses in computational methods, and one cognitive area course.

Developmental. Two courses from Psychology 240A, 240B, or 240C (which are core courses for this major), six quarters of Psychology 241, and two additional developmental area courses are required.

Health Psychology. Psychology 215A and 215B (which are core courses for this major), Psychology 218, six quarters of Psychology 425, and two additional health psychology courses are required. One quarter of Psychology 425 must be taken simultaneously with Psychology 215A.

Learning and Behavior. Two courses from Psychology 200A, 200B, or 200C (which are core courses for this major) and two additional courses are required. Enrollment in Psychology 201 is required each quarter the course is offered.

Quantitative. Psychology 250C and 255A (which are core courses for this major), two additional quantitative area courses, and at least five additional courses from Psychology, Education, Statistics, or Biostatistics are required.

Social. Psychology 220A and 220B (which are core courses for this major) and two additional social area courses are required. In addition, during the first year, students must enroll in Psychology 226B during the Winter Quarter and one additional Psychology 226 in Fall or Spring Quarter. During the second and third years, students must enroll in three additional quarters of Psychology 226.

Minor Area Course Requirements

All students are required to complete one minor area. An exception is made for students majoring in cognitive neuroscience and computational cognition, which have combined major and minor requirements. Courses applied toward the minor must be passed with a grade of B- or better. Students may minor in any of the areas listed below. Students may also petition for individualized minors.

The minor is normally satisfied by taking three to four specified courses as indicated below. In planning a minor, students should note that the same course cannot count toward both a student’s major and minor requirements. The following is a list of courses required to complete the standard departmental minors.

Behavioral Neuroscience. Four units of Psychology 205 and eight additional units of behavioral neuroscience and/or neuroscience courses.

Cognitive. Three cognitive courses, two of which must be from Psychology 259 through 266.

Computational Cognition. Two courses in computational methods and one course in statistics.

Culture, Brain, and Development. Psychology M247, one course in culture, one course in development, and one course on the brain.

Developmental. Two courses from Psychology 240A, 240B, or 240C, and one additional developmental area course.

Diversity Science. Psychology 295 and two additional courses.

Health Psychology. Psychology 215A, two quarters of 425, and two additional health psychology courses.

Human-Computer Interaction. Psychology 298 (Introduction to User Interface Design) and two additional courses in Psychology, Information Studies and/or Design | Media Arts.

Learning and Behavior. Two courses from Psychology 200A, 200B, or 200C, and one additional learning and behavior area course.

Neuroscience. Neuroscience M201 and six additional neuroscience units.

Political Psychology. Psychology M228A or M228B and two additional courses.

Quantitative. Three quantitative area courses.

Social. Psychology 220A, 220B, and one additional social area course.

Teaching Experience

All students are required to take Psychology 495 in the Spring Quarter of their first year of the graduate program and in the quarter they first serve as a teaching assistant.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass University written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations the University oral qualifying examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to University requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

The qualifying examination generally consists of three separate segments. The first is an examination administered by the major area, which examines in breadth the student’s knowledge of the major field. The second segment is an individualized examination required by the Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical, Health, and Quantitative Areas. The individualized examination assesses the student’s in-depth knowledge of the area of specialization. The third segment is the University Oral Qualifying Examination. All Ph.D. requirements besides the dissertation must be completed before students are allowed to take the University Oral Qualifying Examination, which must be taken by the end of the fourth year in residence.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy and awarded the Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of the Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

The normative time-to-degree for doctoral requirements is six years. Students are required to complete various stages of the program as follows:

Core Program: No later than Spring Quarter of the second year of the graduate program.

Coursework Requirements: Prior to taking the University Oral Qualifying Examination.

Comprehensive Examinations: Students should refer to individual area guidelines in the Psychology Handbook.

University Oral Qualifying Examination: No later than Spring Quarter of the fourth year of the graduate program.

Final Oral Examination: No later than Spring Quarter of the sixth year of the graduate program.

Degree Requirement Completion: All requirements for the Ph.D. degree, including the filing of the dissertation, must be completed within six calendar years of the date of admission to the graduate program.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
PhD	12	18	27

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their Department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

In addition to the standard reasons noted above, a student may be recommended for termination if the student receives two grades of B-, one grade lower than B- in the core program, or does not meet the time requirements for completion of the core program. Such cases are considered by the Graduate Studies Committee. If a recommendation for termination is approved by the Department Chair, the recommendation is sent to the Graduate Division by the Vice Chair for Graduate Studies.

Area committees may also recommend that a student be terminated. Grounds for a recommendation for termination include: a pattern of unsatisfactory performance in other course work; failure of a qualifying examination; substantial violations of professional or ethical standards as those standards are defined by law or by the Ethical Principles of Psychologists of the American Psychological Association (adopted January 24, 1981; American Psychologist, 1981, 36, 633-638); or, for clinical students, inadequate professional skills. A recommendation for termination also may be initiated by the Graduate Studies Committee for insufficient progress toward the Ph.D. degree, as evidenced by a failure to obtain the degree within six calendar years following matriculation. If approved by the Department Chair, a recommendation for termination is sent to the Graduate Division by the Vice Chair for Graduate Studies.

Students are informed in writing by the Vice Chair for Graduate Studies when actions concerning them are under consideration by the Graduate Studies Committee. A student may appeal a recommendation for termination to the Department Chair.