Frequently Asked Questions for First Year PhD Students
1.
When does orientation for the new
academic year begin?
2.
Is there a Math Camp for all
incoming doctoral students?
4.
Is there training for Teaching
Assistants?
5.
What should I know about balancing my
grader/TA responsibilities with my coursework?
7.
How do I go about getting a Research
Assistant (RA) position for the summer?
8.
How do I apply for a summer session
TA-ship?
9.
What percentage of
students complete the PhD program?
10.
Why do students leave the program? Where do they go?
11.
What are my options for housing?
13.
What are the funding opportunities for graduate student research
at UCSD?
14.
Is foreign language competency a requirement of the program?
When
does orientation for the new academic year begin?
The
Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) at UCSD hosts a one-day orientation for all
incoming PhD students. It is usually held on the Friday before the fall quarter
begins. The orientation aims to familiarize new students to all university
programs and resources. OGS
also provides a handy welcome
packet.
Is there a Math
Camp for all incoming doctoral students?
There
is an optional 5-day "Math Camp" for incoming PhD students in political science. This is an intensive math
refresher course that focuses on core concepts that you will use frequently as
a graduate student. The teaching faculty varies from year to year. In 2007, Professor Scott Desposato
coordinated the math camp; an outline of his course is online here.
The camp is typically held in the week before fall quarter begins.
You will receive information on the 2008 math camp as it becomes available.
In
terms of hours per week, the average workload should be about as follows:
25%
= 10 hours/week
33%
= 13.3 hours/week
50%
= 20 hours/week
Keep in mind that this is the average expected workload; in practice the workload will vary from week to week, especially for graders. Your primary responsibilities may be as either a grader or a section leader (normally, however, we do not assign first year students to lead sections). We have about 6 lower division courses that require section leaders, at up to 50% time.
Is
there training for Teaching Assistants?
Yes. All students awarded teaching assistantships
(graders and section leaders) will receive training from the Senior Teaching Assistant
in the department, in conjunction with the Center for Teaching Development.
What
should I know about balancing my grader/TA responsibilities with my coursework?
Many
PhD students before you have proven that it is possible to simultaneously
perform TA duties and excel in coursework and other aspects of the program,
such as general exams. A good strategy
is to plan ahead, using slack times in grading to get a jump on peak periods in
your coursework (and vice versa).
It
is up to the individual student. In practice, some students stay on campus
during the summer, working as research assistants for faculty members or
teaching in summer session (there are
a limited number of TA-ships available in the summer session, for graders and
section leaders). Some students travel
to do fieldwork for their dissertations while others work off-campus or go home
for the summer.
How
do I go about getting a Research Assistant (RA) position for the summer?
You
should contact the faculty member(s) with whom you would like to work, asking
if they need an RA for the summer. A
number of faculty members have large external grants which allow them to fund
one or more RAs. Others have UCSD
funding for this purpose. This is a great way to build ties to faculty and to
learn skills that will be useful to your academic progress.
How
do I apply for a summer session TA-ship?
You should contact faculty members teaching summer session courses and let them know you are interested in serving as a TA for their courses.
What percentage of students complete the PhD program?
On
average, about 60% of admitted students complete the program with a PhD. The completion rate varies by year but seems
to be trending higher in recent years. For example, our current 5th year class has 70% of it
original members on track to complete their dissertations.
Why
do students leave the program? Where do
they go?
Students
that leave the program do so for many reasons: personal and family issues,
career changes, etc. They take jobs in
government, private industry, and consulting, among other areas.
What
are my options for housing?
Please consult the Office of
Housing for information on your options.
In practice, students live in variety of locations on campus and
throughout the greater
Students are allotted $200 per year for travel expenses (airfare only) to attend professional conferences where they are presenting work.
What
are the funding opportunities for graduate student research at UCSD?
Please
consult Fellowship & Funding
Opportunities at UCSD for a compendium of university resources. Our students have also had success winning
dissertation fellowships from the Institute
on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC), which provides funding for UC
graduate students from all campuses through its annual fellowship
competition. There are additional
fellowships for research travel provided by the Dean of Social Sciences.
Is foreign language competency a requirement of the program?
There
is no foreign language competency requirement.
Students that need a foreign language(s) for their research are expected
to attain such competency.