MFA Advancement & Final Degree Paperwork

​

Overview

• Grad Program Coordinator Role
• Final Year Timeline
• Why Advancement?
• Quarterly Deadlines
• What to Do Each Quarter
• Missed Deadlines
• Petitions
• Resources

2

The Role of a Grad Program Coordinator

• Arts Liaison to Grad Division
• Nothing is official unless approved by Grad Division
• Making sure that MFAs submit documents by deadlines
• Guide MFAs through grad documents
• Internal submissions
• Initiate PowerForms
• Commencement & Grad Hooding

3

Final Year Timeline

4

Final Year Timeline - Advancement

• In accordance with University of California policy, students must be advanced to candidacy for their degree prior to the beginning of the final quarter of enrollment.
• Students MAY NOT advance to candidacy and graduate in the same quarter.
• Example: If students plan to graduate in Spring 2025, they need to submit advancement in Winter 2025.
• Final Degree Paperwork is expected to be submitted the following quarter.

5

Why Do MFAs Have to “Advance?”

• When a student begins a graduate program, they are not yet a candidate for a graduate degree.
• To become a candidate for a graduate degree, a student must complete certain academic requirements to achieve the milestone of becoming a candidate for that degree.
• Advancement-to-candidacy signifies that the student has completed their coursework and other requirements and is ready to move forward to the thesis/comprehensive exam phase for master’s students.

6

Deadlines

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

• Filing Deadlines: https://grad.uci.edu/academics/filing-deadlines.php
• Date has not been determined by Grad Division*
• Dates in parenthesis are internal deadlines for docs to be submitted to Grad Program Coordinator**

7

UPDATED 9/17/2024

First Quarter in Final Year

• Check Unofficial Transcript & DegreeWorks via StudentAccess
• Units & Electives in DegreeWorks is not always accurate
• Check to see if petitions for courses need to be submitted
• Establish thesis/project committee
• Decide whether submitting final paperwork via Library (Plan I) or Internal (Plan II)

8

Thesis Committee Requirements

• MFAs must have a minimum of three (3) committee members (majority must be from home department)
• Lecturers (who do not have a Security of Employment) may not serve as a chair of a committee and may only serve as a committee member with a letter of exception from the department to Grad Division
• Chair of committee must be of someone from the home department, but someone outside of the department can serve as co-chair with member from home department

9

How Should You File? Library or Internal?

Library Filing (Plan I)

• Requires specific library formatting guidelines
• $55 fee due to the cashier’s office
• More autonomy in acquiring signatures and submitting all paperwork to the library and graduate division by the deadlines
• The Grad Program Coordinator does not monitor students filing through the library – students are expected to submit all materials by the deadlines and leave enough time for the appropriate offices to review and accept materials

Internal Filing (Plan II)

• It will be noted that student completed a comprehensive exam instead of a thesis (this is due to the logistics of not filing officially through the library)
• The title of thesis will not appear on student’s transcript
• Thesis will be kept internally in home department
• Traditionally, Acting, Directing, Design, and Music Performance students have filed internally

10

Benefits of Library and Internal Filing

Library Filing (Plan I)

• Having thesis online in the library archives for others to view (if filed electronically)
• Having a physical copy of thesis in the library (if filed a paper thesis)
• Thesis title will be printed on student’s transcript
• Graduate Division will note that student filed a thesis instead of a comprehensive exam

Internal Filing (Plan II)

• No additional fees
• May be a good option for students who are not writing a traditional thesis or who do not want their thesis made public
• Students submit internal filing materials to the Graduate Program Coordinator, and they collect final degree paperwork documents and submit to graduate division on your behalf

11

Regardless of which way you choose to file, students will graduate with the same MFA degree.

​

Second Quarter in Final Year

• Check UCI email in early February for an email from the Grad Program Coordinator that will include the following documents/information:
• Personalized Degree Audit (PDF attachment)
• Survey link for DocuSign Advancement form
• Petition link with instructions
• Samples of the Final Degree Paperwork
• Deadline Sheet
• Filing requirements for Library (Plan I) & Internal (Plan II)

12

Second Quarter in Final Year

• Review Degree Audit to make sure it is correct
• Submit Advancement Survey to Grad Program Coordinator to ensure that the form is sent to Grad Division by the deadline
• Once students complete the survey, the Grad Program Coordinator will initiate the Advancement form via DocuSign.
• Students will receive an email from dse_na3@docusign.net to access the document and complete the form. The form will then be routed to the next person to sign.
• Grad Division will email student once their Advancement has been approved

13

MFA Advancement Survey

Information you need to complete this survey:

• What quarter and year are you completing your degree?
• Will you opt for Plan I or Plan II?
• Plan I: Thesis committee members and their emails
• Plan II: Project committee members and their emails
• Faculty emails: https://directory.uci.edu/

14

MFA Advancement Process

• Once students complete the survey, the Grad Program Coordinator will initiate the Advancement form via DocuSign.
• Students will receive an email from dse_na3@docusign.net to access the document and complete the form. The form will then be routed to the next person to sign.

​

​

15

Last Quarter in Final Year

• Finish thesis and/or project
• Submit documents by deadlines*
• Students submitting via the Library will send thesis directly to Library; Will notify Grad Program Coordinator to initiate signature page for Grad Division at the same time
• Students submitting Internally will send documents directly to Grad Program Coordinator by internal deadline
• PLAN AHEAD!
• Do not assume that you can complete all submissions in one day. You need time for documents to route

16

*Details of how to submit final documents will be provided at the beginning of the final quarter

Submitting to Different Departments

• Department
• Art, Dance, Drama, & Music
• CTSA
• Dean’s Office & Arts Student Affairs
• UCI
• UCI Libraries
• Graduate Division
• Official degree granting entity

​

17

Missed Deadlines

• $$$ & Extra Paperwork
• Possible Options
• Degree, No Fee (Late certification)
• Filing Fee ($209)
• Leave of Absence
• Withdrawal
• All Incompletes (I) and No Report (NR) must be amended before degree can be certified

​

18

Petitions

• When students deviate from the curriculum requirements:
• Transferring courses from another program to count towards your current program
• Waving requirements
• Substituting courses (most common)
• Received a B- in a course and would like to have it count towards degree
• Students should submit petitions:
• AFTER completing the course
• With Advancement Documents
• With Final Degree Paperwork
• Complete online survey: https://uci.questionpro.com/artsgradpetition

19

Questions?

Email Jenn Wong at jt.wong@uci.edu

​

Schedule a 20-minute appointment with Jenn at https://appointments.web.uci.edu/default.aspx?calendar=31

​

Graduate Advancement Resource Page: https://www.arts.uci.edu/grad-advancement

​

Grad Degree Checklists: https://www.arts.uci.edu/graduate-degree-requirements

​

20