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Enrollment & Registration

Academic Advising and Enrolling in Classes (at UCSD)

JDP students are advised about what courses to take at UCSD by the First-Year Advisor. The SDSU advisor remains the student's Thesis Advisor and Doctoral Committee Chair. Students enroll at UCSD the first Fall, Winter, and Spring quarter of their JDP studies; they do not enroll in summer session. First-year students consult with their UCSD First Year Advisor (FYA) about what courses are recommended and required. The quarterly UCSD Schedule of Classes lists all courses offered within a quarter. The UCSD General Catalog has descriptions of the courses.

For second year or later JDP students, students need to inform UCSD Chemistry and Biochemistry’s Student Affairs Office of the intent to enroll in an upcoming quarter. 

Paying Fees

Students must enroll in 12 units per quarter. JDP enrollment fees are waived at UCSD, please consult with SDSU officers for more details on your financial support. 

The UC Graduate and Professional Council (UCGPC) systemwide fee is a non-mandatory $7.00 annual fee. Students may opt out of being charged via Tritonlink. Once a student has elected to opt-out of the fee, their opt-out status will remain in effect for the duration of the student’s graduate academic career at the campus.

All new JDP students are required to pay a one-time $100 document fee in the Fall quarter of their first year. See TritonLink's calendar for Enrollment and Registration deadlines

What to Take

JDP students must spend at least three quarters in academic residency and complete 36 units at UCSD. This is usually accomplished the first full academic year following admission to the Joint Doctoral Program. Students must enroll in a minimum of 12 units each quarter.

To meet the unit requirements, first-year students must follow these guidelines:

  • Twenty four (24) units minimum of graduate level coursework; upper-division (100 level) courses may be eligible towards this 24 minimum pending review of advisor recommendation concerning relevancy to research goals. Upper-division courses (100 level) are often appropriate or necessary to remedy deficiencies noted on placement examinations. No lower-division courses (numbers 1-99) may count toward unit requirements.
  • Maximum of four units of Chemistry 297 in any one quarter may be approved, with a total maximum of 8 units eligible towards the 36 unit requirement. JDP students requesting to enroll in Chem 297 research must meet the following requirements:
  • CHEM 250 and CHEM 509 are not eligible courses for the 12 units/quarter or the 36 total units requirement.
  • Students are encouraged to enroll in seminar courses (e.g., CHEM 227, 293, 294, 295, or 296). Seminars can count towards the 12-unit/quarter minimum and towards the 36 unit requirement.
  • While in the first year of UCSD residency, the First Year Advisor must approve any changes to a course program, including adds, drops, unit changes, and grading option change.
  • Courses from other departments may be taken (e.g., Biology, Physics, Mathematics, School of Medicine, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography). This may be particularly valuable in making contacts with faculty outside the Department for the Doctoral Committee.
  • Courses taken through UCSD Extension –Students may petition to transfer UCSD Extension coursework (taken prior to UCSD graduate program matriculation) to the student’s JDP coursework record though units will not count toward the 36 unit requirement.
  • Graduate level courses at UCSD have two grading options: letter (e.g., A, B, C, D, and F) and S/U (satisfactory and unsatisfactory). Students must take all courses for a letter grade unless the course is offered S/U only. 

Future Years: You are welcome to take as many additional courses as you wish at UCSD. Units at SDSU are chosen in consultation with your Thesis Advisor. You must enroll in CHEM 899 (Dissertation) at SDSU the semester the dissertation is filed.