Navigating Graduation Requirements at UCLA: A Comprehensive Guide

Graduating from UCLA represents the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and intellectual exploration. To successfully reach this milestone, students must navigate a comprehensive set of requirements that vary depending on their school, major, and degree program. This article provides a detailed overview of the graduation requirements at UCLA, drawing primarily from the UCLA General Catalog and other official sources. It covers requirements for both undergraduate and graduate students, including general education, major-specific coursework, residency, and other essential criteria.

Understanding the UCLA General Catalog

The UCLA General Catalog serves as the primary source of information regarding all academic policies, course descriptions, and curricular degree requirements. Published annually in both PDF and HTML formats, the catalog strives for accuracy, but it is crucial to remember that all information, including courses, instructor designations, and fees, is subject to change or deletion without notice. Students should always consult the most current version of the catalog for the most up-to-date and officially approved information. Additional details about specific programs and schools can be found in materials produced by the various schools within UCLA, such as the schools of Arts and Architecture; Dentistry; Education and Information Studies; Engineering and Applied Science; Law; Management; Medicine; Music; Nursing; Public Affairs; Public Health; and Theater, Film, and Television.

Undergraduate Graduation Requirements

To earn a bachelor's degree from UCLA, undergraduate students must fulfill a range of requirements spanning university-wide mandates, school-specific criteria, and major-related coursework. These requirements are designed to ensure that graduates possess a well-rounded education and a deep understanding of their chosen field.

University of California Requirements

All undergraduate students in the University of California system must satisfy two system-wide requirements:

Entry-Level Writing or English as a Second Language: This requirement ensures that all students possess adequate writing skills. Students may need to take English Composition 1A, 1B, and 2I before enrolling in a Writing I course if their native language is not English.
American History and Institutions: This requirement ensures that students have a basic understanding of the history and governmental structures of the United States.

UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science Requirements

Students pursuing a bachelor's degree in any major within the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science must meet the following requirements:

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Minimum Units: Complete a minimum of 180 units. Enrollment may not normally be continued in the school without special permission from the associate dean after 213 quarter units.
Grade Point Average (GPA): Maintain at least a 2.0 (C) grade-point average (GPA) in all courses taken at any UC campus. Additionally, students must achieve at least a 2.0 GPA in all upper-division courses offered in satisfaction of the subject and elective requirements of the curriculum. A 2.0 minimum GPA in upper-division mathematics, upper-division core courses, and the major field is also required for graduation.
Residence Requirement: Of the last 48 units completed for the BS degree, 36 must be earned in residence at UCLA Samueli on this campus.
Writing Requirement: Complete a two-term writing requirement consisting of Writing I and Engineering Writing. The Engineering Writing requirement is satisfied by selecting one approved Engineering Writing (EW) course from the school writing course list or by selecting one approved Writing II (W) course. The course must be completed with a C or better grade (a C- or Passed grade is not acceptable).
Technical Breadth Requirement: Complete a set of three courses providing sufficient breadth outside the student’s core program. A list of school Faculty Executive Committee-approved technical breadth requirement courses is available online or in the Office of Academic and Student Affairs, and deviations from that list are subject to approval by the associate dean for Academic and Student Affairs.
Ethics and Professionalism Requirement: Satisfy the ethics and professionalism requirement by completing one course from Engineering 181EW, 182EW, 183EW, or 185EW with a C or better grade (a C- or Passed grade is not acceptable).
General Education (GE) Requirement: Complete five courses (24 units minimum) to fulfill the General Education requirement. Students may take one GE course per term on a Passed/Not Passed (P/NP) basis if they are in good academic standing. Engineering writing requirement courses also approved for GE credit may be applied toward the relevant GE foundational areas. Courses in the GE area supply perspectives and intellectual skills necessary to comprehend and think critically about our situation in the world as human beings. In particular, courses furnish the basic means to appreciate and evaluate the ongoing efforts of humans to explain, translate, and transform their diverse experiences of the world through such media as language, literature, philosophical systems, images, sounds, and performances. Courses also introduce students to the ways in which humans organize, structure, rationalize, and govern their diverse societies and cultures over time. Courses in this area ensure that students gain a fundamental understanding of how scientists formulate and answer questions about the operation of both the physical and biological world. Courses also deal with some of the most important issues, developments, and methodologies in contemporary science, addressing such topics as the origin of the universe, environmental degradation, and the decoding of the human genome.
Preparation for the Major: Complete a set of courses known as preparation for the major.
Major Coursework: Complete all required upper-division courses for the chosen major. Students must complete their major with a scholarship grade-point average of at least 2.0 (C) in all courses in order to remain in the major. Each course in the major department must be taken for a letter grade.

Transfer Students

Transfer students from California community colleges have the option to fulfill UCLA lower-division GE requirements by completing the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) prior to transfer. The curriculum consists of a series of subject areas and types of courses that have been agreed on by the University of California and the California community colleges. Although GE or transfer core courses are degree requirements rather than admission requirements, students are advised to fulfill them prior to transfer. The IGETC significantly eases the transfer process, as all UCLA GE requirements are fulfilled when students complete the IGETC courses. Students who select the IGETC must complete it entirely before enrolling at UCLA. Otherwise, they must fulfill UCLA Samueli GE requirements. Transfer applicants may complete courses in addition to those above that satisfy degree requirements.

Graduate Graduation Requirements

Graduate students at UCLA must adhere to specific requirements to earn their master's and doctoral degrees. These requirements encompass academic standing, residency, advancement to candidacy, and culminating projects such as theses or dissertations.

General Requirements for Graduate Students

Academic Standing: To be in good academic standing, a cumulative ‘B’ (3.0) grade point average is required in all courses taken in graduate status at the University.
Academic Residence: Students are required to complete at least three quarters of academic residence (registration and enrollment) in graduate status at the University of California, including at least two quarters at UCLA. One quarter of residence in summer study may also be earned in either of these ways: (1) enrollment in two six-week Summer Sessions taking at least two units of upper division and/or graduate work in each session, OR (2) enrollment in one eight-week Summer Sessions for at least four units of credit.

Master's Degree Requirements

Advancement to Candidacy: It is the student’s responsibility to file advancement to candidacy forms for the master’s degree in the major department no later than the second week of the quarter in which the student expects the award of the degree. An eligible student who plans to pay a Filing Fee in the final quarter must advance to candidacy at least one quarter prior to using the Filing Fee. The advancement to candidacy forms must be received at the Registrar’s Office no later than the Friday of second week of the quarter. Advancement to candidacy may not occur until the foreign language requirement has been satisfied. Master’s advancement to candidacy should always precede doctoral advancement to candidacy. Petitions and transcripts pertinent to the master’s program should be attached to the advancement to candidacy form.
Time Limit: Candidates have one calendar year from the date of advancement to candidacy in which to complete all requirements for the degree. After that point, a petition to extend candidacy is required. In instances where five years have passed since advancement to candidacy, the student and department must justify in writing to the Division of Graduate Education why the student should be allowed to graduate without being required to repeat course work, examination or language requirements.
Thesis or Comprehensive Examination: Depending on what is offered by their major department, students follow either the thesis plan (Plan I) or the comprehensive examination plan (Plan II). The University minimum standards are the same under either plan, but a department may set higher standards and require additional courses and/or examinations to evaluate a student’s capability in his or her field. The departmental graduate adviser should be consulted concerning such requirements. Every master’s degree program that includes a Thesis Plan (Plan I) requires the completion of an approved thesis that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research.

Doctoral Degree Requirements

Program of Study: A doctoral student’s program of study is planned in consultation with the faculty adviser and/or departmental guidance committee, who supervise the student’s activities until the appointment of the doctoral committee. This program lies within the scope of the departmental or interdepartmental program which has been approved by the Graduate Council. However, it is designed with flexibility for individual needs and interests. The University does not specify course requirements for doctoral programs.
Academic Residence: Doctoral students are required to complete at least two years of academic residence (registration and enrollment) in graduate status at the University of California, including one year, ordinarily the second, in continuous residence at UCLA. If the master’s degree was earned at UCLA, one year of the residence requirement may have been met towards the doctorate. In most cases, however, a longer period of academic residence is necessary, and from three to five years is generally considered optimal.
Advancement to Candidacy: Students are advanced to candidacy following completion of course and language requirements and the written and oral qualifying examinations. The academic residence requirement for doctoral advancement to candidacy consists of four quarters of registration, three of which (ordinarily the last three) must be spent in continuous residence at UCLA. If offered by the program, the Candidate in Philosophy degree is awarded for the quarter in which the student is advanced to candidacy. A student may not advance to doctoral candidacy and receive a doctoral degree in the same quarter. At least one quarter must elapse between the doctoral advancement to candidacy and the completion of degree requirements (filing of dissertation).
Time Limit: In instances where ten years have passed since advancement to candidacy, the doctoral committee chair must justify in writing to the Division of Graduate Education why the student should be allowed to graduate without being required to repeat course work, examination or language requirements. In all such cases, the student is required to complete a final oral examination (defense of the dissertation) with all committee members present.
Dissertation: Every doctoral 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. The choice of subject must be approved by the doctoral committee which usually reviews and approves the dissertation prospectus at the time of the University oral qualifying examination. If planning to submit a dissertation during the current academic year, the student is encouraged to attend a workshop on manuscript preparation and filing procedures conducted by the Division of Graduate Education at the beginning of each quarter.
Final Oral Examination: If the final oral examination is required, either for all students in a specific degree program or for an individual student by the doctoral committee, normally the entire committee must be in attendance and each member must record a decision of “passed” or “not passed.” A student is not considered to have passed the final oral examination with more than one “not passed” vote, regardless of the size of the committee. The final oral examination may be waived with the written consent of all members of the doctoral committee on a designated form submitted to the Division of Graduate Education.

Additional Requirements and Considerations

Law School Requirements

Effective May 2024, a J.D. student must undertake an educationally related work experience, or other educationally related structured activity (e.g., law course(s) or a training program related to practicing law), during each summer that remains until graduation, unless the student receives a waiver of this requirement for good cause. This requirement does not apply to LL.M.-to-J.D. transfer students or students who are on leave the semester before or after the relevant summer. All other students must apply to the Office of Career Services for a recommendation on a waiver. For those students who may not be eligible for a waiver, the Office of Public Interest Programs and the Rand Schrader Pro Bono Program at UCLA will work with students to find an appropriate educationally related work experience, or other educationally related structured activity, that accommodates the students' needs.

In all other cases, the law school’s expectation is that students will attend class in person, even when it is not convenient for them to do so. If the course instructor chooses, the instructor has discretion to grant exceptions and provide access to live streams or class recordings to students for reasons such as an illness, personal obligations, or a family emergency. Any student’s request to attend more than 16% cumulatively of the course’s class meetings remotely via livestream or access to video recordings requires approval from the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs after consultation with the instructor. The Assistant Dean may grant this approval only in exceptional circumstances.

Transcripts

Complete official transcripts are available approximately 30 working days after the last day of the term. For graduating students, official transcripts with the graduation date included are available approximately seven weeks after the end of the term.

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