i
THE COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
GRADUATE GROUP
Handbook and Reference Guide
2020-2021
0
Table of Contents
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GRADUATE GROUP ...............................................................................2
PURPOSE AND VISION .............................................................................................................................2
GRADUATE GROUP STRUCTURE .................................................................................................................2
WHO IS MY FACULTY ADVISOR? ................................................................................................................3
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GRADUATE GROUP KEY PERSONNEL .....................................................................4
GRADUATE ADVISORS ........................................................................................................................................ 4
GRADUATE GROUP GOVERNING COMMITTEES AND OFFICERS ................................................................................... 4
CORE STAFF PEOPLE ........................................................................................................................................... 4
II. PLANS OF STUDY & OTHER REQUIREMENTS .................................................................................. 11
PLAN I. THESIS AND THESIS PROJECT OPTION + THESIS DEFENSE ..................................................................... 11
PLAN II. WRITTEN COMPREHENSIVE EXAM + ORALS OPTION ......................................................................... 14
INTERNSHIP REQUIREMENT..................................................................................................................... 15
FILING FEE STATUS ............................................................................................................................... 16
GRADUATION ...................................................................................................................................... 16
CORE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COURSES (REQUIRED) .............................................................................. 16
METHODOLOGY (REQUIRED) .................................................................................................................. 17
CORE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COURSES (ELECTIVES) .............................................................................. 18
INTERNSHIP/TA/RESEARCH COURSES ....................................................................................................... 21
THESIS PROPOSAL GUIDELINES ................................................................................................................ 22
THE PROPOSAL................................................................................................................................................ 22
INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD ......................................................................................................................... 23
THE THESIS PROJECT OPTION .................................................................................................................. 24
THE DEFENSE .................................................................................................................................................. 24
SUBMITTING AN ELECTRONIC COPY OF YOUR THESIS ............................................................................................. 24
KEY MILESTONES TO COMPLETING THE M.S. IN 2 YEARS ............................................................................... 25
III. RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................. 27
LOANS, GRANTS, AND FELLOWSHIPS ......................................................................................................... 27
THE ERNA AND ORVILLE THOMPSON GRADUATE STUDENT FUND..................................................................... 27
GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT – WORK-STUDY ....................................................................................... 27
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TAS AND READERS ............................................................................................................................... 28
THE CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS (CEE) .......................................................................................... 28
THE UC DAVIS CENTER FOR REGIONAL CHANGE .......................................................................................... 29
GETTING BY, GETTING AROUND .............................................................................................................. 30
OTHER RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................... 31
CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY ............................................................................................................................... 31
IV. FORMS ....................................................................................................................................... 32
MASTER OF SCIENCE PROGRAM IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ....................................................... 33
SELECTION OF PERMANENT ADVISOR ............................................................................................... 36
CHANGE OF GRADUATE ADVISOR ..................................................................................................... 37
APPOINTMENT OF MASTER’S THESIS COMMITTEE ............................................................................. 38
REPORT ON INTERNSHIP ................................................................................................................... 39
ADVISOR’S REPORT ON MASTERS THESIS PROPOSAL DEFENSE ........................................................... 40
2018-19 GRADUATION/DEGREE DEADLINES FOR MASTER’S STUDENTS ............................................................ 41
V. APPENDICES ................................................................................................................................ 42
APPENDIX I: ........................................................................................................................................ 43
GUIDELINES FOR AWARDING ACADEMIC CREDIT FOR COURSEWORK REQUIRING CONTRACTS ....................................... 43
APPENDIX II: ....................................................................................................................................... 44
HOW TO SELECT A FACULTY SPONSOR FOR INTERNSHIPS ........................................................................................ 44
APPENDIX III: ...................................................................................................................................... 45
STRUCTURE FOR CDGG INTERNSHIPS ................................................................................................................. 45
APPENDIX IV: ..................................................................................................................................... 47
ELECTIVE COURSES OFTEN TAKEN (AND ENJOYED) BY CDGG STUDENTS ................................................................... 47
THE STRATEGY FOR A TWO-YEAR THESIS ............................................................................................................. 49
APPENDIX VII:..................................................................................................................................... 50
HOW TO BE AN ADVISEE AND MANAGING YOUR ADVISOR...................................................................................... 50
APPENDIX VIII:.................................................................................................................................... 55
GRADUATE STUDENT GUIDE FOR MANAGING UCD EXPENSES ......................................................................... 55
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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GRADUATE GROUP
Purpose and Vision
The CDGG is a community of transformative thinkers building knowledge useful to meet local community
goals in the context of regional, national and global change. The program emphasizes interdisciplinary,
collaborative, and project-based learning, as well as community-engaged scholarship. The CDGG challenges
students to integrate theory and practice, to develop constructive solutions to contemporary problems, and
to lead in building a healthy, sustainable, and equitable society. For more than 40 years the Community
Development Graduate Group has combined social theory and scientific research with the acquisition of
practitioner skills. In our program, we aim to integrate learning, action, and reflection with these goals.
Understand the history of community development and apply theory related to the field
Work with institutions and systems of power within communities
Engage and collaborate with different communities of place, practice, and interest
Build upon community assets and uniqueness to identify constructive solutions
Develop skills and knowledge related to their particular interests
Graduate Group Structure
Welcome to the Community Development Graduate Group! Here’s a breakdown of where you are in the
structure of UC Davis. The university has three undergraduate colleges: (1) Letters and Science, (2)
Engineering, and (3) Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Cutting across those three colleges is Graduate
Studies, which administers over 80 graduate programs offered by departments and groups within the three
colleges.
The Community Development Graduate Program is sponsored by the Community Development Graduate
Group (CDGG), which has its administrative and financial center in the Community and Regional Development
Program (CRD). CRD is a unit of the Department of Human Ecology, which is in the College of Agriculture and
Environmental Sciences. The Chair of the CDGG is Stephen Wheeler, a Professor in the Landscape Architecture
+ Environmental Design Program (LDA) in the Department of Human Ecology.
There are two types of graduate programs on campus: those directly sponsored by departments and those
sponsored by graduate groups. The CDGG falls in the latter category. About half of all graduate programs
(80+) on campus are sponsored by graduate groups. The primary benefit of the group structure is that it
“permits faculty to be affiliated with graduate programs in more than one discipline and offers students
flexibility and breadth by crossing the administrative boundaries of the various departments, colleges,
schools and sometimes campuses.” The flexibility is very helpful in that it allows students to create their own
paths as much as possible. At the same time, it gives students the sole responsibility of defining their
individual programs. Those students who apply to CDGG tend to be independently driven folks already, but
the task can be daunting (especially at first).
A little confusing, right? What does this mean to you? Knowing the University’s structure can help you figure
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out who has power to do what, and where to get information. For most CDGG student needs, the program’s
staff advisor (Carrie Armstrong-Ruport), the program’s chair, and your own faculty advisor are the people to
start with.
Who is My Faculty Advisor?
Graduate Council recognizes that the mentoring of graduate students by faculty is an integral part of the
graduate experience for both. Faculty mentoring is broader than advising a student on the program of study
to fulfill coursework requirements and is distinct from formal instruction in a given discipline. Mentoring
encompasses more than serving as a role model. While the faculty advisor will be the primary mentor during
a student’s career at UCD, program faculty other than the student’s advisor may perform many of the
mentoring functions.
Mentoring has been defined as: (1) Providing a clear map of program requirements from the beginning,
making clear the nature of the coursework requirements and qualifying examination, and defining a timeline
for their completion; and (2) Providing clear guidelines for starting and finishing thesis work, including
encouraging the timely initiation of thesis research. Beyond these general expectations of faculty advising,
there are specific advisee requirements of all entering students in Community Development. Two important
steps, outlined below, include meeting with your initial advisor before classes begin and selecting a
permanent advisor before completing your first year. Additional milestones are outlined on p. 21 of this
handbook.
As an incoming student, you will be paired with an initial faculty advisor. The goal of assigning you this
advisor is to provide you with an initial point of contact and get oriented to faculty and resources on campus
in your area of interest. This is a temporary assignment so you will need to choose a permanent advisor by
the end of the first year. At the beginning of the school year, 1
st
year students are required to meet with their
assigned advisor to: (1) discuss and review your list of proposed courses for the year, (2) discuss the
alternative plans of study (Plan I: Thesis Option and Plan II: Comprehensive Exam Option), and (3) Discuss
upcoming deadlines and milestones for the 1
st
year of study. During this meeting, the Degree Requirements
Planner (see p. 28) will need to be signed by your advisor followed by a signature from the CDGG Chair.
Before the end of your first year, you are required to select a permanent advisor that will also serve as your
thesis or exam chair, depending on your chosen plan of study. This is often the same person as your initial
advisor, as every effort is made to pair faculty and students that share research interests. The permanent
advisor will sign your progress report as well as continuing to review and guide your plan of study. In terms of
mentoring, the advisor will assist you in choosing remaining courses to complement your research interests
and guide independent studies related to your thesis topic/professional interests. The advisor will also
provide suggestions concerning the composition of your thesis or exam committee as well as on-going review
of thesis work and necessary steps toward graduation. However, it is worth noting that any forms requiring
signature from the Office of Graduate Studies will need to be signed by one of the “Graduate Advisors” listed
in the next section.
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Community Development Graduate Group Key Personnel
Graduate Advisors
(These are the people authorized to sign student forms)
Stephen Wheeler, Human Ecology, chair and advisor, 165 Hunt Hall, (530) 754-9332,
Natalia Deeb-Sossa, Chicana and Chicano Studies, advisor, 2105 Hart Hall, (530) 752-2421,
Claire Napawan, Human Ecology, advisor, 131 Hunt Hall, (530) 752-3907,
Amanda Crump, Plant Sciences, advisor, 3045 Wickson Hall, (530)754-0903,
Graduate Group Governing Committees and Officers
Executive Committee: Makes decisions about program requirements and nominates
new faculty members to be voted upon by the CDGG—graduate students nominate new
student members. Current members are: Natalia Deeb Sossa, Catherine Brinkley, David de la
Pena, Stephen Wheeler, and Jonathan London. Usually a student from each of the first and
second year cohorts serves on the committee as well.
Admissions Committee: Reviews Community Development applications to the
program and makes decisions on admissions, fellowships and work-study awards.
Curriculum Committee: convenes as needed. Reviews the classes and makes
recommendations to Grad Studies regarding class content, seminars and colloquium. In
recent years, the Executive Committee has also served as the Curriculum Committee.
Core Staff People
You can find the Graduate Program Coordinator, Carrie Armstrong-Ruport, in Room 129 Hunt Hall (530) 752-
4119 – [email protected]
. She is the first point of contact for all graduate students and the graduate
program. She has records of transcripts and grades, assists with forms and communication between
departments, provides translation of the UC policies, and can offer tips and direction for daily survival on
campus. Carrie sends out a plethora of announcements regarding jobs, classes, and messages from faculty.
She also keeps track of Teaching Assistant and Reader positions for the department, and can help match
students up with these on-campus work opportunities.
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Carrie assists with internships by keeping in regular contact with certain organizations that have had interns
in the past. She can give tips or suggestions about possibilities that fit students’ interests. You should also talk
with your initial or permanent faculty advisor about possible internships. Please see Appendix 1: Academic
Guidelines for Awarding Academic Coursework Requiring Contracts (p. 37); and Appendix 3: The Rationale
and Structure for Internships (p. 39). If you have any leads for new internship opportunities, we urge you to
let Carrie know this so that she can let other students know and enter the information into her data bank.
Carrie can broadcast these opportunities on our student listserv.
The administration of the Community Development Graduate Group is handled within an administrative
cluster (called Cluster 5) that includes the departments of Environmental Science and Policy, Agricultural and
Resource Economics, and Human Ecology. In nearly all cases, your first point of contact for any
administrative matters should be Carrie Armstrong-Ruport, but at times you may end up interacting with
other administrative support staff, particularly related to TA and GSR hiring paperwork and payroll
submissions, for information technology support, and for office keys, so it is useful to know who they are.
They are all essential and valued staff for ensuring our program and departments continue to thrive. Full
contact information is on the website at: http://caes-cluster5.ucdavis.edu
.
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Jesus Barajas
Susan Handy
Tom Tomich
Environmental Science and Policy
Liza Grandia
Beth Rose Middleton
Native American Studies
Natalia Deeb-Sossa
Yvette Flores
Carlos Jackson
Susy Zepeda
Chicana/o Studies
Sociology
Bruce Haynes
David Kyle
Diane Wolf
School of Education
Heidi Ballard
Jesse Drew
Cinema and Digital Studies
Lisa Pruitt
Dept. of
Human
Ecology
Amanda Crump Plant Sciences
Susan Kaiser
Textiles & Clothing
School of Law
Gail Feenstra
Sustainable Ag. Research & Edu. Program
Community Development Graduate Group
CRD
Eric Chu
Martin Kenney
Anne Visser
Catherine Brinkley
Clare Cannon
Noli Brazil
Mark Cooper
William Lacy
Cooperative Extension
Agr Sustainability Inst
Center for Regional Change
Clare Gupta
Vikram Koundinya
Keith Taylor
Jonathan London
Ryan Galt
LDA
David de la Pena
Haven Kiers
Patsy E. Owens
Claire Napawan
Michael Rios
Brett Milligan
Stephen Wheeler
Last update: August 2019
Bettina Ng’weno
African American and African Studies
Julie Sze, Javier Arbona,
Erica Kohl-Arenas
American Studies
Robin Hill
Art
Glenda Drew
Design
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CDGG Faculty Members
Name
Department
Areas of Interest
Javier Arbona American Studies
Race, space, memory, military landscapes, policing, surveillance, and
global infrastructure
Heidi Ballard Education
Environmental education that links communities, science,
environmental action and learners of all ages.
Jesus Barajas
Environmental Science
& Policy
Studies environmental justice and transportation equity. His work
examines the role planning and policy contributes to access to
opportunity among historically marginalized populations, with a goal
of informing policy agendas that remedy injustices. He has published
on sustainable travel among immigrants, bicycle and pedestrian
safety, and cross-cutting issues in transportation and education
equity.
Noli Brazil Human Ecology
My research focuses on several areas of inquiry linked by an interest
in spatial demography, or more broadly, the connections between
people and places.
Catherine Brinkley Human Ecology
Community Food: Healthy Food Access, Farm-City Networks, One
Health; Community Energy: On-Farm Clean Energy Solutions,
Sustainable Development
Clare Cannon Human Ecology
Political economy and the environment, global and urban
sustainability, gender and society, climate change and disasters, and
mixed-methodologies.
Eric Chu Human Ecology
I study how local governments and communities plan for and adapt
to the impacts of global environmental change. My research is
globally comparative and draws on qualitative, participatory, and
policy design methodologies. Theoretically, I specialize in issues of
local governance, environmental politics, and social inclusion/justice.
Mark Cooper Human Ecology
The role of technological and social innovations in the
decarbonization of the meat & dairy sectors and the plastics
industry; The policy and politics of greenhouse gas mitigation in
California and New Zealand; The geography of field-based scientific
research and the role of space, site, and scale in research design and
research practice.; The development and use of particular measures
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Name
Department
Areas of Interest
and metrics in private-sector animal welfare standards and
government regulations.
Amanda Crump
Plant Sciences
I focus my research on international and domestic adult
agricultural education and am working to develop evaluation
measures for undergraduate courses and seeking to improve
educational outcomes for women and other vulnerable groups
who have less access to formal education.
Natalia Deeb
Sossa Chicana/o Studies
Examining how Mexican immigrant farm worker mothers, as
cultural citizens, are negotiating power and resisting practices
and policies of educational and health inequity in their local
context. One of her recent articles "
How Race and Ethnicity
Shape Health Care Coverage, Costs and Access" can be found on
the blog for Gender & Society, an outlet of the official journal of
Sociologists for Women in Society.
David de la Pena Human Ecology
Participatory urbanism, design activism, sustainable cities, processes
of community design, landscape education and occupational location
of Hispanics.
Jesse Drew
Techno Cultural
Studies
Theory and practice of alternative and community media,
particularly electronic media, including practices such as blogging,
Low Power FM Radio, social computer networking, cable/satellite
television, peer-to-peer computing, and on-line activism.
Glenda Drew Design
Intersections of visual culture and social change, working class
studies, web and graphic design
Gail Feenstra (SAREP)
Conducting applied and evaluative research that strengthens
community development efforts and coordinating education and
outreach to community-based groups to build their capacity and
leadership skills.
Yvette Flores Chicana/o Studies
Intimate partner violence among Mexicans on both sides of the
border.
Ryan E. Galt Human Ecology
People-environment geography, cultural and political ecology,
agricultural and environmental governance, political economy of
sustainable agriculture, cartographic design.
Liza Grandia
Native American
Studies
Indigenous community development; corporate trade and
globalization; foreign aid and empire; political ecology, biodiversity
conservation, and environmental justice; land grabbing, agrarian
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Name
Department
Areas of Interest
change and rural development. Countries of interest: Guatemala and
Belize.
Clare Gupta Human Ecology
Translational and interdisciplinary research; alternative food
networks and community food systems; food politics and agro-food
movements (e.g. local food, food sovereignty); community-based
resource management
Susan Handy
Environmental Science
and Policy
Relationships between transportation and land use, including the
impact of land use on travel behavior and the impact of
transportation investments on land development patterns. In
addition, her work is directed towards strategies for enhancing
accessibility and reducing automobile dependence, including land
use policies and telecommunications services.
Bruce Haynes
Sociology
Race and ethnicity, urban, community and sociology of knowledge
Robin Hill Art, Art History
Public art, she believes art is about tuning in to the frequency of daily
life and seeing things as they truly are. “Ideas are encountered,
rather than gotten.
Carlos Jackson Chicana/o Studies
A visual artist and writer, and Director of Taller Arte del Nuevo
Amanecer, a community art center in Woodland, Ca. He is currently
working on a book surveying the history of the Chicana/o Art
Movement.
Susan Kaiser Textiles and Clothing
Fashion theory and feminist epistemologies, Youth style and cultural
anxiety, Cultural studies approach to appearance style and identity,
focusing on intersections among gender, race and ethnicity.
Martin Kenney Human Ecology
Globalization, venture capital, development of innovative clusters,
evolution of high-technology industries, the relocation of services to
developing nations.
Haven Kiers
Human Ecology
Sustainable design, green infrastructure, drought tolerant
planting strategies, and green roofs.
Erika Kohl-Arenas American Studies
Critical studies of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector,
participatory community development, grassroots social
movements and cultural organizing
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Name
Department
Areas of Interest
Vikram Koundinya Human Ecology
Program evaluation design and capacity-building, qualitative and
quantitative methods, agricultural extension, needs assessments
David Kyle
Sociology
International migration, development and globalization.
William B. Lacy Human Ecology
Sociology of science, organization and structure of agricultural
research and extension (U.S. and international), social psychology of
education and outreach, international research and higher education
policy and practices.
Jonathan London
Center for the Study
of Regional Change
Environmental justice, Environmental/ natural resource policy,
Community and youth participation, Political ecology, Rural
development, Social movements.
Mark Lubell
Environmental Science
and Policy
Watershed management, environmental activism, and agricultural
best management practices.
Beth Rose
Middleton
Native American
Studies
North America and Caribbean. Native American
community/economic development; political ecology; Federal Indian
law; Native American natural resource policy; qualitative GIS;
indigenous geography and cartography; Afro-indigeneity;
intergenerational trauma and healing; participatory research
methods; rural environmental justice; multi-cultural dimensions of
conservation, land use, and planning.
Brett Milligan Human Ecology
Landscape architecture, design activism, environmental design and
planning; climate change adaptation; ethnography and ecology of
infrastructure, sustainable food systems.
N. Claire Napawan Human Ecology
Design of the built environment and investigating the roles in which
landscapes might adapt to provide ever-increasing productive and
infrastructural programs to the global city, given economic, social,
and environmental changes within urban development, including
population growth and climate change
Bettina Ng’weno
African American and
African Studies
Urban and rural communities with a particular focus on space,
citizenship and justice in Latin America and more recently in the
Indian Ocean region.
Patsy Eubanks
Owens Human Ecology Environments of children and adolescents, community participation.
Carolyn Penny
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Name
Department
Areas of Interest
Common Ground, UC
Davis Extension
Conflict resolution, issue-framing, meeting design, facilitation of
multi-stakeholder decision making, organizational planning,
mediation, facilitation of public engagement processes, training, and
analysis and writing.
Lisa Pruitt School of Law
Law and Rural Livelihoods, Critical Race Theory, Feminist
Jurisprudence, Legal Profession, Critical Whiteness Studies, Torts
Michael Rios Human Ecology
Human geography, urbanism, marginality, social practice of planning
and design, placemaking, political participation, and social
movements.
Julie Sze American Studies
Her research is at the intersection of interdisciplinary fields:
American studies, environmental, urban and ethnic studies. She
focuses on race, class, gender and environment, environmental
justice movement, urban environmentalism and environmental
health.
Keith Taylor Human Ecology
Community economic development, cooperatives, natural resources,
collaboration, rural communities
Tom Tomich Human Ecology
Agricultural sustainability, sustainable food systems, sustainability
metrics and indicators, sustainability science.
M. Anne Visser Human Ecology
The informal economy; non-standard work arrangements; low wage
labor; governance; social and economic integration, equity, and
equality.
Steve Wheeler Human Ecology
Sustainable development; urban design; city and regional planning;
land use; climate change.
Diane Wolf Sociology
Gender and development, family/households, fieldwork, Southeast
Asia, immigration.
Susy Zepeda Chicana/o Studies
Chicana/Latina decolonial feminisms, social justice, critical race and
ethnic studies, U.S. women of color feminist theory, LGBTQI and
queer of color studies, oral history, collaborative methodologies, and
intergenerational healing.
NS OF STUDY & OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Plan I. Thesis and Thesis Project Option + Thesis Defense
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The Thesis Option requires completion of the following:
• A minimum of 51 upper-division units (>100 series) and graduate units (200 series), including
core courses.
• A 200-hour internship and a written report (7 units) on the internship analyzing the
application of community development concepts to the internship work.
• A thesis, which is a study or research project undertaken in conformance with standards and
practices of scholarly investigation for the topic being studied under the guidance of
student’s Thesis Committee (consisting of three faculty).
• Students should be prepared to give a public presentation of their thesis, either during the
Doing/Debating Development Series, or at some other pre-arranged time.
• The committee will meet with the student for an oral defense of the thesis.
• An oral defense answering questions concerning the research & analysis.
Minimum course distribution is as follows:
Units
Core courses: 24
Concentration & electives: 20
Internship: 7
Total: 51
Remember: The student needs to be the one to keep the process going. You need to stay in touch with
each committee member—keep informed. The faculty and staff won’t do this for you!
CD students who elect this option should take into consideration the following suggestions:
• Begin to organize early. Preferably have research ideas conceptualized if not formalized by
the end of your first year. This is important if you want to conduct research in the summer
between first and second years.
• Consider aligning your internship with your thesis topic. This will give you more time to do
background research and build relationships in your field sites.
• Get your Graduate Studies Thesis Guidelines information from Graduate Studies or from
their webpage. http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/forms
• Prepare and submit your Human Subject Protocol with the UC Davis Institutional Review
Board (IRB) if you will be doing research with human subjects. Information on the IRB is
found here: https://research.ucdavis.edu/policiescompliance/irb-admin/
.
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• Select a thesis chair (this is typically, but not necessarily your existing Major Professor) and a
thesis committee (total three faculty.) The chair must be a member of the Community
Development Graduate Group. The Chair and the student should take the initiative to
determine an appropriate protocol and to set initial deadlines. The thesis committee’s role is
to guide the thesis process. The faculty will help the student plan and monitor research
design and data collection methods, suggest literature to review, edit the student’s thesis
drafts, ask questions during the thesis defense and decide on whether the student passes
the defense and has successfully completed their thesis.
• When forming the committee select individuals who know you and your work and have
knowledge of the field you have studied. Also select people who can help you get jobs or
get into a Ph.D. program if that is your goal.
• The University normally requires three Academic Senate members (faculty) on a thesis
committee. Consult the Graduate Advisor for assistance with this process. Regulations on
committees are at
http://www.gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/gradcouncil/advanced_degree_committees.pdf. Students
working closely with a mentor in their case study organization/ field site sometimes opt to
have this person serve on their committee. One person on the committee (ideally with a
Ph.D. but at minimum a master’s degree and equivalent professional experience.) can be
selected from outside the University, though this requires a petition to Graduate Studies.
• Keep track of the deadlines for the quarter you’re graduating as you need to file for
candidacy before completing the thesis and thesis defense. Anticipate potential delays such
as faculty review time, re-writes and revisions and problems with faculty members being
gone on sabbatical or over the summer.
• All Graduate Studies approval forms (and your transcripts) need to be evaluated by Carrie and
signed by a faculty advisor before you go to Grad Studies with the paperwork.
The thesis defense is generally up to two hours in length. There should not be any surprises if
everyone has reviewed drafts of the student’s thesis in advance. Members of the committee
generally ask the student to make a presentation of ~20 minutes on their thesis, and then ask
questions. Committees frequently request minor changes before the student files the thesis with
Graduate Studies. The oral exam is a great conclusion to the thesis project and a well-deserved
celebration. Ask your faculty committee what you should expect in an oral exam. Some students
take in beverages and food to celebrate (but this is not an expectation of the faculty).
Please make sure to submit an electronic copy of your finally approved thesis to Carrie upon
completion. This will be posted on the CDGG website and with the UC Davis Library to share your
excellent work with the world!
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Plan II. Written Comprehensive Exam + Orals Option
Examination option call for satisfaction of the following requirements:
• A written comprehensive exam and orals consists of a written and oral examination under
the guidance of the student’s Thesis Committee (consisting of three faculty members).
• Prior to the written examination, the committee members and the candidate agree on a
minimum list of literature and areas of knowledge likely to be covered in the written and
oral exam.
• The committee will meet with the student for an oral defense of the written exam within a
reasonable time after submission of the written exam.
Requirements before the exam:
• A minimum of 55 upper division or graduate units.
• A 200-hour internship and a written report (7 units) on the internship analyzing the
application of community development concepts to the work, written with the supervision
of a faculty member of the Community Development Graduate Group.
• A comprehensive written examination.
Minimum course distribution:
Units
Core Courses: 24
Concentration & electives: 24
Internship: 7
Total: 55
CD students who elect this option should take into consideration the above suggestions as well as the
following, which apply, specifically to the exam option.
The oral exam is intended to test your mastery of three interrelated areas of community
development.
• Begin to organize early. The formal part of the exam option can be completed in one
quarter. However, you should start studying early.
• Form a three-member faculty committee. This committee will give literature suggestions,
prepare written questions, score your exam, and sit on your orals committee. The student
and the committee Chair should set the deadlines that apply to the exam option:
1) The written exam. Each member of the committee formulates questions for the written
15
exam. Students should initiate preparations for the reading list used in their exam. The
areas to be covered and any particular emphasis that you want to develop. You have 72
hours for the exam and it is an open book exam that you can do in your study or home.
You are expected to work alone on it.
2) Normally, students get the questions by email on Friday morning and return their
responses on Monday morning. Students are normally expected to write 10-15
typewritten pages (not including references) in response to each question.
The oral exam is a rigorous defense of the written examination questions. It can also extend beyond
the specific questions to test the student’s ability to integrate other literature on the reading list to
demonstrate analytical capacity in the student’s three chosen areas. Oral examinations normally last
2 hours.
Internship Requirement
This is the “practicum” portion of our program. You should visit Carrie Armstrong-Ruport and talk to
your faculty advisor for ideas and advice about finding an appropriate internship. You may pursue an
internship independently if neither suggests anything that strikes your fancy. Not all internships are
paid, unfortunately. The time commitment amounts to a half-time job for one quarter (or quarter
time for two quarters). You need to arrange for a faculty sponsor before you start your internship
and complete the departmental contract. At the completion of the 200-hour internship, CD students
should complete a report on this internship that becomes part of their file. The format of the report
should be negotiated with the student’s internship Advisor.
You will have to complete 200 hours of internship and receive 7 (seven) units for this requirement.
According to UCD policies, 30 hours of internship work are required for one unit. Thus, the
remaining 10 hours to complete this requirement will be satisfied when you submit a written
account and analysis of your internship experience and the skills learned under the supervision of
your faculty mentor.
See Appendix II & III for more information about Internship requirements.
16
Filing Fee Status
If you want to save considerable money after you’ve finished your coursework, you can go on filing
fee status and pay much less than you would as a full-time student. The Filing Fee was established
expressly to assist those students who have been advanced to candidacy and who have completed
all requirements for degrees, including all research associated with the thesis or dissertation, except
filing theses or dissertations and/or taking final (comprehensive) examinations. However, be aware
that it is a one-way process, and once you are on Filing Fee status you may not:
1. Use any University facilities (e.g. Health Center, Housing, Library, Rec Hall, laboratories, desk
space). However, you may purchase a library card and/or health insurance, if you wish;
2. Make demands upon faculty time other than the time involved in the final reading of the
thesis/dissertation or in holding final examinations;
3. Receive a fellowship, financial aid or academic employment beyond a single quarter;
4. Take course work of any kind;
5. Conduct your thesis research
The University is now also limiting students to one quarter of filing fee status.
You should be aware that many loan agencies do not recognize this status and may require early
repayment of student loans.
Graduation
The program generally takes 2 years (~20 months) to complete. Students can complete the degree in
this time if they select the exam option or begin their thesis research early in their second
year. However, some students finish their writing during the summer following their second year or
take an extra quarter. It is important that students proactively identify any obstacles to completing
the degree on time and discuss them with Carrie and/or their faculty advisor.
After the thesis or exam is completed you will have a final exit interview with Graduate Studies and if
everything is completed to their satisfaction you will be placed on the next final degree list. After
graduation, your UCD email address will remain open for a few months.
If you want to continue to get UC Davis information you can request an alumni email account from
the Alumni Center.
We strongly encourage you to become an active alumnus of the CDGG program to stay connected to
your classmates, contribute your expertise, networks, and financial support to benefit the current
students in the program. Please inform Carrie of your new contact information so you can be added
to the alumni website. Core Community Development Courses (required)
17
CRD 240. Community Development Theory (4)
Lecture/discussion—4 hours. Introduction to theories of community development and different
concepts of community, poverty, and development. Emphasis on building theory, linking applied
development techniques to theory, evaluating development policy, and examining case studies of
community development
organizations and projects.—I.
CRD 250/CRD 200. Professional Skills for Community Development (4)
Seminar—4 hours. Prerequisite: course 240. The intersection of theory and case studies to develop
practical skills needed to work as a professional community developer, program administrator,
and/or policy consultant.—III.
CRD 290. Seminar (1) — Doing and Debating Development
Seminar—1 hour. Analysis of research in applied behavioral sciences. (S/U grading only.)—I. II. III.
• In the Fall, the DDD is typically focused on faculty presentations of their research
• The Winter DDD provides workshops practical skill development
• The Spring DDD is devoted to thesis presentations of the graduating students.
Methodology (Required) - To be taken in the winter of the first year.
LDA 202. Seminar (4)
Methods in Design and Landscape Research
Seminar – 4 hours. Explores many of the research and advanced design and planning methods
employed in landscape architecture. Exercises provide the student with a vehicle for designing
independent landscape research and creative activities. Lectures provide a historical overview of
research methodology. – II.
Not required but strongly recommended for winter of the second year:
CRD 260. Thesis Seminar (2)
Workshop to help finalize thesis proposals and complete thesis. May be repeated for credit.
18
Core Community Development Courses (electives)
Current scheduling as of August 2020 is marked below, but check with the relevant program or
department to get up-to-date listings, as these frequently change.
CRD 241. The Economics of Community Development (4)
Seminar—4 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing. Economic theories and methods of planning for
communities. Human resources, community services and infrastructure, industrialization and
technological change, and regional growth. The community’s role in the greater economy. To be
offered Fall 2020. Kenney.
CRD 242. Community Development Organizations (4)
Seminar—4 hours. Prerequisite: course 240. Theory and praxis of organizations with social change
agendas at the community level. Emphasis on non-profit organizations and philanthropic
foundations.
CRD 243 Critical Environmental Justice Studies (4)
Seminar- 4 hours. Introduction to the history, theory, policy, and social movement aspects of
environmental justice issues in the United States and around the world. Focuses on the political,
economic, social, and cultural factors that shape disproportionate exposures to environmental
hazards in low-income communities and communities of color as well as the social movements that
mobilize to contest these injustices. To be offered Fall 2020 London.
CRD 244. Political Ecology of Community Development (4)
Lecture – 4 hours. Community development from the perspective of geographical political ecology.
Social and environmental outcomes of the dynamic relationship between communities and land-
based resources, and between social groups. Cases of community conservation and development in
developing and industrialized countries.
CRD 245. The Political Economy of Urban and Regional Development (4)
Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: course 157, 244, or the equivalent. How global, political and
economic restructuring and national and state policies are mediated by community politics; social
production of urban form; role of the state in uneven development; dynamics of urban growth and
decline; regional development in California. To be offered Spring 2021 Chu.
CRD 246. The Political Economy of Transnational Migration (4)
Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing. Theoretical perspectives and empirical research
on social, cultural, political, and economic processes of transnational migration to the U.S. Discussion
of conventional theories will precede contemporary comparative perspectives on class, race,
ethnicity, citizenship, and the ethnic economy..
19
CRD 247. Transformation of Work (4)
Lecture/discussion—4 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing in history or social science degree
program or consent of instructor. Exploration of the ways that the experience, organization, and
systems of work are being reconfigured in the late twentieth century. The impacts of economic
restructuring on local communities and workers. To be offered Spring 2021 Visser
CRD 249. Media Innovation and Community Development (4)
Seminar – 4 hours. Role of innovative media in communities and social change. Studies historical,
practical and theoretical issues involving media in community organizing, social justice movements,
democracy initiatives, and economic justice. –
CRD 251. Critical Social Science of the Environment (4)
Seminar – 4 hours. Relationships between forces of society and the environment through careful
examinations of the interactions between politics, economics, and global dynamics. Schools of
thought concerning society , gender, environmental dynamics, and political economic arrangements
across local and global spheres. (pending approval).
CRD 298. Group Study (1-5)
GEO 220. Topics in Human Geography (4)
Seminar – 4 hours. Examination of philosophy and theory in human geography with an emphasis on
contemporary debates and concepts in social, cultural, humanistic, political, and economic
geographies. Specific discussion of space, place, scale and landscape; material and imagined
geographies. – II. Pending approval by academic senate
LDA 201. Theory and Philosophy of the Designed Environment (4)
Major theories and ideas of environmental design and planning. The epistemology of design will
serve as a framework to review critical theory in contemporary landscape architecture, architecture,
planning, and urban design. Normative theories of design and planning will be reviewed along with
relevant theories from the social and environmental sciences.
LDA 205 (GEO 233). Urban Planning and Design (4)
The aim is to give students an understanding of how built landscapes evolve, and how they can be
creatively planned and designed in the future so as to meet social and ecological goals. This class is
appropriate for students in community development, geography, landscape architecture, and
environmental planning programs, as well as others interested in land use, sustainable development,
or place-making strategies beyond the building scale. Every Fall. Wheeler.
20
LDA 215. Ecologies of Infrastructure (4)
Focus on design practices and theory associated with ecological conceptions of infrastructure,
including networked infrastructure, region/bioregion/regionalization, ecological engineering,
reconciliation ecology, novel ecosystems, and theory/articulation of landscape change.
LDA 216. Food & the City (4)
Exploration of theory and practice related to the design and planning of alternative and resilient food
systems, including urban agriculture, agrihoods, and agri-/rural tourism. Includes investigation of
urban-rural connections and case studies of regional urban agricultural projects.
LDA 270. Environment & Behavior (4)
Factors that influence humans’ interaction with their surroundings and the mechanisms used for
recognizing and addressing general and specific human needs in community design and development
decisions.
LDA 280. Landscape Conservation(4)
Focus is on land planning, design, and management techniques to further the goal of resource
preservation. Examines current critical theory in the establishment and management of conservation
areas. Offered in Winter 2021 Greco.
21
Internship/TA/Research Courses
292. Graduate Internship (1-12)
Internship—200 hours (7 credits). Individually designed supervised internship, off campus, in
community or institutional setting. Developed with advice of faculty mentor. (S/U grading only.)
299. Research (1-12) (S/U grading only.)
Used when conducting thesis research or other independent study (advised by a faculty member).
396. Teaching Assistant Training Practicum (1-4)
Taken along with employment as a Teaching Assistant. (S/U grading only.)—I, II, III.
NOTE: CRD 396 units are not currently offered for TAs Students employed as TAs should sign up
for research units with their advisor/ major professor.
22
Thesis Proposal Guidelines
A thesis is a research project of your choice undertaken in conformance with standards and practices
of scholarly investigation for the topic being studied. It is developed under the guidance of the
student’s Thesis Committee, usually consisting of three faculty (see Outside Members section
below). Students give a public defense of their thesis, during which they present their work to other
students and members of the broader community, and answer questions from the audience and
their thesis committee. Instead of the traditional research thesis it is also possible for CDGG students
to prepare a professional project, in which students work closely with a client organization to
produce an applied piece of professional work mutually agreed upon in advance. Theses become a
part of UCD’s library holdings and are made available to the public through the CDGG website.
The Proposal
To help clarify your project for both yourself and your committee at the outset, students should
prepare a research proposal. Exact format is up to your committee chair, but in general it is good to
start with a concise two-page outline of your proposed research (brevity encourages focus). Don’t go
on at length describing the context or why this work is important. Include the following:
• Title of your project
• Brief background. A one paragraph explanation of why you want to do this/its importance
and relevance
• Identification of relevant literature and theory from academic and professional sources.
• Research questions and learning goals for the thesis
• Expected findings/hypotheses
• Methods. One paragraph explaining your method and data sources (e.g. interviews, case
studies, focus groups, surveys, ethnography, participant observation, quantitative analysis,
post-occupancy evaluation, site analysis and design, GIS analysis, direct observation and
behavior mapping, etc.)
• Outline of final product (number of pages; a short list of 4-7 chapters with target lengths for
each). Aim for 30-50 double-spaced pages total. Make a separate list of any essential
graphics and maps.
• Committee, (chair plus two other members).
• Timeline. Work backwards from when you want to finish. Include the following:
o Finalize proposal, confirm committee, obtain IRB approval if necessary
o Review literature
o Field research
o First draft to committee (allow them at least 2-3 weeks to read and turn around
comments)
o Comments back from committee (give yourself at least 2 weeks to produce a final
draft)
23
o Final draft to committee (at least 2 weeks before defense)
o Defense date (at least 2 weeks before final submission)
o Final submission to UCD (check with Grad Studies or CD advisor for deadlines &
procedure)
Drafts of professional documents are usually double-spaced. Use 12-point type and 1-inch margins.
Grad Studies has requirements for the final document and other useful information at:
http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/students/degree_candidates.html.
Institutional Review Board
If you will be working with human subjects (doing interviews, focus groups, etc.) you will need to get
an exemption or approval from the Institutional Review Board. Your thesis chair can provide
guidance. The IRB will require a copy of your survey or interview questions. Many social science
research projects involving interviews or surveys are exempt under the IRB’s Category 2 Exemption
as long as data from respondents are treated anonymously (no names recorded) or confidentially (no
names provided or use of pseudonyms). Further information and the Exemption Form are available
here: http://www.research.ucdavis.edu. Allow plenty of time to receive IRB exemption or
approval before you start your work. The IRB also regularly provides seminars which are announced
on GradLink.
24
The Thesis Project Option
The thesis project option involves students in working with one or more client organization to
produce some kind of practical product (such as a policy report, curriculum, feasibility or evaluation
study) and then documenting and reflecting upon the product and the process of developing it
through the lens of community development and related theories. The structure is similar to the
standard thesis (including an introduction, methods, literature review analysis, and conclusions) but
the “data” for the thesis is the project product. Projects may be expected to utilize a broader variety
of formats and media than theses. A good rule of thumb is that the thesis project consists of 20%
Introduction/ Theory/ Methods, 60% Professional Project Product and 20% Analysis, Conclusions,
and Recommendations.
For students planning to embark on professional work upon graduation, the project option can
provide an opportunity to work with interesting community organizations and make useful contacts
with professionals.
A letter of agreement between the student and client is required at the beginning of the project,
detailing expected products and the expected working relationship. A second letter is requested
from the client at the conclusion of the project, confirming successful delivery of the agreed-upon
materials.
The Defense
The thesis defense is a session of up to two hours long. At the defense, plan to make a 30-minute
presentation of your work. Committee members will then ask questions. Your Chair will serve as the
moderator. After the question period, your committee members will adjourn to discuss your work in
private, and will then ask you to join them so that they can give you feedback and discuss any
needed revisions. The defense is a great conclusion to your thesis or project and a well-deserved
celebration.
Submitting an Electronic Copy of Your Thesis
In addition to the materials you file with Graduate Studies, provide a complete copy of your final
thesis as a single PDF file to the Community Development Graduate Group master advisor. Your
thesis will be made available to others electronically on the CDGG website.
25
Key Milestones to Completing the M.S. in 2 Years
Key Milestones,
Required Forms and
Target Date
Milestone
Form required to be filed with Carrie
Armstrong-Ruport
Last week of
September incoming
students first year
Meet with Initial Advisor before the
beginning of classes
Degree Requirements Planner form
--signed by Initial Advisor
December 1
st
, each
year
Submit plan for courses to be taken for
the current year
Updated Degree Requirements
Planner form
--signed by Initial Advisor
May 1
st
, first year
Select Permanent Advisor and/or Change
of Graduate Advisor
Selection of Permanent Advisor form
and/or Change of Graduate Advisor
--signed by Permanent Advisor
Spring first year
Select a thesis committee
Develop thesis proposal
Appointment of Master’s Thesis
Committee form
--signed by committee chair
June 1
st
each year
PROGRESS REPORT*
Meet with Permanent Advisor and
signed by Graduate Advisor
End of Spring first year
Present thesis proposal to thesis
committee
Advisor’s Report on Master’s Thesis
Proposal Defense form
--signed by Permanent Advisor
Summer between 1
st
and 2
nd
year
Internship (can also be conducted during
the school year)
Begin thesis research
Report on Internship
--completed by student and
submitted to Carrie Armstrong-
Ruport
May 1
st
, second year
Advanced to Candidacy* (completed all
degree requirements except
Thesis/Exam)
Advanced to Candidacy form signed
by Graduate Advisor
--submitted to grad studies and
Carrie Armstrong-Ruport
26
Spring of 2
nd
year
Defense and completion of thesis
Copy of thesis, including Thesis
Committee Approval page
--signed by thesis committee
Upon Graduation
Submit electronic copy of thesis
Join the CDGG Alumni Association
Copy of thesis submitted to Carrie
Armstrong-Ruport
*Office of Graduate Studies Forms
27
III. RESOURCES
Sources of financial assistance include: loans, grants, fellowships, work-
study, Teaching Assistantships (TAs) and Graduate Student Researchers
(GSRs).
Loans, Grants, and Fellowships
Loans, grants and fellowships are available through the Campus Financial Aid Office, and information
regarding them is available through Graduate Studies, the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and
the Financial Aid Office. Also consult Carrie and your initial or permanent faculty advisor about
financial assistance opportunities. There are listings of UC Davis sources of financial support for
graduate students at: http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/ssupport/index.html
There is also a useful
listing of external fellowship opportunities at:
http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/programs/external_fellowships.cfm
The Erna and Orville Thompson Graduate Student Fund
The Erna and Orville Thompson Graduate Student Fund is funded by an endowment that is to be
used to support graduate studies in community development, in particular to support research
projects and/or travel to present either a poser or paper at professional meetings. Grants are
awarded based on a competitive review of proposals. A call for proposals, with detailed guidelines,
will be issued early in the winter quarter, with a deadline towards the end of the winter quarter.
This is a good way to fund summer research trips between the first and second year of study.
Specific grant sizes vary from year to year (depending in part on available of funds), but in recent
years the maximum amount for research expenditures has been $2,000, and $500 for travel to
professional meetings.
Graduate Research Assistant – Work-study
Work-Study is basically a grant that partially funds your employment on campus. Graduate Financial
Aid, in collaboration with Graduate Studies and individual academic departments, awards Work-
Study to graduate students based on student eligibility, as determined by the student’s FAFSA need
analysis, and the completion of any open financial or federal aid requirements.
To be considered for Work-Study funding, graduate students are required to:
• File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available online at fafsa.ed.gov.
• Work with their academic program to request a Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) Work-
Study position. Academic Program staff hire the GSRs and notify students when Work-Study
awards are posted online.
If you receive a work-study award, you still must find a paid Graduate Student Researcher position
that will enable you to take advantage of it. In a few words, work-study is subsidized employment,
28
which eligible faculty employers like very much. Carrie will put out a call to update your FAFSA and
look for work-study opportunities during Spring Quarter. Research positions don’t necessarily
require a job announcement, and they definitely tend to go to students the faculty member has
already seen in action. So—the best way to get hired is to develop relationships with instructors and
researchers and be persistent. Be up front about desired employment, interest in teaching or the
person’s on-going research. Ask about potential new projects.
TAs and Readers
The department has a limited number of TA and Reader positions. Normally those TAs and Readers
are selected before 1
st
year students arrive. However, many other departments on campus routinely
need TAs and post such jobs throughout the year. Carrie will send out emails about jobs as these
positions become available. Look up the courses you have experience in and would like to TA, then
approach the instructors. It may be a long shot your first time, but these contacts may well bear fruit
the next time the course comes around. It’s a lot like pursuing any job—schmoozing helps. And
when you get a job, be dependable.
If you intend to TA, there’s a mandatory TA training workshop you will need to attend. It is held only
once a year in September and is offered by the campus Center for Excellence in Teaching and
Learning. If you simply want information about TAing or help along the way, the Center is very
helpful (1321 Haring Hall). Student academic jobs vary in intensity of work. Readers simply read and
grade exams. Teaching Assistants take an active role in the teaching process by leading discussions
and giving guest lectures. Not all classes have discussion sections. The department also recognizes a
TAship with special units that count for our overall progress and that will appear on your transcripts.
Traditionally, the responsibilities of reading and grading and copying fall under the job title of
“Reader.” Jobs as TAs Readers and Grad Student Researchers pay relatively well. Carrie can provide
you with the current pay scale. TAs/Readers receive a partial fee remission. To obtain your
remission, however, you must be appointed within one week of the start of the quarter at a
minimum of 25% (10 hours) for the entire quarter. The remission is processed after employment
paperwork has been completed. The deadline for advanced payment of fees is one month prior to
the start of the quarter, but Student Aid Accounting will issue refund checks if your qualifying
appointment is processed after the late fee deadline. Students are responsible for any late
registration fees.
The Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE)
Offers a wide array of resources, classes and overviews on a wide variety of teaching related topics.
Their activities are listed under http://cetl.ucdavis.edu
and you will additionally get information
about them through the newsletter ‘GRADLINK” of the Graduate Studies. Please note, if you plan to
work as a Teaching Assistant or Reader, you must take the Teaching Resource Center’s Sexual
Harassment Classes held in September.
29
The UC Davis Center for Regional Change
Directed by Jonathan London and Bernadette Austin, this Center conducts interdisciplinary and
solutions-oriented research to support the building of healthy, prosperous, sustainable, and
equitable regions in California and beyond. Information can be found at:
regionalchange.ucdavis.edu) and in the CRC’s Community and Regional Development Mapping
Laboratory in 152 Hunt Hall. The CRC often has paid employment as well as internship and volunteer
opportunities for graduate students on its projects. These projects focus on four major themes: civic
engagement, environmental justice, rural and regional development, and youth well-being and
empowerment.
30
Getting By, Getting Around
One of your first big tasks in settling into the CD graduate program will be to “research” the faculty
relevant to your course of study. Carrie will provide summaries of the respective research interests
and courses taught by the different faculty of our graduate group, which can get you started. Most
likely you’ll find yourself going outside of the grad group to find other faculty involved in your area of
interest. One simple way to find these folks is to go through the course catalog and look up the
instructors of the courses you find interesting. Your Initial Advisor also can help locate appropriate
courses and faculty.
The process of “researching” the University faculty relevant to your studies is basic and essential to
making your graduate studies complete. It may seem a bit daunting or intimidating at first, but you’ll
find most faculty are more than eager to talk to new students interested in their research. Their
research can give you insights that go beyond current literature. Faculty can also turn you on to new
literature, or even take you on board as a researcher or TA. This process is also basic to the nature of
a graduate group—a lot of work is self-initiated, not much is laid out for you as a path—though
previous students’ course lists and experiences can be a guide. It is up to the student to carve
his/her own path of coursework and study, which means researching courses and faculty in other
departments.
To help you understand the structure of the university it is useful to be familiar with the titles of the
academic you will encounter and work with.
• Instructor: Hired on a year to year basis to teach undergraduate classes.
• Lecturer: Usually hired on a year to year basis, primarily to teach undergrad classes.
Members of the Academic Federation. Can serve on a thesis committee, but not as Chair.
• Assistant Professor: A person in a tenure track position and member of the Academic
Senate who is trying to publish and teach at a high enough level (up to seven years) to
achieve tenure as an Associate Professor
• Associate Professor: Tenure is awarded based on the quality and quantity of publications
(research), teaching effectiveness, and University and community service. The rank
subsequent to Associate Professor is Full Professor
• Full Professor: Promotions follow the same criteria, teaching research and service.
• Note: The title of “professor” (Assistant, Associate or Full) is only given to members of the
Academic Senate.
In addition, Cooperative Extension Specialists are hired by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
(part of all land-grant colleges) for University outreach and engagement. Many Extension Specialists
are members of graduate groups. Senate faculty and CE Specialists with Lecturer without Salary titles
can serve as Chair of thesis committees.
31
Other Resources
California State Library
When you use the University Library’s computer catalogue system, MELVYL, you may occasionally
come across listings that are only available at “CSL.” That is the acronym for the California State
Library, located just to the southwest of the Capitol building in Sacramento. If you are researching
any state or local histories within California, the CSL is often your best source. Fortunately, it’s less
than 20 minutes away by car and accessibly by Yolo Bus. Its text collection and historical archives are
extensive, but unfortunately not available for loan to people who are not State employees. They do
offer an in-house reproduction service of some documents, however.
The UC system is host of CDL, the California Digital Library, which gives you access to vast resources
of databases free of charge. Anyone can access the full range of the library’s licensed databases from
one of the UCD campus libraries. Remote or off campus access, however, is restricted to UCD
students, faculty, and staff. Use your Kerberos User ID and password (obtain at the Information
Technology/IT help desk in Shields) to logon to my.ucdavis.edu, or go to
http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/ul/services/connect/
for additional ways to connect.
We highly recommend you participate in one of the seminars that Shields Library organizes to make
full use of its resources is recommended. A current schedule can be found on the library’s home
page at www.lib.ucdavis.edu
(path is Library Services/Instruction.) Also, you can download for free a
very useful and easy to master bibliographical program for the MyUCDavis Website (called
“Endnote”) that you should get familiar with as soon as possible and use from the very first day you
start reading and researching.
Electronic mail and Internet. The most important way to communicate is over the E-mail network,
made very accessible to us here on campus. The University has a complete infrastructure of support
for those needing help with or acquaintance to the campus E-mail system and Internet. Nearly
everything you could need is available at: http://iet.ucdavis.edu/
UC Davis expects all students to own a computer with an internet connection, CD-ROM drive, and
printer. Computers must be able to run a word processing program, spreadsheet program, email
program, and Web browser. The campus features a wireless network throughout the majority of the
campus that is free to all UC Davis affiliates. For coverage maps and connection information,
visit wireless.ucdavis.edu
.
There is a computer lab available for your use on the 3
rd
Floor of Hart Hall. Carrie will give you the
combination to the door.
The Community Development Grad Group has its own listserv on which students can send each
other messages and on which Carrie Armstrong-Ruport and Faculty can post information. Note: no
one except current CD students can read your correspondence on this list. To post to this listserv,
send email to: cd-[email protected]
. CD Grad students and CD alumni also have a discussion
33
MASTER OF SCIENCE PROGRAM IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Degree Requirement Planner
(File copy of signed and updated form with Graduate Coordinator)
STUDENT NAME: _______________________________ DATE: _____________
GRADUATE ADVISER:_______________________________ MAJOR PROFESSOR ____________________
Community Development Core Courses (24 Units) Quarter/Year
Planned Completed
CRD 240 Community Development Theory (4) _________ _______
Fall Qtr of Yr 1
CRD 250/CRD 200 Professional Skills for Community Development (4) _________ ________
Spring Qtr of Yr 1
CRD 290 Community Development Seminar (4) (p/np) (4 quarters of enrollment required)
Fall, Winter, Spring Qtr of Yr 1; Spring Qtr of Yr 2 _________ ________
CRD 260 Thesis Seminar (optional; 2 units) _________ ________
Winter, Yr 2
Choose 1 course from the following to complete the research design requirement:
AAS 204 Methodologies in African American and African Studies (4) _________ ________
LDA 202 Methods in Design & Landscape Research (4) _________ ________
Choose 2 courses from the following to complete the core course requirement:
CRD 241 Economics of Community Development (4) _________ ________
34
CRD 242 Community Change Organizations (4) _________ ________
CRD 243 Environmental Justice and Community Development ________ ________
CRD 244 Political Ecology of Community Development (4) ________ ________
CRD 245 Political Economy of Urban & Regional Development (4) ________ ________
CRD 246 Transnational Migration (4) ________ ________
CRD 247 Transformation of Work (4) ________ ________
CRD 248 Social Policy, Welfare Theories and Communities (4)
Not offered 2018-19 ________ ________
CRD 249 Media Innovation and Community Development (4) ________ ________
GEOG 220* Topics in Human Geography (4) ________ ________
LDA 201 Theory and Philosophy of the Designed Environment (4) ________ ________
LDA 204 Case Studies in Landscape Design and Research (4) ________ ________
LDA 205 (GEO 233) Urban Planning and Urban Design (4) ________ ________
LDA 215 Ecologies of Infrastructure (4) ________ ________
Electives (20 elective units plus thesis, or 24 elective units plus exam) Quarter/Year
Courses must be LETTER GRADED and at least HALF of electives must be 200 LEVEL OR HIGHER
One course must be a methods course appropriate to areas of specialization
Number Title
(methods) 1. ______ _______________________________________ ________ ________
2. ______ _______________________________________ ________ ________
35
3. ______ _______________________________________ ________ ________
4. ______ _______________________________________ ________ ________
5. ______ _______________________________________ ________ ________
(exam option) 6. ______ _______________________________________ ________ ________
Internship (Required—200 Hrs or 7 units)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Internship units DO NOT count toward core unit requirements. Meet with Carrie Armstrong-
Ruport, Program Coordinator before pursuing any internship.
Copy of completed Report on Internship must be filed with Carrie Armstrong-Ruport.
Faculty internship sponsor: ________________________________________________
Agency: ________________________________________________________
Dates of Internship: ______________________________________________
Required Signatures:
Faculty Advisor: ____________________________ Date: ___________
Grad Chair: _________________________________ Date: ___________
36
SELECTION OF PERMANENT ADVISOR
Student Name: ______________________________________
With mutual agreement, I have selected _____________________________ as my permanent
advisor.
_____________________________________ ______________
Permanent Advisor’s Signature Date
Please return to Graduate Program Coordinator by May 1 of the first year in program.
37
CHANGE OF GRADUATE ADVISOR
Student Name: ______________________________________
With mutual agreement, I have selected _______________________ as my new permanent
advisor.
_____________________________________ ______________
New Advisor’s Signature Date
_____________________________________ ______________
Graduate Group Chair’s Signature Date
38
APPOINTMENT OF MASTER’S THESIS COMMITTEE
Student’s Name: ______________________________
What is the nature of your research?
Committee Members:
Thesis/Permanent Advisor: ______________________________________
Second Reader: ________________________________
Third Member: _________________________________
How will each member contribute to your research program?
Committee approved by:
_______________________________ _______________
Graduate Group Chair’s Signature Date
39
REPORT ON INTERNSHIP
See Carrie Armstrong-Ruport in 129 Hunt Hall to pick up internship forms.
40
ADVISOR’S REPORT ON MASTERS THESIS PROPOSAL DEFENSE
(Due at the end of fall quarter in the second year of the program)
Student Name: ___________________________________________
Meeting Date: ____________________________________________
Committee Members Present: ______________________________________________
_ Approved
_ Approved with revisions as described
_ Not approved
Proposal Evaluation: ______________________________________________________
Permanent Advisor’s Signature___________________________________ Date_____________
**Attach proposal copy to this completed form and return to Graduate Program Coordinator
41
Filing Deadlines
This date is only a suggestion and is not intended as a firm deadline.
All dates are subject to change.
Forms for both the Thesis and Exam Options are found on the Grad Studies website.
http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/forms/
• Candidacy for the Master’s Degree – Thesis Plan I. This form establishes for thesis
committee. It must be signed by your faculty advisor and the Chair of your thesis
committee)
• Candidacy for the Master’s Degree – Comprehensive Exam Plan II. This establishes your
exam committee.
• Graduate Program Exit Information. Passes on contact information for post graduate
residence.
• Master’s Candidate Checklist for Completion of Degrees. A check list.
• Master’s Exam Report Form – Plan II. This form needs to be signed by all members of your
examination committee.
• University Library Release. Allows the library to file your thesis.
Intended Graduation Date
Sep.
2020
Dec.
2020
Mar.
2021
Jun.
2021
Sep.
2021
*File Thesis or Dissertation with
Committee
Jun. 24 Sep. 23 Jan. 3 Mar. 26 Jun. 22
File Thesis or Dissertation with
Graduate Studies
Aug. 28 Dec 18 Feb 26 June 10 Aug. 20
Final Day for Final or Comp.
Examination
Sep. 11 Dec. 18 Mar. 19 Jun. 10 Sep. 10
42
V. APPENDICES
43
Appendix I:
Human Ecology Department
Policy adopted by HCD Unit February 23, 2005
Guidelines for Awarding Academic Credit for Coursework Requiring
Contracts
1. Written internship and research contracts signed by the faculty sponsor and student (and
field supervisor if appropriate) are required to be submitted to the HCD Advising or
Internship offices by the UCD Registrar’s deadline for adding classes, in order to receive a
valid CRN number to enroll in a course requiring a contract.
2. The UCD Registrar’s deadline for adding classes is the 12
th
day of instruction. Advising office
staff will attempt to remind students and faculty of the finality of this deadline and will not
issue any CRN’s after this date.
3. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain and complete the proper contract forms, to collect
the required signatures on the contract form, to submit the forms to the appropriate office
(HCD Advising or HCD Internships) , to collect the course related CRN#, and to enroll on or
before the UCD Registrar’s last day to ADD course work for the current quarter. If the
student does not meet this deadline, they will need to enroll for unit credit at the start of
the next academic quarter. No credit will be awarded for research or internship work
started before students have turned in a completed contract to the HCD department.
4. If a student manages to enroll in a course requiring contracts without submitting the proper
forms to the appropriate office (HCD Advising or Internships) the HCD academic advisors will
request that the student’s registration for that class be invalidated.
5. Undergraduates must be enrolled in Summer Session I or II if they wish to receive academic
unit credit for research or internship work during the summer months.
6. Graduate students may engage in research or field work during the summer months and
receive unit credit for this work during the next Fall Quarter if they have a completed
contract on file (indicating faculty approval) with the HCD department prior to the start of
their work.
7. The 200-hour internship requirement for CD graduate students earns 7 units credit. (200
hours internship work plus 10 hours for preparation of a written report, for a total of 210
hours, at 30 hours per unit.)
(This policy is in effect for the following majors and programs: Community Development, Community and Regional Development,
Human Development, Child Development, International Agricultural Development)
44
Appendix II:
How to Select a Faculty Sponsor for Internships
Department of Human Ecology
PROCEDURES
The Internship course is CRD 292 and contracts are located in Carrie’s office at 129 Hunt Hall. Special
study and research courses are numbered CRD 299. To obtain a CRD 299 CRN, please contact Carrie
via email at [email protected]
.
When a student wishes to enroll in an internship, special study, or research coursework, it is the
student’s responsibility to first identify, locate, and secure written approval from a faculty sponsor
(this can be your faculty advisor). Enrollment for CRD unit credit can be sponsored by any of the
faculty within the graduate group.
To apply for academic unit credit, CDGG students are required to complete an internship contract
(work plan) BEFORE they begin counting hours toward the fulfillment of their internship or special
study/research course work. This contract (with approval signature from CDGG faculty) must be on
file with the Community Development Graduate Group before the internship begins. Faculty
demonstrate consent to sponsor internships or special study course work by listing an academic
assignment on the “To be Completed by Faculty and Student,” page of the contract and by signing
their name on the form.
Obtain a CRN# for internship course work by delivering a completed internship contract to the CDGG
internship coordinator in 129 Hunt Hall.
Faculty are under no obligation to sponsor internships, special study, or student research projects.
Those who do agree to serve as sponsors are voluntarily increasing their academic work load. Please
keep this in mind and be courteous when asking faculty to sponsor (and eventually evaluate) your
internship or special study course work.
QUESTIONS? Please contact Carrie Armstrong-Ruport, CDGG Internship Coordinator for 530-752-
4119 or send an email message to carupor[email protected]
. Her mail box is in 1 Hunt.
45
Appendix III:
Structure for CDGG Internships
Rationale:
A reflexive period in a professional environment is an essential part of education in community
development. The concepts of “praxis”, or the critical interaction between knowledge and action,
requires opportunities for students to subject their theoretical learning to the test of professional
practices. One, though not the only, way is to pursue this goal in an internship setting. The CDGG
places a high value on this praxis experience and therefore requires this of all students, regardless of
level of prior professional experience.
Student internships provide opportunities for students to gain valuable experience in their
prospective field, expand their grasp of possible careers, create a network of contacts, and/or gain
school credit. Both students and employers benefit from the prospect of interns returning to the
organization after completing their education and requiring little or no training.
The experience that CDGG strives for, however, goes beyond the job opportunities and networking
possibilities. The emphasis for CDGG is to use the internship time as field experience, as part of the
educational goal to apply and analyze the use of knowledge in professional settings. This way it
constitutes an experience in which the student reflects about what has (not) been learned to a
professional situation with both a close mentoring sponsorship as well as an academic relationship.
That experience of bridging these two closely related, yet usually separated activities, the world of
application and the world of theory, is the central concern of the internship experience for
Community Development Graduate students: bridging the particular with the universal, defining the
limitations of the general to the specifics of development intervention.
Definition:
In an internship, the student works in a temporary position with an emphasis on on-the-job training
to develop new skills, networks, or other professional capacities, rather than merely employment.
An internship may be either paid, unpaid or partially paid (in the form of a stipend). Internships in
non-profit organization such as charities and think tanks are often unpaid, volunteer positions.
Internships may be part-time or full-time; typically, they are part-time during the university year and
full-time in the summer, and they typically last 6-12 weeks, but can be shorter or longer. The total
internship requirement is 200 hours (7 credits), which can be met in one or multiple placements.
Roles:
A successful internship depends on the performance of three parties: the intern, the field supervisor,
and the faculty sponsor.
(1) The intern is responsible for brokering the relationship with the field/ host organization and
working to link her academic training with the field experience of the internship. The
46
students should consider the relative values of using the internship to explore new fields
and settings, on the one hand; and providing an opportunity to develop/ enhance
relationships with organizations associated with a thesis project or future career goal, on the
other.
(2) The internship field supervisor/ mentor supports the intern to see the work performance as
an educational experience and needs to be open to training and supporting the student to
meet her learning goals.
(3) The academic sponsor helps the student frame a set of conceptual questions to bring to the
field experience and to reflect upon these questions in relationship to the internship
experience. The advisor also needs to be open to new information outside his/her direct
field of expertise and share his/her insights about the analytical and theoretical approaches
and methods to cope with unexpected social problems.
Process:
1. The student seeks out internship opportunities through their professional networks,
research interests, and campus resources. See the Internship and Career Center Graduate
Student program and the Center for Regional Change (regionalchange.ucdavis.edu) for a
diverse set of internship opportunities, internship fairs, and other resources.
2. The student works with a field supervisor to develop an internship contract that specifies
the work activities, outputs, and other requirements.
3. The student identifies a faculty sponsor. This can be, but does not need to be, the student’s
major professor. The faculty sponsor fills out the sponsor section of the internship contract
specifying writing requirements, additional reading (if appropriate), meeting schedule, and
any other agreements.
4. The student submits the field supervisor and the faculty sponsor forms to the CDGG student
advisor within the course registration period.
5. At the conclusion of the internship, the field supervisor completes the internship evaluation
form. The students submits this form to the CDGG student advisor by the last day of classes.
6. The student submits the agreed upon paper or other required product to the faculty sponsor
by the last day of class.
Interns in a CDGG cohort should consider organizing a participatory seminar in which they explore
the various internship experiences and experiences in a collaborative and reflexive manner. This
could be organized through a 298 course with a faculty advisor.
47
Appendix IV:
Elective Courses Often Taken (and enjoyed) by CDGG Students
Community
Development
Geography
Landscape
Architecture &
Environmental
Design
Sociology
Education
CRD
GEO
LDA
SOC
EDU
151 Community
Development
Theory
236
Transportation
Planning/ Policy
202 Research
Design
201 Research
Methods
238
Participatory
Action Research
247
Transformation
of Work
200DN Socio-
spatial Analysis in
Geography
280 Landscape
Conservation
230 Race and
Ethnicity
150 Cultural
Diversity and
Education in a
Sociopolitical
Context
244 Political
Ecology
215 Ecologies of
Infrastructure
185Y Social Policy
239 Interview
Methods
298/158
Community
Governance
150/ ABT150
Introduction to
Geographic
Information
Systems
106 Introduction
to Statistics
244 Literacy as a
Civil Right
243
Environmental
Justice
205 Physical
Planning and
Design
170
Demographics
204A Statistical
Analysis
142 Rural Change
in the Industrial
World
201 Theory and
Philosophy of the
Designed
Environment
233 Gender,
Culture,
Transformation
? Survey
Methods
246 Transnational
Migration
292A Field
Research
48
171 Housing and
Social Policy
International
Agricultural
Development
Gender &
Women &
Sexuality
Studies
Economics
Chicano/a
Studies
Native American
Studies
IAD
GWS
ECON
CHI
NAS
203 Project
Planning
165 Feminist
Media
Production
201 Policy and
Poverty
298 Community
Based
Participatory
Research
212 Sovereignty/
Autonomy
172 Agroecology
182 Global
Gender and
Culture
220 Colonialism,
Neoliberalism,
and Indigenous
Self-
Transportation Technology
and Policy
Engineering: Civil and
Environmental
Miscellaneous
281 Transportation Seminar
289 Data Analysis in the Built
Environment
Ecology 298 Social Ecological
Systems
282 Transportation Studies
Orientation
Communications 250
Mediated Communication
Theory
289B Housing and
Transportation Seminar
Public Health 205 Health
Disparities in US
Spatial Epidemiology
Ecology 290 Conservation
Ecology
Plant Sciences: History of the
Scientific Method
D-Lab (Kurt Kornbluth)
49
Appendix VI:
The Strategy for a Two-Year Thesis
50
Appendix VII:
How to be an Advisee and Managing Your Advisor
By Nick Feamster
The notion of an advisor is an interesting concept for many new [graduate] students. Incoming
graduate students typically have one of two backgrounds: some come straight from undergraduate
studies (and, hence, may have never had a manager or a boss overseeing their career); others have
spent some time in the workforce and have decided to return to the university and begin a career in
research (and, hence, have some notion of what it is like to have a manager). An advisor-student
relationship is unique, though, and will be a new experience for both types of incoming
students. The relationship is similar to a manager relationship, but has several differentiating
features. First, your advisor is often a collaborator on equal footing. Although an incoming Ph.D.
student is not (yet) a peer of his or her advisor, the goal is that by the end of the Ph.D. process, the
student and advisor will be peers. In this sense, the Ph.D. is a true apprenticeship. My students
don’t work for me; they work with me. Second, your advisor is not a manager in the strict sense, but
is literally an advisor: You are in control of shaping your own graduate career, from what you choose
to work on to who you work with. Your advisor should be a catalyst and facilitator for your success
and should not be treating you as an employee or “hired labor”. Although some research contracts
have deliverables, you should be suspicious of any advisor who wants to constantly hold you to tight
deliverables, as it will constrain your autonomy and creativity; that type of advisor will ultimately be
more like a manager, and you can find plenty of managers in industry who will pay you a much
higher salary. If you find that your advisor is bossing you around or restricting your autonomy or
creativity, change advisors as soon as possible.
In any advisor or managerial context, it is important to recognize the importance of “managing
up”. While there may be strategic reasons to do this in any context, the most important reason to
learn how to manage your advisor is to make the most of your graduate career. Many things
compete for your advisor’s attention—papers, grants, proposals, teaching, committees, other
students, outside opportunities, etc. At the same time, everyone’s Ph.D. experience is unique, and it
is incumbent on you to work with your advisor to help you define your own trajectory and also to
create a working relationship that works for both of you.
In my seven years as an advisor, I have learned a few things about my working style. Here is some of
the advice I have offered my students about how to manage me. Many of these tips may be useful
in general for other Ph.D. students who want to help build a better relationship with their advisor
and help get the most out of their graduate careers:
• Ask your advisor for what you need. Want to attend a conference, get an introduction to a
senior colleague in the field, buy a book or other equipment, find an internship, get a travel
grant, or something else? Be proactive. The answer will be “yes” more often than you think.
51
• Scheduling meetings. I have a Google calendar that I share with all of my students. If a meeting
or event is not on my calendar, the student should assume that the meeting is not happening,
even if the meeting has been discussed (and agreed on!) in the hallway. There is no way to keep
track of hallway discussions for scheduling and they are quickly forgotten. Though it’s not
strictly necessary, I advise my students to consider sending a reminder/minutes/confirmation
before the meeting; this relates to the point below on making meetings count. Scheduling
meetings sometimes can generate an explosion of email—this is a recipe for disaster and
ensuring that you never get to meet your advisor (see below on email); if scheduling is
proceeding slowly, limit the email thread to 1-2 emails before suggesting a meeting invitation by
Google calendar. If all else fails, send a meeting invitation during an open slot; in the worst case,
your advisor will react by moving it to a time that works (it is on the calendar and thus can no
longer be deferred indefinitely).
• Try to meet your advisor once a week, even if you think you have nothing to talk about. Make
an effort to schedule a meeting once a week, even if the meeting is short; in my experience, I
have found that sometimes even a ten-minute meeting with a student can make a huge
difference for working around a mental block or changing an approach to a problem. Do not
assume that a meeting cannot happen simply because your advisor is not in town. Short
meetings by Google hangout are often very handy. In fact, throughout the summer of 2013, I
was rarely at Georgia Tech; many of my students actually found it easier to meet me when I was
traveling because I wasn’t being constantly bombarded by things related to the daily drumbeat
at the university (e.g., committee meetings, interruptions from admins, teaching, etc.). Consider
having a meeting even if you think there’s nothing to report. You may find you are stuck in a
rathole, and you may not even realize it. You should be particularly worried if you have spent 2-
3 weeks “debugging” or on some “implementation” without getting any feedback. Chances are,
you are ratholing on something that probably isn’t getting you any closer to a publication. Seek
help immediately!
• Attend every single group meeting. Do not miss group meetings. These are one of the most
important structural elements of your graduate career that actually relates to your
research. Group meetings are important for several reasons: (1) You learn about what others in
the group are doing, which may be a useful resource (or, you may find out you can be a resource
to someone else). This all helps with collaborating across the group. (2) You find out what your
advisor has been up to and why he or she has not been replying to your emails immediately. (3)
You can quickly identify if you need to have a longer meeting with your advisor, with other
students in the group, etc. This can be a huge timesaver. (4) Group meetings mark the passage
of time. It is useful to hold yourself accountable and make sure that weeks and months don’t
slip away without progress. I have group meetings with my students three times a week;
initially, I thought that this might be excessive, but it turns out to work pretty well. Three short
group meetings can often be a lot better than one extended group meeting. I will expand on
this more in a later post.
52
• If you need more of your advisor’s time, ask for it. Students are often confused or concerned
that an advisor spends more time with some students than with others and may even (wrongly)
think that the advisor is either less excited about a particular project or (worse) doesn’t like
some students as much as others. (I remember comparing notes with my fellow Ph.D. students
in grad school about how much time our advisor was spending with each of us.) Yet, it is
important to remember that good advisors don’t play favorites. The time that an advisor spends
with a student (or on a project) is typically determined by the advisor’s perception of how much
time is needed; the required time can vary dramatically according to both the stage of the
project and the stage of the student’s development. Students who are early in their careers
typically need (and should be asking for) a lot of guidance and “closed loop” feedback. Students
who are close to graduating also tend to need more attention of a different sort—help with
building their professional network, seeking out job prospects, practicing job talks, and generally
landing on their feet. Similarly, nascent research projects or projects with substantial
coordination components (e.g., large systems-building efforts) often need a lot of advisor
attention, since they have lots of moving parts and can involve coordination between multiple
sub-projects and students. Do not be overly concerned about strict time accounting. If you feel
you need more time, simply ask for it—or, better yet, just try to take more time (walk into your
advisor’s office, approach him or her on IM, send regular email updates…whatever it
takes). Advisors tend to spend more time with students who demand more of their time.
• Keep your emails short and to the point. Here is a simple rule of thumb: If the email is longer
than one paragraph, it probably won’t get read right away, particularly if there is no summary at
the beginning of it. It almost certainly won’t get an immediate response. Additionally, consider
whether email is the fastest way to resolve something, or whether it’s quicker to have a 5-10-
minute meeting, hangout, IM chat, phone call, or whatever. Use the right communication mode
for the job.
• Do not assume that if your email doesn’t get a reply, it hasn’t been read. I read everything in
my inbox, almost always on the same day that it arrives. Unfortunately, I also receive 300-500
emails per day in my inbox (not mailing lists), many of which are actionable. Suppose that half of
those emails required action, and that each one required one minute to process and respond
to—that’s already six or seven hours a day just to process email. That is insane and can kill
anyone’s productivity. I am convinced that it is possible for a professor to do nothing else in life
except reply to email. To control this insanity, I often process emails “in batch mode”—leaving
email to (mostly) pile up for a few days and then responding to a bunch at once. I tell my
students that if they do not receive a reply right away, “retransmission” after a few days is fine. I
do not consider this to be rude, nagging, or pestering behavior; most likely I have simply just
forgotten (I have found that it’s surprisingly difficult to even keep a to do list for all of these
things that students ask professors to do, as doing so becomes a monster mega-task in and of
itself). Before sending a retransmission (or initial email), however, consider whether you have
53
chosen the best medium for your message. Sometimes an in-person meeting or IM follow up to
an email will get the response you want/need.
• Make the meetings count. Many meetings are wasted by not asking yourself simple “does this
make sense?” questions before presenting a plot/result. I ask my students to read Jon Bentley’s
“Programming Pearls”, particularly the chapter on back of the envelope calculations
. Also, I
advise my students to read Vern Paxson’s “Strategies for Sound Internet Measurement”. Your
advisor has almost certainly seen a ton of plots/experiments/data and is pretty good at quickly
determining whether a graph that you spent two days producing makes any sense at all. You
can have a more productive meeting if you do some simple debugging of plots beforehand. On
this note, bringing specific, concrete things that your advisor can react to is helpful. “I ran some
experiments and things seem to look OK.” is a report I have heard many times from
students. Such a report is utterly useless. Even if it were true (often things may not be OK), it is
impossible to give feedback on or brainstorm based on vague statements. You are likely to get a
“sounds good!” in response, which is equally useless for you. Bring something concrete to
discuss. You can present anything: A performance number, a paragraph of writing, a plot, …
something to react to and figure out next steps. Even a plot that appears buggy or inexplicable
is sometimes a good topic for a meeting, too, presuming you’ve recognized the discrepancies
and can’t figure out the problem. Sometimes what appears to be a bug might in fact be an
interesting artifact, or even the spark for a new paper or discovery.
• Take notes and organize them. The students who make the best use of meetings tend to have:
(1) an agenda beforehand; (2) minutes afterwards; (3) something focused and concrete to
discuss/think about/talk about; (4) a consolidated place to keep minutes. Your advisor can read
these minutes to prepare for the upcoming meeting, think about problems offline, review/think
about the problem outside of meetings, and guide progress. Sometimes your advisor may take
notes, sometimes not. Don’t count on it. Even if your advisor is taking notes, your notes will
complement and fill in gaps. Different people remember different things. Taking notes is also
an important opportunity to practice writing—and students need to practice writing at every
opportunity (more on that in a later post).
• Do not wait until the last minute to write your paper. Most graduate students are working on
one or at most two papers or projects at any given time. It can thus be easy to overlook the
fact that your advisor is involved in many more things (albeit at a higher level) and, from a
purely practical standpoint, might be submitting two or three papers to the same conference
deadline. Thus, waiting until the last minute to write a paper draft (or complete a project) is an
invitation for scattered, distracted, and superficial feedback (and severely diminished chances of
a strong paper submission). Can you write a good paper or think clearly while doing four things
at once? If not, consider your poor advisor, whose aging brain is no longer as agile as
yours. Write early, write often. Writing is not a task that happens after the research is done;
rather, it is part of the research and thinking process, not something that is done when the
research is done. Writing is part of the research. I ask my students to have a complete paper
54
draft at least one week before the deadline. Nobody ever follows this advice, and I think that we
can recognize that it is idealistic. I’ve periodically threatened to ban paper submissions if there
is no draft a week before; I don’t have the will to do that, although I know at least one of my
collaborators who enforces this rule. Still, the point remains: early attention == focused
attention == good attention.
• Do not ask for a recommendation letter with less than one week’s notice. A letter takes at
least an hour to write—longer if there is no earlier draft from another instance. Short notice
makes for letters that will probably not be as strong as they could be, because a good letter
takes time to polish. Consider writing the first draft yourself, or at least putting some points into
bullet form or providing an up-to-date CV, for quick reference. All of this stuff makes the letter
stronger and easier to write.
55
Appendix VIII:
Graduate Student Guide for Managing UCD Expenses
If your funds have not been set-up with a UCD account number please first contact your Graduate Group
Coordinator
&/or Account Manager to establish the funds as needed. Be sure to include an account number with
all processing requests.
Reimbursements & purchases fall into the following categories:
A.
Travel Purchases/Reimbursement:
(Please note there is a Pre-Trip form to use for conference registration and
airfare that must be paid several months in advance. However if paid by personal means these purchases are
not reimbursed until after the travel dates. These expenses can be purchased through the Business Processor
on your behalf)
During your travel keep in mind:
1.
The daily allowance while traveling in the USA for Meals, Incidentals and Tips is $62 per day. For most recent
allowances check site: A&FS/travel (International travel allows for a Per Diem set By the US State
Department, search by country/city/season: https://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem.asp. Any
amount spent over the daily allowance will be marked as Personal/Non-Reimbursable and will not be
reimbursed.
2.
Meal expenses should be claimed for only the amount spent, if maximum is claimed for all trip days,
receipts
may be required.
3.
On the days you are traveling you may only claim meals consumed while actually traveling.
(i.e. Return
flight scheduled 8am to 2pm you may claim breakfast & lunch - NOT dinner)
4.
Receipts, especially for airfare and lodging, need to include the method of payment (typically showing the
last four digits of credit card used)
5. Airfare documents should include the purchase receipt and the flight itinerary.
6. Lodging has a domestic daily allowance of $275 (pre-tax). The receipt needs to include the folio that will
have a breakdown of daily expenses and is provided at check-out. (meals & incidentals charged to room
will
be applied to daily M&I allowance) (Parking charged to room will not count toward lodging
allowance)
7. Meal receipts need to be itemized + credit card transaction slip (alcohol will NOT be reimbursed)
8.
If needed there is a Lost Receipt Form on the Cluster 5 website (below) Note: Lost Receipt Form is not
accepted for airfare or lodging expenses.
9. A good rule of thumb: Anything related to a trip i.e. printing needed during or before a conference or
meals while traveling is part of Travel.
In addition, to avoid out-of-pocket travel expenses, flights can be booked through BDC in AggieTravel
NOTE: New UC travel registration policy for international travel. Flights booked outside of AggieTravel need to
be registered, with UC Away, found in your AggieTravel dashboard. Failure to register may cause deduction or
disqualification of reimbursements. Policy details *
pg2
56
B.
Entertainment Purchases/Reimbursements:
Venue, food, napkins, note pads, etc. purchased for meetings or
events are covered under Entertainment.
1. Use Entertainment Expense Form
2. Include all receipts (must show method of payment)
3. Food & beverage receipts must be itemized.
4.
Guest list or sign-in sheet is required for Entertainment meal expenses. List to include: First & Last Name,
email and their affiliation with UC Davis.
C.
Supplies/Equipment, Misc. Purchases/Reimbursements
UCD prefers to avoid out-of-pocket expenses as much
as
possible. To prevent this, purchase requests should be sent to the Business Unit with the following
information:
1. Item name with details. Specific URLs work best to ensure the exact size, color, etc. is purchased.
2. Approximate price of each item.
3. Quantity of each item.
4. The account number to use. (Multiple accounts can be used)
5. A brief Business Purpose for the item(s) purchased/requesting to purchase.
6. Date needed.
7. Non-travel reimbursements over $500 will result in obtaining a confirming order from the Dean’s office that
could
be denied. Therefore any purchase that is over $500 (including tax & shipping) must come through the
Business
Unit.
**It is important to confirm there are sufficient funds with your
Account Manager before booking BCD travel or making large purchases.
Submitting receipts for reimbursement processing:
1.
Scanning and sending receipts via email is the most time efficient, however whatever works best for you is
fine.
2. Please fill out the appropriate reimbursement form(s) which you will find on the Cluster 5 website:
https://cluster5.ucdavis.edu/forms
3. Mileage form is required for multiple trips per month. List each start-finish address, check the appropriate box at the
bottom for auto-calculation. If only 1-2 trips you may provide the start & finish addresses on the
Travel Expense Form
for processor to input with Google Map in AggieTravel. Note on Expense Form: Mileage
Log attached.
4. Signatures at the bottom of the forms:
a. Traveler, you. Turn in signed
b.
P.I., Principle Investigator, monitors spending. Turn in signed.(Adobe digital signatures acceptable)
c.
Account Manager, approves use of account based on funds & related UC policies. Processor will
obtain Account
Manager Approval.
5.
Once the report is ready, give to Grad-Group Program Coordinator for review, then send/bring to your
Business Unit
Processor located in 1309 Hart Hall.
•
ESP: Corina Lopez, cclopez@ucdavis.edu, 530-752-3558
•
ARE: Susan Sloan, smsloan@ucdavis.edu, 530-752-3980
• HE: HDE, LDA, CCFS: Cheryl Piety cpiety@ucdavis.edu, 530-752-8916
The Business Unit staff will be glad to answer any questions regarding your UC Davis business processing needs.
Office hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-12:00pm & 1:00-5:00pm.
