Prospective Students
All CMBC Interdisciplinary students are UCSD graduate students who apply to, and will graduate from, the Ph.D. program in their respective UCSD department. Thus, the first step in application to the CMBC program is to apply to graduate school at UCSD in your department of choice. On-line application is available through the University of California San Diego Office of Graduate Studies (OGS). Applications to graduate school at UCSD are accepted on the schedule determined by the department of application and applicants must fulfill all the specific application requirements of their respective UCSD department.
Applicants must note their interest in the CMBC Interdisciplinary Training in the "other information" section of the application.
The second step is the submission of an essay which clearly addresses how the student's graduate school career goals match those of the CMBC program. Candidates may be asked to prepare an additional essay to enable the applicant to express why they are applying to an interdisciplinary program linking the social and natural sciences in addition to the excellent disciplinary pathways available to them in their home department.
Applicants to Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Applicants to other UCSD graduate departments
Applicants from existing UCSD graduate students - all departments
Hints for a successful application
Our commitment to diversity
The San Diego Fellowship Program
Applicants to Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Applicants to Scripps Institution of Oceanography should be aware of five things in the on-line application: choosing the department, choosing the major, choosing the area of research interest, noting possible faculty advisors, and noting their interest in the CMBC program. To begin, apply to graduate school by filling out the UCSD on-line application. The on-line application can be accessed at the OGSR site given above or obtained directly from the SIO website: Choose Scripps Institution of Oceanography as the department. Indicate your choice of major: Marine Biology, Oceanography, or Earth Sciences. In addition, choose no more than two of the following eight areas of specialization: Applied Ocean Science, Biological Oceanography, Climate Science, Geosciences, Geophysics, Marine Biology, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, and Physical Oceanography. There is also a section to note faculty members you are interested in working with. Finally, in the Additional Information section, note that you would like to be considered for the CMBC Interdisciplinary program.
Applicants to other UCSD graduate departments.
Potential graduate students applying to UCSD Department of Biology, Section of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, UCSD Department of History and the UCSD Department of Communications are eligible to apply for the CMBC training with application to the PhD program. Please check the department for deadlines. In the "Additional Information" section, note that you would like to be considered for the CMBC Interdisciplinary Training. Applicants should submit an essay and a letter of recommendation from the Department Chair to CMBC mail code 0202 or cmbc@ucsd.edu by February 1, 2008
Application From Existing Graduate Students - all departments.
UCSD graduate students in all departments generally become eligible for the Interdisciplinary program upon completion of departmental course requirements and with the recommendation of their major professor- please check with your department. Applicants for fellowship support or participation in the program need to submit an a 2 page essay and a letter of recommendation from their major professor to CMBC mail code 0202 or email to cmbc@ucsd.edu by February 1, 2008.
**Anthropology - Graduate students may apply after completion of first year
**Political Science - Graduate students may apply after completion of first year
**Economics - Graduate students may apply after completion of second year.
**Scripps Institution of Oceanography- Graduate students who have completed their second year at Scripps are eligible to participate and should submit an essay and letter of recommendation to CMBC.
Hints for a successful application.
Successful applicants to the program have several important things in common and we want to share this information with you.
First, they succinctly express how their personal goals match those of a program that integrates the natural and social sciences. We want to know why you are applying to our interdisciplinary program.
Second, they address how their past experiences prepared them for the program. These often go beyond traditional academics measures such as courses, grade point averages and GRE scores, to encompass any of a wide variety of work and life experiences which illustrate the applicant's motivation to work hard and rise to challenges. Extensive work or research experience is often as good as, or sometimes even a better measure of, an applicant's future ability to succeed at graduate studies. Mention of published work, including papers in professional journals or any other type of book, report, newspaper article, etc. is also particularly relevant because they demonstrate the successful completion and dissemination of research, another good indicator of future success in a Ph.D. program.
Third, they articulate interesting areas for cross-fertilization and for transcending traditional disciplinary boundaries. We are interested in people that think creatively about how to solve environmental problems and in people that bring unusual and valuable skills to the program. Sometimes, we talk to applicants that have had another career, a double major or a Master's Degree a seemingly unrelated field. However, with a little questioning about their background, these applicants soon realize that their non-traditional path to the Ph.D. program, provides unique insights to draw upon in the future. Think carefully about your background and share with us how it prepares you for a cross-disciplinary program.
Fourth, successful applicants have often conversed or exchanged emails with the professors and professionals associated with the Marine Biodiversity IGERT program. Not only can we provide additional information to you, it also gives the faculty another chance to get acquainted with you and reason to look for your application when it arrives.
Good luck! Do not hesitate to contact us with questions (see below for contact information).
Our Commitment to Diversity
Only when all citizens are able to bring their full, rich brilliance to bear on solving environmental problems will conservation be up to the great challenges that face us today. The future of the world's oceans requires trained experts who can connect with local populations and who will apply themselves to issues of global concern, the environment, biodiversity and sustainable resources. Our goal is to achieve a diversified Interdisciplinary student body and we actively encourage students from underrepresented minority groups to apply. In support of the CMBC program, OGS has designated an additional fellowship to this program for an under-represented applicant. More information on UCSD diversity programs and additional fellowships can be found at http://diversity.ucsd.edu and http://ogs.ucsd.edu/fellowships/sd_fellowship/index.htm.
San Diego Fellowship Program
The University of California, San Diego offers a fellowship program as a means to increasing campus diversity. The program is motivated by the campus commitment to be fully inclusive and supportive of all students, and by the belief that a diverse graduate student body enhances the quality of the educational experience for all students.
The department nominates candidates for the fellowships. All nominated students must be recommended for admission by the nominating graduate program. All students selected as fellows shall receive two years of fellowship support from the Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) and then two guaranteed years of comparable support by the graduate program. OGS support is for years one and two only. Funding may not be deferred. All continuing support is contingent upon the fellow remaining in good academic standing and meeting established departmental criteria for good academic progress toward the degree. All fellows shall have a faculty mentor appointed upon enrollment.
Nominees must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are recommended for admission to UCSD for Fall 2008. Nominees considered for the San Diego Candidates for fellowship must complete a San Diego Fellowship form contained in the UCSD Application for Graduate Admissions, to be eligible.
Nominations of individuals who are from underrepresented groups are encouraged, although all qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Fellowships will be awarded based on applicants' eligibility (having social, educational or economic backgrounds that would add to the diversity of UCSD's graduate programs or demonstrating a commitment to increasing educational access for underrepresented students) and merit (based on academic preparation and potential). Nominating programs must provide a convincing argument that the student's presence would enhance the diversity in the discipline, program or campus without regard to race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.
The following are examples of how a student could enhance diversity.
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Student has unique skills, talents, innovations, or experiences that would be of benefit to others and would enhance the diversity in the discipline, program or campus.
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Student has a strong interest in undertaking research that would address issues of diversity as it relates to ethnic communities, social equity and justice, or economic opportunity.
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Student has shown a deep commitment to working with others, through such activities as mentoring or tutoring, to promote educational access to higher education for underserved groups.
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Student has successfully overcome significant educational, social, or economic disadvantage or adversity in a way that would enable him or her to contribute to the campus community in a manner that enhances campus diversity.
