To be advanced to candidacy for the doctoral degree a student must:

1) successfully pass the Qualifying Examination;
2) have no more than two courses graded Incomplete; and
3) have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in all upper division and graduate course work
taken in graduate standing

Once a student has successfully passed their qualifying examination they will be given an "Application for Advancement to Candidacy". As a part of the advancement application, the dissertation committee must be chosen. In consultation with their research advisor, student's proposes three members of the Berkeley Academic Senate as readers of their dissertation. This committee is made up of the student's research advisor, as the dissertation chair, one other member in the students department, and one member from outside the student's department.

If committee co-chairs are requested and one of the co-chairs is outside the Department, a fourth committee member must be selected from outside the Department. Approval of this committee will be granted provided the qualifications of the proposed member satisfies the requirements of the Graduate Division

The application for advancement of candidacy must be filed no later than the end of the semester following the one in which the student passed the examination. This form can be found at the following Graduate Division Web Site (www.grad.berkeley.edu/nav/forms.shtml) or in the Chemistry Graduate Office, 419 Latimer Hall. The Chair of the Dissertation Committee and the Head Graduate Advisor (Chair of the Chemistry Department or his appointed staff) must sign the application. The application fee is $65 and is submitted to the Graduate Division Degree Office in 302 Sproul Hall.