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By-Laws: New Designated Emphasis Proposal

GRADUATE GROUP FOR A DESIGNATED EMPHASIS IN [Name]
University of California, Berkeley

By-Laws

ARTICLE 1:  Purpose

The Graduate Group in [Name] shall establish and administer a graduate program of instruction and research leading to the Designated Emphasis in [Name].  The Designated Emphasis is applicable to existing Ph.D. programs at the University of California at Berkeley.

The interdisciplinary and diverse nature of academic and research interests of the faculty participating in the Designated Emphasis (DE) provide the student with a broad scope of educational opportunities.  The appointment of an Executive Committee to monitor the activities of the [Name] Graduate Group, as described in Article 3, assures rigorous training for all students pursuing the DE.

ARTICLE 2: Membership

Membership in the Graduate Group is open to Academic Senate faculty of affiliated Ph.D. programs who are actively engaged in teaching and research in appropriate sub-fields and who wish to join the Graduate Group.  [Proposers should specify here the qualifications and selection process for determining membership in the group.  E.g., “New members are considered for membership in the Graduate Group upon submission of a curriculum vitae to the Chairperson, listing their qualifications and stating reasons for seeking membership, and are subject to approval by the Graduate Group’s Executive Committee and a vote of the current core faculty.”] Proposed members are nominated by the Executive Committee to the Dean of the Graduate Division for appointment. Membership shall be reviewed periodically by the Executive Committee, at which time inactive members may be recommended to the Graduate Dean for removal from the membership list.

ARTICLE 3:  Executive Committee

Election.  The administrative leadership of the Graduate Group shall be vested in an Executive Committee consisting of [number( 3 or more)] elected members.  Members of the Executive Committee will be elected from among the Graduate Group membership, following nominations made by the Nominating Committee.  

Nominations by any member of the Group will also be included in the slate of candidates submitted to the membership.  Election of the Executive Committee is by mail ballot and shall be completed by at least 3 weeks before the end of the spring semester.  Votes cast electronically via e-mail are acceptable. The term of office will be two years following selection.  Election results shall be announced to the membership by mail.  Newly-elected members shall assume their duties on July 1.  In the initial election following approval of the Group, the three members receiving the largest number of votes shall serve a two-year term, the others a one-year term [if more than three member].  The existing Executive Committee shall fill interim vacancies in its membership by appointment, after consultation with the Nominating Committee.

Executive Committee Chair.  The Executive Committee will choose and recommend one of its members to the Graduate Dean for appointment as Chair of the group.  The Chair of the Executive Committee is the de facto Chair of the Graduate Group for the DE.

Responsibilities.  The Executive Committee shall meet at least once every semester to discuss issues of concern to the Graduate Group.  The principal responsibilities of the Executive Committee are:

• To review faculty membership for the Graduate Group and maintain a list of active members to be annually reported to the Dean of the Graduate Division.  This includes the nomination to the Graduate Dean of a tenured faculty member as Head Graduate Adviser for the DE.
• To review affiliation of affiliated Ph.D. programs and make appropriate recommendations to the Dean of the Graduate Division.
• [To assume the duties otherwise assigned to the possible standing committees listed in Article 5 below, with the exception of the Nominating Committee which should be separate from the Executive Committee.  In other words, if the Executive Committee is to assume the admissions, curriculum, and advising responsibilities, they should be specifically articulated here.  Otherwise, insert “To appoint the standing committees described in Article 5 below and other ad hoc committees as needed,”]
• To conduct administrative and clerical matters related to the activities of the Graduate Group.

The Chair of the Graduate Group (and Executive Committee) shall represent the Graduate Group membership in official matters pertaining to the DE.  The Chair of the Graduate Group and the Chairs of the affiliated Ph.D. programs shall meet at least annually to discuss administrative, instructional, and research resource needs.

ARTICLE 4:  Program Standards

Admissions
Admissions criteria for the DE will be devised by the Admissions Committee  and approved by the Executive Committee as described in Article 5 [or”by the Executive Committee”, as applicable].  Criteria will be clearly articulated to applicants (e.g.,  through the DE’s website, etc.).

Curriculum
The curriculum of the DE will consist of specified courses which may be independent from, or an integral part of, the doctoral programs with which it is associated.  These will be determined by the Curriculum Committee as described in Article 5 [if applicable].  The curricular requirements of the Ph.D. program and of the DE must be met before the qualifying examination.  Any changes in curriculum requirements must be reported to the Graduate Division for review and approval.

Qualifying Examination
All students must be admitted to the DE program before the qualifying examination.  The qualifying examination must include examination of knowledge within the DE.  At least one faculty member of the DE must participate in the qualifying examination, as determined by the DE Graduate Advising Committee or its designate [if applicable], as described in Article 5, and in consultation with the Head Graduate Adviser in the affiliated Ph.D. program.  Satisfactory performance on the qualifying examination for the Ph.D. will be judged according to the established rules in the affiliated program.

Dissertation
The dissertation topic shall incorporate study within the DE.  The dissertation committee must include at least one faculty member of the DE, as determined by the DE Graduate Advising Committee or its designate [if applicable], as described in Article 5, to ensure that the dissertation contributes in a significant way to the interdisciplinary field of the DE. 

Degree Conferral
The DE will be acknowledged solely in conjunction with the Ph.D. in an established Ph.D. program and will be signified by the transcript and diploma designation “Ph.D. in Name of Student Major with a Designated Emphasis in Name.”

Program Evaluation
Evaluation of the academic quality of the DE will be conducted within the course of Graduate Council program review.

ARTICLE 5:  Other Committees [As applicable]

The following four committees will be appointed by the Executive Committee and have the following responsibilities:

Admissions Committee

• To establish student admissions criteria to be approved by the Executive Committee and review for appropriate modifications.
• To review, and recommend for approval to the Executive Committee, graduate student applications to the DE.
• To collaborate with the affiliated Ph.D. programs in the recruitment of graduate students.

Curriculum Committee

• To review course requirements for the DE and make appropriate additions and deletions to the list of relevant courses.  Changes in curriculum requirements must be reported to the Graduate Division for review and approval before implementation.
• To review Qualification Examination and Dissertation requirements and make appropriate modifications.  Requirements changes must be reported to the Graduate Division for review and approval before implementation.

Nominating Committee

• To propose a slate of candidates for open positions on the Executive Committee in the annual election.

Graduate Advising Committee

• To establish and review the DE’s mechanisms for advising students in adherence to standards of scholarship for the DE from pre-advancement until completion of DE requirements in the program, and to assess the quality of the program’s student advising.
• To assist the Head Graduate Adviser in the following duties of that position:
• To review and approve individual student course selections and make appropriate recommendations before approval.
• To review student Qualifying Examination and Dissertation Committees to ensure that the DE is represented by a core faculty member for nomination to the Dean of the Graduate Division for approval.  This may be delegated to the Head Graduate Adviser for the DE.
• To review and approve any variations from the DE standard Curriculum in individual student cases.

ARTICLE 6:  Meetings

At least one meeting of the general membership of the Graduate Group shall be held each year.  The Chair shall call a special meeting whenever requested by written notice from [number] or more members.  Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with generally accepted procedures.  At meetings, [number] current members of the Graduate Group shall constitute a quorum.  Minutes of each meeting shall be the responsibility of the Chair and shall be distributed to the membership and to the Dean of the Graduate Division following the meeting. 

ARTICLE 7:  Requirements for Ph.D. Programs to be DE Affiliates

Existing Ph.D. programs of the University of California, Berkeley, may elect to offer the Designated Emphasis in [Name] as a program option by submitting a letter of intent to the Chairperson of the [Name] DE, signed by the chair of the respective Ph.D. program.  Affiliated Ph.D. programs must demonstrate commitment to training and research in the area of the DE, including the following commitments:

1. Affiliated Ph.D. programs shall give the DE prominence at least comparable to that of a single faculty member in the program in brochures and website advertisements.
2. Affiliated Ph.D. programs agree to either distribute DE materials (e.g., program brochure) with all corresponding affiliated Ph.D. program materials, or provide such materials upon request.
3. Applications of students indicating interest in the DE shall be marked for review by members of the DE Graduate Group in the respective Ph.D. Program. 
4. Applicants indicating interest in the DE who are invited by the affiliated Ph.D. program to visit the campus (e.g., for interviews) will be encouraged to meet with members of the DE, including those outside of the affiliated Ph.D. program.

The Chairs of the affiliated Ph.D. programs agree to meet at least annually with the Chair of the DE Graduate Group to discuss administrative, instructional, and research resource needs.

ARTICLE 8:  Amendments

Approval of changes in these by-laws shall require a two-thirds majority of the votes cast.  Proposed changes shall be submitted to the membership of the Graduate Group by electronic mail ballot or for vote at a meeting, provided that written notice of the proposed changes is submitted to the members at least one week prior to the date of the meeting.  Votes cast electronically via e-mail are acceptable.

Rev.  10/07

Last Updated: June 16, 2010 4:42 PM