Bren School of Environmental
Science & Management
University of California, Santa Barbara
GraduateStudent Handbook
BREN SCHOOLGRADUATE STUDENT HANDBOOK
SECTION I: GENERAL INFORMATION FOR bren MESM AND PhD STUDENTS
WHO’S WHO IN THE BREN SCHOOL
Faculty
Staff
Researchers
Committees and Councils
Advisory Councils and Partners
BREN CURRICULUM
Curriculum Plan
Course Descriptions
Course Numbering
Schedule of Classes
Books
GauchoSpace
Communication Center (BH 3310)
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Community Colloquia
Research Seminars
Career Development Seminars and Workshops
Attendance at Bren Events
Student Status
Academic Standing/Standards of Scholarship
Establishing California Residency
English for Multilingual Students (EMS)
Leave of Absence
Lapsed Student Status
Withdrawing From the Program
Adding a Second Degree or Emphasis
REGISTRATION & ENROLLMENT
Academic Calendar
Enrollment in Classes with Discussions/Labs
Approval Codes
Class Size
Number of Units
Transferring Credit
Variable Unit Courses
ESM 595 Group Studies
ESM 596 Directed Readings and Research
Instructor Codes
Auditing a Course
Schedule Adjustments
Verifying Class Schedule
Course Evaluations
Grades
Core Course Grades
Elective Course Grades
S/U and P/NP Grades
Incomplete Grades
In Progress Grades
No Grade (NG) & No Record (NR)
Petitions
Bren School Petition
Graduate Student Petitions
ACADEMIC CONDUCT
Academic Misconduct
Integrity
Conflict of Interest
Use of Human Subjects
Financial Support
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
Recruitment Incentive Awards
University-based Fellowships
Student Academic Appointments
Teaching Assistantships
Graduate Student Researchers
Conference Funding
Student Off-campus Travel Insurance
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Career Center (BH 2524)
BREN STUDENT RESOURCES
Mail/Mailboxes
Copy Machines
Printing
Fax Machines
Media Equipment and Conference Phones
Bren-Alerts
Email Aliases
Events
Bren-Random
Request Queues
Corporate Time Calendars
Scheduling Meetings with Faculty and Staff
Bren School Logo
Counseling & Psychological Services
Office of the Ombuds
BREN HALL
Stewardship of Bren Hall
Emergencies/Safety
Keys
Building Security
Evening Lighting
Classrooms/Meeting Rooms
Student Meeting Rooms
Davidson Student Commons (BH 3330)
Student Computing Facility (BH 3022)
Reading Room (BH 3312)
Interaction Room/Kitchen/Patio (BH 3328)
MESM Student Lockers
Deckers Deck
Smoking
Alcohol Sale and Service
Bicycles and Bike Racks
Bike Locker
Surfboard and Wetsuit Storage Area
Shower
Building Maintenance
Lost and Found
Recycling
SECTION II: MESM PROGRAM GUIDELINES
Required Units
Core Courses
Deferring a Core Course
Waiving a Core Course
Specializations
Foci
Master’s Projects
Student Advising and Support
Program of Study (POS)
Graduate (Grad) Check Form
Summer Internship Fellowships
MESM Time to Degree
Transfer/Continuation to the PhD Program
SECTION III: PhD PROGRAM GUIDELINES
PhD Timeline Checklist
Required Units
Grade Point Average
Core Courses
PhD Time To Degree
Doctoral Levels
PhD Advisor
PhD Committee
STAGE 1: Forming the PhD Committee
Annual Review
STAGE 2: Written Examination
STAGE 3: Dissertation Proposal and Oral Examination
STAGE 4: The Dissertation and Defense
Bren School Commencement
SECTION I: GENERAL INFORMATION FOR bren MESM AND PhD STUDENTS
The purpose of this guide is to present Bren School policies and procedures and other relevant information for Bren Master of Environmental Science and Management (MESM)and PhD students. While this guide references some University of California policies, procedures, etc. applicable to all graduate students, it does not duplicate all of the information in the UCSB Graduate Student Handbook. Please contact the Bren Student Affairs staff () with questions or concerns about any of the information in the handbook.
WHO’S WHO IN THE BREN SCHOOL
Faculty
A list of Bren School faculty is located on the Bren website under People/Faculty.
Ladder track faculty are those faculty that have full-time tenured or tenure-track positions and are members of the UC Academic Senate. The UC-System (and especially UCSB) operates under a strong tradition of shared governance between faculty and administration. This means that University operates under a dual-track system of authority and responsibility which presumes that faculty members are best qualified to charge the University’s education course and administrators are most competent to direct its finances and organization. In practice, these domains are overlapping and interdependent. Nonetheless, faculty (not deans) are primarily responsible for governance and decision-making in regards to academic matters.
Bren School faculty are deeply committed to educating students and to being superb instructors. However, it is important that students calibrate their expectations of faculty appropriately. Since this is a research University, ladder track faculty are expected to invest at least 50% of their time in research, to build reputations as superior scholars and researchers in their area of expertise and to publish their research findings. This is partly what makes UCSB/Bren a premier institution and why a degree from here is so valuable. The Bren School education is being overseen and classes are being taught by individuals who are working at the cutting-edge of knowledge creation as well as policy development and implementation.
Faculty are entitled to take a quarter of sabbatical leave after every three years of service (or they can accumulate and take a full year). As such, it is possible that a particular faculty member may not be in residence for all or part of a year. In 2014-2015, the following faculty will be on sabbatical: SangwonSuh(Winter & Spring 2015).
In addition, periodically faculty are presented with opportunities that are mutually beneficial for them and the University which require them to spend a quarter or more on leave from the University. In 2014-2015, the following faculty are on administrative leave: Frank Davis (100% to serve as the Director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis or NCEAS); Trish Holden (50% time to serve as the Director of the UC Natural Reserve System); Bruce Kendall (50% time to serve as the Associate Dean of the Graduate Division).
Adjunct faculty are individuals that have their main affiliation elsewhere and are not part of the UC Academic Senate but are involved in teaching and research at UCSB. The Bren School has five adjunct faculty members: Derek Booth, Lee Hannah, Jay Means, Hugo Salgado and Robert Wilkinson.
Affiliated faculty are ladder track faculty in other UCSB departments (or other UCs) with a 0% appointment in Bren because they interact and engage with Bren faculty and students in mutually beneficial ways. The Bren School has eight affiliated faculty members: Robert Deacon, Olivier Deschenes, John Foran, David Lea, Sally MacIntyre, Paulina Oliva, Ronald Rice and Eric Smith.
Each year, the Bren School hires a number of lecturers and visiting professors who are professionals and from other Universities, and who teach courses to enhance our curriculum and Bren students’ educational experiences.
Staff
The Bren School staff provides services to Bren faculty, researchers, graduate students, and others in the areas of administration, academic programs, financial services, career services, communications and outreach, computing services, development, events, facilities, and special programs. A list of Bren School staff is located on the Bren website under PeopleStaff.
Name / Title / Office / Phone / EmailSteve Gaines / Dean / BH 2410 / 805-893-4339 /
Doris Bleecher / Dean’s Assistant;
Academic Personnel Coordinator / BH 2433 / 805-893-7363 /
Satie Airamé / Assistant Dean, Academic Programs / BH 2424 / 805-893-3387 /
Corlei Prieto / Student Affairs Manager, Admissions / BH 2510 / 805-893-4886 /
Graduate Program Assistant / BH 2512 / 805-893-7611
Casey Hankey / Academic Programs Coordinator; Group Project Coordinator / BH 2439 / 805-893-5041 /
Camile Clementi / Academic Programs Assistant / BH 2400B / 805-893-6115 /
Kim Fugate / Business Officer / BH 2516 / 805-893-3540 /
Amy Burgard / Finance Manager / BH 2514 / 805-893-7457 /
Frank Soares / Payroll/Personnel/Travel Coordinator / BH 2522 / 805-893-6114 /
Briny Litchfield / Purchasing Coordinator / BH 2522 / 805-893-6114 /
Dee White / Resource Coordinator / BH 2400A / 805-893-8452 /
David Parker / Director of Career Development and Alumni Relations / BH 2520 / 805-893-5938 /
Kristen Robinson / Assistant Director, Career Development and Alumni Relations / BH 2518 / 805-893-2743
/
Christine Yi / Coordinator, Career Development and Alumni Relations / BH 2518 / 805-893-2743 /
James Badham / Media Liaison / BH 3412 / 805-893-5049 /
Jason Simpson / Director of Information Technology / BH 3045 / 805-893-7794 /
Brad Hill / Manager of Desktop Computing / BH 3045 / 805-893-7794 /
Geoff Jewel / Help Desk Manager / BH 3045 / 805-893-7794 /
Andrew Krupa / Assistant Dean, Development / BH 2439 / 805-893-3712 /
Lindsey Kaplan / Associate Director, Development
Corporate & Foundation Relations / BH 2430 / 805-893-5047 /
Patti Winans / Development Assistant / BH 2400D / 805-893-4589 /
bjdanetra / Senior Events Manager / BH 2508 / 805-252-0552 /
Sage Davis / Building Manager / BH 1021 / 805-448-0028 /
Emily Cotter / Program Manager, Eco-Entrepreneurship / BH 3406 / 805-893-4583 /
JacyBrunkow / Program Manager, Latin American Fisheries Fellowship / BH 4526 /
Leslie Sanchez / Program Manager, Sustainable Water Markets Fellowship / BH 4025 / 805-893-2607 /
Researchers
There a number of individuals housed in Bren who are engaged solely in the conduct of research, either working independently or for a Bren School faculty member. In addition, each year we have a number of visiting researchers from other universities or organizations who come to the Bren School to engage in scholarly research interactions with Bren School faculty and students.
Committees and Councils
Many Bren School committees have student representatives who share feedback from the student perspective with the administration, faculty and staff, and help to shape the future of Bren School programs. To inquire about serving as a student representative on a Bren School committee, please contact the Student Affairs staff. Committees with student representatives are described below. A complete list of Bren School Committees and their members may be found on the Bren website under Internal ServicesCommittees.
Dean's Advisory Council (DAC)
DAC serves as an information conduit between students and the administration. It works with the administration to ensure the Bren School provides a supportive and positive environment for its students. DAC represents the entire student body and explores different student opinions and views to motivate problem solving for any student-related issues. The MESM DAC includes three 1st-year MESM, three 2nd-year MESM. The PhD DAC includes five to six PhD students who are elected by their peers in a fall quarter election. DAC is responsible for scheduling meetings, creating itsown minutes, and defining itsprocesses and procedures. Meetings are held at least once/quarter and at most once/month. DAC may take the lead on school-wide functions that involve the student body.
Colloquium Committee
The Colloquium Committee consists of faculty, staff, and PhD and MESM students who plan the community colloquium speaker series. In spring quarter, up to 3 students are nominated and selected from both the MESM and PhD programs. The students work with faculty and staff to identify and invite up to 6 community colloquium speakers. Staff arrange travel and logistics, and approve travel expenditures for colloquium speakers. The primary staff contact for the Colloquium Committee is the Senior Events Manager.
PhD Program Committee
The PhD Program Committee consists of faculty, staff, and up to 3 PhD student representatives. The committee sets standards and policy on PhD education.It provides advice and consent on matters of policy, programs, and practice that impact the quality of the PhD educational program and the educational experience of PhD students. According to University rules, the student representative(s) cannot be voting members (only faculty that are members of the faculty Senate can be voting members). Nonetheless, the students play an important and valuable role. The Committee reserves the right to have Executive Sessions that exclude the student representatives if there is need to discuss confidential personnel issues or issues related to specific students. The primary staff contact for the PhD Program Committee is the Academic Programs Coordinator.
MESM Program Committee
The MESM Program Committee consists of faculty, staff and a MESM student representative. In spring quarter, the MESM student representative is nominated from the 1st year class and serves on the committee during his/her 2nd year of study. The committee sets standards and policy on MESM education. It provides advice and consent on matters of policy, programs, and practice that impact the quality of the MESM educational program and the educational experience of MESM students. According to University rules, the student cannot be a voting member (only faculty that are members of the faculty Senate can be voting members). Nonetheless, the student plays an important and valuable role. The Committee reserves the right to have Executive Sessions that exclude the student if there is need to discuss confidential personnel issues or issues related to specific students. The primary staff contact for the MESM Program Committee is the Academic Programs Coordinator.
Group Project Committee
The Group Project Committee consists of faculty, staff and three 1st year MESM students who oversee the Group Project selection process. In fall quarter, MESM students are nominated from the 1st year class and serve on the committee during the winter quarter of the 1st year of study. The committee reviews and selects Group Project proposals. The faculty and staff guide Group Project policy and communicate guidelines to students. The primary staff contact for the Group Project Committee is the Academic Programs Coordinator.
Eco-E Project Committee
The Eco-E Project Committee consists of faculty and staff who oversee the Eco-E Project process. The committee mentors students in Eco-E Projects, provides feedback to Eco-E groups through quarterly lessons-learned presentations and Eco-E Project defenses, and allocates funding for Eco-E student recruitment, internships and prototypes. The primary staff contact for the Eco-E Project Committee is the Eco-E Program Manager.
Recruitment, Admissions, and Support (RAS) Committee
The Recruitment, Admissions and Support Committee consists of faculty and staff who oversee all aspects of recruitment and admission of students to Bren School programs, and distribution of funds for student support. The staff contact for the RAS Committee is the Student Affairs Manager.
Recruitment Activities Council
Students who are interested in playing a role in recruitment of new students to the Bren School have the opportunity to sign up for this council during the fall quarter. The goal of the council is to help the Bren School attract prospective students. Students work closely with the Student Affairs Manager in developing marketing strategies, assist in coordinating fellow classmates to communicate with prospective students, and assist in developing informational forums and/or orientations. The staff contact for the Recruitment Activities Council Committee is the Student Affairs Manager.
Computing Committee
The Computing Committee consists of faculty, staff and MESM and PhD student representatives whooversee the computational environment, recommend policies and procedures related to the computational environment, and monitor and develop the Bren School web presence. In fall quarter, MESM and PhD students may be nominated and elected to serve as representatives on the Computing Committee. The staff contact for the Computing Committee is the Director of Information Technology.
Bren School Sustainability Committee
The Bren School Sustainability Committee (BSSC) is comprised of a diverse set of individuals, including Bren School MESM and PhD students, who have an interest in creating a more sustainable community at Bren, UCSB and greater Santa Barbara. Combining the talents of members, BSSC is always involved in interesting activities that promote sustainable action and education. To join BSSC, provide feedback, or make a recommendation, send an email to . To join the BSSC listserv, please visit
Earth Day Community Council
The goal of the Earth Day Community Council is to celebrate the Earth with educational demonstrations and music, and to educate the community about conservation and sustainability. In fall quarter, up to two 1st-year MESM, two 2nd-year MESM students, and two PhD students will be elected to this council by their peers. The Bren School creates and maintains one or two booths at the Earth Day Festival. It is the responsibility of members to initiate meetings to discuss ideas and execution of projects for the Earth Day booths.
MESM Class Chairs
The MESM Class Chair or co-Chairs facilitate communication between alumni in each class and the Bren School. Class Chairs provide meaningful feedback to the school and open doors to internships, employment opportunities, and matching gifts. Each year Class Chairs play a leadership role in rallying classmates to provide annual support to the school in the form of personal contributions. It is through the support of our alumni and friends that the school and its programs provide some of the best, comprehensive, cutting-edge approaches to environmental science and management. For more information please visit the alumni and class chairs webpage under GivingAlumni and Class Giving. MESM Class Chairs are usually selected via an election by their peers in early winter quarter. Please contact the Bren School Class Chair Coordinator Christine Yi ().
Advisory Councils and Partners
The Dean's Council was created to support, promote, and guide the Bren School in achieving its objectives while also serving as the primary conduit between the school and the local community.
The Eco-Entrepreneurship Advisory Council provides perspective and guidance to students pursuing the Eco-E focus and Eco-E Projects within the master's curriculum.
The Council of Legal Advisors provides advice to the dean and faculty on the legal training of Bren students, occasional student mentoring, and legal insights for Master’s Project teams. Council members or other senior partners from their firms also provide half- and full-day seminars and workshops in their areas of expertise.
The Corporate & Foundation Partners Program creates mutually beneficial collaborations with a range of visionary companies and organizations. Thecorporate and foundation partners bring a commitment to making environmental sustainability a key component of their business and philanthropic activities, while also providing additional real-world perspectives and professional pathways for Bren students.