Preliminary Exam & New Hire Paperwork
Greetings ,

This this a friendly reminder to study for your preliminary examinations.  The written preliminary exams test undergraduate to beginning graduate level understanding of the fundamental concepts in the field. Requirements, timeline and exam schedules are specific to each graduate group.

You will also find a presentation links with important new hire paperwork information. Additionally, you will find the registration link to register for GROW. Please be sure to register by Friday, July 31st.
Preliminary Exam Information
Applied Math Preliminary Exam Information
Preliminary examinations are offered at the beginning and end of the Spring semester each year. These are three closed-book written examinations in differential equations, advanced calculus, and linear algebra. The examinations are given at the advanced-undergraduate/beginning-graduate level. All students in the program are required to take the preliminary exams in the beginning of the Spring semester in the first year of graduate studies. PhD students must obtain score of 3 out of 3 (PhD pass) and MS students must obtain a score of 2 out of 3.
Chemistry & Chemical Biology Preliminary Exam Information
AY 20-21 Emergency CCB Policy: Preliminary Exam

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCB graduate program will not administer in person exams and will replace the preliminary exam with a series of exams administered throughout the 2020-2021 academic year. Exams will be based on journal articles spanning the major sub-disciplines of chemistry. For example, for the first exam session, three journal articles may be chosen by the faculty in the areas of biochemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry and faculty will create an exam for each. Students will choose one exam to take. Additional information on this was supplied in the supplemental memo regarding CCB Emergency Policies sent by Grad Chair Christine Isborn.

Traditional Policy: Preliminary Exam

By the start of their fourth semester, CCB students must pass at least one of three preliminary exams: Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, or Biochemistry. The preliminary exams are offered twice each year. 


Physics Preliminary Exam Information
All students are required to pass a written preliminary exam that tests undergraduate-level understanding of the fundamental concepts in the field. The exam is divided into three 2-hour parts: Classical Mechanics, Electrodynamics, and Quantum Mechanics, aiming to test the undergraduate-level understanding of the fundamental principles in these fields.

Quantitative & Systems Biology Preliminary Exam Information

Quantitative & Systems Biology graduate group does not require a preliminary exam.

New Hire Paperwork Information
New Hire Paperwork  (Please find updates to this video in this  PowerPoint  and  document ).
Register for GROW  
by Friday, July 31 at 12:00 p.m.
Do not hesitate to contact your group coordinator or snsgradstaff@ucmerced.edu
with any questions

IMPORTANT: Please be sure to start checking your
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