SSHA Graduate Services Support

SSHA Graduate Services (GS) team is dedicated to supporting graduate students every step of the way - from the semester they matriculate here at UC Merced through to graduation. We provide guidance, resources, and personalized support to help students navigate academic, financial, and professional milestones.

Our services include: 

Grad Student Employment & Funding Process TA/TF-IOR/GSR appointments Fellowships Primary Block Grant Allocation (PBGA)

Grad Student Advising Update degree audits and progress-to-degree (course and program milestones) Review Graduate Division and graduate program policies and procedures handbooks Advise on program-specific and Graduate Division forms (e.g., Application for Qualifying Exam, Qualifying Exam Report, General Petition, Change of Advisor, etc.) Provide guidance on Master's Along the Way (MAW) steps for each graduate programs Guide students on Graduate Division's process for advancing to candidacy for terminal Master's, MAW, and PhD degrees Provide information and process for Leave of Absence (ELP)  Review and verify graduation completion requirements

Grad Program Academic Support Update degree audits on MyDegreePath (courses and program milestones) Input course override (Duplicate, Instructor Approval, or Time Conflicts) Provide guidance on how to register for Independent Study courses Monitor graduate student academic/program standing reports Support graduate student navigating course incompletes or withdraws

Grad Student Admission Support Graduate Chair and Admissions Committee by ensuring all admission applications are complete Conduct outreach to applicants who need to complete the UC Merced Oral English Proficiency Assessment Facilitate the admission deferral process for applicants and graduate programs

Other SSHA GS Support: University-Wide Collaboration: Participate in graduate student outreach, presentations and workshops Payroll Services forms New and re-hiring paperwork Change in TRS Approver for faculty (timesheet approvers) Guidance with Payroll Services Inquiry form (late pay, paystub, or timesheet inquiries) Office of the Registrar Assist faculty IOR if graduate student is not appearing on class schedule or does not have CatCourse access (and others) Provide guidance on submitting forms (Petition to Academic Policy, Graduation Application and Refile, Independent Study request, and other updates to student records)

 

Last Updated: October 2025