UC Merced’s graduate studies range from literature to biology and everything in between. With 13 graduate groups, every grad student at UC Merced can find a field that will develop the research skills needed to pursue a career in academia or industry.
Applied mathematics involves the use of analytical and computational mathematics to solve real-world problems. Its core is based on modeling, analysis and scientific computing. The Applied Mathematics graduate emphasis offers opportunities for students interested in multidisciplinary mathematics projects at the interface with life sciences, physical sciences, engineering and social sciences. Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees with emphases in Applied Mathematics emphases are offered.
The engineering sciences are undergoing a vast and fundamental metamorphosis from isolated disciplines to more integrative and multidisciplinary topics. Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees with emphases in Biological Engineering and Small-scale Technologies (BEST) are offered. Research projects are available on topics ranging from fundamental characterization of materials to tissue engineering, and coursework will provide a background in the tools and integration of modern materials.
Chemistry and Chemical Biology is a research-based graduate program focused on interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research. The group offer Ph.D. degrees in four emphasis tracks: physical chemistry, organic chemistry, computational chemistry and chemical biology.
The Cognitive and Information Sciences (CIS) Ph.D. program offers students interdisciplinary training in cognitive science with an emphasis on computation, technology and applications. This emphasis distinguishes it from other cognitive science graduate programs. UC Merced researchers view intelligent behaviors not just as emerging solely from neural processes, but from interactions between brain, body and environment. Thus intelligent behaviors may also emerge from group and social interactions situated in their economic and technological milieu.
Graduate studies in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) offers individualized, strongly research-oriented courses of study. The EECS graduate emphasis area is organized to allow students to pursue cutting-edge research in modern fields of electrical engineering and computer science, emphasizing research and preparing students for leadership positions in industrial labs, government, or academia. Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees with emphases in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science are offered.
The Environmental Systems graduate program trains students to tackle the most challenging problems facing our planet — water, soil, climate, energy and resources. Through understanding the Earth as an integrated system of atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere that intersects human society, ES students are uniquely poised to address critical research needs of the environment and its sustainability.
The Mechanical Engineering (ME) graduate emphasis engages in individualized, research-based programs of study. ME faculty members strive to provide students with a comprehensive research experience based on the latest developments of the analytical, numerical and experimental tools available in the field. Judicious application of the fundamentals principles of mechanics allows specialized mechanical engineers to impact virtually all fields of science and technology.
Research in Physics graduate studies spans the traditional disciplines of physics, as well as related interdisciplinary areas. Emphases include atomic, molecular, and optical physics, condensed matter physics, biophysics, materials physics, nanoscience, and energy science. Physics graduate students are trained in 1) a broad foundation in the fundamentals of physics, 2) experimental, theoretical, and/or computational skills necessary to conduct independent research, 3) new, interdisciplinary research areas, and 4) communication of physics concepts and scientific results for expert and non-expert audiences.
The Political Science Ph.D. program offer students quantitatively focused graduate training intended to prepare them for research careers. The program is distinguished from other political science Ph.D. programs in a number of ways. First, the program does away with traditional subfield boundaries that restrict innovation and interdisciplinary research. Instead, our program trains students in two broad areas: Political Cognition and Behavior (CAB) and Political Institutions and Political Economy (PIPE). Second, the program provides one-on-one research training for all students starting in the second year of study. Third, the program is intentionally small to ensure that all students receive the financial support, attention and mentorship necessary for successful careers. The program is research intensive, innovative and tailored to students’ individual interest within the field.
The Psychological Sciences Ph.D. program emphasizes a strong base of coursework, including methods, statistics and a one year professional seminar covering the breadth of psychology; this base is then supplemented by more specialized work in one or more of these three areas: developmental psychology, health psychology and quantitative psychology. Students are actively engaged in research from the start of their graduate training through to the end of their doctoral work. This research emphasizes close work with a faculty mentor, with increasing independence over the years of training.
Advances in techniques and theory that bridge molecular and ecosystems scales, have greatly enabled the potential for integration across the life sciences. Biologists' ability to gather and process large amounts of quantitative data in field and laboratory settings, is advancing hand-in-hand with theory and modeling that better explain the diversity of life on Earth. Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees are offered.
The graduate emphasis in Social Sciences offers students individualized training in sociology and public health. Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees with emphases in Social Sciences are offered.
The graduate emphasis offers individualized, research-based courses of study that explore cultures in both their local manifestations and in a global context. The Interdisciplinary Humanities Graduate Group (IHGG) is an innovative M.A. and Ph.D. program that incorporates anthropology, the arts, history, and language and literature. Students explore and apply the methods by which historians, literary scholars, anthropologists, artists, philosophers, scholars of cultural studies, and other humanists and social scientists examine societies and cultures. Thus the program exposes students to many humanities professions and trains students to engage the public.
