46 PhD programmes offered by the university

The Computer Science and Engineering program at the University of California, San Diego provides a research-oriented education in preparation for a research, industrial, or entrepreneurial career. 

The Scripps Institute of Oceanography PhD program at the University of California, San Diego is organized into three separate academic programs. 

Physical Oceanography is the field of study that deals with mechanisms of energy transfer through the sea and across its boundaries, and with the physical interactions of the sea with its surroundings, especially including the influence of the seas on the climate of the atmosphere. The Physical Oceanography program is offered by the University of California, San Diego.

The Bioinformatics and Systems Biology program at the University of California, San Diego is organized around two disciplinary tracks that have distinct, yet overlapping, faculty and curricular requirements: Bioinformatics and Systems Biology (BISB) and Biomedical Informatics (BMI).

The mathematically rigorous PhD in Biostatistics program at the University of California, San Diego involves training in statistical methods and data analysis, including theoretical and applied classroom work in the core mathematical statistics and biostatistics courses, with additional electives in life sciences.

Geosciences emphasizes the application of general principles of geology, geochemistry, cosmochemistry, and geophysics to problems in the marine and terrestrial environments of the Earth and to other planetary bodies. The Geosciences program is offered by the University of California, San Diego.

The fields of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry explore chemical and geochemical processes in the oceans, the solid earth, and the atmosphere. The Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry program is offered by the University of California, San Diego.

The Physics program at the University of California, San Diego provides a broad, advanced education in physics while at the same time giving students opportunity for emphasizing their special interests. 

University of California, San Diego offers a groundbreaking PhD in Theatre and Dance in conjunction with the Department of Drama at UC Irvine. 

The philosophy of the Biology program at the University of California, San Diego, along with the Affiliated Ph.D. Program with the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, is to provide world-class research training in the basic biological sciences to equip a diverse group of trainees for a variety of scientific careers ranging from academia and industry to education, communication, or policy.

Students from the History program at the University of California, San Diego will be expected to spend time between their first and sixth years doing archival and/or field research (involving travel outside of San Diego), as required by the demands of their research topic.

The Electrical and Computer Engineering program at the University of California, San Diego is a research degree requiring completion of the Ph.D. program course requirements, satisfactory performance on the Preliminary Examination and University Qualifying Examination, and submission and defense of a doctoral dissertation.

The Joint Doctoral Program (with SDSU) in Biology program at the University of California, San Diego is a partnership between the School of Biological Sciences and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. 

The purpose of the Pharm Program at the University of California, San Diego is to prepare students for positions in academia, government and the pharmaceutical industry that will require experience and knowledge in the conduct of original investigation related to the pharmaceutical sciences. 

The Literature at the University of California, San Diego stresses the transnational outlook of the program and emphasizes its stake in theoretical, interdisciplinary, and cultural studies. 

The PhD program in Political Science at the University of California, San Diego is consistently recognized as one of the top ten programs in the nation, as evidenced by the rankings of U.S. News & World Report and the National Academy of Sciences.

The Rady School of Management program at the University of California, San Diego is committed to training intellectual and innovative scholars who will contribute to the advancement of management education and knowledge in the 21st century.

The Climate Sciences program at University of California, San Diego concerns the study of the climate system of the earth with emphasis on the physical, dynamical, and chemical interactions of the atmosphere, ocean, land, ice, and the terrestrial and marine biospheres.

The Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) is a multidisciplinary program in medicine and biomedical research. 

A Ph.D. in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology, Health Behavior, or Global Health is offered by the joint faculties of the Graduate School of Public Health at SDSU and the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science with assistance from other Departments in the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.