San Diego State University - University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program

The San Diego State University–University of California San Diego (SDSU–UCSD) Joint Doctoral Program is a collaborative graduate partnership between two public research universities in San Diego, California. It offers Ph.D. training across several disciplines—most notably clinical psychology, public health, and engineering sciences—allowing doctoral students to draw on faculty, courses, and research resources from both SDSU and UCSD. Students are typically admitted to a specific joint program track and work toward a single doctoral degree awarded by UCSD with SDSU faculty serving as co-mentors and committee members. Because it is a partnership rather than an independent institution, the program does not have its own separate campus, accreditation, or admissions office; instead, it operates through the relevant academic departments and graduate divisions at both universities. Participants benefit from the complementary strengths of SDSU’s applied, community-engaged research and UCSD’s large-scale biomedical and scientific research enterprise. Admission is highly competitive and track-specific, with requirements varying by field.