CUTF Requirements & Nomination Process
Program Requirements
Upon admission to the CUTF program, fellows commit to the following:
- Complete the two-unit CUTF Pedagogy Seminar offered by the TLC in fall quarter (and Writing II training by the end of winter, if applicable)
- Teach a course of their design during winter or spring quarter
- Attend two CUTF learning community meetings while teaching, as well as a spring reception
- Submit a teaching portfolio to TLC (developed during the fall seminar and learning community meetings)
Eligibility Criteria
Prospective fellows may be nominated by their departments on an annual basis. Doctoral students in any discipline who will advance to candidacy before September 15 of the upcoming academic year are eligible to submit applications to their departments for consideration. Residency at UCLA is required during the quarter when a fellow’s CUTF seminar is taught and is also required for the fall pedagogy seminar.
All CUTF fellows must be enrolled during the quarter they teach to qualify for fee remissions and other benefits. Prospective applicants who anticipate receiving funding through fellowships or research positions during the year when they would like to teach their CUTF seminar should inquire with their department’s graduate advisor and/or the Division of Graduate Education about potential restrictions on concurrent appointments funded by UCLA or extramural partners. Applicants will be asked to identify other sources of possible funding during the application process.
CUTF Nomination Process
The CUTF nomination process is completed in two stages. First, prospective candidates submit course proposals to their departments for consideration. Departments then nominate a single candidate’s application for review by the CUTF selection committee.
Nominations from departments are due by 5 p.m. on Wednesday April 30. Prospective candidates for CUTF are advised to consult their departments about deadlines for internal review.
Graduate Students: Applicant Submission of Materials for Departmental Review
The following steps should be completed by prospective fellows:The following steps should be completed by prospective fellows in advance of the department’s internal review deadline:
- Identify an area of your graduate research that you are interested in adapting into a course-based research or creative practice experience for undergraduates. See FAQ for general guidance.
- Identify a faculty mentor who will help you develop your course and endorse your proposal. Typically, this person is a member of a prospective fellow’s dissertation committee but this is not required.
- Inform your department’s graduate advisor or chairthat you are interested in applying for CUTF. Departments may forward only one application to the CUTF selection committee per year and will inform prospective candidates about internal deadlines for preliminary review of applications. Please note that it is common for departments to ask prospective fellows to submit materials a few weeks in advance of the nomination deadline.
- Choose one of the following pathways for developing your course proposal:
- Work with your faculty mentor and department staff to identify an existing lower division course number in your department under which your proposed course could be offered. Options may include a freshman or sophomore seminar, lower division GE or Writing II course, or variable topics course. See FAQ for more details.
- If no suitable course number can be identified in an applicant’s home department, prospective fellows can propose to offer CUTF courses under the Research Practice subject area. This is a pilot partnership between the TLC and the UCLA Undergraduate Research Centers and we are still creating course numbers for CUTF. We anticipate offering two options for prospective fellows, a 2 unit course course and a 5 unit course that satisfies Writing II. See FAQs for more details.
- Prepare your application materials:
- Syllabus that clearly articulates course learning objectives and assignments that align with the CUTF program goal of engaging undergraduates in course-based research and/or creative practice. See FAQs for general guidance.
- Current CV.
- Online application form with short answer questions – geared toward illuminating alignment between the proposed course and CUTF program goals.
- Submit your application to your department by the internal deadline.
Departments: Review and Endorsement of Applications
Department nominations for the 2025-2026 CUTF cohort are due by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
The following steps should be completed by departments. This process is typically facilitated by the graduate advisor. Departments are free to determine which individuals and/or committees should be involved in reviewing CUTF proposals.
- Determine an application deadline for internal review. Forward the program RFP to eligible students.
- Review all applications submitted by prospective fellows from your department. Departments should review proposals from all students together–both those to be offered under departmentally controlled course numbers and those to be offered under Research Practice. See FAQs for more details about course proposal options. TLC Suggests the following review criteria:
- How well the course proposal 1) draws inspiration from the applicant’s research field 2) adapts those modes of inquiry for a lower-division course, and 3) engages and inspires the next generation of researchers and/or creative practitioners.
- How well the proposed syllabus: 1) scaffolds the research and/or creative process for students, and 2) makes the learning objectives accessible and engaging for lower division students unfamiliar with the field of study.
- Potential of the applicant to benefit from and contribute to the CUTF learning community.
- Enrollment management considerations, such as whether the course is likely to attract student interest and/or provides a learning opportunity not typically afforded in the department or at the lower division level.
- Eligibility of the applicant to hold an ASE appointment in the upcoming year.
- Identify the top proposal to forward to the CUTF selection committee for review.
- Prepare a nomination letter signed by the chair or vice chair for graduate study. Nomination letters should summarize the top candidate’s qualifications and confirm the department’s willingness to offer the proposed course (or endorsement of offering the course under the Research Practice subject area).
- Submit nomination materials to TLC by 5 p.m. on Wednesday April 30. Departments should complete the online nomination form and upload the following:
* Candidate Application Form
* Candidate CV
* Candidate Syllabus
* Department Nomination Letter