Graduate Admissions

Application Procedures

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All applicants for any type of postbaccalaureate or graduate standing (e.g., master's degree applicants, those seeking credentials, and those interested in taking courses for personal or professional growth) must file a complete application within the appropriate filing period. A complete application for postbaccalaureate or graduate standing includes all of the forms and fees described in the Graduate and Postbaccalaureate application booklet. Applicants considering admission to more than one CSU campus must submit a separate application (including fee) to each campus.

Second baccalaureate degree candidates should apply as postbaccalaureate students with an undergraduate degree objective. Applicants who completed undergraduate degree requirements and wish to continue postbaccalaureate or graduate study are required to complete and submit a Graduate and Postbaccalaureate application and the nonrefundable application fee.

Applications may be obtained from the academic department sponsoring the degree, the Admissions and Records Service Center or the Graduate Studies Office of any California State University campus. Instructions for completing the application forms are included in the material supplied. Since some programs require the completion of an additional form as part of the application process, students should inquire concerning this possibility at the office of the academic unit offering the particular program. An electronic version of the CSU application is available online at http://www.csumentor.edu/AdmissionApp/.

Application Deadlines
The application period for fall admission opens the previous October 1; applications for spring admission are accepted beginning the previous August 1. In most cases, applications need to be postmarked no later than March 1st for the fall semester and October 1st for the spring semester. However, deadlines may be changed for individual programs based upon enrollment projections. Check the university graduate studies website for current information http://www.fullerton.edu/graduate/

Transcripts
Two official transcripts in sealed envelopes are required from each college or university previously attended. Students should arrange to have official transcripts sent at the same time applications are submitted. Transcripts should be sent directly to the university Admissions and Records Office. One copy of each transcript will then be forwarded to the academic unit offering the degree or credential program, and the other official transcript will be retained in the student's permanent record file for use by both the Admissions and Records Office and the Graduate Studies Office.

Students who receive their baccalaureate degree at Cal State Fullerton and attend elsewhere subsequent to graduation, or continuing graduate students who change their declared objective subsequent to admission, must obtain whatever additional transcripts are needed to provide two complete sets of transcripts Cal State Fullerton alumni do not need to request Cal State Fullerton transcripts.

All transcripts must be received directly from the issuing institutions and become official records of the university; such transcripts therefore cannot be returned or reissued. Transcripts which include course work from other than the issuing institution are not sufficient evidence of course work taken elsewhere. Foreign language transcripts must be accompanied by certified English translations.

Tests
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or another test, may be required for conditionally classified admission, or subsequently for the granting of classified standing. Test requirements vary from department to depart- ment. Students should refer to master's degree requirements outlined in the academic department section of this catalog. Applications and information on test dates for nationally administered tests (e.g., GRE, GMAT) are available in Testing Services, University Hall 229, e-mail testingcenter@fullerton.edu.

TOEFL Requirement
All graduate and postbaccalaureate applicants, regardless of citizenship, whose preparatory education was principally in a language other than English, must demonstrate competence in English. Those who do not possess a bachelor's degree from a postsecondary institution where English is the principal language of instruction must receive a minimum score of 550 (paper) or 213 (computer) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Programs requiring a higher score than the minimum 550 include the MBA (570 paper, 230 computer), the MPA (570 paper, 230 computer), the M.S. in Education-TESOL (575 paper, 233 computer) and the M.M. and M.A. in Music (560 paper, 220 computer).

International Students
See procedures outlined in the international student portion of the "Admissions '' section of this catalog.

Second Master's Degree or Concentration
Application for admission to graduate standing in a second degree program or concentration will be accepted only after the first degree has been awarded. Units used for the first degree or concentration may not be applied to the second. Students who have completed a master's degree at Cal State Fullerton in one concentration and wish to complete another will not be awarded a second degree.

Admission Procedures

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Following completion of application procedures and subsequent review of the student's eligibility by the Admissions Office and appropriate academic unit, the student will be notified by the Admissions Office concerning admission. Written notice from the Admissions Office is the only valid proof of admission. Academic advisement prior to admission is tentative and should not be construed as granting official admission to a program or establishing requirements for the degree.

Students may apply for a degree objective, a credential or certificate objective, or no program objective. Four admission categories are defined in terms of these academic objectives.

Postbaccalaureate Standing: Unclassified
This category applies to students with no degree objective. To qualify for admission, applicants must (1) hold an acceptable bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited four-year institution or have equivalent preparation as determined by the appropriate campus authority; (2) have a grade-point average of at least 2.5 (A = 4.0) in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) units; and (3) have been in good standing at the last college attended. Exceptions to these criteria are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and require written support from faculty in the academic unit, as well as justification from the applicant as to why an exception should be considered. Appeals for exception to these state admissions requirements should be submitted to the university admissions officer and are reviewed by the associate vice president, Academic Programs (or designee). Admission with postbaccalaureate-unclassified standing does not constitute admission to graduate degree or credential programs. If a student wishes to change to a degree or credential objective after admission, an Application for Change of Objective must be submitted to the Admissions and Records Service Center. Deadlines for Change of Objective are the same as for regular applications (see "Application Deadlines" above).

Postbaccalaureate Standing: Classified
This category applies to students with a credential or certificate objective. To qualify for admission, applicants must (1) meet the requirements for postbaccalaureate-unclassified standing and (2) satisfy any additional professional, personal, scholastic, and other standards, including qualifying examinations. Refer to specific credential requirements under the "Teaching Credentials" section or individual departmental sections of this catalog.

Graduate Standing: Conditionally Classified
This category applies to students with a graduate degree objective. To qualify for admission in conditionally classified standing, applicants must (1) meet the admission requirements for postbaccalaureate-unclassified standing and (2) meet any additional requirements of the particular program including a favorable recommendation from the academic unit.

An applicant who has deficiencies in departmental prerequisites or in departmental grade-point average requirements may be considered for admission in conditionally classified standing with the approval and recommendation of the academic unit. A student admitted in conditionally classified standing may subsequently be granted classified standing in a graduate degree program if professional, personal, scholastic, or other standards including qualifying examinations are met.

Determination of the student's prerequisites and assignment of courses, units, and grade points required to remove deficiencies is made by the academic unit. For specific information on prerequisites to classified standing, refer to the graduate degree requirements described in the departmental section of this catalog.

Graduate Standing: Classified
A student's status is changed to classified standing when the study plan has been approved by the associate vice president, Academic Programs (or designee). It is the student's responsibility to initiate the request for classified standing by making an appointment with the departmental graduate program adviser to develop a study plan. An eligible student may request classified standing prior to the first registration or during the first semester of registration. However, no more than nine units of postgraduate work taken at this institution prior to classified standing will be applied to a master's degree study plan. Any acceptable transfer work is excluded from the nine units permitted.

Classified standing is granted when (1) all prerequisites and/or deficiencies have been satisfactorily completed, (2) the official study plan has been developed and signed by the graduate program adviser and committee, and (3) the study plan is sent to the Graduate Studies Office and approved by the associate vice president, Academic Programs (or designee). The student will be sent a copy of the approved study plan by the Graduate Studies Office. Copies will be filed in the academic unit, university records, and the Graduate Studies Office. A student is not officially classified until an approved study plan is on file in the Graduate Studies Office.

To be granted the master's degree, a student must have been classified, applied for graduation (advanced to candidacy), and completed the approved graduate study plan.

Requirements that apply to all programs are described in the following section. For specific requirements of particular programs, see the graduate program descriptions in the departmental section of this catalog.

Each student's program for a master's degree (including eligibility, classified standing, candidacy, and award of the degree) must be approved by the departmental graduate program adviser, the student's graduate committee, and the Office of Graduate Studies.