Office of Research and Graduate Studies

Craven Hall 5215
(760) 750-4066
www.csusm.edu/graduate_studies

General Information

Graduate education is advanced study that goes substantially beyond the baccalaureate level in terms of specific content and academic rigor. Graduate study involves both greater independence and closer intellectual interaction with faculty mentors as the student develops focused knowledge and expertise in a subject area. The graduate student is expected to master advanced coursework as well as engage in independent study and research, scholarship, or creative activity.

The faculty who teach in graduate programs at Cal State San Marcos possess the appropriate terminal degree and experience needed to provide the advanced mentoring involved in graduate research, scholarship, and creative activity. In addition to the core graduate curriculum in each program, students are required to complete an appropriate culminating experience (thesis, project, or comprehensive examination).

A master's degree from Cal State San Marcos prepares students for academic careers in higher education, including continued study at the doctoral level; or for advanced positions in business, industry, and the public sector.

Graduate Programs at Cal State San Marcos

Biological Sciences, M.S.
Business Administration, M.B.A.

• Business Management Option

Computer Science, M.S.
Education, M.A.

• Biliteracy, Language and Culture Option
• Education Administration Option
• Learning and Instruction Option
• Literacy Education Option
• Science, Mathematics and Educational Technology for Diverse Populations Option
• Special Education Option

Literature and Writing Studies, M.A.
Mathematics, M.S.
Psychology, M.A.
Sociological Practice, M.A.
Spanish, M.A.

Admission Requirements for Graduate and Postbaccalaureate Students

Admission to the University

General Requirements  — The minimum requirements for admission to graduate and postbaccalaureate studies at a California State University campus are in accordance with University regulations as well as Title 5, Chapter 1, Subchapter 3 of the California Code of Regulations. In order to be admitted to Cal State San Marcos as either a Postbaccalaureate student or as a Graduate student, students must meet the following requirements:

1. have completed a four-year college course of study and hold an acceptable baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited by a regional accrediting association, or shall have completed equivalent academic preparation as determined by appropriate campus authorities;
2. be in good academic standing at the last college or university attended;
3. have attained a grade point average of at least 2.5 (A = 4.0) in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) units attempted; and
4. satisfactorily meet the professional, personal, scholastic, and other standards for graduate study, including qualifying examinations, as determined by each graduate program.
   

TOEFL Graduate and Postbaccalaureate 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 post-secondary institution where English is the principal language of instruction must receive a minimum score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Applicants taking the Computer-Based Test of English as a Foreign Language must present a score of 213 or above.

Admission to the Department or Program

The applications of students meeting University requirements for admission and desiring admission to a master's program must also be reviewed in the appropriate department, to determine whether the student meets requirements for admission to its particular program. Some programs may require a separate application in addition to the university application. Students who meet both departmental/program and university requirements for a master's program will be admitted as either Graduate Conditionally Classified or Graduate Classified. Students seeking a teaching credential who meet both college and university requirements will be admitted as Classified Postbaccalaureate.

Graduate Classified  — Students who meet all admission requirements to enroll in a graduate degree program may be accepted as Graduate Classified. Classified graduate students will be required to fulfill all of the professional, personal, scholastic, and other standards, including qualifying examinations, as the campus may prescribe.

Graduate Conditionally Classified  — Students who do not meet all requirements to enroll in a graduate degree program may, nevertheless, be accepted as Conditionally Classified. This classification will be granted if, in the opinion or appropriate campus authority, the student can remedy any deficiencies by additional preparation.

Postbaccalaureate Classified  —To enroll in a credential program or certificate program, students must satisfy the additional professional, personal, scholastic, and other standards, including qualifying examinations, as the campus may prescribe.

Admission as an Unclassified Student

Postbaccalaureate Unclassified — To enroll in graduate courses for professional or personal growth, students must be admitted as a postbaccalaureate unclassified student. By meeting the general requirements, students are eligible for admission as a post-baccalaureate unclassified student. Some departments may restrict enrollment of unclassified students because of heavy enrollment pressure. Admission in this status does not constitute admission to, or assurance of consideration for admission to, any graduate degree or credential program. International (F-1 visa) students are not eligible for postbaccalaureate unclassified status.

Graduate and Postbaccalaureate Application Procedures

All graduate and postbaccalaureate applicants (e.g., master's degree applicants, those seeking credentials, and those interested in taking courses for personal or professional growth) must file a completed graduate application as described in the California State University Graduate Application for Admission, or online at www.csumentor.edu graduate and post-baccalaureate admission booklet. Applicants seeking a second bachelor's degree should submit the undergraduate application for admission.  Applicants who completed undergraduate degree requirements and graduated from Cal State San Marcos the preceding term are also required to complete and submit an application and the $55 nonrefundable application fee. Since applicants for postbaccalaureate programs may be limited to the choice of a single campus on each application, redirection to alternate campuses or later changes of campus choice will be minimal. To be assured of initial consideration by more than one campus, it will be necessary to submit separate applications (including fees) to each. Applications may be obtained from a Graduate Studies Office or the Admissions Office of any California State University campus. An electronic version of the CSU graduate application is available on the Web at www.csumentor.edu/

Graduate and postbaccalaureate applicants are encouraged to submit applications to the university during the initial filing periods (November for fall semester admission and August for spring semester admission). Graduate applicants to masters and credential programs must apply to both the University and the program intended. Individual masters and credential programs may have specific deadlines for program applications; check the relevant departmental catalog section for program deadlines. Official transcripts from each college or university attended must be filed with both the Office of Admissions and the program office.

International Students

All applicants who wish to enter the United States on a student visa or who are in the U.S. on a nonimmigrant, student visa must file a completed "International Student Application" accompanied by a financial affidavit with the Office of Admissions. An electronic version of this form is available on the Web at www.csusm.edu/uga/requestapp.htm. In addition, a department application form must be submitted directly to the graduate program. Official transcripts (with certified English translations) must be submitted both to the department and the Office of Admissions.  For more information regarding International (Foreign) Student Admission Requirements, see page 30.

Special Regulations and Requirements for Graduate Students

Repeat of Graduate Courses and GPA Adjustment Policy

When students repeat a course for the sake of improving upon an earlier, unsatisfactory performance, they may, under certain circumstances, request to have the earlier grade ignored in the computation of their grade point average (GPA).  The following policies, applying only to coursework completed at Cal State San Marcos, outline the circumstances under which undergraduate and graduate students may request adjustment of the GPA.

Graduate Student GPA Adjustment Policy

1. If a graduate student has received a grade of B- (2.7) or less (or NC) in a non-thesis course, then the course may be repeated once for purposes of satisfying requirements and/or having the GPA adjusted.  Once the student has repeated the course in a subsequent term and earned a better grade, then a Graduate Student GPA Adjustment Request Form may be submitted to the Enrollment Services Information Center.  All requests should be submitted in consultation with the graduate program advisor.  Any request confirmed as complying with this policy will be granted.
2. When a request is granted, the prior grade earned in the course is ignored for the purpose of calculating the GPA.  However, all grades for a given course will be maintained as a part of the student record and will appear on the student's transcripts.
3. A maximum of two (2) different courses may be repeated, and a maximum of two (2) requests may be filed within an approved graduate plan of study at Cal State San Marcos.  Only one request may be filed for any single course.
4. Since CR/NC grades do not enter into the GPA calculation, it is not necessary to submit this form when repeating a course in which a grade of NC was earned, even when the course was repeated to satisfy degree requirements.  If a course previously taken for a grade is repeated CR/NC, the original grade will continue to be calculated in the GPA.
5. Unless the student submits a Graduate Student GPA Adjustment Request Form to the Enrollment Services Information Center, both grades earned in any repeated course will be used to calculate the student's GPA.
6. A request may not be filed until the student has completed the repeat, and may not be filed if the student received a grade of CR, NC, F, I RD, SP or U when the course was repeated.
7. The program director (or designee) of the graduate program offering the degree is authorized to approve substitute graduate-level courses that may be taken in lieu of a graduate-level course that the student wishes to repeat, when the original course is not scheduled to be offered again within the term of the student's expected time to degree.  The substitute course must be taken after completion of the original course.

Continuous Enrollment Requirement and Time-Limit To Degree

Conditionally Classified or Classified graduate students must be continuously enrolled unless an authorized Request for Graduate Student Leave of Absence has been filed with the Enrollment Services Information Center. No more than 12 months total can be excused through authorized leaves of absence.  Students who do not maintain continuous enrollment are dropped from the graduate program and must reapply. Requirements for the Master's degree are to be finished within five years after the beginning of course work as a Conditionally Classified or Classified graduate student at Cal State San Marcos. Authorized leaves of absence do not extend the time limit for completion of the degree.

Educational Leave of Absence

A graduate (conditionally classified or classified) or postbaccalaureate (classified only) student who has exhausted their “out-one term” (see page 71) in the prior semester and who needs to remain un-enrolled for an additional semester may, under some circumstances and subject to certain restrictions, apply for an educational leave of absence. An authorized educational leave of absence preserves the election of curriculum rights regarding catalog requirements. Students should contact the Office of Registration and Records for eligibility conditions and limitations.  Request for Graduate/ Postbaccalaureate Educational Leave of Absence Forms may be obtained from the Enrollment Services Information Center during regular business hours. Leaves of absence may be authorized for conditionally classified or classified graduate students if they are in good academic standing (as defined by the program’s requirements), if they have completed at least six credit hours of CSUSM coursework toward the degree in the program. Unauthorized leaves and failures to return from an authorized leave of absence will result in the student being dropped from the program.

A student on a leave of absence does not qualify for supervision from faculty nor for the use of university resources such as library, computer labs, parking, or student health services. Students submitting the completed thesis or final project must be regularly enrolled or enrolled for thesis or project extension credit through the Office of Extended Studies; the completed thesis or final project will not be accepted during the term of an authorized leave of absence.

The Culminating Experience      

Every Master's degree program is required to include a culminating experience. The form of this experience differs according to degree programs, but all Master's students must satisfactorily complete either a thesis, a project or a comprehensive examination.

A finished Master's thesis is a scholarly work that is the product of extensive research and related preparation.  The University will make Master's theses and the abstracts of Master's projects publicly available to other students, faculty, and outside researchers in the University Library.  As such, theses (and the abstract pages of projects) must adhere to uniform standards of format and construction to preserve the work and to prepare it for binding. Students should consult University guidelines on Master's theses and Master's project abstracts available at www.csusm.edu/graduate_studies/

Graduate Student Course Load

Graduate students who are enrolled in nine (9) units or more in a fall or spring semester are classified as full-time.  Graduate students who hold a University assistantship requiring one-third time services or more are con­sidered full-time when enrolled in six (6) units during an academic term.

Use of Undergraduate Courses in Master's Degree Programs

Master's students may not count any course at the 300-level or lower toward fulfillment of Master's degree requirements, nor may courses which bear General Education credit be counted toward Master's degree requirements.

Only with prior, case-by-case approval of the graduate program offering the degree may Master's students, on an individual basis, count a 400-level, non-General Education course toward the Master's degree requirements.

Under no circumstances may a Master's student apply more than nine (9) units of 400-level coursework toward fulfillment of Master's degree requirements.