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Department of Mathematics Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) Policy

Math Master of Science Students have the following options to satisfy the Math GWARGL upon admission.

  1. Hold a credential or post-baccalaureate degree from an accredited US University.
  2. Earn a score of 3.0 or higher on the Graduate Record Examination Analytical Writing.
  3. Satisfy the English Language Proficiency Requirement for admission purposes for international students with one of the following:
    1. TOEFL score of 80 iBT;
    2. IELTS overall band score of 6.0, writing score no lower than 6.0 and no section score below 5.5;
    3. Cambridge English C1 Advanced (CAE), C2 Proficiency (CPE)–certificate awarded with a Cambridge English score of 180 or higher.

Students who do not meet one of the criteria above may be conditionally admitted.  During their first semester, such students will be required to write and submit an essay of 2 to 4 pages (1000 to 2000 words) on some aspect of their first semester in the CSUSM Math MS program in which they demonstrate critical thinking and analytical writing.  For example, a student who is also teaching might write an essay that analyzes a lesson plan including its effectiveness and where it could be improved, or student performances on an exam including what additional support could be provided to students to improve topics of concern.  Data, tables, and figures should be placed in a supplemental appendix.  Students should get their topic approved by the graduate coordinator by the Friday of Week 8 of the first semester of attendance.  The essay will be due to the Graduate Coordinator by the Friday of Week 11 of the first semester of attendance.  The Math GWAR-GL committee will score the essays using the campus rubric.  International students conditionally admitted to American Language and Culture Institute (ALCI) should get their topic approved and submit their essay upon completion of their English language courses through ALCI.

Remediation:  If a student’s essay is judged as not passing, the student will be required to enroll in and pass the Extended Learning GWAR Prep course, or a similar course approved by the Graduate Coordinator.  Such students will be required to write and submit a new essay upon course completion and should get an essay topic approved by the Graduate Coordination prior to the half way point in the course.

Continuation: Students who do not pass the Math GWARGL on the second attempt will be discontinued from the program.

Note:  Students are required to pass the Math GWARGL prior to advancement to candidacy.

Adopted: January 2020