Placement & Examination Requirements

Placement and Admission Requirements

Each graduate program sets its own GPA and testing requirements for admission to the program.  Some programs require the GRE or the GMAT. Students should check the graduate program web site for entrance requirements and application deadlines.

Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR)

All master's and doctoral students must take the Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE) or its approved alternative. The WPE is a 75-minute analytical essay exam on a general topic accessible to students from any discipline or major.

All first-semester graduate students must register for and take the WPE or its approved alternative during their first semester of attendance. Failure to do so prevents a student from being allowed to enroll for second semester classes.  NOTE: Any student who graduated from CSULB or another CSU campus in recent years should already have satisfied this requirement.

Approved alternatives:  A GRE or GMAT analytical essay writing score of 4 or higher can now be used to meet the writing requirement in place of the WPE. Students should submit their scores directly to Enrollment Services, Brotman Hall Room 123. Check with your graduate advisor for more information on approved alternatives.

For information on the Writing Proficiency Examination (WPE), please refer to the Office of Testing and Evaluation Services.

Also Note:  Registration for the WPE does not release a WPE registration hold. On test days, all students receive a Test Attendance Verification Form which can be used to release holds. Details regarding the use of this form are given to students when they test. Students who have WPE testing holds on their accounts can file an appeal to have a hold temporarily removed. Appeal forms are located outside of the Testing Office in the Bulletin/Registration materials rack. After appeals have been submitted, approval or denial of the request takes 5-10 business days. A request for a semester's postponement of the WPE for compelling reasons (e.g., studying abroad, family illness), are considered by Test Officers in Testing and Evaluation Services.

PLEASE NOTE THIS IMPORTANT POLICY !

Students who need help preparing for the WPE may enroll in WPE 10 or WPE 20, courses that provide instruction and extensive practice for this test.  Students who do not pass the WPE after two attempts are not allowed to test a third time until they seek advisement at the Learning Assistance Center (AS-12) and obtain approval from a WPE Advisor. 

 

Students are allowed to test only once per semester.

The WPE must be passed prior to Advancement to Candidacy. Certificate candidates must pass the WPE as a requirement for completion of the program.