Advancement to Candidacy and Graduation Information

In order to be Advanced to Candidacy, you must have (a) satisfactorily completed the Writing Proficiency Examination or its alternative and (b) completed six or more semester units in residence and earned a 3.0 GPA or greater. 

You then meet with the Graduate Advisor in your program and plan the courses and any other requirements that you need to complete in order to be graduated from the program.  Your Proposed Graduate Program must include your signature (the signature of each member of your Thesis Committee, if appropriate); the Department Graduate Advisor; the Department Chair; and your College's Associate Dean for Graduate Accountability.  (Once your Graduate Program has been approved, changes in the Graduate Program require(s) the same signatures as those appearing on the graduate program of record.)

You will then receive a letter from your College's Associate Dean/Graduate Dean indicating the semester you were Advanced to Candidacy as well as the semester the master's degree must be finished in order not to lose credit for courses completed earlier in your program.

You must be Advanced to Candidacy before you can arrange to take the Comprehensive Examination or initiate research for the Thesis.

• In the Comprehensive Examination Option, you will work with the Department's Graduate Advisor to develop your proposed Graduate Program and Advancement to Candidacy.
• In the Thesis Option, meet with the Department's Graduate Advisor to review your proposed Graduate Program formulated with assistance from your proposed Thesis Chair.  The University also has a University Thesis Office which verifies that each thesis meets the format criteria prescribed by the department or degree prgram and by the University and that it meets all University procedual requirements for theses. The Thesis Office conducts periodic workshops on how to prepare a thesis at CSULB. They also have an on-line powerpoint presentation. The University Library also provides some special services for thesis students like extended loans and study cubicles. 

For general campus regulations concerning graduate studies see the Enrollment Services web page.

The semester (or term) before you plan to complete your graduate program, you must file a Request to Graduate form with Office of Enrollment Services (BH-Ground Floor Courtyard) and pay the associated fee. (See deadlines in the current Schedule of Classes or on-line on the Enrollment Services web page.)

Policies and degree requirements (catalog rights) applicable to the candidate are those in effect at time you are Advanced to Candidacy (instead of time of admission). 

You must be advanced to candidacy at least one semester prior to completion of your degree program.