Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! The university only offers a commencement ceremony in spring semesters, so all students who want to participate in the ceremony can do so in spring. If you are finishing courses in summer or fall, do not apply for spring graduation. You must apply for graduation for the semester you are finishing all your courses, not the semester in which you want to walk. If you apply for spring graduation, you are telling the university that you are done with your courses in spring, and you will not receive a registration date for summer or fall. If you already applied to graduate in spring and you need to change to summer or fall, please submit the Request to Change Graduation Date form. Please note, there is a $10 fee to change graduation terms.

Use your Academic Requirements Report (ARR) to run a graduation check!

• Log in to Single Sign On
• Click on MyCSULB

• Once you are in MyCSULB select "Academic Requirements" from the drop-down menu, and click the arrows to load. It may take a few minutes to load.

• Once the report loads, scroll down and click collapse all. If you are on track to graduate, you will only see green checkmarks and yellow diamonds which means all requirements are complete or in progress. If you see red squares, then you are missing requirements.

Use your Academic Requirements Report (ARR) to check what courses you still need to take!

• Log in to Single Sign On
• Click on MyCSULB

• Once you are in MyCSULB select "Academic Requirements" from the drop-down menu, and click the arrows to load. It may take a few minutes to load.

• Once the report loads, scroll down and look for red squares. Red squares indicate that you have not completed the requirement.

• If you would like a tutorial on how to use your ARR, you can watch this YouTube video: ARR Tutorial

• If you are a pre-major, you must meet all Major Specific Requirements (MSR) in order to declare. Once you meet MSR, Enrollment Services will automatically declare you. This typically happens about a month after the semester has ended.
• Pre-Nursing & Pre-Social Work students: Your majors are highly impacted and require a supplemental application
  • Nursing Application Information
  • Social Work Admissions Information
• If you are looking to change your major within CHHS, please visit our major change webpage.

Here are some resources to help you build your next semester schedule:

• Academic Requirements Report (ARR) on MyCSULB - This will help you identify the courses you still need to take. Refer to the "How do I find out what courses I still need to take?" question for more information.
• Major Specific Requirements (MSR) for pre-majors - This will provide you with a list of courses required to declare your major.
• Major Requirements Worksheets for declared majors - This will provide you with the required courses for your major and help you check prerequisites for those courses.

You can request to add a CHHS minor online. Visit our minor request webpage to submit your request. If you want to add a minor in a different college, please contact their advising center.

There are many tutoring options available at CSULB! Visit the Tutoring at CSULB website for a full list of available tutoring.

View the Dropping and Withdrawing webpage for guidelines, instructions, and FAQs. Always speak with your CHHS Advisor before you drop or withdraw from a course! View our drop-in advising page for upcoming hours.

• If the course is required for your major, you should repeat the course. If you are not sure, please speak with your CHHS Advisor during drop-in advising.
• If the course is only a General Education (GE) or elective course, it is up to you! If you think you can pass the course, then repeating it will help your GPA if you earn a "C" or higher as long as you repeat the course at CSULB. If you do not think you can pass the course, then it may be in your best interest to choose a different course.
• To repeat a course, you can re-enroll in the course on MyCSULB if you have only taken the course once before. If you have taken the course twice already, you will need to submit the Exception to Academic Policy for Undergraduate Limit appeal. Please be aware, there is no guarantee that your appeal will be approved.
• Visit the Repeating Courses website for information on the number of units you can repeat and information on grade forgiveness.

• To take a semester off, you will need to submit an Educational Leave Form. For the Fall 2020 semester, this form does not need approval signatures. Submit your completed form to Enrollment Services via es-registration@csulb.edu for processing.
• Visit the Educational Leave website for more information on eligibility and available workshops.

1. Check Assist for equivalencies between CSULB and a California Community College. View our Assist tutorial (Youtube Video) if you need help navigativing the website.
2. Apply to the community college you wish to attend.
3. Enroll in courses through their student portal.
4. Request your official transcripts to be sent to CSULB's Enrollment Services after your final grades are posted. It takes about 4-6 weeks for transfer credit to be posted to your record, so be sure to submit your transcripts ASAP to ensure your credit is posted to your record in time for registration.
   • We strongly encourage you to take prerequisite courses at CSULB, so you do not have any issues registering for future semesters.

• It is okay to use the Degree Planner if you are a declared major and you have already met with a CHHS advisor to clean up your plan.
• We do not recommend using the Degree Planner if you are a pre-major or if you have not had a graduation planning appointment with a CHHS advisor as your plan will not be accurate.
• The Degree Planner is an unofficial tool! Remember that there may be requirements on the planner that you do not need, or there may be requirements missing from the planner that you do need.
• We always recommend using the Degree Planner in consultation with your Academic Requirements Report or a CHHS Advisor.
• You can find video tutorials on how to use the planner on the Degree Planner website.

Use your Academic Requirements Report (ARR) to track your units!

• Log in to Single Sign On
• Click on MyCSULB

• Once you are in MyCSULB select "Academic Requirements" from the drop-down menu, and click the arrows to load. It may take a few minutes to load.

• Once the report loads, scroll down to the Unit Requirements Summary.

• The unit summary will show your progress towards meeting the 120 units needed for graduation. The taken number will include any in-progress units as well as completed units, AP, IB, and community college credit. Courses numbered below 100 do not count towards the 120 units. Please note that any waitlisted courses will not be counted in your taken units until you are fully enrolled.
• To calculate elective units, you will take the number of units needed towards the 120 and subtract any major and GE units still needed. If one of your major courses also covers a GE requirement, you will only count the units once.
• Example:  75 units needed - 6 units of GE - 60 major units = 9 elective units still needed.
• We recommend double-checking your unit calculations with an advisor!

• You can take General Education (GE) and elective courses as Credit/No Credit. You cannot take Major Specific Requirements (MSR), major courses, or minor courses as Credit/No Credit.
• Not all courses are available for Credit/No Credit grading.
• To change your grading option, you will need your CHHS Advisor's signature on the Grade Option Change Request - Credit/No Credit form. If you are unsure of who your major advisor is, please visit our Advising Team page to view who your advisor is. If you have multiple advisors for your major, please only send the form to one advisor.

Yes! All students must take a Writing Intensive course to earn their Bachelor's degree. The GPE is a placement exam that evaluates your writing skills. Regardless of your score on the GPE, you still take a Writing Intensive course.

View the GWAR Pathways based on GPE score below:

COVID-19 Update: Due to COVID-19, all GPE dates have been canceled for Fall 2020. The university has waived the GPE for select groups of students. Check your Academic Requirements Report (ARR) on MyCSULB to see if the GPE was waived for you.

• Log in to Single Sign On
• Click on MyCSULB

• Once you are in MyCSULB select "Academic Requirements" from the drop-down menu, and click the arrows to load. It may take a few minutes to load.

• Once the report loads, scroll down to the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) section. If you see the GWAR Writing Intensive Course, then your GPE was waived and you can enroll in Writing Intensive courses now (assuming you meet the other prerequisites.)

• If you do not see the GWAR Writing Intensive Course requirement, then you are still required to take the GPE to determine your eligibility for the Writing Intensive course.

You can apply to graduate on your MyCSULB.

• Log in to Single Sign On
• Click on MyCSULB

• Once you are in MyCSULB select "Apply for Graduation" from the drop-down menu, and click the arrows to load. It may take a few minutes to load. If you do not see the "Apply for Graduation" choice, you are not eligible based on completed units yet. If you are graduating please come to drop-in advising so an advisor can assist you with eligibility to apply.

• There will be a series of steps in the application. Please make sure you go through all the steps and click "Submit Application" at the end. You will get to a confirmation page at the end that says you have successfully submitted your application.
  • Make sure to return to MyCSULB to submit your application after you pay the graduation fee! You will still have a few more steps after paying that need to be completed before getting to the "Submit Application" page.
• Application Deadlines:

• Your graduation term will be the semester you finish ALL your requirements. If you are finishing courses in summer, you apply for summer graduation. If you want to walk in the ceremony in spring, you will still apply for summer graduation.

Use your Academic Requirements Report (ARR) to check where your courses are counting!

• Log in to Single Sign On
• Click on MyCSULB

• Once you are in MyCSULB select "Academic Requirements" from the drop-down menu, and click the arrows to load. It may take a few minutes to load.

• Once the report loads, click expand all.
• Scroll down to the GE area that you think the course covers. Is the course there, or does the requirement still show a red square?
• If the course is not in the GE area, it may not be GE, or it may be in another area.
  • If the course is in another GE area but is listed on the schedule of classes as the area you wanted, your CHHS advisor can move the course. Remember, GE courses cannot double count in two GE Areas!
    • Example: NUTR 132 is a B2 or E course; it cannot cover both requirements. If the course is in B2 on your ARR, but you want it in area E, we can fix it!
• You can also search for and check GE courses via the Schedule of Classes.

• Beach Buddy Program: The Cal State University, Long Beach (CSULB), College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) is partnering with CSULB Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to launch the Beach Buddy Program in fall 2020. Beach Buddy is a peer mentoring program that offers students a new way to connect with other students for emotional support and mental health resources. Beach Buddies are peer mentors for other students on the CSULB campus who experience difficulties with school, relationships, stress management, or other concerns 
• CAPS: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is supporting students remotely. CAPS counselors are available over the phone for crises and emergencies. CAPS current hours are Monday through, from Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. During those hours, you can call 562-985-4001 and ask to speak to a counselor. After hours and on weekends, you can call that same number and follow the instructions to connect to a counselor 24/7.