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Graduate and Postbaccalaureate Admission Requirements

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Admission Requirements

If you already hold a baccalaureate and your objective is a master's degree, credential, certificate, or other postbaccalaureate study, you must apply through CSUMentor using the graduate application online at http://www.csumentor.edu/. Depending on the objective, the CSU will consider an application for admission as follows:

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. Specifically, a student shall at the time of enrollment:

  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 the Office of Graduate Studies;
  2. be in good academic standing at the last college or university attended;
  3. have attained the grade point average required for the academic objective. Generally, postbaccalaureate students must satisfy one of the following three conditions: have a grade point average of at least 2.5 (on a scale where A=4.0) in an acceptable earned baccalaureate degree; or have a grade point average of at least 2.5 in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) units attempted; or hold an acceptable postbaccalaureate degree earned at an institution accredited by a regional accrediting association.

At CSU, Chico applicants to a master's degree program must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 in the last 30 semester (45 quarter) units attempted and at least 2.75 in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) units attempted.

An applicant must also satisfactorily meet the professional, personal, scholastic, and other standards for graduate study, including qualifying examinations, as appropriate campus authorities may prescribe. In unusual circumstances, exceptions may be made to these criteria.

Admission Classifications of Postbaccalaureate Students

If you meet the minimum requirements for graduate and postbaccalaureate studies as indicated above, you may be considered for admission in one of the following categories:

Master's Degree Student

You are a master's degree student if you are admitted to at least conditionally classified status in a specific degree program. See "Admission to Master's Degree Programs" below as well as individual academic program descriptions for complete information.

It is possible to pursue both a master's degree program and a credential or certificate program concurrently. If you are interested in pursuing dual objectives, you should contact the Office of Graduate Studies to declare this intent.

Postbaccalaureate Classified (Teaching Credential Candidate or Certificate Student)

You are a credential candidate if you are admitted to obtain a basic teaching credential or a specialized credential. See the Education program information in this catalog or visit http://www.csuchico.edu/soe/focus/ for specific information on the various credential programs and requirements. You may also apply to complete a postbaccalaureate certificate program as either an independent objective or in conjunction with a master's degree program.

To enroll in either a credential or certificate program, you will be required to satisfy additional professional, personal, scholastic, and other standards, including qualifying examinations, as prescribed by the University.

Postbaccalaureate Unclassified

To enroll in graduate courses for professional or personal growth, you must meet the general requirements for admission and be admitted as a postbaccalaureate 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. Some CSU campuses do not offer admission to unclassified postbaccalaureate students.

Admission Notification

The Office of Graduate Studies officially notifies master's degree, certificate, and unclassified applicants of the admission decision. Credential applicants are notified of their admission to a particular credential program by the department responsible for the program.

Admission to any of the above categories is limited to the specific semester for which you have applied and been accepted. If you do not enroll in courses during the semester for which you are admitted, you will not be automatically readmitted for a subsequent semester but must reapply during the designated application period.

If you do not hold a baccalaureate at the start of the semester for which you have been admitted, your postbaccalaureate admission will be canceled and your class level will be changed to senior. You must then reapply for postbaccalaureate admission if you wish to enroll after you receive the bachelor's degree.

Application Procedures

All graduate and postbaccalaureate applicants (e.g., master's degree applicants, those seeking credentials, and those interested in taking graduate-level courses for personal or professional growth) must file a complete graduate application as described in the graduate and postbaccalaureate application information and instructions at http://www.csumentor.edu/. Credential applicants must also file a separate application for admission to their specific credential objective and should consult the Education program information in this catalog or visit http://www.csuchico.edu/soe/focus/ for additional information. Applicants seeking a second bachelor's degree should submit the undergraduate application for admission unless specifically requested to do otherwise. Applicants who completed undergraduate degree requirements and graduated 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, re-routing to alternate campuses or later changes of campus choice are not guaranteed. To be assured of initial consideration by more than one campus, it is necessary to submit separate applications (including fees) to each. Applications submitted by way of http://www.csumentor.edu are preferable. An electronic version of the CSU graduate application is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.csumentor.edu. Application forms may also be obtained from the Graduate Studies Office or the Admissions Office of any California State University Campus.

Apply by the deadline given in the Academic Calendar and at the application website. You must also request that each postsecondary institution which you have previously attended send one official copy of your transcript directly to the Office of Graduate Studies to arrive by the application deadline. (NOTE: If you have attended CSU, Chico in the past, either as a graduate or an undergraduate student, you do not need to obtain additional copies of transcripts you have already had sent to the institution. Neither will you need to provide a transcript of your Chico record.) If applying to a master's degree program, you may also be required to successfully complete a nationally standardized qualifying examination (e.g., Graduate Record Examination, Graduate Management Admissions Test, Miller Analogies Test), fulfill other admission criteria specified by the department, or submit additional supplemental application materials. Refer to the Academic Programs section in this catalog or visit http://wwwcsuchico.edu/graduatestudies/prospective/masters_programs.shtml for information on specific departmental requirements. Test scores and all supplemental materials must also be submitted by the application deadline.

The $55 non-refundable application fee in the form of a check, money order, or credit card payment to the California State University is required of all applicants, with the following exceptions:

  1. postbaccalaureate students currently enrolled at Chico who are changing their objectives;
  2. those who were previously enrolled as postbaccalaureate students, have broken enrollment at Chico only one semester, and have not attended any other schools in the interim;
  3. students filing as auditors; and,
  4. students who have applied for, and been granted, an application fee waiver.

Admission to Master's Degree Programs

Completed files for master's program applicants are forwarded to the department for review. The department may recommend that you be admitted to one of the following categories:

Graduate Conditionally Classified

You may be admitted to a graduate degree program in conditionally classified status if your graduate department determines that you can remedy deficiencies by additional preparation.

To be admitted as a conditionally classified master's degree student, you must meet the general requirements for admission to graduate and postbaccalaureate studies as specified in "Admission Requirements" above,as well as any specific requirements outlined by your major department for this category.

While enrolled as a conditionally classified student, you will be required to complete 12 qualifying, letter-graded units of 400/500/600-level work with at least a 3.0 GPA and satisfy any departmentally specified criteria for admission to classified standing. You must also maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in each of the following three categories: all coursework taken at any accredited institution subsequent to admission to conditionally classified status; all coursework taken at CSU, Chico subsequent to admission to conditionally classified status; and all courses applied towards the degree requirements. Failure to meet these requirements may result in the termination of your enrollment in the master's degree program.

Graduate Classified

You are a classified master's degree student if you have been formally accepted by the department and the Office of Graduate Studies to pursue master's degree study.

In addition to satisfying the general requirements for admission to graduate and postbaccalaureate studies as specified in "Admission Requirements" above, and all professional, personal, scholastic, and other standards, including qualifying examinations prescribed by the department, you must meet the following minimum requirements:

  1. Satisfactory grade point average as follows:
    • a) An undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 in the last 30 semester units and a 2.75 in the last 60 semester units, or
    • b) A postbaccalaureate grade point average of at least 3.0 in a minimum of 12 departmentally specified units of letter-graded graduate-level coursework, and
    • c) In addition to "a" or "b" above, a grade point average of at least 3.0 in all postbaccalaureate, graduate-level coursework taken within the five years prior to admission to classified status. This coursework includes all graduate-level transfer work and all graduate-level courses completed in excess of baccalaureate requirements which have been approved for postbaccalaureate credit, whether or not they are applied to the master's degree.
  2. Approval by the department and the Office of Graduate Studies.

You are required to maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in each of the following three categories: all coursework taken at any accredited institution subsequent to admission to the master's program; all coursework taken at CSU, Chico subsequent to admission to the program; and all courses applied towards the degree requirements.

Candidate

While exceptional students may be granted candidacy immediately upon admission, master's degree students are normally advanced to candidacy after demonstrating ability and aptitude for the discipline as a classified master's degree student and meeting specific departmental requirements to become a candidate. Minimally, these will include:

  • Classified graduate standing and completion at CSU, Chico of at least 9 units of the proposed program.
  • Completion of departmental examinations, such as diagnostic examinations.
  • A GPA of at least 3.0 in each of the following three categories: all coursework taken at any accredited institution subsequent to admission to the master's program; all coursework taken at CSU, Chico subsequent to admission to the program; and all courses applied towards the degree requirements.
  • Approval by the department and the Office of Graduate Studies.

Use of Social Security Number

Your social security number is used to identify you in your association with the University as an applicant. Therefore, you are required to include your social security number in designated places on your admission application pursuant to the authority contained in Title 5, California Code of Regulations, Section 41201.

Once you have applied, you will be assigned a nine digit Chico State ID number which will be used as the identifier for all of your University Records.

Enrollment in Distance & Online Education Courses

Chico Distance & Online Education offers a variety of courses via the Internet using various Web-based applications. For information on current course offerings, contact the Center for Regional and Continuing Education. Students who are regularly enrolled in Chico Distance & Online Education courses receive resident credit and are held to the same application, transcript, and fee requirements as on-campus students.

International (Foreign) Student Admission Requirements

The CSU must assess the academic preparation of foreign students. For this purpose, "foreign students" include those who hold U.S. temporary visas as students, exchange visitors, or in other nonimmigrant classifications.

The CSU uses separate requirements and application filing dates in the admission of foreign students. Verification of English proficiency, financial resources, and academic performance are each important considerations for admission. Your application and academic records from foreign institutions must be on file at least six months in advance of the desired admission date. If your records are not in English, they must be accompanied by certified word-for-word English translations.

Other examinations, such as the Graduate Management Admission Test, the Miller Analogies Test, and the Graduate Record Examination, may also be required by a department as a condition of admission.

If you have attended a recognized foreign institution and have received a degree deemed equivalent to the U.S. baccalaureate, you may apply for admission as a graduate student. Prior university-level preparation should be appropriate to your graduate degree objective, and superior undergraduate grades are essential.

Priority in admission is given to residents of California. There is little likelihood of nonresident applicants, including international students, being admitted either to impacted majors or to those majors or programs with limited openings.

Graduate-Postbaccalaureate English Proficiency Requirement

All graduate and postbaccalaureate applicants, regardless of citizenship, whose native language is not English and 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 postsecondary institution where English is the principal language of instruction must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic). The TOEFL must be completed with a minimum score of 80 on the internet-based test, or a minimum total score of 550 on the paper-based test. A band score of 6.5 is required for the IELTS, and a minimum score of 59 is required for the PTE Academic. Some programs require a higher score, and scores more than two years old are not acceptable. Score requirements are subject to change and you are encouraged to contact the Office of International Education for the most current information.

Admission as an Auditor

An auditor is a student who enrolls in a course for informational purposes only. An auditor attends class sessions regularly but does not participate in the class, take examinations, or receive credit for the course. To qualify as an auditor, you must apply for admission (without paying the application processing fee required of credit students) and submit such transcripts as are necessary to show that you hold a baccalaureate. In addition, you must obtain permission of the instructor to register as an auditor in any course. Auditors pay the same registration fees as credit students.

Transcript Retention

If you submit transcripts to the Office of Graduate Studies at Chico and then fail to submit an application, the transcripts will be retained for two years and will then be discarded. If you complete an application file, but do not enroll for the semester for which you have been accepted, your transcripts will also be retained for two years and then discarded.

Notice of Potential Changes

These and other CSU admissions requirements are subject to change as policies are revised and laws are amended. The CSU website http://www.calstate.edu and the CSU admissions portal http://www.csumentor.edu are good sources of the most up-to-date information.

Catalog Cycle:12