GENERAL INFORMATION
ELECTION OF BULLETIN REQUIREMENTS
A graduate student must meet all of the department curriculum requirements as reflected in the university Bulletin in effect the semester the student is officially classified in the major program or the semester the Graduate Approved Program is filed with and approved by the dean of the Graduate Division. Any student who loses continuing
enrollment status in the university (i.e., must be readmitted to the institution) must meet curriculum requirements in effect as of the time of reentering classified status or the semester in which a new GAP is filed.
GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS
A limited number of graduate assistantships are made available to students each
semester. Interested graduate students should apply directly to the major department
concerned. These assistantships are designed to aid the faculty and to provide
professional experience and financial assistance to qualified graduate students. These
positions may involve work with undergraduate students in a classroom or laboratory
(where responsibility for the class and its entire instruction, including the performance of
the graduate assistant, is vested in a member of the faculty), research assistance or help
to the faculty in preparation of course materials, participating in the evaluation of
undergraduate student work, tutoring of students, etc.
To be eligible, a student must as a minimum:
- Be a classified graduate student in good standing and actively pursuing a graduate
degree;
- Be currently registered for a minimum of three units at SFSU directly applicable to the
graduate degree or have registered for a Culminating Experience Requirement course
(i.e., 892, 893, 894, 895, or 898) in the previous semester;
- Not be enrolled with an academic unit load which would be incompatible with the
demands of the assistantship;
- Not be appointed for more than a total of four semesters;
- Not be assigned for duties to a course in which the student is enrolled; and
- Not be otherwise currently employed at SFSU in a faculty category (e.g., lecturer).
Individuals interested in being considered for such an appointment should contact the
appropriate major department.
TEACHING ASSOCIATE POSITIONS
The university through its major departments provides a number of currently enrolled, or
newly admitted, graduate students with part-time employment offering practical
teaching experience related to their advanced study. The appointments usually involve
teaching regular classroom and/or laboratory courses, making assignments to
undergraduate students, preparing course materials, administering examinations,
assessing student performance, tutoring students, and determining course grades. The
students appointed may also be assigned to assist faculty with field experiences,
supervision, simulation exercises, and/or research projects.
To be eligible, a student must as a minimum:
- Have demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the subject matter of the
discipline in which the assignment is made;
- Possess the ability to relate well to others within the academic environment and the
ability to instruct and evaluate students;
- Possess a minimum of a baccalaureate degree, or its equivalent, from an accredited
institution with evidence of above average achievement in previous academic work,
especially in course work related to the field of appointment;
- Be admitted to classified or conditionally classified status in a graduate degree program
at SFSU and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better in all course work
taken at SFSU while in post-baccalaureate standing;
- Be registered at SFSU during the term of appointment in a minimum of three units of
course work directly applicable to the graduate degree, or have registered for a
Culminating Experience Requirement course (i.e., 892, 893, 894, 895, or 898) in the
previous semester;
- Have an academic unit load which is compatible with the demands of the assistantship;
- Not be appointed for more than four semesters and not be assigned to a course in which
academic credit is being earned;
- Not be otherwise employed at SFSU in any other faculty related category (e.g., lecturer,
graduate assistant, etc.)
Individuals interested in being considered for such an appointment should contact the
appropriate major department.
FACULTY FOR GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Departments or programs offering graduate degrees assign faculty to teach graduate
courses and to serve as committee members on theses, creative works, field projects,
and/or graduate comprehensive examinations. It is expected that tenured/tenure-track
faculty will be given these assignments. In special circumstances, a department/program
chair may recommend that a qualified temporary faculty member serve in the graduate
program. When such an assignment is made, the department/program chair is expected
to submit a written request to the college dean and dean of the Graduate Division. The
name of the individual, rationale, and qualifications for appointment must be indicated.
The signature of the appointee must be included to acknowledge the nature of the
assignment and reimbursement arrangements, if any, for services rendered.
GRADUATE COURSE ENROLLMENT PRIORITIES
Departments with high graduate enrollments have the authority to assign priorities to
students wishing to enroll in the available graduate level courses. Any use of a priority
system must be implemented only for the purpose of allowing majors in the program an
opportunity of taking the courses needed to complete their degree programs in a timely
manner. From a pool of individuals, all of whom have met the prerequisites for a given
class, the department would normally be expected to grant admission to the class in the
following order of priority: (1) classified graduate majors of the department/program; (2)
graduating seniors who have applied and been admitted to the department's master's
degree program contingent upon completion of the baccalaureate degree; (3)
classified graduate students from other departments; (4) unclassified graduate students;
(5) advanced undergraduate students. It is the student's responsibility to determine that
prerequisites have been met before enrollment. Enrollment may be nullified for students
who do not meet the stated prerequisites. It would normally be expected that graduate
level Special Major students with programs approved requiring courses from the
department would be given an enrollment priority comparable to those in category (1)
above.
GRADUATE STUDENTS ENROLLED IN UPPER DIVISION COURSES
Graduate students enrolled in upper division courses are expected to complete course
work beyond, and to meet academic standards above, the requirements for
undergraduate level students. It is the responsibility of the department and/or the faculty
member teaching the course to prescribe the additional course work and/or academic
standards to be required of graduate students enrolled in upper division courses. Such
additional requirements are to be made known to enrolled graduate students within the
first two weeks of a term.
PAIRED COURSES
Paired courses are those courses offered at a common meeting time and place, but
eligible for either undergraduate or graduate credit, with differential requirements to be
met. Graduate credit earned in a paired course may not be applied to graduate core
program requirements. Paired courses are identified within the Class Schedule. A paired
course taken at the undergraduate level may not be repeated for credit at the
graduate level, except for courses normally eligible for repeated credit. Further
information regarding guidelines can be obtained from the Graduate Division Office.
SPECIAL STUDY COURSES
Most program areas offering the master's degree have available a Special Study 899
course for graduate students who have demonstrated ability to do independent work.
This is typically an intensive study of an identified problem or subject which is carefully
planned in advance, developed and completed under the direction of one or more
members of the graduate faculty of the department. The student is expected to establish
a regular meeting schedule with the professor and provide evidence, typically in
detailed written form, of the type and quality of work accomplished during the term.
While each department may establish its own specific criteria, the following are typically
used as basic guidelines:
- A special study course is available only to students who have done previous work in the
department and is usually restricted to classified graduate students in the program.
- The student should possess a cumulative post-baccalaureate grade point average of at
least 3.25 (often higher).
- The course should embody a proposed plan of study which is consistent in content and
level with the basic graduate curriculum of the department.
- The course may not be taken through extension except in unusual circumstances
approved in advance by the dean of the Graduate Division.
- The course may not be used to raise deficient grade point averages, or to satisfy
additional course work requirements required as a consequence of a seven year time
extension to complete requirements for a master's degree.
A petition for special study form may be obtained from the major department office. It
must be completed and approved before registration in the course.
CREDIT BY EXAMINATION
Obtaining credit by examination at the graduate level is not a common practice at this
university. In some instances, however, a graduate student may be exempted from
completing a required course because of some special preparation which, in the
opinion of his/her adviser and chair of his/her department/program, merits such action.
Such an exemption does not decrease the number of units required for the specified
graduate objective. Additional courses must be substituted for the exempted courses to
provide the required number of units for the degree.
In unusual situations a graduate student, who is in resident study and in good academic
standing, may request permission to obtain credit for courses by examination. An
applicant for such an examination must obtain the approval of the instructor who
normally teaches the course and the department chair. Grading options will be the
same as that available to the course being challenged by examination.
Credit by examination is restricted to regular courses offered by the university. The
examination is to be comprehensive and searching and include whatever activity, test,
or demonstration is deemed appropriate for evaluating the skills, understanding, or
knowledge required by the objectives of the course. Grades received as a result of the
examination will be recorded on the student's permanent record and appropriate grade
points assigned.
MAXIMUM UNIT LOAD FOR POST-BACCALAUREATE STUDENTS
Fall and Spring Semesters
The typical full-time load for post-baccalaureate students is nine to twelve units per
semester. A student may enroll in up to sixteen units with permission of the designated
faculty adviser. Students seeking to take more than sixteen units must submit the Request
to Exceed Regular Academic Unit Load form to the major adviser and college dean or
designee for approval. After appropriate signatures have been obtained, the form is to
be forwarded to the Registrar's Office.
Under no circumstances will a post-baccalaureate student be given permission to
exceed eighteen units in any semester. Students attempting to do so will be
administratively dropped from their excess units.
Summer Sessions
Graduate students are limited to sixteen units for the total summer.
CHANGE OF MAJOR
It is possible for enrolled post-baccalaureate students to change the graduate major
under certain circumstances. Only students who have a cumulative 3.0 grade point
average in all course work taken while in post-baccalaureate standing at San Francisco
State University are eligible to change from one degree program to another.
Consult the graduate major adviser in the proposed field of study. If initially accepted by
the new department, the student should obtain from and file with the Records and
Registration Office an Advancement to Classified Graduate Standing or Credential
Standing application form. The Records and Registration Office will verify that the student
is a post-baccalaureate student in good standing at SFSU; attach a copy of a student
transcript showing any course work completed at SFSU to the present date; and forward
the application (and transcript, if applicable) to the department offering the program
requested. The student must submit any required supplementary materials (e.g., test
scores, transcripts from other universities and colleges, recommendations, etc.) directly to
the major department/ program. The major department/program makes its decision and
forwards the signed application form to the Registrar's Office. The student receives from
the Registrar's Office a copy of the application indicating the action taken.