Last update: 10/23/96

GRADUATE AND POST-BACCALAUREATE APPLICATION PROCEDURES

 All graduate and post-baccalaureate 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 post-baccalaureate admissions booklet. 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. Applicants for post-baccalaureate programs are limited to the choice of a single campus on each application. To be assured of initial consideration by more than one campus, it is necessary for an applicant to submit separate applications (including fees) to each. Applications may be obtained from the Graduate Studies Office of any California State University campus in addition to the sources noted for undergraduate applications.

GRADUATE AND POST-BACCALAUREATE ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Graduate and post-baccalaureate applicants may apply for a degree objective, a credential or certificate objective, or may have no program objective. Depending on the objective, the CSU will consider an application for admission as follows:

General Requirements: The minimum requirements for admission to graduate and post-baccalaureate 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 (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 appropriate campus authorities; (2) be in good academic standing at the last college or university attended; (3) have attained a grade point average of at least 2.5 (A = 4.0) in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) units attempted; and (4) satisfactorily meet the professional, personal, scholastic, and other standards for graduate study, including qualifying examinations, as appropriate campus authorities may prescribe. In unusual circumstances, a campus may make exceptions to these criteria.

TOEFL Requirement. All graduate and post-baccalaureate applicants, regardless of citizenship, 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 post-secondary institution where English is the principal language of instruction must receive a minimum score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

ADMISSION CATEGORIES

If a student meets the minimum requirements for graduate and post-baccalaureate studies, s/he will be considered for admission in one of the four following categories.

Post-Baccalaureate Unclassified: To enroll in graduate courses for professional or personal growth, a student must be admitted as a post-baccalaureate unclassified student. By meeting the general requirements, she/he is eligible for admission as a post-baccalaureate unclassified student. Some departments may restrict the enrollment of unclassified students in classes due to 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. For procedures to change to classified graduate status in a master's program, see Change of Major section (consult Index for page reference).

Post-Baccalaureate Classified: If a student wishes to enroll in a credential or certificate program, s/he will be required to satisfy additional professional, personal, scholastic, and other standards, including qualifying examinations, prescribed by the campus or program.

Graduate Conditionally Classified: A student may be admitted to a graduate degree program in this category if, in the opinion of appropriate campus authority, the student can remedy deficiencies by additional preparation.

Graduate Classified: To pursue a graduate degree, a student is required to fulfill all of the professional, personal, scholastic, and other standards, including qualifying examinations, prescribed by the campus.

NOTE: No more than twelve semester units of work completed prior to being formally admitted by the university to classified status in a master's program may be applied to meet the requirements of that program, and even these units must have approval of the major department.

TRANSCRIPTS

All post-baccalaureate applicants must furnish the graduate admissions office with two official transcripts from each college or university attended. A separate transcript from each college or university is required even though one transcript may show work taken at another institution. Credential applicants must also send a set of transcripts to the Credentials Office in the College of Education.

Students who attend Summer Sessions only need not file transcripts unless they plan to earn degrees or credentials at this university or wish to earn credit which can be identified as post-baccalaureate degree work on transcripts issued by this institution.

The Registrar's Office will provide transcripts to the major department for those applicants who have completed course work at this university.

ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS

The university does not require applicants to complete an entrance examination as a condition for graduate admission. Some programs require that applicants for their graduate degrees submit results of the aptitude, advanced, or area tests of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or other required examinations. Applicants are responsible for having the required examination results forwarded directly to the department involved. Information regarding which examinations, if any, are required may be obtained from the department office.

CONTINGENT ADMITTANCE

A post-baccalaureate applicant who is admitted to the university before the final award of the baccalaureate degree is considered as a contingent admittee. Any applicant who enrolls without having officially completed the baccalaureate degree and without having filed an official transcript showing the award of this degree, is subject to having one or more of the following actions taken: admission and registration cancelled, automatic reversion to undergraduate status, loss of all units taken for post-baccalaureate credit, disciplinary action as may be appropriate.

SECOND ADVANCED DEGREE

Approval for a second advanced degree is not typically granted when the new degree desired is closely related to the advanced degree already earned. A foreign student will not be permitted to work on a second master's degree at this university except where a compelling justification can be presented. Further information may be obtained by contacting the Graduate Division Office. Petition forms for foreign students may be obtained from the Graduate Division Office, ADM 254.

ADMISSION LIMITATIONS

The extent of enrollment pressures relative to available resources varies considerably from one department to another at this university. Some post-baccalaureate programs are in a position to admit most of the qualified applicants while others must use admission quotas to control the number of students admitted. Selection processes have been developed by each department to best serve students within the limits of its resources.

This university honors an initial filing period for accepting admission applications (see Application Filing Periods under General Admissions Requirements and Procedures). A post-baccalaureate application filed during the initial open filing period (defined as the months of November for the following fall semester and August for the following spring semester respectively) will be given every consideration for admission. When a program does not receive sufficient applications, the filing period will remain open until a deadline date announced by the program is reached. As a result, certain programs will be closed to applications before others.

CANCELLATION OF ADMISSION

Admission will be cancelled automatically if an applicant is accepted by this university for a given semester and does not register for that term. If the applicant wishes to undertake work at the university at a later date, s/he must file a new application, pay a new fee, and meet the current requirements for admission. Materials supporting the application for admission, such as transcripts and required documents, are retained by Enrollment Services for two years and may be used during this time to meet the requirements associated with the new application.

TRANSFER CREDIT FROM OTHER INSTITUTIONS

A student wishing to have a course taken at another institution included as part of his/her graduate program should do the following:

A course will be deemed eligible for inclusion in a graduate program under the following conditions:

It is the obligation of the student and of the student's adviser to determine that the proposed transfer course will meet all of the conditions for eligibility. Should a student or adviser wish eligibility determined prior to submission of the application for graduation, a request for evaluation may be made at the Registrar's Office, ADM 253.

ADMISSION FROM NON-ACCREDITED OR NON-EQUIVALENT INSTITUTIONS

A student who is a graduate of a non-accredited institution or from an institution whose degree is not considered equivalent to a baccalaureate degree from this university in terms of quality and/or content (e.g., specialized, professional, or certain foreign institutions) may not be admitted directly to post-baccalaureate status at this university. Instead, s/he may be considered for admission as an undergraduate student. Upon satisfactory completion of the undergraduate degree, the student may then apply and be considered for admission to post-baccalaureate status.

CONCURRENT STUDY FOR MASTER'S DEGREE AND CREDENTIAL

Students intending to secure both a master's degree and a California basic teaching credential may in some programs pursue these objectives concurrently, although the same courses may not be used for both objectives.

CONCURRENT STUDY FOR TWO DIFFERENT DEGREES

Pursuit of more than one graduate degree at a time is specifically precluded by the university. A student pursuing a graduate degree at San Francisco State University may not simultaneously enroll and complete course work for the purpose of meeting requirements for any other degree offered by this or any other institution of higher education. Each degree must be completed in its entirety before work may be taken for the purpose of meeting requirements for a new degree. Any questions regarding this policy should be directed to the Dean of the Graduate Division.

SUMMER AND WINTER SESSIONS

Through this university's Summer and Winter Sessions (part of the College of Extended Learning), a post-baccalaureate student may earn residence credit which may be used to satisfy some of the requirements for an advanced degree or credential. Enrollment in Summer or Winter Sessions only does not require formal admission to the university. A student who is planning to pursue an advanced degree at this university through attendance in Summer or Winter Sessions only should contact the Graduate Division and obtain instructions about how to attain classified graduate status.

EXTENSION CLASSES

This university offers extension classes through the College of Extended Learning which, under certain conditions, may be applied toward an advanced degree. The total number of units which can be allowed toward a 30-unit master's degree at this university, in any acceptable combination of university extension units, transfer credit from other accredited institutions, and credit by examination, is six semester units.