Advancement to Candidacy

MA-Psychological ResearchMS-IO

MS-Human Factors

Advancement

• Contract between CSULB and student• Sets program rights, based upon Catalogue• Along with coursework, student must be

“Continuously Enrolled”

Continuous Enrollment

• Rule 1: Must be enrolled every Fall and Spring• Rule 2: Must be enrolled semester graduate• Once finished with program courses, including

thesis units, then enroll in GS 700• Both regular enrollment & GS 700 enrollment

allows students to use university services, including Library, PsycINFO, and contact with faculty (including thesis committee members)

Continuous Enrollment (cont.)

• Breaking Continuous Enrollment ramification: Student is out of the program and CSULB

• The student must petition the appropriate Program Committee to be let back into the program, as well as under the requirements as when Advanced (may have to meet new recs)

• If approved, student then applies back to CSULB

Leave of Absence

• AKA Educational Leave• May take 1 or 2 continuous semesters leave• Can petition for up to a total of 4 semesters

during graduate career• If not going to use university services after

completing coursework (go to Europe), take Ed Leave and save $

• Once begin GS 700, may no longer take Leave of Absence (must register even if in Asia)

GS 700

• Qualifies for “Continuous Enrollment”• Saves $$ - less expensive than regular

enrollment (currently $261/semester)• Enroll through CCPE (formally UCES)• Must be authorized by Graduate Advisor• Must be enrolled:

1) Every fall and spring semester2) Semester graduate (usually thesis sub term)

7 Year Rule

• All Graduate Program coursework is valid for seven years from when it was first taken

• Any coursework that goes over the seven year limit is “outdated” and invalid

• Outdated coursework must be retaken or replaced

Grad Check• AKA “Request to Graduate”• Required by second to last semester of program

coursework (including thesis units)• Must Advance prior to filing Grad Check – this

information is used for the grad check Thesis units grade, “Library Clearance”

• Currently $45 (may go up)• Can change date (or file late) – need petition and

$10 fee• Forms on-line (linked from Grad Newsletter)

Commencement

• Request to Graduate (“Grad Check”) covers costs of Commencement

• Spring semesters only – Thursdays at 1pm• “Anyone Can Walk” – don’t have to have

graduated (referred to as Commencement)• Recommended that you participate – you’ve

done all the work, you should celebrate!

Thesis

• Psychology department “Thesis Guidelines” on dept web site – please read and refer to

• Must have three Thesis Committee members: 2 tenured/tenure-tract Psychology faculty 1 with at least MA, professional justification

• Can have more members, but harder to coordinate schedules: All members must be present at Orals meetings (you included!)

Thesis (cont.)

• Ask professor to chair your thesis – easiest if area you’re interested in is his/her area;they don’t feel comfortable otherwise

• Some students like to ask one of the stats profs to be on their committee

• Make sure all members, chair especially, will be around for awhile – check for sabbaticals, retirement, etc.

Thesis Process Steps

• Ask professor to chair, agree on topic• Collect journal articles for lit review• Get other members with Chair’s guidance• Committee will say when ready to go to Orals• Preliminary Oral – obtain permission for study• IRB – obtain CSULB permission to do study• Final Oral – defend thesis• Submit thesis

Preliminary Oral

• Committee will let you know when you’re ready• Give copy of draft at that point to committee

members and Grad Advisor – 2 weeks before• Coordinate meeting time with committee

members (usually 1 hr meeting), schedule room through front office staff

• Compose Oral Announcement (template on web site), send as Word doc attachment to Chair via email, remind Chair to send to faculty & staff

Orals Meetings

• Faculty and Psych Graduate Students are permitted to attend Orals(Suggest students give heads-up to presenter)

• Faculty other than committee members might ask questions

• Grad Student attendees are to observe only• No one else is permitted to attend, including

family members or friends outside of dept

IRB

• Work with Chair to prepare IRB paperwork• File via IRB web site (URL given at Oral)• Must obtain IRB’s approval before running

subjects• Usually 2-6 weeks for approval – longer if

involving children• IRB reviewers are campus faculty, they’re

usually available only during F/S semesters

Final Oral

• Same preliminary steps as Prelims (draft, reserve room, announcement)

• Committee members may require additional changes – these should be minor (allow for this in your scheduling)

• Recommend preparing thesis Approval Signature Page and taking 2-3 copies to Oral meeting (template on dept web site, run by Grad Advisor to check for errors, borrow pen)

Submit Thesis

• If not already, format via CSULB requirementsUniversity Thesis Guidelines on-line

• Register via University Thesis Office’s web site• Get signatures (Committee, Assoc Dean)• Submit to Thesis Office during sub period• Follow Thesis Office’s instructions• When approved, submit to Bookstore, report

receipt number back to Thesis Office

Thesis Web Site Assistance

Department web site

• ‘Thesis Project’ link to Psych Thesis Guidelines

• Updates listed on “Graduate Newsletter”

• Orals Announcement and thesis Approval Signature Page templates

• MA/MS theses’ abstracts, full text links

Thesis Web Site Assistance (cont.)

Thesis Office web site

• Submission dates

• link to “University Thesis Format Guide”

• Author registration (required)

• Links: Guidelines Checklist, Page Order, Copyright

Courses

• Can split up your thesis units• May want to split so you have one semester

enrolled in 6 units – save $1095 (next slide)• Reasons to be enrolled full time (9 grad units)

On parents’ insurance International Student (although last semester taking program classes may be less than FT) Receiving Graduate Research Fellowship

• Financial Aid usually requires only 5 grad units

Fees Breakdown for 10/11• 1-6 units $1802/1877, 7+ units $2897/3026

per semester (F10/S11)

Fall 10 FT 2897 Fall 10 FT 2897Spr 11 <7 1877 Spr 11 GS 261 instead save $1149 save $2765

FT F/S = $5923 <7 F/S = $3679FT F, <7 S = $4774 FT F, GS 700 S = $3158

(GS 700 does not qualify for loan deferment)