Department of Education, CSU, Chico
MA: The Process
- Consult with the coordinator of the program of interest. The program coordinator
will provide information to help you get started on the MA program of your choice.
- Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Administration, and Library Media Teacher Services – Dr. Cris Guenter, Tehama 443, 898-6157
- Linguistically & Culturally Diverse Learners – Dr. Esther Larocco, Siskiyou 143, 898-6854
- Apply for admission to the Graduate School.
- Apply online at CSU Mentor
- To be accepted, you must be in good academic standing at the last institution attended, and hold an acceptable baccalaureate degree.
- You must have a GPA of 3.0 in the last 30 semester units attempted and a 2.75 in the last 60 semester units attempted.
- With Department of Education approval, you will be accepted at classified status and assigned an initial MA advisor.
- The Department of Education also requires an Initial Education Writing Assessment as part of the application process. This response document should be e-mailed to Cris Guenter within two weeks of your application. The initial writing assessment is part of our application process and thoughtful consideration is needed in completing and submitting it. If your writing skills are not deemed strong enough, you may be denied and not accepted or you may be admitted to the program with conditional status. If you are admitted with conditional status, you will be required to take our credit/no credit one-unit writing course offered through the university's Regional Center for Continuing Education for an additional fee to help you improve your academic writing, citing, and referencing skills and move you from conditional status to classified status.
- If you are applying to the Educational Administrative MA Program, a Department of Education credential application (pdf) is required in addition to the Graduate School Application.
- By the time you complete 12 units of MA courses from the list of required and
elective courses for your MA option, be sure to:
- Obtain a copy of the Guide to Graduate Studies (pdf).
- Meet with your assigned MA advisor and develop a program plan (pdf).
- Ask your MA advisor to approve your plan and submit it to the graduate coordinator.
- While taking the first 12 units of MA courses, you must also:
- Select type of culminating activity you will use to complete your MA program and communicate your choice to your MA adviser and the graduate coordinator. Options include the thesis, project or comprehensive exam. (See definitions in culminating activities.)
- If you select a thesis or project, you will register for EDMA 611: Research Seminar in Education during the semester you will begin writing your research proposal, and EDMA 699T/P: Thesis/Project, during the semester you will complete your thesis or project.
- If you select the comprehensive exam, you will register for EDMA 696: Synthesizing Experience in Education during your last semester before graduating.
- Apply for advancement to candidate status through your MA adviser after completing
15 units and before you begin your final semester.
- A student is advanced to candidate status only after demonstrating significant ability
and aptitude for the discipline of education. Before advancement to candidate status, the
student must complete EDMA 610 and have a graduate GPA of 3.0 or better. It is your
responsibility to ask your MA advisor to review your progress and obtain the application
for advancement to candidacy form. To apply for candidate status, the following must be
submitted to your MA advisor for signature. The packet then gets submitted to the graduate
coordinator for review.
- Application for advancement to candidacy (advisor provides this)
- Advancement to candidacy form (advisor provides this)
- A non-scored copy of your Graduate Literacy Writing Assignment from EDMA 610 (the Mini-Lit Review)
- A paper you have written for another graduate course. (The second paper may be specified by the program option; it cannot be your thesis or project chapters 1 or 2 written in EDMA 611.)
- A student is advanced to candidate status only after demonstrating significant ability
and aptitude for the discipline of education. Before advancement to candidate status, the
student must complete EDMA 610 and have a graduate GPA of 3.0 or better. It is your
responsibility to ask your MA advisor to review your progress and obtain the application
for advancement to candidacy form. To apply for candidate status, the following must be
submitted to your MA advisor for signature. The packet then gets submitted to the graduate
coordinator for review.
- Register for EDMA 696 or EDMA 699 in the final semester.
- You must be advanced to candidate status to enroll in EDMA 696 or 699. Registration in these courses requires approval of your MA advisor and the graduate coordinator.
- Complete the courses listed on your program plan, including the culminating activity.
- Stay in communication with your MA advisor. Be sure to meet Graduate School deadlines and maintain continuous enrollment in fall and spring semesters.
- Apply for graduation early in your final semester in the program.
- Pick up a graduation packet from the Graduate School Office in Tehama 209 or call 898-6880. Complete the graduation clearance form and take it to your MA advisor for review and approval.
Culminating Activities in the MA program.