To be eligible for admission to master’s degree programs, students must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and present a record of prior academic performance that indicates potential for success in graduate level studies. Applicants with a grade point average of 3.0 or better (on a 4.00 scale) for the final 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate and/or graduate courses and who satisfy specific departmental criteria are generally eligible for admission to degree candidacy; applicants whose grade point average is between 2.75 and 2.99 for the final 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate and/or graduate courses depending upon the program for which they are applying may qualify for conditional admission (see “Conditional Admission,” below).
Applicants are expected to have completed a general education program that includes courses in natural science, biological science, mathematics, social science, and the humanities. In addition, programs may have other course prerequisites or admissions test requirements (e.g., GRE, MAT, etc.), or require additional documentation.
A term of student teaching, a year or more of satisfactory teaching experience, or Initial or Standard Teacher Certificate, is required by some degree programs in education. Refer to specific degree requirements in the departmental listings for details on prior student teaching and other prerequisites for individual programs. Each student is assigned by the program to an advisor whose purpose is to guide the student’s program towards completion of the degree. The official program of courses is formulated by the student in consultation with the graduate advisor. This must be done before enrollment in the first semester.

Application forms and information about programs and admission are available in the Graduate School Office or from our web site at http://www.csu.edu/xgrad/. There is a $25.00 nonrefundable application fee due at the time of application. Applications submitted without the admission fee will not be processed. Applications for admission to the Fall Semester must be submitted by March 15. Applications for admission to the Spring Semester must be submitted by October 15. International students must have all their applications completed and submitted at least one month prior to these deadlines (2 months is recommended for those requiring student visas). It is important that these deadline dates are met to ensure admission in the appropriate semester. Applications for admission to a master’s degree program for the Summer Semester are at the discretion of the department administering the program.
Applicants may choose to enroll for courses as graduate students-at-large while their applications are pending. Enrollment as a graduate-at-large (see “Graduate-at-Large,” below) is in no way a guarantee of future admission to a degree program. Students choosing to enroll as graduate-at-large students must meet the admission requirements for non-degree status and are advised that certain admission and enrollment restrictions may apply.
Any applicant who knowingly withholds information or gives false information on an application for admission or readmission may become ineligible for admission to the university or may be subject to disciplinary action including expulsion.

Evaluation of Applications
When all necessary documentation has been received, a preliminary evaluation is done prior to sending the application to the department. The graduate studies evaluation is based on the student’s prior academic record. If the applicant’s last 60 credit hours GPA is 2.75 or above (for most programs), the application is sent to the department to evaluate course work that demonstrates writing and quantitative skills as well as competency in courses relating to the discipline. They also review other required materials. These evaluations are performed by departmental staff and they may take several months.
After reviewing the completed application, the department makes a recommendation to the Dean of the Graduate School as to whether or not the student should be admitted to degree status. The Dean then notifies the student in writing of the university’s decision.
A grade point average of 3.0 or better in the last 60 hours of bachelor’s degree coursework is required for admission to a masters program leading to initial teacher certification in early childhood education, elementary education, bilingual elementary education, secondary education, special education, or library science/media. Upper division and graduate level coursework in fields other than education, completed after the bachelors degree, will be considered for those applicants whose GPA in their last 60 hours of bachelor’s degree work is not high enough for conditional admission (see below). Applicants who do not qualify for admission can apply for the non-degree certification program. Contact the Office of Teacher Certification for more details (773/995-2519).

Full Admission
Applicants meeting all university admission requirements including the required 3.0 grade point average and meeting requirements set by the department administering the program are usually granted full admission to degree status.
Conditional Admission
The records of students whose grade point average is between 2.75 and 2.99 (on a 4.00 scale) for the final sixty (semester) credit hours of undergraduate/graduate courses are reviewed individually for other evidence of potential for success in graduate study to determine eligibility for conditional admission. However, applicants to the master’s degree programs in the Department of Educational Leadership, Curriculum and Foundations (ELCAF) must have a minimum grade point average of 2.90 for the final semester credit hours of undergraduate and graduate courses to be considered for conditional admission.
Conditional status may be removed by achieving a B average (3.0) in the first nine semester hours of graduate course work as prescribed by the department and/or by meeting other conditions as set by the department, e.g. missing prerequisites. Normally, other courses in the degree program may not be taken by a conditional student until the graduate courses prescribed by the department to remove conditional status have been satisfactorily completed.
Students who have met the prescribed requirements should contact the Graduate School Office and file a written request (Change of Status Form) to have their conditional status changed. Students not meeting the prescribed requirements will lose their conditional admission status and may not continue in the degree program. The student may choose to continue non-degree study as a student-at-large, but not in the department in which he or she was conditionally enrolled.

Early Admission of Undergraduates
Graduating seniors who will have graduated before enrolling as a graduate student may apply and be considered for admission. In this case, admission will be conditional upon receipt by the Graduate School Office of an official transcript showing the conferral of the bachelor’s degree. Those who do not subsequently receive the bachelor’s degree will have their admission rescinded and any graduate credit earned will be lost.

Readmission
Graduate students who have withdrawn from the university in good academic standing (i.e., with a grade point average of 2.8 or better and with all accounts cleared prior to withdrawal) and who wish to re-enroll, should apply to the Graduate School Office prior to the beginning of the semester or term for which they plan to reenter.
If a student is not enrolled for two calendar years or more, the student is responsible for knowing degree requirements in effect at the time of resumption of enrollment. Exceptions are possible only at departmental discretion. The degree requirements in effect at the time of resumption of enrollment are the ones to be followed unless the department grants an exception.

Extension of Time to Complete Degree
Graduate students who have not completed their program within the required six years limit (starting from the date of the earliest courses applied to the degree) but are in good academic standing, should apply to the Graduate School Office for an extension prior to the beginning of the semester in which they plan to re-enter. The student must file a petition for the extension to the graduate dean explaining the circumstances and a plan for completion. The student also needs to arrange for the program advisor to write a letter of support to the dean. All extensions are voted on by the Graduate Council. This extension, if granted, is usually given for a period of one academic year only. Exceptions are granted by the Graduate Council.

Second Master’s Degree
Graduate students may not work on two master’s degrees concurrently. Students may not apply to more than one graduate program at a time. Graduate courses that have been used for completion of a prior master’s degree may not be used to satisfy requirements for a second master’s degree. Students are not required to repeat content in the case of overlap of previously taken graduate courses; instead, students complete electives in order to meet semester hour requirements.

Admission of Graduate Certificate Students
To be eligible for admission to a graduate certificate program, students must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and have a grade point average of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale) for the final 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate and/or graduate courses, and must satisfy specific departmental criteria. A maximum of two graduate courses (6 semester hours) from another institution can be transferred into a certificate program. All graduate credits earned at Chicago State in a certificate program may be applied toward a subsequent master’s degree, as determined by the department.

Admission of Graduate-at-Large Students
Students who hold at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and who wish to enroll in graduate courses for their own personal enrichment, or professional advancement may do so by completing a short student information form in the Graduate School Office. There is a nonrefundable $25 application fee. Also, an applicant for graduate-at-large status must present proof of degree at the time of application. A maximum of twelve semester hours taken in graduate student-at-large status at Chicago State University prior to formal admission may be applied to a master’s degree program at Chicago State University with the approval of the department administering the program. (Some programs only permit 6 hrs.)

For PDF format click here

Top of Page