Graduate Student Checklist

GPA Requirement

Maintain a GPA of 3.00 or better in all course work, i.e., your overall GPA should always be 3.0 or better. This includes transition courses, open university courses and courses taken in other departments.

Semester Advising

Every semester, before being able to register for classes, you must fill out the Advising Form:

Please download this form, fill it out in its entirety, sign it, and submit to the Graduate Advisor. Please allow up to 4 days for the Advising Hold to be removed.

Conditionally Classified Students: Change of Classification

Clear any and all conditional admission requirements and make sure you submit a "Change of Classification [pdf]" form, to transfer from Conditionally Classified Standing to Classified Standing, to the Graduate Advisor for approval and signature. Please download this form, fill it out, and submit it to the Graduate Coordinator.

Graduate Writing Requirement

The graduate writing requirement is a CSU requirement that must be satisfied and you should do this as soon as possible.

Candidacy Form

File your Candidacy Form [pdf]. This can be done only when the English proficiency requirement has been met, your status is "Classified", and 9 units of graduate coursework have been completed. This needs to be done by the deadline at least two semesters before you plan to graduate.

Please download the form, fill it out, and submit it to the Graduate Coordinator. Here are some guidelines to help you fill out the form:

  • List only those courses which are to be counted towards the 30 units required for the MS degree. This includes courses you haven't yet completed. The total must add up to 30 units. (You add up the total from groups A, B, and C at the bottom of the form.)
  • If you are doing a project, your 298 units go in Section B. If you are doing a thesis, you put the 298 units in Section A and the 299 units in Section B.
  • The Graduate Writing Requirement (Engr 200W or 100W) is NOT part of the 30 units. Neither are any Transition Courses you were required to meet.
  • All coursework listed in the Candidacy Form must be completed with a grade of C or better and the GPA must be a 3.0 or better.
  • We need to sign and submit this form. So after you fill it out, you need to give us a signed copy of the form.

Thesis Research or Project

A project or thesis is required for all BCME students.

CME Thesis/Project Report Guidelines [pdf]

SJSU Thesis Guidlines [pdf]

Graduation 

Eligible students can apply for graduation through self-service within their MySJSU account. Approximately two weeks after students have been approved for advancement to candidacy by the GAPE office, they will be sent a MySJSU message prompting them to apply for graduation. This message will include instructions that are similar to the instructions in this guide [pdf].

You can also review our Master's Students Apply for Graduation Online video tutorial.

Schedule and Present Thesis/Project Defense

When you have passed your Thesis/Project Defense and made all required changes, you and/or your advisor should turn in all requested documents to the Graduate Coordinator as soon as possible so that you can meet semester graduation deadlines. The Graduate Coordinator cannot process the final paperwork (verification of culminating experience memo) without the following items.

  • the original (yellow) Final Defense Approval form
  • a copy of the title page from the thesis or project
  • a copy of the signed signature page with the date of the defense listed
  • a list of EACH 298/299 that currently has an RP or Incomplete grade listed, along with the semester you originally enrolled and the number of units you took.
  • your current mailing address
  • your student ID number

Changes to Candidacy Form

If you took different classes on your candidacy form, you need to submit a request for a course substitution [pdf]. You do not need to submit this if you took the same courses but just a different semester.

Submit Thesis

Submit completed thesis by the deadline, in final form and with necessary signatures, to Graduate Studies and Research (GSR) for approval. Make corrections indicated by the GSR and resubmit a minimum of three copies of your final thesis for binding by the deadline they gave you.

If you have questions about anything on this checklist, contact your advisor.