REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION
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Student must meet both University and Department requirements for admissions as a Graduate student.
In order to be admitted to CSUN as a Graduate student, students must meet the following requirements:
1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or college.
2. Good standing at the last institution attended.
3. A grade point average of at least 2.5 in the last 60 semester units attempted, independent of when baccalaureate was granted. The entire semester or quarter in which the 60 units began will be used in this calculation. Lower division courses or courses taken in extension (except in concurrent enrollment at CSUN in the upper division), after obtaining the bachelor's degree, will be excluded from the calculation.
Students wishing to enroll in the University will follow the instructions supplied by the Office of Admissions and Records. Once applications are received, they will be evaluated at appropriate offices, and students will be advised whether or not they have been accepted into the University.
The applications of students who meet University requirements for admission and who desire admission to the M.S. in Biology program will be reviewed in the Biology Department. The department will determine whether or not the students meets the requirements for admission to its program. The minimum requirements are the following:
1. Biology Department Graduate Program Application submitted to the Department. (This is a separate application in addition to the University Application.)
Application deadlines:
Fall semester: March 15 preceding entry into program.
Spring semester: October 15 preceding entry into program.2. Minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.75. If the undergraduate grade point average is less than 3.0, up to 12 units of the 400-level Biology courses with a grade of B or better may be required.
3. A Bachelor's degree with a major in Biology. Post-baccalaureate students with other majors, or those whose degree programs did not include courses equivalent to the undergraduate core in the Biology major, may be required to make up deficiencies.
4. General and Biology Advanced Subject Graduate Record Examination.
General GRE scores: 50th percentile on all three sections.
Advanced subjects: 60th percentile.Applications for the Graduate Record Examination may be obtained from
Office of Graduate Studies or from Educational Testing Service,
P.O. Box 6000, Princeton, NJ 08541-6000The completed application must be submitted to the Educational Testing Service.
5. TOEFL and TWE: minimum score acceptable by the University. Those students who are accepted to the program will be admitted as Conditionally Classified Graduate Students.
Conditionally Classified Status
Conditionally Classified status is a prerequisite for all 600-level graduate courses. Students accepted to the program with deficiencies in Biology core courses are expected to complete the core before proceeding with 600-level courses. It is important to achieve fully classified status prior to completing no more than 12 units of graduate work, as NO MORE THAN 12 UNITS OF WORK PRIOR TO ATTAINING FULLY CLASSIFIED STATUS WILL BE APPLIED TO A MASTER'S PROGRAM.
The requirements for admission to Classified Status in Biology are the following:
1. General University requirements for classified status, which include passing the University Writing Proficiency Test.
2. Consent of a faculty member to serve as research advisor.
Related Topics: Requirements for the degree, graduate student support.