Graduate Advising

Following Your Degree Audit

FAQ:

What is my Degree Audit Report (Degree Evaluation)? The Degree Evaluation (also called the degree audit report) is a resource for students and advisors to track student requirements, also known as your Program of Study, toward graduation. It includes course, GPA, and advancement to candidacy requirements.

What should I do if I see a mistake in my DAR and need to change it? If you wish to alter your POS, a Petition for Adjustment of Academic Requirements must be supported by the graduate advisor and approved by Graduate Studies. You must complete the petition, obtain approval of the graduate advisor, and it will be submitted to Graduate Studies. You will receive an email confirmation once the petition has been reviewed.

How many units of transfer, extension, or foreign university credit may be used on my Program of Study? In most graduate programs the maximum transfer credit allowed is 9 units. This includes coursework taken through SDSU Global Campus. (Refer to the University Policies section of the Graduate Bulletin for specific exceptions.) All transfer credit must have been taken at an accredited university, and approved by the graduate advisor and Graduate Studies.

What is my catalog year? The academic year you begin is your University Catalog year. For instance, students who start in August 2022 will be in the catalog year 2022-2023. Your particular University Catalog establishes all policies, university requirements, and departmental requirements you will follow to complete your degree. Degree Requirements and Policies can change across catalog years. It is important to know your catalog year and access that particular catalog to reference any particular policies and requirements you must follow. To this end, you can access both the current catalog and the catalog archive online.

Program of Study (POS) Worksheets

The worksheets below can be used for unofficial planning purposes. Please refer to your Degree Evaluation/Degree Audit Report for the official review of your degree program.

• MBA FALL 2021 ONWARD
• MBA BEFORE FALL 2021
• MBA/MA
• MBA/JD
• MSA
• MSGBD
• MSCM
• MSIS
• MSBA-FTP
• DATA ANALYTICS CERTIFICATE
• TAXATION CERTIFICATE
• CYBERSECURITY ADVANCED CERTIFICATE
•  
  INVESTMENTS ADVANCED CERTIFICATE
•  
  FINANCIAL ANALYSIS ADVANCED CERTIFICATE

FAQ:

What is Conditional Standing? Students admitted conditionally have not met all university or department requirements for admission – this is often due to GPA requirements or students having three-year undergraduate degrees. Conditionally admitted students are usually required to take prerequisite courses or obtain a certain GPA during their first several semesters of attendance. The specific conditions, and the allotted time period for completing them, are set by the student's department. If you have been admitted conditionally, please contact your graduate advisor for specific information regarding your conditions.

What is Classified Standing?  Your student standing is/becomes "Classified Graduate Student” when you have met all university and department requirements upon admission or by the end of your conditional admission period.

I am a conditionally admitted student. When the conditions of admission have been met, how do I request a change of my status? In the Fowler College of Business, conditionally admitted students must meet their requirements by the deadline established by Graduate Studies. Upon completion of your condition, the Graduate Business Advisor monitors your progress and will request your change of status for you.

What does it mean to be Advanced to Candidacy? A student who has been advanced to candidacy has been officially recognized by the university as a candidate for the degree, meaning that he/she is ready to graduate. In order to be advanced to candidacy a student must complete a minimum number of POS units, have a minimum POS GPA of 3.00, and complete any departmental requirements. Students can typically request advancement through their Degree Audit Report (Degree Evaluation).

Students may be exempt from the fee in the following situations.
1. Students enrolled in the concurrent MBA/MA in Latin American Studies are charged the professional fee on business courses but not on courses with Latin American content.
2. Students are not charged the professional fee for courses that are not used to meet degree requirements (i.e., courses that are not included on official Programs of Study and are not program prerequisites).  Examples of these types of courses include exercise or undergraduate language courses.

Graduate Professional Business Fee Waiver Request

(Please download, complete electronically, then Save As.  No handwritten/photographed fee waivers can be processed.)  When you send it the completed form to [email protected], add the reason and semester you are requesting in the body of the email as well as the form itself. 

• Fee Waiver Request Form

Students currently pursuing a Master’s or doctoral degree may add on an optional Advanced Certificate by initiating a “Request for Permission to Enter an Advanced Certificate Program” electronic form here. 

This form must be completed before completing 50% of the certificate units. 

Upon completion of the Advanced Certificate:

• Complete the program of study located under the  "Degree Evaluation and Program of Study" section of this page.  Return to Diane Coning, Graduate Advisor. (Download the file, save as adding your name, and then complete the form.) 
• If you are currently taking your final course for the certificate, please wait until your grade is posted and send. 
• This program of study is then filed with Graduate Studies who will evaluate and issue your certificate.  Your certificate will be mailed to the address listed on your WebPortal.  

How is the College of Graduate Studies and the Fowler Graduate Program Office affiliated?

The College of Graduate Studies provides leadership and support to the Fowler College of Business masters and advanced certificate programs. Graduate Studies creates, maintains, adjusts, and evaluates your Degree Audit Report as well as ensures that all degree requirements and university policies are followed. Graduate Studies has many resources available on their website linked below under SDSU Campus Resources.

Fowler College of Business Forms

GA/TA Application

• Graduate Assistant Application
• Teaching Associate Application (for Accountancy only)

Instructional Student Assistant

• ISA Application

Graduate Studies Forms

The following forms are available from the Graduate Studies website:

• Petition for Adjustment of Academic Requirements
• Advancement to Candidacy Request
• Permission to Enter an Advance Certificate Program
• Request to Change Programs within the College
• Change to a College of Business Program from an Outside Department
• Repeat Unauthorized Withdrawal Graded Courses

College of Graduate Studies Forms

In the Fowler College of Business Graduate Programs, CPT is any optional practical training (internship, practicum, or other employment) that is an integral part of the established curriculum for a program of study. Most CPT occurs off-campus.

• CPT requires that the training must be part of your academic program of study while you are enrolled in school.
• Only practical training that is directly related to the course curriculum qualifies as CPT.
• Both paid and unpaid practical training require CPT authorization from the ISC before a student can begin the opportunity with the employer.
• CPT is authorized by the International Student Complex (ISC) for one term at a time.

CPT Departmental Policies

• MBA CPT Policy
• MSA/MSIS CPT Policy

Graduate Business students may potentially be eligible for academic credit by participating in select competitions.

APICS West Coast Student Case Competition

Students develop and present solutions to a supply chain problem. To get involved, please contact Y. Helio Yang, Ph. D..

Global Business Consulting (GBC)

Please contact Mark Ballam for more information.

Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC)

The nation's premiere strategy competition for venture-minded and entrepreneurial MBA students.

The ACG Cup

A case study competition designed to give students from leading MBA programs across the country real world experience and invaluable insights into mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, financial advisory and private equity. To get involved, please contact Nikhil Varaiya, Ph. D..

The CFA Institute Research Challenge

An annual global competition that provides university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis.

The Lavin VentureStart Competition

Designed to unify multidisciplinary students whose talents, ideas, and energy may operate tomorrow’s leading firms.

The Zahn Challenge

A yearly competition hosted by SDSU's Zahn Innovation Center. Zahn seeks innovation driven ideas or technology that can scale to address a large market opportunity.

Culminating Experience

All Master's students complete a “culminating experience” at the end of their program. This final step is satisfied through either the Plan A or Plan B option.

Plan A is completed with a thesis that will be published in the San Diego State Library. A thesis is the written product of a systematic study of a significant problem; it states the major assumptions, explains the significance of the undertaking, sets forth the sources for and the methods of gathering information, and analyzes the data, and offers a conclusion or recommendation. The finished product shows evidence of originality, critical and independent thinking, appropriate organization, language, and format, high level of writing competency, and thorough documentation. Your thesis will be supervised by a faculty committee consisting of two members from your department, and one from another SDSU department (either within Fowler or outside). It is never too early to start thinking about your thesis committee! Identify faculty members you work well with, and that specialize in your area of interest.

Thesis Links

• Submitting a Thesis/Dissertation for Review
• Creating a Thesis/Dissertation

Plan B (Comprehensive Examination) Students pursuing Plan B will complete a comprehensive examination, project, or portfolio in lieu of the thesis and is an assessment of your ability to integrate knowledge of your subject area, show critical and independent thinking, and demonstrate mastery of the subject matter. Discuss the format, expectations, and registration requirements with your graduate advisor well in advance of your last semester.

A project in the culminating experience classes in Fowler serves as Plan B. The culminating experience in the majors are:

MSA– ACCTG 790;
MBA– BA 795;
MSGBD– BA 796;
MSBA-FTP–FIN 590;
MSCM and MSIS–MIS 790.

You should be Advanced to Candidacy prior to registering for your culminating course. Your Graduate Advisor will notify Graduate Studies after you have passed the exam, project or portfolio.

Graduation Application

A Graduation Application must be completed via WebPortal by each student in the semester they anticipate graduating. Students should visit the Office of the Registrar's Apply to Graduate page for information about applying online and filing periods. There will be a nonrefundable $100 filing fee when you submit the application. More Graduation Information.

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