What Is Advancement to Candidacy?

According to the most recent CSULB Catalog, Advancement to candidacy is the next step after achieving classified status. Advancement to candidacy also signifies approval of a plan of study by the student's major department and college. You are able to advance once you have completed as few as six units with a minimum 3.0 GPA, but there may be other factors, such as your choice of culminating activity, which may delay when you choose to initiate this step. As a graduate student, it is your responsibility to initiate the process, and follow up on its completion.

There are six requirements that comprise the process of Advancement. Please carefully read about them in the Catalog Description.

Filling out the Form

In the department of Mathematics and Statistics, the Advancement process starts once you fill out and file the appropriate form. The process seems self explanatory, but there are some stylistic and procedural preferences that must be followed to ensure a smooth submission process. You can choose to fill out the document as a fillable .pdf form, or as a .docx form. In any case, please follow the comments outlined in the image below.

Next Steps

Once the form is filled out, you have a choice as to whether you would like to submit a paper or electronic copy (this decision is usually based on whether you are able to sign the document electronically). According to your preference, please submit it to your graduate advisor with a printout or pdf of your unofficial transcripts from myCSULB.

If you are pursuing the comprehensive exam option for your culminating activity, you should include the Comprehensive Exam Application form as the third piece of your packet.

If you are pursuing the thesis/project option for your culminating activity, you should include the Thesis-Project and 698 Application form as the third piece of your packet.

You should receive notification from the college that your form went through within one month of submission. Contact your graduate advisor if this is not the case.