Graduate Student Guide

This guide will help support you in finding information you need to be successful in the pursuit of your degree.

Graduate Studies Newsletter: 2024 Graduation Edition

As the graduate center for the entire campus, the Graduate School works to guide and assist students from the moment of admission through the various milestones of their progress to the completion of their degree requirements. We want students to stay, learn, and engage with faculty whose research and creative activities are enriched by collaboration with graduate students. The broader impact of our work elevates graduate students and the campus’ role as a nexus for research, professional development, and partnerships. We should remind ourselves that we do big things here at Sacramento State and graduate students make a major contribution to the university and its mission.

Advising & Registration

Advising

Registration

My Sac State offers you access to your Student Center, where you can access features including registration, wait listing, fee payment, financial aid status, and holds.

Registration Support

  1. Step One: Log into the Student Center to find your registration appointment. Before your registration appointment, you need to clear any holds or outstanding fees due from a current or prior semester. Continuing students register first so make sure you are good to go before you register. Registration fees will not be due until after you enroll in classes.
  2. Step Two: The next phase of registration is for new transfer or freshmen to register for classes at orientation. During this time, continuing students may resume adding, dropping or swapping classes. You may also be added to a class you have wait listed. During this time, fee payment will most likely be due for continuing students who registered earlier so be sure and pay your fees.
  3. Step Three: The final phase of registration is called Late Registration and Change of Schedule. It begins three weeks before the semester begins and continues through the second week of the semester.

Registration Period

Your registration day and time are scheduled in accordance with University priority policy in this order: disabled students, retention programs, graduating seniors, seniors, classified graduates, juniors, sophomores, freshmen, and unclassified graduates. Within each class level, students are scheduled according to total units completed. Registration fees should be paid during the Priority Registration period to avoid the late fee.

Before your registration day, you should:

  1. Obtain academic advising from your major department.
    (Undeclared students: see Academic Advising in LSN-1012.) Do not delay, since some departments have mandatory advising requirements, and they may block your registration if you do not comply.
  2. If your My Sac State Student Center shows any holds, clear them immediately. Do not incur any new ones before your Registration Appointment!
  3. Decide on the courses in which you want to enroll. Identify several alternate courses in case the ones you prefer are already full. Remember, the class search shows real time class information. You will be immediately enrolled if there is a seat for you in the class, so you may not need your alternate selection. If the section you request is full or cancelled, you may choose to Wait list the class if that option is available. For more information on wait lists refer to the Definitions sections.
  4. Pay attention to class notes describing course prerequisites, session dates, etc. Note especially class notes 4 and 15, which mark distance education courses having special technology requirements.

Transcripts & Academic Records

Sacramento State does not mail semester grade reports. You can access your grades and unofficial transcript by logging onto My Sac State via one of the kiosks or from your personal computer. You can also order an official copy of your transcript (electronic or hard copy) from the Office of the Registrar. Sacramento State does not issue 'unofficial' transcripts to current or previous students.

Please refer to the current Sacramento State University Catalog for additional information regarding grading and records policies.

Your student record is protected by FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). Certain kinds of information are released to individuals and/or agencies that have your written authorization (such as student loan guarantors and employers), Sacramento State academic advisors and department chairs and other authorized campus officials. If you wish to view your record, you must go to the Office of the Registrar service counter in Lassen Hall between 8 am and 5 pm. Be sure to bring a photo id (i.e. driver's license or student id card).

Graduate enrollment verification for loan deferments or employment is available through your loan company. You must submit a signed official deferment request form supplied by the Lender. Verifications are processed and notification of enrollment is sent to your Lender.

GPA Requirements & Academic Standing

Graduate and Post-baccalaureate* Academic Standing Regulation Categories

*does not apply to post-baccalaureate students pursuing a second bachelor’s degree

Good Standing

Graduate, credential, certificate and unclassified students whose Sacramento State and cumulative grade point average (GPA) is 3.0 or above are considered in good academic standing. No grade below a “B” may be counted toward the degree requirement unless expressly permitted by a campus-approved graduate programs’ written policies.

Academic Probation

Students whose Sacramento State grade point average or cumulative grade point average falls below 3.00 will be placed on academic probation. Students on probation are eligible to enroll in the subsequent semester.

Continued Probation

Students on probation will be placed on Continued Probation if they:

Academic Disqualification

If a graduate, credential, certificate, or unclassified student is on academic probation and the Sacramento State or cumulative grade point average is below 3.0 for the active term, the student will be academically disqualified.

Students not on probation will be disqualified if the Sacramento State or cumulative GPA is 2.000 or less.

Disqualified students will not be allowed to register unless they are formally reinstated and/or readmitted to the University.

Administrative Probation and Administration Disqualification

Graduate, credential, certificate, and unclassified students are subject to Administrative Probation for the following reasons:

  1. Withdrawal from all or a substantial portion of their courses in two successive terms or in any three terms.
  2. Repeated failure to progress toward a degree or other program objective, when such failure is due to circumstances within the control of the student.
  3. Failure to comply, after due notice, with an academic requirement or regulation.

Students who do not meet the conditions for removal of administrative probation may be subject to further administrative actions, including Administrative Disqualification.

Notification

Students will be notified of their academic status (academic probation, continued probation, or academic disqualification by letter, and/or My Sac State message and/or email) at the end of each semester. Graduate, credential, certificate and unclassified students on Probation or Continued Probation are required to meet with an advisor in their major department, the credential office or the Office of Graduate Studies. Academic departments and units may block registration of students who fail to meet advising appointments. Students receiving veterans’ educational benefits may be ruled ineligible for continued benefits if, after one semester of unsatisfactory achievement (probation or disqualification), they do not return to academic Good Standing at the completion of the next semester.

Reinstatement of Disqualified Students

Students who have been academically disqualified may petition for reinstatement. The Petition for Reinstatement is obtained from the Forms & Manuals section of the Office of Graduate Studies website. If reinstated, students will be placed on an academic contract that may stipulate maximum units, specific courses and achievement levels. Failure to meet the conditions of the reinstatement contract and/or failure to achieve a subsequent semester GPA of 3.000 or higher will result in academic disqualification.

Students who are administratively disqualified or not recommended by their academic department for continuation in the graduate degree, credential, or certificate program must formally apply to the University as well as a graduate degree, credential, or certificate program and submit a petition for reinstatement. Reinstated unclassified students will not be allowed to enroll in graduate level courses during the period of the reinstatement contract without the permission of the department chair or designee for that major.

Deadlines to petition for immediate reinstatement are as follows:

NOTE: Please check the Office of Graduate Studies website for specific dates.

Students whose petitions are approved are subject to review each semester until the Sacramento State GPA and overall cumulative GPA reach the minimum standard of 3.00. Students may not earn the degree, credential, or certificate unless they are in good academic standing and their Sacramento State GPA and overall cumulative GPA reach the minimum standard of 3.00.

Steps to Graduation

In preparation for graduation, The Office of Graduate Studies is providing you with some basic steps to ensure you have met all the requirements to successfully complete the Masters and Doctorate Program here at California State University, Sacramento.

  1. Maintain a 3.0 or above GPA
  2. Complete the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) by earning a "B" or higher in your degree program's designated Graduate Writing Intensive (GWI) course.
  3. Submit an Advancement to Candidacy (ATC)
  4. Maintain Continuous Enrollment through the semester of graduation.
  5. Check with your department to guarantee you have met all of their graduation requirements
  6. Complete and submit an Application for Graduation
  7. Register and complete an online Culminating Experience Workshop in the semester of graduation
  8. Schedule one (1) Thesis/Project/Dissertation/Doctoral Project format review appointment
  9. Finalize edits and/or revisions with your faculty advisor, committee members, and/or Graduate Coordinator before uploading to the University Repository.
  10. Upload four (4) documents to Canvas (only after meeting with a Degree Evaluator for your Review Appointment)
    1. Thesis/Project/Dissertation Receipt form
    2. Title page of your (Thesis/Project/Dissertation/Doctoral Project)
    3. Culminating Experience Processing Receipt form
      • This fee can either be paid at the Bursar’s office or online.
      • For online payments: please look for the Culminating Experience link on the list of available payments.
    4. Confirmation of “Culminating Experience Processing” Payment