Baccalaureate and Graduate Degree Information
Baccalaureate Degree Information
Graduation
Dates and Requests to Graduate
The university awards degrees at the end of each of four terms in a year: January (work completed at the end of Winter session); May or June (end of the Spring semester); August (end of Summer Session); and December (end of the Fall semester.)
Seniors and graduate students who expect to receive degrees or Certificates at the end of any semester, winter or summer session must complete the Request to Graduate form and/or Certificate form well in advance. The appropriate request for Spring or Summer candidates must be filed by the preceding October 15; and for Fall or Winter candidates, by the preceding March 1, at the Office of Enrollment Services. The names of Candidates who file within these deadlines will appear in the Commencement Program published each Spring. Publication of names in the program does not constitute graduation from the university. Credential students should apply in the Credential Processing Office, located in the Graduate School of Education, or the Office of Enrollment Services by February 1 for December completion and by October 1 for Spring and Summer sessions.
Requests to graduate submitted later than the deadline will be processed after those submitted on time. The degree will be granted once all requirements have been completed, but the student’s name will not be printed in the Commencement Program.
Completion of Records and Requirements
Prior to receiving a degree, students are responsible for the following:
• Insuring that the university has received official transcripts of all work completed at other institutions. If graduation depends on any classes taken outside CSULB during the final semester or session, the transcript must be submitted by the announced date, approximately one month after the official graduation date.
• Completing all requirements for the degree, including the minimum number of units. Units will not be counted toward the minimum if they are above the acceptable total in certain categories, as listed in the degree requirements, or if they are a repetition of a course for which credit has already been counted. Any substitutions or waivers of course requirements must be submitted by the advisor.
• Completing all “in progress” and “Incomplete” courses that are to be completed. No additional work may be completed after the degree is awarded. No grade can be changed after the degree is awarded, except for a change resulting from a grade appeal. Any Incomplete remaining on the record as of the graduation date will be counted as if it were an “F,” with units attempted but no grade points earned, unless the instructor has specified on the Incomplete form that some other grade be recorded.
Degree Clearing
Final review of records begins three weeks after final exams in the student’s last term, and can take up to three months. If all degree requirements are complete, the degree and any honors are added to the transcript. The transcript is the official verification of the degree.
It is the student's responsibility to submit records of all changes in the record no later than the last day of the final semester or session. Such materials include transcripts from other institutions and amendments, substitutions, waiver, and grade changes.
Graduation with Honors
The following grade-point average criteria are used to identify undergraduate students eligible for the honors specified:
1. Equal to or greater than 3.95 graduated Summa Cum Laude
2. Equal to or greater than 3.8 but less than 3.95 graduated Magna Cum Laude
3. Equal to or greater than 3.5 but less than 3.8 graduated Cum Laude
An undergraduate student may be considered eligible for honors at graduation provided that a minimum of 45 units are earned at California State University, Long Beach. For the first baccalaureate degree, the GPA will be determined from units earned at CSULB plus transferred units. For the second baccalaureate degree, the GPA will be determined only by courses taken after the first degree was awarded.
With the approval of the Dean of the College, departments may elect to award departmental honors to their graduates based on GPA and/or other criteria determined by the department. The number of honors awarded by a department will be limited to three students or five percent of graduates, whichever is larger.
University honors will be noted on the diploma and transcript. Departmental honors will be noted on the transcript only.
