Online Application Submission
Steps in the Application Process
The Statement of Purpose prompt and other required materials may be found under the "Program Application Materials on MyCED" below.
Completed applications must be submitted by the following deadlines:
Fall 2025
Application period began: October 1, 2024
- Cal State Apply Application due date for domestic applicants: June 1, 2025*
- MyCED Application due date: June 10, 2025
Applications are not accepted after the deadline.
NOTE: Access to MyCED is permitted after submitting the University application in Cal State Apply.
*Please note that international applicants (F1 Visa) have an earlier Cal State Apply application deadline of March 15, 2025 for Fall 2025 consideration.
Use Cal State Apply to apply and be sure to complete all components of the application by the published deadline.
The Cal State Apply dashboard is divided into four sections:
- Personal Information: contact information, biographic information and financial information, etc.
- Academic History: colleges attended, GPAs, etc.; do not hand-enter transcript information
- Supporting Information: enter “I am not adding any experiences”
- Program Materials: enter "I am not adding any program materials" (these will be submitted on MyCED)
Please refer the tutorial on the GSO Tips and Tutorials for Applying website for tips on filling out these sections of Cal State Apply. Please also refer below for detailed information for what documents to submit for the program materials.
Lastly, there is a non-refundable $70 application fee. Your application will not be processed until this fee has been paid. Please note that the CSU system does not offer a fee waiver for graduate level applications.
Important: you may only apply to one graduate program per CSU. If you are unsure about which program is best for you, contact the Graduate Studies Office.
For technical assistance with Cal State Apply, please contact the Cal State Apply Help Desk: (857) 304-2087, via email, or visit the Cal State Apply Applicant Help Center. Cal State Apply Application Support is available Monday – Friday, 6:00AM – 5:00PM PT.
Access to MyCED is permitted after submitting the University application in Cal State Apply.
After you complete and submit the CSULB Cal State Apply application, please upload supplementary program application materials via MyCED by the MyCED program application deadline:
- Statement of purpose (prompt provided below)
- Resumé
Please refer the MyCED tutorial on the GSO Tips and Tutorials for Applying website for general tips on filling out the MyCED application.
Please email ced-gradstudies@csulb.edu if you need technical support navigating MyCED.
Statement of Purpose
Submit a three-page, double-spaced statement of purpose. Each question must be answered sequentially. The quality of the applicant’s essay is taken into consideration while making admission decisions. The statement of purpose should address the following five prompts:
How many years of experience do you have working with young children and families?
Describe your personal and professional experience teaching and working with young children and families.
What is your greatest lesson from a particular child?
Describe your experiences with communities of color and all of their diversities, including non-native English-speaking communities, lower-income communities, immigrant communities, etc. Please explain how these experiences have influenced your interactions with diverse children and families.
Discuss how the CSULB Master’s in Early Childhood Education program will help you reach your personal and professional goals.
Need help with writing your Statement of Purpose? Visit our website for tips and resources: GSO Tips and Tutorials for Applying website.
Résumé
Please upload the most recent copy of your resumé.
Be sure that this resumé includes your experiences working with young children and families. For each experience, please be sure the following are clear to the reviewer:
- Position title (for example: teacher, classroom aide, intern, volunteer, etc.)
- Employer (for example: name of school, school district, community agency, etc.)
- Years (or months) of experience in that position
- 1 to 2 sentences for each experience describing your job responsibilities
Need help with updating your resume? Visit our website for tips and resources: GSO Tips and Tutorials for Applying website.
Access to MyCED is permitted after submitting the University application in Cal State Apply.
Be prepared to enter the names and e-mail addresses for two recommenders. Recommendations due by June 10, 2025. You may complete and submit your MyCED application before your recommenders submit their letters.
Who to ask
Recommendations are preferred from a supervisor in a professional setting, a university instructor, or maybe a general recommendation. We encourage you to seek the strongest possible letters regardless of the source. Therefore, we suggest speaking with your recommenders before completing this section.
Once you have entered and saved information for a recommender, an email request from MyCED will automatically be sent to the recommender on your behalf. Please advise your recommender to look for this email in their inbox, as well as their spam or junk-mail folder, as emails do occasionally get filtered out.
Your recommenders will be instructed to respond to the following statement:
Please provide the following relevant information regarding the applicant’s suitability for graduate study:
- Applicant’s potential for graduate for work (e.g. former academic experience, work ethic, diligence);
- Applicant’s interpersonal skills (e.g., communication, ability to work with others, professionalism, reflective)
- Applicant’s knowledge and ability/potential to develop curriculum and instructional activities (e.g., creativity, problem-solving skills, attention to details, open to new ideas, interactions with young children)
- Applicant’s ability to interact with young children from diverse backgrounds
How to Order Official Transcripts
Next Steps and Mandatory Interview by Invitation
This information has been updated and is final for Fall 2025.
If you have any questions or need help with the application process, please contact the College of Education Graduate Studies Office via email.
