FAQ: Current Graduate Students

A: Teaching opportunities are competitive and are usually only given to students after their first year. Within the Art History program, there are opportunities to become part of a teaching team of graduate students, or to gain employment as a grader for a large Art History course. Teaching opportunities generally take two forms for Studio Artists: Teaching Internships and Teaching Associateships. A Teaching Intern is a graduate student who is working closely with a full-time, tenured or tenure track faculty member to learn about teaching a course or courses within the School of Art. Some students who complete the Teaching Internship are invited to become Teaching Associates, and to teach a class of their own within the program where they completed their Teaching Internship.

A: The School of Art hires graduate students to work as graders for larger Art History courses, as Teaching Associates in some programs, as assistants in departmental offices, or as other types of assistants to the faculty. Generally these positions are for students who have successfully completed at least a semester of work within their graduate program. Additional funding is available for work with faculty through the Office of Research on campus.

A: We maintain a public Facebook group called “CSULB School of Art Graduate Opportunities” that you can join for ongoing announcements and opportunities. In addition, some programs have their own pages or groups.

A: Students apply for gallery exhibitions the semester before the exhibition occurs and must have a full-time faculty member who is willing to consult with the student on the exhibition. Priority is given for degree shows (for MFA and BFA students), though there is always the opportunity for a graduate student or a group of graduate students to apply for non-degree shows within a given calendar. Applications are available through the School of Art Advising Center. Students will be notified of application periods, processes, and deadlines by email. Graduate students may also reserve the Graduate Gallery in the SSC building for temporary exhibitions or installations. Contact COTA-Art@csulb.edu for more information. 

A: Required courses, and those recommended by your faculty are a good place to start. You can, with permission of your faculty committee, count upper division courses taken within or outside of the School of Art toward your degree, as long as 70% of your coursework is at the graduate level. Some 300 and 400-level courses can be taken for graduate credit (up to 30% of the degree), but 100 and 200 level courses will not count toward your MA or MFA. In addition, only 3 units of Teaching Internship can be used toward the degree. Other limits may apply to certain courses. Please refer to the current catalog.

A: If graduate sections of the course you would like to register for are not available (check to see if we offer 500 level courses with the same name), then you will need to get permission from the faculty member to enroll. Faculty permission can be forwarded by email to the graduate advisor (please include your student ID number), or a signed permission slip can be turned in to the student services office. The graduate advisor will unlock a spot for you to register yourself. Permission will override required prerequisites for the course and alert the faculty member that you are a graduate student.

A: Fill out a contract with your committee chair specifying the topics, issues, concerns, and techniques explored; the nature of the project to be completed; and the basis of evaluation for grading. This helps to clarify expectations for both the faculty member/s and the student, and is required for courses without a formal syllabus. All sections must be filled out. The forms can be found on the School of Art Graduate Students Canvas Page.

A: Fill out a contract with your committee chair and attach a copy of your exhibition statement, thesis or project statement. Discuss the appropriate number of units to register for. All sections must be filled out. Forms can be found on the School of Art Graduate Students Canvas Page.

A: Usually this withdrawal deadline is 2 weeks after the start of classes. Check with Enrollment Services for the current deadline.

A: Students need to advance in the same semester that they will complete 1/3 to 1/2 of their required units for the degree. For more information on Advancement processes and requirements, please visit the School of Art Graduate Students Canvas page.

A: The Thesis and Dissertation website contains most of the formatting information and deadlines you will need to be aware of.  Please note that the deadline to submit your signature page and a PDF copy of your faculty-approved thesis is usually 2-3 weeks before the library’s deadline.

A: Students who have completed all units for the MA Degree in Art History or Art Education should register for GS700F (zero units) in any fall or spring semester to maintain continuous enrollment. The graduate advisor issues permission for students to register. If the student fails to register for GS700 or any other course, they will break enrollment and may need to reapply. In these cases, the graduate advisor and the faculty committee chair should be consulted to discuss the best options.

A: Contact your faculty chair and the graduate advisor.

A: Contact your faculty chair and the graduate advisor. Fill out the paperwork and bring it to the graduate advisor for approval. The number of available semesters of leave is limited and care needs to be taken to ensure that the 7-year limit for coursework taken to meet degree requirements is kept in mind.