Mar 19, 2024  
2017-2018 CSU East Bay Catalog 
    
2017-2018 CSU East Bay Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Graduation


Time to Think About Graduation!

Students must apply for graduation one term in advance of the term in which they intend to graduate and must apply prior to the end of the Add/Drop period. Deadlines to file are listed under Important Dates on the University website under “Current Students”. Continuing students can log into MyCSUEB on the university website and click on “Apply for Graduation.” The student will be prompted to select the term for which they wish to graduate. There will only be one term to select since graduation applications are only accepted for one quarter at a time. A confirmation page will then appear. The student should print this page and give a copy to their department. Discontinued students can file for graduation using the “Application for Graduation for Closed Matriculation” form on the University website under “Current Students”.

Note: Students are advised to review completion of degree requirements with their department before filing for graduation.  Final graduation evaluation or “check-out” is typically completed within two months following the posting of grades from the student’s final quarter of attendance.

Filing for Graduation

Important Facts to Remember

Graduation Requirement in Writing Proficiency

Priority Registration

SSMP and Credential Program Students

Catalog Rights for Graduation

Diplomas

Filing for Graduation

Students are advised to review completion of degree requirements with their department before filing for graduation.

The graduation filing fee will be charged to the student’s account after they file for graduation. The fee can be paid by one of the following ways:

  • online at MyCSUEB
  • in person at the Cashiers’ Office in the Student Enrollment Information Center (Student Services and Administration Building, 1st Floor) on the Hayward Hills Campus
  • in person in the Academic Services Office on the Concord Campus

The Graduation Application Fee covers the cost of the graduation check of coursework completed the diploma, and participation in the annual commencement ceremony (but not including cap and gown rental/purchase, handled separately by the Bookstore). The fee is non-refundable, but if a student does not graduate when they originally intended, the fee will be transferred to the subsequent quarter automatically.

When a student files for graduation, they may obtain a new registration priority.  To register for classes as a graduating graduate student, students must be a “classified Graduate” who is recommended for Advancement to Candidacy by their advisor and who has made substantial progress towards their degree by the time the registration appointments are assigned.

 

IMPORTANT Facts to Remember

Students are advised to review completion of general education requirements and to consult with their major and minor departments before filing for graduation.

Remember:

Students are responsible for contacting their academic major and minor departments and informing them of their intent to graduate. Students must allow enough notice so that their department will have sufficient time to generate a major or minor checklist sheet indicating whether the student has satisfied all academic requirements of the major or minor. The major and minor check sheets are due to the Office of the Registrar by the end of the fifth week of the quarter preceding the student’s final quarter.

To register as a graduating senior, students must have earned 150 units or more and have filed for graduation by the time registration appointments are assigned. A student’s graduation quarter can be updated by request a maximum of three consecutive terms, after which time they must re-file and pay again. This should be done well in advance of the opening of registration for a given quarter, and no later than the end of the Add/Drop period of the quarter originally intended to be the student’s final quarter. Changes in the information on the diploma (change of name, address to be sent, deletion of an incomplete minor) must be submitted no later than the end of the Add/Drop period of the intended quarter of graduation.

Major & Minor Checks

After filing for graduation, students must contact their major department to complete an official “Major Check” form showing all requirements completed for the major and those remaining to be completed for the major. (If students are an Interdisciplinary Studies Major, a Major Check is not needed.) The department must submit the form to the Office of the Registrar no later than the fifth week of the quarter preceding the student’s final quarter if they are to graduate on time.

Students are strongly encouraged to check with their academic department by the end of the fifth week of classes of their next to last quarter to be certain a major check has been filed.

If students are completing a minor and want it recorded, they must request that a “Minor Check” form be submitted by the department offering the minor to the Office of the Registrar no later than the end of the fifth week of classes of the student’s second to last term.

Waivers

If students file any waiver or substitution petitions for major, G.E., or other graduation requirements, they must be certain the substitution petition reaches the Office of the Registrar at least four weeks before the end of their final quarter.

Once students have completed all degree requirements and the Office of the Registrar can verify their completion, their degree will be posted. The final graduation evaluation process typically takes up to three months following the posting of grades from the student’s last quarter of attendance. The student’s diploma will be ordered and mailed to their permanent address of record with the university 4-6 weeks after the degree has been awarded.

Student Records

In order to protect the integrity of its transcripts, the university will not make any changes to student records unless there is documented evidence of university error. Once a degree is posted to a student’s permanent record, the diploma and transcript cannot be altered by adding additional options and/or minors, or by grade changes, withdrawals, and/or grade forgiveness. Students who believe that they have received a grade in error should promptly ask the instructor to verify and, if appropriate, correct the grade. If an error was made, the instructor of record must indicate specifically the nature of that error on the Change of Grade form and submit the completed form to the Student Records Office. Students who feel they received a grade due to unfairness would also have one quarter to pursue their allegation of unfairness through the University’s fairness complaint process. Students must notify the Office of the Registrar of any errors in their grades no later than the quarter subsequent to the quarter in which their degree is awarded or upon completion of the fairness process. The Registrar’s Office may also seek clarification of the error from the Department Chair.

If the instructor is absent from campus during the quarter subsequent to the quarter in which the student’s degree is awarded, the student shall promptly consult with the department chair about the grade in question. If the department chair is unable to contact the instructor, the chair will notify the Dean of the College and the University Registrar in writing that an extension of the grade correction deadline, up to one year after the degree has been awarded, has been requested.

 

Graduation Requirement in Writing Proficiency

All students must demonstrate competency in writing skills as a requirement for graduation. Information on currently available ways to meet this graduation requirement may be obtained from the Testing Office website or call 510.885.3661

 

Priority Registration

When a student files for graduation, they may obtain a new registration priority. To register for classes as a graduating graduate student, students must be a “Classified Graduate” who is recommended for Advancement to Candidacy by their advisor and who has made substantial progress towards their degree by the time the registration appointments are assigned.

 

SSMP and Credential Program Students Filing for Graduation

If a student is completing an undergraduate Single Subject Matter Preparation Program for entry into a teaching credential program, or they are completing a graduate Single or Multiple Subject Credential Program, they should not file for graduation, but be certain that the appropriate check sheet is submitted by the department or program committee offering the program to the CSSC - (SAS,OTHER) Credentialing Services  in the College of Education and Allied Studies.

 

Catalog Rights for Graduation

Your catalog rights for your major, minor or degree (undergraduate or graduate) are governed by the catalog in effect at the time you declare your major, minor or degree. Undergraduates will not lose catalog rights for G.E. and other graduation requirements by declaring or changing your major, if you maintain attendance. Your catalog rights for your master’s degree are governed by the catalog in effect at the time you were admitted to your program.

As long as you maintain attendance by enrolling in at least two quarters each calendar year, your degree requirements will remain those of the catalog in effect at the time you declare your major, minor or degree. However, you may elect to meet the requirements of the catalog in effect at the time you graduate. These principles are called your “catalog rights.” If you do break attendance by not enrolling in two quarters in a calendar year, your graduation requirements will be governed by the catalog in effect at the time you reenter. If you are absent due to an approved Educational Leave or to attend another accredited institution of higher education, you will not lose your catalog rights as long as you are not away for over two years.

If you are a transfer student who attended another CSU campus and/or California community college, you have Cal State East Bay catalog rights from the time you began at the other institution if you have maintained attendance as noted above.

The principle of catalog rights refers to degree requirements, not policies, fees, services, and other matters which, when they change, apply to all students. For that reason, you should check the latest online catalog.

Please Note: Requirements of certain programs (e.g., teacher credential programs) are governed by outside agencies. The requirements of these programs are subject to change based on changes dictated by these outside agencies. 

 

Diplomas

After a student has completed all degree requirements and the graduation evaluator has verified their completion, their degree will be conferred and their diploma will be ordered. The final graduation evaluation process typically takes up to three months following the posting of grades from the student’s last quarter of graduation candidacy. The diploma will be mailed to the student’s address of record with the university 4-6 weeks after the degree has been awarded.

A diploma is an official document containing the embossed seal of Cal State East Bay, the student’s name, the degree conferred and date, major(s) completed in the degree conferred, any options or minors completed, and the signatures of state and university officials. It is not reproducible or available in multiple copies. Students can obtain multiple copies of their record by ordering transcripts which also show degrees, majors and options, as well as other information. If a student needs proof of completion of their degree before receiving their diploma, they may request a verification of graduation or a transcript from the Office of the Registrar. Should a student change their name, they may request that a new diploma be issued with their new name if

  • (1) they return the originally issued diploma to the Office of the Registrar
  • (2) they provide legal documents confirming their legal name change, and
  • (3) the student pays the fee for a new diploma.

After the degree is posted to a student’s permanent record, a student’s diploma and transcript cannot be altered by adding additional options, or by grade changes, and/or withdrawals. The University protects the integrity of its transcripts and will not rewrite history unless a University error has occurred.