Graduate Student Checklist
GPA Requirement
Maintain a GPA of 3.00 or better in all course work, i.e., your overall GPA should always be 3.0 or better. This includes transition courses, open university courses and courses taken in other departments.
Semester Advising
Every semester, before being able to register for classes, you will be required to update your most recent graduate advising form (that you got back from your graduate coordinator the previous semester) using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader (https://get.adobe.com/reader/). Do not complete a new form. Your graduate advising form must include all previous graduate coordinator comments as well as the courses that you have already taken (with final grades if available) and the courses that you plan to take next semester to have your advising hold removed. Please attach your updated graduate advising form as a PDF file to an email message addressed to your graduate coordinator with the subject “Graduate Advising Form Attached”.
Your graduate coordinator will remove your advising hold and respond to you within 5 business days of receiving your properly completed graduate advising form.
Secure a Research Advisor
All graduate students are required to complete a research project/thesis as part of their culminating experience for either ChE MS or MatE MS degree. You must have a research advisor, a research project, and have already started working in the lab before you qualify for the research courses (CME 280, CME 281, CME 298/299). Since research takes significant amount of time and effort, it is strongly recommended that you start research by your second semester here or earlier to avoid delays in completing the program. You can secure a research advisor by reaching out to faculty member(s) whose research area(s) align with your interests to express your interest in joining their lab and see if they are taking on new students. If you are working/interning in industry or at a national lab in a technical role, there may be the possibility of an industry-sponsored project - ask your Graduate Coordinator for details.
Check out the current research projects within the CME department on our department website.
Conditionally Classified Students: Change of Classification
Clear any and all conditional admission requirements. Once you have satisfied your conditional admission requirements, remind your Graduate Coordinator to submit a Change of Classification form on your behalf to transfer from Conditionally Classified Standing to Classified Standing.
Campus Graduate Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (CGGWAR)
The Campus Graduate Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (CGGWAR) [pdf] is a CSU requirement that must be satisfied and you should do this as soon as possible by completing ChE 200 with a "B" or better grade.
Candidacy Form
File your Candidacy Form [pdf]. This can be done only when the CGGWAR requirement has been met, your status is "Classified", you are in good standing, and 9 units of required graduate coursework have been completed. This needs to be done prior to enrolling the Proposal Preparation class (ChE/MatE 281).
Please download the form, fill it out, and submit it to the Graduate Coordinator. Here is an example [pdf] to help you fill out the form.
Thesis Research or Project
A project or thesis is required for all CME students.
CME Thesis/Project Report Guidelines
Graduation
Information on Applying for Graduation can be found on the GAPE website. Approximately two weeks after students have been approved for advancement to candidacy by the GAPE office, they will be sent a MySJSU message prompting them to apply for graduation. You can update your expected graduation term using the Graduation Date Change Request online form on the GAPE website if your plans change.
Changes to Candidacy Form
If you took different classes (technical electives) than those listed on your submitted candidacy form, you need to submit a Request for Couse Substitution form found on GAPE website to update your candidacy form. You do not need to submit this if you took the same courses but just in a different semester.
Schedule and Present Thesis/Project Defense
Once you have completed your MS research project/thesis and your research advisor agrees that you are ready to defend, schedule your defense with your committee based on everyone’s schedule. Make sure to submit your completed written project report/thesis to your committee at least 2 weeks prior to your scheduled defense date for their comments. At least a couple of days prior to your defense, complete your portion of the CME 298/299 Defense Approval Form and send it to your committee for their signature and portions via DocuSign. Make sure to preserve all form fields, so your committee can complete the rubric after your defense. Once the form is signed by all your committee members, please email your Graduate Coordinator the completed and signed form for processing. Your Graduate Coordinator will then submit your Verification of Culminating Experience to Graduate Studies and any grade change for CME 298/299 if needed.
Submit Thesis
Submit completed thesis by the deadline, in final form and with necessary signatures, following SJSU Thesis guidelines.
If you have questions about anything on this checklist, contact your Graduate Coordinator.
