Master of Arts in Diverse Community Development Leadership (DCDL) - Program Requirements

Graduation Requirements

1. Completion of a minimum of 30 semester units of approved graduate courses;
2. Completion of all course work with a GPA of at least 3.0;
3. Completion of Graduate Culminating Experience Project;
4. Students must be fully classified at the time of graduation (in order to be fully classified, students must have the following: Bachelor's degree from an accredited university, 3.0 GPA in their cumulative post-graduate course work, and have completed the UDWPE requirement).

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Workshops

As a part of this program, you must participate in IRB Support Workshops, which will guide you through the steps necessary for IRB approval. This approval is required to work on your graduate project.

Workshop Timelines

Beginning in your second semester, the dates below will form the basis of your IRB training:

May

• Complete IRB CITI training (notification in February).
• Complete IRB Workshop #1, which includes a Q&A session with the IRB team.

June

• Attend IRB Support Session to answer your questions.

July

• Submit IRB protocols.

August

• Complete IRB Workshop #2 (when protocols are 90%+ complete).

August - November

• Participate in ongoing IRB support sessions, which meet mid-month, to help you revise your protocols.

Steps Required to Complete Your Degree

Conditionally Classified Graduate (GRAD) Status

Conditionally classified admission status may be given to students entering the program with a 2.5-2.99 GPA and/or without a passing Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam (UDWPE) score.

In order to achieve fully classified graduate standing, students will need:

• Attain a 3.0 GPA or higher in all work undertaken since admission to the program.
• Pass the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam (UDWPE). Students who have fulfilled the Upper Division Writing Exam at another CSU campus may submit official notification of a passing score. Students who score a minimum of 3 on the Analytical Writing section of the GRE are exempt from the UDWPE

It is important to achieve full Classified standing prior to completing 12 units of graduate work.

Classified Graduate Status

Students who meet all University and departmental requirements as outlined in the current catalog.

Graduation with Honors

Students who satisfy all program requirements and maintain a grade point average of 3.885 or higher on their coursework will receive their Master of Arts in Diverse Community Development Leadership degrees with distinction. The notation "with distinction" is posted on the transcript and will appear on the diploma.

Applying for the Degree

Students eligible to apply for graduation will receive an email from the Office of Graduate Studies with information regarding how to complete the online graduation application. To be eligible, students must be classified and completed 18 units OR be classified and be in progress of completing 18 units. This application will initiate a graduation evaluation—which advises students of existing requirements for their degree. Graduate students are required to be enrolled the semester in which their degree is to be awarded.

Graduation Application Deadlines

https://www.csun.edu/graduate-studies/graduation-deadlines

How to Apply for Graduation Online

CSUN’s Application for Graduation is now available online. To be eligible to apply, graduates will need to have completed/be in progress of completing 18 units. Students should apply one year in advance of their intended graduation date. Students that are eligible to apply will receive an email from Graduate Studies. A $47 fee is required.

Online Graduation How to Guide (.pdf)

Reinstatement to the Program

If a student withdraws from a cohort, s(he) may be admitted to another cohort at a later date. The reinstated student will be assessed the same tuition and nonrefundable fees as apply to all other students in the new cohort.

Note: All cohorts, once begun, will be taught out through to completion. However, there is no guarantee that new cohorts will follow in a specific area or within a specific amount of time.

Technical Requirements

OS: Windows 7 SP1+, 8, 10; macOS 10.11+.
GPU: Graphics card with DX9 (shader model 3.0) or DX11 with feature level 9.3 capabilities.

(any medium priced computer in the last 4 years will meet this standard)

Please carefully review the technical requirements for this program.

Program Policies

Please carefully review the full list of Program Policies, including Academic Honesty and Integrity Requirement, Time Limitations for Earning Degrees and Certificates, Temporary Disruption of Attendance, Withdrawal Policy and Refund Policy.

 

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