Environmental Studies Program Admission Requirements

Minimum requirements for entrance to the ENST Program include:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited school
• Good standing at the last attended college
• A minimum grade-point average of 3.0 in the last 60 units of attempted coursework
• Two (2) letters of recommendation, and
• Completion of one (1) course in ecology AND one (1) course in quantitative methods.

IMPORTANT APPLICATION CONSIDERATIONS

• Once students start the application process, their application is acknowledged by the university and they are sent a letter with a student identification number and PIN number. These numbers allow students to track the progress of their application online. Please allow 4-6 weeks for processing an application once all of the documents have been received. Please refrain from making enquiries regarding your application before then.

  You can reach the Titan Admissions Status office at (657) 278-7904 or go on the web at http://www.fullerton.edu/admissions.htm

• You must apply DIRECTLY to the CSUF office of Admission and Records for admission prior to being evaluated by the Environmental Studies Program.

  • Please Note: All application materials, except for your 2 letters of reference, must be sent directly to the CSUF Applications and Records Office. Please DO NOT send your transcripts, or any other documents that are requested in your CSUF application form to the Environmental Studies Office. If these documents are not received by the Admissions and Records office, your application will be rejected.
    
  • Please send your 2 letters of reference to:
    
    California State University, Fullerton
    C/O Environmental Studies Program Office
    Humanities H-420A
    Fullerton, CA 92834-6850
    
• The GRE is not required.

Letters of Recommendation

• Reference letters must be written on official letterhead. At least one of the two letters must be submitted from a past academic instructor or advisor. The other letter may come from an employer or someone who has had a close working relationship with the applicant (in a supervisory capacity).
• These letters must clearly indicate the nature of the relationship between the person writing the referral and the applicant to the ENST Program, and they must indicate why they believe the applicant will be able to successfully undertake this degree. The ENST Program does not provide a special form, or require a specific format for these letters to follow.

Conditional Admission Policies

When students are admitted to any CSUF graduate program, Admissions and Records, Graduate Studies and Environmental Studies all sign a "Graduate Recommendation Sheet." This sheet lists any and all deficiencies of the prospective student. For instance, this means that students who are lacking either the ecology or quantitative methods course will need to register for these courses and receive a "B" or higher within the first year of being accepted into the program.

Students wishing to enter the ENST Program should recognize that completing ENST courses at CSUF does not guarantee University or program admission nor acceptance of these (or other post-graduate) courses on any future ENST Study Plan

Note: Should you not receive a copy of your Graduate Recommendation Sheet when admitted, get a copy from the ENST Program Secretary.

CSUF COURSES THAT MEET THE ECOLOGY AND QUANTITATIVE METHODS REQUIREMENTS

Lower or upper division courses fulfill these requirements. Acceptable examples from CSUF include:

WHAT ABOUT TRANSFERRING COURSES FROM OTHER SCHOOLS?

If approved by the Coordinator, ENST graduate students may transfer up to fifteen (15) units of coursework from other universities to their Study Plans.

Note: Units earned through CSUF’s Extended Education has a limit of nine (9) transferable units to a CSUF graduate program. See the “Graduate Regulations” section of the CSUF catalog for transfer requirements.

HOW DO I KNOW IF THE COURSES ARE TRANSFERABLE?

If you have already taken the course, provide a copy of your transcripts, the course description from the University’s Catalog and speak with the Coordinator. Your coursework is NOT transferable if the course taken meets any of the following criteria:

(1) The courses have been used to complete:

(a) general education requirements,
(b) bachelor’s degree requirements,
(c) graduate degree requirements,

(2) They are not within your five (5) year limit,
(3) They are not graduate level or upper division, or
(4) You earned below a “C.”

If you have not taken the course, provide a copy of the course description to the Coordinator and ask for approval. Be sure you (1) make the appropriate changes on your Study Plan and (2) request two sets of transcripts be mailed to the University Admissions and Records and ENST Program to have them apply on your Study Plan.

WHEN DO THE COURSES TRANSFER TO THE ENST DEGREE?

Classified students, those who have successfully filed a Study Plan, must submit transcripts to both the University’s Admissions and Records and the ENST Program. The units will transfer to this degree when your Graduation Check is processed, usually during your last semester.

For students not yet classified, the courses can be transferred over to this program if they are listed on the Study Plan, signed by the Coordinator, and then submitted to Graduate Studies.

FEE INFORMATION

For information regarding university fees and estimates for cost of living in Southern California, please refer to the following website for more information: http://www.fullerton.edu/catalog/admissions_and_registration/feeinfo.asp

For information specifically targeted at International students, please refer to: http://www.fullerton.edu/international/

GRADUATE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

At this time, the ENST office does not support graduate assistantships or other kinds of subsidized funding opportunities for students in the program. If you are interested in information regarding financial aid opportunities offered through the university, please go to the following link: http://www.fullerton.edu/catalog/admissions_and_registration/finaid.asp

The Interclub Council (ICC) at CSUF offers some funding for conferences and research. Check with the ENST ICC Representative for information on the proposal/funding request process. Also be sure to check postings on the bulletin board outside the ENST office (H-420A).

CALIFORNIA RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS

This following site is useful for information concerning California residency: http://www.csuchico.edu/catalog/cat03/policies/csu-system.residence.html