About Geological Sciences in California State University Fullerton

Our Reputation: Our department has a reputation for producing successful geologists.  Many of the local geological consulting firms are populated with C.S.U.F. graduates and when they need to hire, these employers look at our graduates first.  Our faculty has garnered national recognition for their research in projects funded by the National Science Foundation, the Petroleum Research Fund, and numerous other state and local funding agencies.  Because of our faculty’s excellent reputation, our graduate students will have little difficulty starting a career, or moving on to quality Ph.D. programs.

Teaching Comes First: Unlike large Ph.D. – granting research universities, whose faculty spend most of their time on large research projects, C.S.U.F.’s primary mission is education. Our faculty  are first and foremost excellent teachers.  We take pride in the level of our interaction with students, and we take a personal interest in guaranteeing their success.  Furthermore, our graduate classes are typically small, and provide close interaction between students and faculty.  At C.S.U.F. you will be at the top of the knowledge food-chain!

Student-Centered Research: As well as being excellent educators, all of our faculty pursue active research programs.  Our faculty design their research projects specifically around the involvement of students, and we require all faculty to involve students in their research.  In the course of your graduate studies you will have ample opportunity to work one-on-one with your faculty advisor on a collaborative research project.

Student-Oriented Program: We designed our Master’s program specifically to cater to the changing needs of our students.  Many of our graduate courses have flexible topics that can be modified specifically to meet the needs and desires of the current students.  Our program also allows new courses to be offered in response to student demand.  The requirements of our students will always dictate the focus of our program.

Each student will meet individually with the graduate advisor to formulate a study plan designed specifically to meet their goals.  Elective course work in related fields such as math, physics, chemistry, biology, anthropology, engineering can easily be incorporated into your personal study plan.

In addition, we offer many of our graduate courses in the early evening hours to accommodate working students and master’s theses can be designed as collaborative projects with student’s employers.

Academic qualification equivalents 

• You are eligible to apply as a graduate student if you have earned a degree equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree.

  You must meet the following requirements:

• The minimum English language proficiency as determined by your graduate program. See requirements below.
• Above average class standing at an internationally accredited college or university: the equivalent of at least a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale is recommended.
• Note: Some master's programs have additional requirements, such as department applications, letters of recommendation, portfolios, auditions, or tests (e.g., GMAT, GRE, MAT). Graduate applicants should check with their graduate departments for additional requirements and deadlines. 
• Graduate students may request to apply a limited amount of transfer coursework towards unit requirements for a master's degree. Transfer coursework is subject to provisions provided by the graduate studies office .

English language requirements

• TOEFL  iBT (including paper, home) : 80
• IELTS Academic Test: 6.5
• PTE Academic Test: 58

California State University Fullerton Highlights

California State University Fullerton Annual Cost to Attend