Frequently Asked Questions

For Graduate Students
1. When should I see an advisor?
2. Which advisor should I see?
3. What documents do I need to finish my program?
4. I already had the work required in X.  Why is it on my graduate program?  Can't I take something else?
5. I'm ready to take the comps.  What information can I get on them?
6. I want to do a thesis.  Can I?

Questions?  E-mail the Department's Graduate Coordinator or the Principal Undergraduate Advisor.
For both undergraduate and graduate students

1. Why should I see an advisor?

A:  To get advice on what you are taking, when you should take it, how you are doing, what kinds of roadblocks might come up in the next year, given your plans, and the like.  We have seen many students who don't know what courses they should take and what sequence they should take them in -- that's one of the best reasons to see an advisor. Another good one is to discuss what you might do after graduation.  

2. How do I select an advisor? 

Department policy for undergraduates is to assign students to advisors. All faculty advise those who are undecided on an option or who are in the general option.  

• MA in Political Science -- Prof. Lim will be the advisor. All students should see the advisor to draw up a program, discuss substitutions of courses, general comprehensive exam and thesis advice.
• MS in Public Administration -- all students should see Prof. Freyss to draw up a program, discuss substitutions of courses, general comprehensive exam and thesis advice.

3. How often should I see my advisor?

In the Department of Political Science, we would like to see every student once every one or two quarters,  a rule of thumb reinforced by the number of students who have taken courses they don't need to and by other problems.  If you absolutely know what you are doing, every other quarter is probably fine. 

Graduate students working on their programs should check in with the graduate advisor every two or three quarters. 

4. What happens if I take the wrong course?

Undergraduates -- Your advisor can help you avoid repeating that mistake. Another good reason to check in with your advisor every quarter. 

Graduate students -- Another good reason to check in with the graduate advisor every couple of quarters. 

5. What should I take this quarter?

Your advisor can point you in the right direction, but in general. 

• Undergraduates:  If you are on academic probation or having any sort of GPA problem, you shouldn't take any courses without consulting with your advisor.  If you don't have an advisor, make an appointment to see the Department Chair.

Undergraduates: If you are not on academic probation and are not having problems getting better than C grades in your courses, see the grid provided on the main Department page, with six year and four year programs to finish your degree in a timely manner. 

• If you haven't taken the basic subjects (English, Math, Critical Thinking, Oral Communication) portion of GE, you must enroll in at least one of those for sure or the precollegiate prerequisites (Math 80 sequence, Math 90-91, English 095, 096).
• If you haven't finished your GE requirements, take at least one GE course.
• Transfer students:  Unless you took two semesters of college English at a community college and those courses were articulated with Cal State L.A., you probably have to take English 102 -- check with your advisor.
• All students are required to pass the Writing Proficiency Examination prior to the completion of 135 units. ENGL 101 and 102 are prerequisites to the examination.  Transfer students who have completed 135 units upon entrance must pass the WPE during their first quarter of residence.  To take the WPE, enroll in UNIV 400 by the add deadline of each quarter.
• If you are a transfer student beginning your junior year
• You may have some lower division department requirements that your advisor can point out, like POLS 205 or 281.
• See Writing Proficiency Examination and English 102 above.
• You also need to take an upper division GE requirement called an "upper division theme" -- see the Catalog and Schedule of Courses.
• The upper division core is the same in all the options in Political Science -- these are also good courses to start with.
• The senior year proseminar, POLS 498, is taken in senior year, among the last courses you take at the University.

• Quarters move very quickly, much more quickly than semesters.  In a semester, one often gets to relax in the middle of the semester after midterms.  The same is not true of quarters.  CSLA's quarters are 10 weeks long, with a week of exams, and then some time off.  After Winter and Spring quarters, the time off is only one week.
• The drop policy is also quite different -- see question #8 below.

Things get lost, and you may have to document something later. We have had cases where courses students have taken have been lost from the University's computer systems.  SAVE YOUR PAPERWORK, in particular, your admissions information, your transcripts and all grade reports.

• Another nasty difference between quarters and semesters.  Many semester system colleges will let you drop until late in the semester.  At CSLA, you can drop through GET for the first week of the quarter only.  After the "No Record Drop Deadline" you need to file a Program Change form with Administration 146.  To drop a course after the "No Record Drop Deadline" you need the signatures of both the instructor and the department chair -- the official reasons are for changes in working hours, illness, etc.  After the sixth week of the quarter, dropping a course requires in addition the Dean's signature and is "permitted only when the cause of withdrawal (such as accident or serious illness) is clearly beyond the student's control and assignment of an IN (incomplete grade) is not practicable.  Ordinarily, such withdrawals also involve total withdrawal from the University..."  Be ye warned.
• If you don't drop a course and "walk," you will receive the grade of U, which counts the same on your GPA as an F.

• You can't graduate without a "grad check" (that is, completion of all coursework and graduation requirements are not enough) and you can't get a grad check without an advisor.  All the more reason to forge a relationship early on with one of the faculty who knows you, knows your program, and can help you jump through the hoops.
• You cannot file for graduation until you have completed 135 quarter units.
• You should file for graduation as soon as possible after you have 135 units so that you will have time to correct any discrepancies between your understanding of your progress and the university's view.
• In order to walk in the Commencement ceremonies in June and have your name listed in the program, students must apply no later than the previous fall quarter if you are an undergraduate and no later than winter quarter if they are graduate students.
• If you have kept in regular touch with your advisor, grad check appointments take anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes for undergraduate students, since the advisor has to check GE requirements, major requirements, GPA requirements in the major, GE and total units, residency requirements and proper substitutions if any.
• Although most students do not have minors, those who do are warned that if they file for graduation and complete all their major and ge requirements, they will be graduated even if they have not completed the minor and will not be able to complete the minor after they graduate.

1. When should I see an advisor?

You will definitely need to meet with the graduate advisor to draw up a program, see if anything you took already can count, etc.  After that, every two to three quarters (assuming you are going part-time) is probably fine. If you are in danger of going onto academic probation, that is, your GPA is close to 3.0, you should be checking in with the graduate advisor every quarter to see if you should take some courses rather than others in order to improve your GPA and build up the foundation of your knowledge. 

2. Which advisor should I see?

We designate a graduate advisor for the MA and the MSPA programs.  See the top of this document. 

3. What documents do I need to finish my program?

You need to keep a copy of your program, noting your progress.  If you don't have a copy, have the Graduate Advisor or the Department graduate coordinator make you a copy.  You need a copy of the comprehensive examination instructions or reading list after you are about half way through your program.  We have a student handbook for both graduate programs spelling out the ins and outs of CSLA for graduate students -- you should have a copy of it also.  Keep your grade reports; even computers lose things.

Most importantly, you should be talking with the instructors of your courses about the comprehensive examinations while you are taking their courses. 

4. I already had the work required in X.  Why is it on my graduate program?  Can't I take something else?

See the graduate advisor about the possibility of taking another course instead of the course specified on your program. 

5. I'm ready to take the comps.  What information can I get on them?

For the MA, you may wish to consult our political theory reading list and a set of past theory comp questions. In addition, the Graduate Secretary has a book of old comp questions, and you can borrow it from the office. 

For the MSPA, there is a book of previous comp questions available in the office. 

6. I want to do a thesis.  Can I?

The Department requires you to have a 3.5 or better GPA in your graduate program to consider your thesis proposal.  Most faculty are reluctant to participate if the student is making barely making that minimum standard, however.  The advantage of a thesis is that you will gain research and writing skills useful for going on.  The disadvantage is that a thesis definitely takes more time than studying for and taking the comprehensive exam, and we have lost students to the "seven year rule" in the past because they didn't finish their theses within the seven years allowed by the university for the completion of graduate degrees.