San José State University

SCHOOL OF LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE

SLIS Home – Programs – MARA – Application Process

Application Process

Admission is first come first served, so do not wait until the last minute to apply.

The next MARA cohort will be Fall 2009.

To apply for Fall 2009 semester:

If interested in applying to MARA for Fall 2009, please send e-mail to Dr.Pat Franks – MARA Coordinator.

All MARA Students are special session

To apply for the MARA program, applicants must complete the following tasks:

  1. Before completing the online CSU Graduate Application on www.csumentor.edu/, read the following – and then apply on www.csumentor.edu/.

    For assistance with CSU Mentor an online tutorial is available.

    • Apply to San Jose State University Graduate. The degree objective is "Other Masters."
    • You are applying for Archives and Records Administration (MA Special Session)
    • Non–US citizens will find additional application instructions at: slis.edu/mara/csumentor/nonusapp.htm
    • Letters of reference, "a statement of purpose," and a GRE are not necessary. Type the words "Not Applicable" in the form (N/A is not an acceptable input).
    • The application is electronically submitted to the SJSU Office of Graduate Studies.

  2. Pay the CSU Graduate Application fee of $55. We strongly encourage payment by credit or debit card. Credit card payments may be made when completing the CSU Mentor online application. If paying by check, mail the check to:

    San José State University
    Graduate Admissions & Evaluations
    One Washington Square
    San José, CA 95192-0025
    Attn: Jessica

  3. Obtain one sealed transcript from each school attended. Send transcripts to:

    Graduate Admissions & Evaluations
    San José State University
    One Washington Square
    San José, CA 95192-0025

    If you attended SJSU: DO NOT send transcript.

  4. Send SLIS MARA Application (a one page PDF document that requires Adobe Reader) to SLIS OFFICE. . Complete the form on your computer and print it, or print it and complete it by hand. Send it to:

    Fax: (408) 924-2476

    Mail: San José State University
    School of Library and Information Science, Clark Hall 417
    One Washington Square
    San José, CA 95192-0029
    Attn: Scharlee Phillips

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Evaluating Your Application

After Graduate Admissions & Evaluations has received all of your required documents, they will evaluate your application to see if it meets minimum requirements for admission. The minimum GPA for admission to SLIS is a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 in the last 60 semester or 90 quarter units (roughly two years). Professional development courses, credit/no credit courses and courses taken in non-accredited institutions are not counted in this calculation. Usually it takes at least 6 to 8 weeks for the University's Graduate Admissions & Evaluations Department to evaluate the paperwork. If there are any problems, Graduate Studies will post a message to your MySJSU account.

Tracking Your Application

When you submit your CSU Mentor application online, you will receive instructions on how to retrieve your SJSU ID and password and activate your student self-service MySJSU account. Soon afterwards, you will receive a User ID and password in an e-mail. When you receive this information, you will be able to log on to MySJSU (my.sjsu.edu/) and check the status of your application online.

Notification of Admission

If you are offered admission to the University, you will receive two notices of admission; one from Graduate Admissions & Evaluations and one from our School of Library and Information Science. The School of Library and Information Science acceptance letter, signed by our Director Ken Haycock, gives pertinent information which you will need before you begin your first semester and also names your faculty advisor.

Deferred Enrollment

New Students Cannot Defer Enrollment. Applicants admitted into SLIS cannot defer class enrollment. Graduate Admissions & Evaluations requires new students to register for the semester indicated on the application. New students who do not enroll but wish to return for a later semester must reapply.

Reapplying for Admission

If you are reapplying for admission, please submit:

  1. A CSU Graduate Application (online)

  2. A check for $55.00 made out to SJSU. Send to:

    San José State University
    Graduate Admissions & Evaluations
    One Washington Square
    San José, CA 95192-0025
    Attn: Jessica

  3. Transcripts. If you sat out for two years you need to send in all your transcripts again. If you have taken more classes since you sent in your original transcripts, you need to send in transcripts for the new classes.

  4. Fax or mail the following form:
    One page SLIS Application (a PDF document that requires Adobe Reader).

    Fax: (408) 924-2476

    Mail: San José State University
    School of Library and Information Science, Clark Hall 417
    One Washington Square
    San José, CA 95192-0029
    Attn: Scharlee Phillips

Not a United States citizen or a United States permanent resident?

You are not required to obtain an F1 student visa. You will not be entering the United States since the program is conducted online.

Note: see CSU Mentor Help for Non–US applicants about the F1 Visa section of the application.

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