The BEACH EDGE: Expedited Degrees in Graduate Education at CSULB

General Description

Expedited Degrees in Graduate Education (EDGE) programs merge an existing baccalaureate and master’s degree program in similar disciplines into a single pathway that allows the double-counting of a specified number of units (no more than 12) in both programs. These programs are also known as “Blended” or “4+1” programs.

Beach EDGE programs allow CSULB students to complete their bachelor’s and master’s at a potentially lower cost and in shorter periods of time.  In Beach EDGE Programs, a minimum of 138-semester units (e.g., BS 120 + MS 30, subtracting 12 units double-counted) are required to earn both degrees.  Beach EDGE students pay undergraduate tuition for graduate courses (until they meet the units needed for the baccalaureate program).

Doctoral, credential, certificate, or other non-master’s post-baccalaureate degrees are not eligible to be a Beach EDGE Program with a bachelor’s program.  Not all bachelor’s and master’s degrees are Beach EDGE degree programs.  

List of Beach EDGE Programs at CSULB

• Bachelor’s and Master’s in Communication Studies  
• Bachelor’s in Consumer Affairs and Master’s in Gerontology  
• Bachelor’s and Master’s in Economics  
• Bachelor’s in Business Economics and Master’s in Economics  
• Bachelor’s in Economics, Mathematical Economics and Economic Theory Option and Master’s in Economics  
• Bachelor of Arts or Science and Master’s in Geography  
• Bachelor’s in Health Science and Master’s in Public Health in Community Health  
• Bachelor’s in Linguistics (General Option) and Master’s in Linguistics    
• Bachelor’s in Linguistics (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Option) and Master’s in Linguistics​       ​  
• Bachelor’s in Linguistics (Translation Studies Option) and Master’s in Linguistics​      ​  
• Bachelor’s in Nutrition and Food Science and Master’s in Applied Nutrition and Dietetics    

Eligibility and Admissions to Beach EDGE Programs

Eligible Students

1. Students can only apply to a Beach EDGE Program if they:
   • a. Are a matriculated undergraduate student at CSULB
   • b. Completed 60 units
   • c. Are in Junior or above standing
   • d. Are enrolled in or have completed 12 discipline-specific upper-division units in residence (i.e., at CSULB); programs can choose if units must be completed or in progress)
   • e. Met their major-specific requirements
   • f. Have a minimum GPA of 2.50 (programs may have a higher threshold)
2. Programs may have other requirements (e.g., a letter grade in a particular course). These additional requirements are posted on each Beach EDGE program’s website.

Application Process

1. Students apply internally by following the directions and meeting the deadlines outlined on their Beach Edge program’s website.
2. Students will not apply to the Beach EDGE Program via Cal State Apply. 
3. Once a student is admitted to the Beach EDGE Program, they are admitted to the master’s program (i.e., students will not have to also apply to the master’s program via Cal State Apply).
4. Title 5 Section 41001, which grants postbaccalaureate and graduate special-action admission, still applies.
5. Students who are denied admission to the Beach EDGE Program are still eligible to apply to the master’s program during its traditional admissions cycle via Cal State Apply.

When to Apply

Each Beach EDGE program has specified deadlines that are posted on their website.

Admissions-Enrollment Statuses

1. Admitted students are admitted in classified standing as an undergraduate to the bachelor’s component of the Beach EDGE Program (students cannot be admitted conditionally).  
2. All students admitted to the Beach EDGE program who accept their offer of admission must sign the Beach EDGE Agreement Form.
3. Once the student earns 120 units applicable to the Beach EDGE bachelor’s program (including the double-counted courses), they are moved into graduate status.  
4. Students do not apply separately to the master’s program.  Admission to the Beach EDGE program is admission to the master’s program.

Tuition and Financial Aid in a Beach EDGE Program 

1. Students classified as undergraduate students pay undergraduate tuition. 
2. Upon satisfying the requirements for the bachelor’s degree, students will be classified as graduate students and charged graduate tuition. Students in a master’s degree program that has been authorized to assess the higher graduate professional degree (“MBA Fee”) will only be charged that tuition fee for courses required to complete the fee-approved master’s degree program.
3. If students transition between undergraduate and graduate standing during the academic year, they should contact the Financial Aid Office to determine if adjustment paperwork is appropriate and allowable.
4. Students should complete the FAFSA or CADAA annually with the correct status listed (i.e., undergraduate or graduate). As with all graduate students, students in Beach EDGE Programs will have different funding allowances when they are in graduate status.

Beach EDGE Program Requirements

GPA Requirements

1. All courses applied toward the master’s degree must lead to a program GPA of at least 3.00, which includes double-counted courses. 

Coursework 

1. An undergraduate student in a Beach EDGE Program will take graduate-level courses required for the master’s degree.
2. Undergraduate students in a Beach EDGE Program shall enroll in the graduate level of double-numbered courses.
3. No more than 12 graduate-level semester units may double-count between the bachelor’s and master’s degree, as specified by the program. The Beach Edge program’s website details which courses may double-count and the total number of units allowable.
4. Only courses specified by the program and completed in residence at CSULB can double-count. 

Awarding of Degrees

1. Beach EDGE students must separately apply to graduate for each degree when their MyCSULB Student Center indicates they are eligible to apply.
2. Students are awarded their bachelor’s degree upon satisfactory completion of the requirements for the degree (this includes the double-counted courses). Students are evaluated for Latin honors based on the first 120 semester units (i.e., the time period of undergraduate degree objective) regardless of the number of graduate courses taken prior to the transition to graduate status.
3. Students are awarded their master’s degree upon satisfactory completion of the requirements for the degree.

International (F-1 Visa Holder) Students and Beach EDGE Programs

1. When an F-1 student in a Beach EDGE Program becomes a graduate student for visa purposes, CIE will issue a change of educational level (i.e., I-20 status) when they satisfactorily complete the requirements for the bachelor’s degree. This change will shift the minimum unit requirement for undergraduate student status (12 units) to that for graduate student status (7 units). 
2. International students in the F-1 permitted post-OPT for up to 12 months (or 24 months in STEM OPT) per degree level will have their OPT eligibility cancelled upon the date of their change in educational level to graduate student status, as indicated on the I-20. This will remain in effect until they complete the graduate program. 
3. This information should be shared with students via the programs’ websites and graduate student handbooks, where appropriate.

Changes in Enrollment

1. Students in a Beach EDGE Program who change majors or master’s programs will be withdrawn from the Beach EDGE Program.
2. Students who fail to maintain continuous enrollment will need to reapply to the program based on their student status (if they ceased enrollment in undergraduate student status, then they must apply to the bachelor’s program and reapply to the Beach EDGE Program; if they ceased enrollment in graduate student status, then they must apply to the master’s program). 
3. If a student in a Beach EDGE Program opts not to complete the master’s program but completes the bachelor’s degree requirements, they will receive their baccalaureate degree and be withdrawn from the Beach EDGE Program. There shall be no related cost to the student and no refund of previous graduate fees paid.
   • a. If the student decides to return to pursue their master’s program in the future, they shall formally apply for graduate admission. With the approval of their academic department, students may count graduate courses completed during their Beach EDGE Program towards their master’s degree. Such courses cannot exceed seven years since completion, unless approved for validation by both the academic program and the Dean of Graduate Studies or designee.