California Predoctoral Program
For Undergraduate and Graduate Students in the California State University
The California Predoctoral Program is designed to increase the diversity of California State University students who will continue their studies at the doctoral level and be eligible for faculty positions. A special emphasis will be placed on increasing the number of CSU students who enter graduate programs at one of the University of California institutions.
Each of the applicants selected will be designated a Sally Casanova Predoctoral Scholar and will work closely with a California State University faculty sponsor to develop an overall plan which leads ultimately to enrollment in a doctoral program. Each of these plans will be tailored to the specific goals and career objectives of the student.
In addition the program provides:
- Travel funds for the student and faculty sponsor to visit U.S. Ph.D.-granting institutions and also for them to attend a professional meeting appropriate to the student's development.
- Opportunity to apply for a fully funded Summer Internship for the student to participate in doctoral level research.
- Funds for other related activities, such as membership in professional organizations, special research costs and graduate school application and test fees.
General Eligibility and Selection Criteria
The students selected as Sally Casanova Predoctoral Scholars must be upper division or master's degree students who are enrolled at a CSU institution as of Spring quarter and who will be enrolled at a CSU campus for at least two terms of the following academic year.
Applicants will be selected on the basis of three major criteria: potential for success in completing a doctoral program, probable effectiveness of the student/faculty plan, and degree of underrepresentation in the national pool of doctoral recipients in the area of study proposed by the applicant. (For example, African Americans, American Indians, Pacific Islanders, Latinos and Latinas, and students with disabilities are underrepresented in most disciplines; women are underrepresented in agricultural sciences, computer and information science, engineering and physical sciences; men are underrepresented in nursing and home economics.)
All applicants must be either U.S. citizens or permanent residents at the time of application. Current or previous Predoctoral Scholars are not eligible to apply. Each applicant must have a faculty sponsor who will be available for the duration of the plan specified in the application. The program is designed for students interested in obtaining doctoral degrees. Students interested in entering professional schools to obtain professional degrees in law, medicine, dentistry or related fields are not eligible.
Interested students should contact their department chair or the Research and Graduate Programs Office in Building 38, Room 154, Phone: (805) 756-2328
Selected scholars will be notified in June each year.