Culminating Experience

The culminating experience requirement is met by the satisfactory completion of a thesis, research project, creative work, comprehensive examination and/or an oral defense of the work. This process begins with submitting a Proposal for Culminating Experience (PCE).

The Adobe Sign online submission portal will notify faculty/staff when you submit your PCE and that you are requesting their signature. You must submit complete and accurate information for prompt review/approval. 

Do not use the PCE form for official changes to your committee membership or title changes that do not involve a change in subject matter or research methods. Instead, please use the Petition for Committee Change or Title Change for Culminating Experience.

Submit your proposal after completing at least 18 semester units. 

Submission deadlines: 

• April 1 for fall semester enrollment 
• October 1 for spring semester enrollment 

Consult with your program advisor or Graduate Coordinator to select the appropriate form. 

890: Culminating Experience Seminar (MBA only)     
890: Culminating Experience Seminar (MSA only)     
890: Culminating Experience Seminar 
892: Supervised Field Internship  
893: Written Creative Work 
894: Creative Work Project 
895: Field Study or Applied Research 
896 EXM Option: Written or Oral Examinations 
898: Thesis 
998: Dissertation

The committee must consist of a minimum of two (maximum five) members. The chair (first member) must hold tenured/tenure-track faculty appointments in the major department while the second member may be a lecturer faculty in good standing in the department, holding the terminal degree in the field.

To officially change the composition of your committee, you must via email culminatingexperience@sfsu.edu.

Complete the culminating experience form before starting the submission process. Handwritten materials will not be accepted. Download the appropriate form and save it on your computer. Once you fill out the form, save it again on your computer. Ensure that the form is complete. Blank forms will be rejected.

In the online Adobe Sign submission portal, complete the required Information: 

• Enter your name and email address
• Enter the name and SF State email address of your Committee Chair
• Enter the name and SF State email address of your Second Reader
• Enter the name and SF State email address of your Third Reader (if required by your program). 
• Enter the name and SF State email address of your Department Chair/Graduate Program Coordinator

Adobe Sign Submission Portal

 On the signature page, click the paperclip icon to upload your completed form. 

• If your research involves human or animal subjects, approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) or the University Animal Care and Use Committee (UACUC) is required. Visit the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to learn more about human and animal protections. 

Review all uploaded documents to ensure everything needed has been attached. 

Click "FINISH" at the top of the page once you are satisfied that all necessary documents have been attached. You will have the option to download or print a copy of all documents submitted. Otherwise, just click "Close" and you can exit out of the tab. 

You must have an approved Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Proposal for Culminating Experience (PCE) on file at the Division of Graduate Studies. The registrar will block admission to a culminating experience class until approval is received.

If you do not complete the course by the end of the semester of registration you will receive a grade of RP (Report in Progress). Do not register for the course again. 

When the project is completed, be sure that your committee chair files a grade change to CR (Credit) with the Registrar's Office. A Report of Completion must be filed for internships, field studies or creative work projects. 

Thesis/dissertation/written creative works need to be reviewed by Graduate Studies and submitted to the Library. Adhere to Thesis Guidelines for completion.

Once your Culminating Experience has been completed and approved, your committee must sign the appropriate documentation, which may include the Report of Completion for the EdD Program (for EdD students only), the Report of Completion Form, and/or the Certification of Approval (required for submitting a Thesis, Dissertation, or written Creative Work to the library). 

Instructions: 

Submitting Adobe Forms for Approval

To successfully submit Adobe forms for approval, you may need to gather information about the student and approver. Required information varies by form. 

How to submit:

1. Use the appropriate form

Report of Completion for EdD Program

Report of Completion of Culminating Experience

Certification of Approval

1. Complete all required fields and submit.
2. Enter the name and email address for each approver.
3. Select submit again.
4. You will receive an email from Adobe Sign asking you to confirm your email address.
   • Click the link to confirm.
   • Once your email is verified, approvers will automatically receive the form for review and signature.

Students must adhere to the Continuous Enrollment Policy as stated in the bulletin. After the semester of enrollment in the Culminating Experience and the subsequent semester, all graduate students are required to maintain continuous enrollment through the College of Professional & Global Education (CPaGE) until the degree is earned.