College of Science

School of Computing and Design

Admissions Fully Online

General requirements for admission to graduate (and other post-baccalaureate) studies at any CSU campus are established by Title 5.1.3 of the California Code of Regulations and by university regulations. A complete application guide for the Cal State Apply - MIST application can be found here.

Application are open for the Spring 2025 and Fall 2025 Cohort!

Apply to the MIST Program

Quality online education

CSUMB was recently ranked as one of the ten best options for obtaining a degree online by College Choice.

Spring 2025 Cohort Application Deadlines at a Glance

  • August 1st - Spring Application opens.
  • October 31st - Priority application deadline and review begins. Transcripts are due to the Office of Admissions at this time.
  • November 4th, 2024 - Admissions decisions released.
  • January 13th - Final deadline to submit Fall in-progress transcripts.
  • Students who are interested in beginning their studies before Spring 2025 can contact mist@csumb.edu to explore early enrollment options.

Fall 2025 Cohort Application Deadlines at a Glance

  • October 1st - Fall Application opens
  • December 15th - Priority application deadline and review begins. Admissions decisions/offer for program spots are sent within two weeks of deadline.
  • March 15th, 2025 - Regular deadline for applicants. Rolling admissions/application reviews begin at this date.
  • May 31st, 2025 - Final deadline for applicants to submit Cal State Apply Application.
  • June 15th, 2025 - Final deadline to submit all admissions documents, including transcripts and international documents if applicable.

Application Process for Spring 2025

Step 1

  • Complete and submit an application form at calstate.edu/apply and pay the $70 application fee to CSUMB.
  • In the Apply Online tab, select Graduate Admission Applications.
  • Select Spring 2025 as the application term depending on your preferred semester start date.
  • Choose CSU Monterey Bay Graduate as the campus.
  • For "Major/Program objective" select MS Instructional Science and Technology: Online
  • Follow directions for the $70 application fee.
  • Complete and submit the application.

Step 2

After your Cal State Apply application has been submitted, you will receive an email from CSUMB with information on how to access your CSUMB username, CSUMB.edu dashboard and MIST program application. This process may take up to 5 business days.

Step 3

After gaining access to the MIST program graduate application, you will upload the documents required for admission to the MIST program. These are as follows:

  • Current resume/CV
  • Email addresses for two (2) letters of reference or recommenders can fill out the form here.
  • Statement of purpose (1000-2000 words)
  • All college transcripts (copies are acceptable) uploaded to your MIST application
  • All original official college transcripts sent to the following address:
Graduate Admissions
100 Campus Center, Bldg. 47
Seaside, CA  93955
  • TOEFL Examination and course by course Foreign Credential Evaluation may be required if you have international coursework or English is not your native language

Note: If you have international coursework and/or English is not your native language, please consult the CSU Monterey Bay International Student Admission Requirements. It is possible that you will also need to take the TOEFL examination and provide the university with a Foreign Credential Evaluation.

  • Transcripts

    • One official transcript from all higher education institutions attended must be mailed to the Office of Admissions at the address listed above. (We recommend that you request an additional copy to be mailed directly to you. Leave the envelope unopened until you have confirmation that Admissions has received your official transcripts.)
    • One transcript (unofficial are acceptable) from all higher education institutions attended must be also be uploaded to your MIST graduate application portal.
    • A GPA of 3.0 is expected for the most recent 60 units of college-level work attempted. GPA between 2.5 and 3.0 may be considered with substantial alternative demonstration of ability to succeed in the program.

    Statement of purpose

    Include a 1000-2000 word Statement of Purpose (statement of educational and professional goals) that demonstrates your writing ability.

    Letters of reference

    Email addresses for two letters of reference uploaded to your MIST graduate application portal. Letters should come from individuals familiar with your professional or academic work. Please inform your references to watch out for an email from CSUMB that has instructions about submitting the recommendation letter.

    Test scores

    GRE (optional): We recommend that you take the GRE test to improve your competitive standing but it is not required. CSUMB's school code for ETS is 1945.

    Foreign credit and TOEFL

    If you have international coursework and/or English is not your native language, please consult the CSU Monterey Bay International Student Admission Requirements. It is possible that you will also need to take the TOEFL examination and provide the university with a Foreign Credential Evaluation. Please read below for more information about the requirements for the TOEFL and Foreign Credential Evaluation.

    If you need assistance regarding the online application or admissions requirements, please contact the Student Services Coordinator at mist@csumb.edu.

    All transcripts from schools outside the United States must be sent, at the applicant's expense, to a foreign credential evaluation service.

    A detailed "course-by-course" report is required for all programs. Foreign credential evaluations can be obtained at these services.

    TOEFL (if applicable): For those students required to demonstrate English proficiency, the MIST program requires a TOEFL score of 80 or above.

    Applicants with degrees from foreign universities should visit Admissions & Recruitment for more information about English proficiency requirements and Foreign Credential Evaluations.

  • Spring 2025 Application Dates
    August 1
    Spring 2025 Application opens on Cal State Apply.
    October 31st
    Priority application and document deadline. Capacity of the MIST program is limited. Applications received by this date with all required supporting documents (see list of required documents above) are eligible for priority application review and selection. Qualified applicants have a better chance of selection during the priority review due to less competition for available spaces than at the final review.
    November 1st
    Final application Review, and selection The MIST candidate selection committee will convene for a final review of eligible applications. Applicants selected for the program will be given admission to the program if spaces are available in the program. Applicants not selected at this time may be denied, moved to a waiting list (in case any selected students elect not to attend), or advised of additional information requests if there are any remaining spaces available after this date. If there are remaining spaces available after this date, complete late applications may continue to be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.