This list provides answers to the most common student inquiries at SOLES. For questions regarding financial aid, student accounts, registration, and military student resources, please contact the Torero Hub.
The application process
Complete the online application for graduate admission. Additional application materials such as official transcripts, evaluations and official test score reports should be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
An application checklist can be found on each program page listed under "Admission Requirements".
Please contact the Office of Graduate Admission at (619) 260-4524 or grads@sandiego.edu for support with the online application system.
Letters of recommendation should be submitted through the online application. If you are experience issues submitting letters of recommendation through the online application please email grads@sandiego.edu
Yes. You can track the status of your application online via the MySanDiego portal. Login instructions will be sent from the Office of Graduate Admission approximately one week after your online application is submitted.
The University of San Diego Office of Graduate Admission is the central unit for the processing of all application materials for all USD graduate divisions, including SOLES ( excluding the School of Law). Staff prepare application materials for review, communicate admissions decisions via mail, accept enrollment confirmation deposits and assist international students with obtaining student visas.
The SOLES Office of Admissions and Outreach coordinates SOLES-specific recruitment events such as information sessions and open houses and represents SOLES at graduate school fairs and off-campus events. Our office maintains the SOLES' web presence for prospective student information, manages communications to interested students and applicants and creates SOLES marketing materials. SOLES Admissions staff provide SOLES-specific advising appointments and can connect prospective students with current students, alumni, faculty and relevant campus offices.
Prospective students may also communicate with USD's Torero Hub. This office's counselors provide advice and assistance in the areas of financial aid, student accounts and the Office of the Registrar.
The admissions timeline varies by program. Most programs notify students of their admissions decision within 4-6 weeks of the posted deadline(s). Applicants with deadlines between May-June should receive a decision within 4 weeks from when their application becomes complete, meaning all official materials have been received.
The status of your application can be tracked online via the MySanDiego portal. Login instructions will be sent by email from the Office of Graduate Admission approximately one week after your application is received.
A strong applicant demonstrates a passion for their chosen field of study and a variety of experiences leading to their decision to pursue graduate education. All of our graduate-level programs require that applicants have completed a bachelor's degree and our doctoral program requires a master's degree. Many of our programs do not require that applicants have professional experience, but many strongly recommend or require it for admission.
Standardized testing
SOLES graduate programs, including our PhD's, do not require the GRE for admission. If you choose to submit GRE scores, they will not affect the decision of your admission application.
If admitted to the one-year, summer start program be prepared to submit a copy of your official pdf score report for both CSET and CBEST in order to begin summer classes. Candidates who do not meet the testing requirement will need to defer their admission to the fall semester.
If admitted to the two-year, fall start program be prepared to submit a copy of your official score report for both the CSET and CBEST by last day of your fall semester classes.
Applicants to our teaching credential programs are strongly encouraged to obtain their certificate of clearance from the County Office of Education prior to beginning their program but it is not required for admission.
Transcripts
We encourage you to request official transcripts several weeks in advance of the application deadline to ensure that your request is processed in time for us to receive them
Students with degrees earned outside of the United States should allow more time to be evaluated by an approved outside evaluation agency This process generally takes a minimum of seven days from the time the official transcripts are received by the agency, though rush evaluations may be available.
Students who earned their bachelor’s degree and/or master's degree from an institution outside the United States must submit a course-by-course degree evaluation at the time of application.
Applicants can elect from:
- World Education Services, Inc. (WES)
- Preferred Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE)
- International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF)
- Josef Silny Foundation, Inc. (JSA)
- SpanTran: The Evaluation Company (SpanTran) Foreign Academic Credential Service (FACS)
No. You only need to submit official transcripts from your degree granting institution(s). If you are currently in your final semester of undergraduate work, submit an official transcript for admission and it will show that your current term is in progress. If admitted, you will submit an updated transcript that shows the degree conferred after graduation.
No, as long as the study abroad experience was completed as part of your degree program.
No, we will not need official transcripts from both institutions.
If your institution is able to send official electronic transcripts, please have them emailed to grads@sandiego.edu. Transcripts must be sent directly from the college/university at which they were earned to University of San Diego.
Official transcripts can also be mailed to:
University of San Diego
Office of Graduate Admissions
Manchester Hall 205
5998 Alcalá Park
San Diego, CA 92110
Program offerings
SOLES offers the following online programs:
- EdD in Organizational Leadership
- PhD in Education for Social Justice
- MS in Nonprofit Leadership & Management
- MA in Restorative Justice Facilitation and Leadership
The following Masters of Education (MEd) programs are offered through a partnership between SOLES and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. If you are interested in pursuing online coursework through USD, please contact the Division of Professional and Continuing Education.
USD offers Open Campus through the Division of Professional And Continuing Education. Open Campus allows non-degree seeking students to take graduate-level coursework at USD so long as the seeker already possesses a bachelors level degree. Application instructions and additional information on taking courses as a non-degree seeking student can be found on the Open Campus webpage.
As a non-degree seeking student, you are not eligible for university financial aid and will pay full graduate tuition on a per-unit basis. Availability of courses is on a space available basis after all degree-seeking students have registered. Permission must be granted by the department and course instructor. Permission to take courses through Open Campus does not imply admission to the university, though if the student later applies and is offered admission to one of SOLES' graduate programs, up to 6 units taken through Open Campus may be applied toward their program.
International students are not eligible to apply for special student status.
Class schedule information
Classes tend to be held in the late afternoons and evenings on campus at the University of San Diego. Most classes meet for 2 hours and 50 minutes once per week. Occasionally classes will be available on the weekend.
The exception is our Marital and Family Therapy Program, which holds most classes during daytime hours.
Many programs have required field-based components, such as student teaching or practicum, which often take place during daytime hours.
Many students are working professionals who complete their programs. Certain programs are structured to allow students to attend class after the 9 to 5 working hours or on weekends.
Coursework in the counseling and teaching credential programs often takes place in the late afternoons or evenings. Some students work full-time until their field-based experiences begin (since these experiences typically take place during the day). Our marital and family therapy students do not typically work full-time while pursuing their degree since coursework takes place during daytime hours.
It is not possible to work full-time while completing the Master's Credential Cohort Program.
Most of our masters degrees and credentials are completed in about 2 years, but some can be completed more quickly or require more time. Each program page includes the estimated length of time to complete each program.
The length of time to complete the program will depend on whether the student is attending full-time or part-time. The majority of our programs offer a part-time option. Though they will complete the program at a slower pace, they will be in the same classes as full-time students and receive the same advice.
The typical course load for a Fall or Spring semester is:
| Degree Type | Full-Time | Part-Time |
|---|---|---|
| Credential | 12 units (approx. 4 courses) | 6 units (approx. 2 courses) |
| Master's Degree | 9 units (approx. 3 courses) | 6 units (approx. 2 courses) |
| Doctorate | 6 units (approx. 2 courses) | 3 units (approx. 1 course) |
Many students also take condensed courses during the shorter summer and Intersession (January) semesters.
Accreditation
Yes. The University of San Diego, of which SOLES is one division, is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). SOLES programs are accredited by a variety of accreditors including the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
Per California Assembly Bill (AB) 2086, the following information is made available to provide access to California license examination passage rates for graduates of University of San Diego programs that require California licensure. Data will continue to be updated as California licensing and/or regulatory agencies make the data electronically available.
- SOLES Teaching and School Counseling Credential Programs visit Commission on Teacher Credentialing to access Reports by Institution.
- SOLES Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Marital and Family Therapy Programs, visit the California Board of Behavioral Sciences for Exam Statistics.
Tuition and financial aid
The Office of Financial Aid begins packaging graduate financial aid packages on April 1. In order to receive your financial aid package, you must have a complete FAFSA on file and be officially admitted to the University.
For graduate students, the package is typically available around two weeks after both of these conditions have been satisfied. Admitted students are notified by email when their financial aid package is available on the MySanDiego portal.
Yes. SOLES welcomes veterans and their dependents and is proud to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a provision of the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.
For further information please visit the USD Veteran's Affairs website.
Transfer students
You may be eligible to transfer a limited number of credits into a SOLES program. The eligibility of courses for transfer will be determined by department faculty after you have received an offer of admission.
Credits must be from graduate-level coursework with a grade of "B" or higher taken within the past five years at an approved, accredited university, and those credits cannot have been applied toward another degree.Students with out-of-state certifications and credentials who wish to obtain a California credential or certification should contact the San Diego County Office of Education for assistance. SOLES staff cannot determine whether an out-of-state credential will transfer and we cannot recommend candidates for a credential unless they completed their credential coursework at SOLES.
Transfer students follow the same deadlines and requirements for admission as first-time applicants.
USD students who wish to transfer programs within the same department should consult their department chair. Some programs will allow students to change to another graduate program within the same department by submitting a shortened version of the application for admission, with the approval of the faculty.
Students who wish to transfer to a program in a department different from their current department (such as a transfer from the MA in Counseling to the MA in Leadership Studies) should contact the Office of Admissions and Outreach. Transfers from other departments must complete a new application following the same deadlines, procedures and requirements as first-time applicants.
Visiting campus
To inquire about setting up a class visit, contact the Office of Admissions and Outreach. A staff member will assist you in coordinating a visit to an available class.
If you are interested in meeting the faculty members we recommend attending one of the events such as a webinar or open house. You can also reach out to the faculty through the SOLES Directory.
Yes. Schedule a phone or virtual advising appointment with the SOLES Office of Admissions and Outreach.