The goal of graduate education at California State University, Northridge, is to offer students advanced intellectual development and to prepare students for success in their careers.

Upon completion of their programs, all graduate students will have:

1. Demonstrated a graduate-level mastery of the contemporary knowledge base of their field of study.
2. Mastered the discipline-based skills appropriate for success in the field, and will be able to apply them to common problems within the field.
3. Displayed the personal attributes or dispositions appropriate for success in the field, such as persistence, creativity, and good ethical judgment.