GRADUATE STUDENT ORIENTATION
WELCOME TO TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-COMMERCE As a new graduate student at Texas A&M University-Commerce, you are required to complete the Graduate Student Orientation. This orientation will provide you with information that will be beneficial to you while you complete your graduate program. Once you have successfully completed this online session, you will have met the University's orientation requirement. As you continue through your academic program, you will continue to have access to this online program to reference the information provided. The Office of Graduate Studies wishes you well in your academic pursuits and will be available to assist you at any time.
HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY In 1889, William L. Mayo founded East Texas Normal College to provide Northeast Texas residents with opportunities for higher education. The University has since evolved from "Old ET" to join the Texas A&M University System, but Mayo's creed of "ceaseless industry, fearless investigation, unfettered thought, and unselfish service to others" still lives on in the lives of A&M-Commerce students and alumni.
A&M-COMMERCE FACTS • Established in 1889, Texas A&M University-Commerce is the fifth oldest state university. • A member of the Texas A&M University System since 1996 and located in Commerce, the University has off site locations in Dallas, Mesquite, Collin Higher Education Center, Midlothian Higher Education Center, Universities Center at Dallas, and at Corsicana through the Navarro Partnership. • Through state-of-the-art telecommunications and Internet-based instruction, the university meets the undergraduate, graduate and professional needs of the citizens of Northeast Texas and beyond. •Chances are good that one of your favorite teachers is a Lion! A&M-Commerce is one of the state's top producers of teachers, counselors, superintendents and principals.
OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES PURPOSE AND NATURE OF THE OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES Graduate work offered by the University differs from undergraduate work in that the graduate student is expected to show increased maturity in scholarship, seriousness of purpose, and ability to think independently. In accordance with this distinction, graduate courses are designed to develop the student's ability to gather relevant facts, analyze them, and make reasonable generalizations and sound conclusions through independent research. Master's and specialist programs provide for the needs of students seeking professional employment, research opportunities, advanced degrees, including the doctoral degree, or personal satisfaction by increasing their depth of knowledge in their fields of specialization. Our students are prepared to be school and college teachers and administrators and advanced professionals in business, technology management, social work, the arts and various science disciplines. Some of our programs also prepare students for professional and administrative certificates. The doctoral programs are distinct in purpose and more selective in admitting candidates than the master's programs. The purpose of the doctoral program is to produce a graduate who has developed breadth of vision, a capacity for interpretation, and the ability to carry out critical investigation. From association with fellow scholars, the doctoral student is expected to gain many new concepts, a zeal for adding to the sum of human knowledge, and development of ability to conduct original research and to think
clearly and independently. The student also must develop the professional competencies necessary for giving application of knowledge in the essential areas of human and public interest. Guidance toward extended reading and research is an integral part of graduate study. In order to maximize your educational potential, please review our Graduate School website, tamuc.edu/academics/graduateSchool where you will find Frequently Asked Questions and valuable information regarding graduate requirements, processes and forms.
GRADUATE STUDIES MAIN CONTACT INFORMATION Phone
903-886-5163
graduate.school@tamuc.edu
Address
PO Box 3011 Commerce, TX 75429-3011
Fax
903-886-5165
For a complete list of contact information please visit the Graduate School Contact Us page
GENERAL INFORMATION IMPORTANT DATES View important dates on the Academic Calendars found on the Registrar’s website. Important dates for graduate students can also be found on the Graduate School webpage.
MYLEO myLeo is your student information portal. To access your myLeo account, you will use a campus wide ID number (CWID) and password (PIN). You will receive your CWID and password from your Graduate Admission Coordinator via email within 24-48 hours upon submitting your admissions application. You can long into myLeo at leo.tamuc.edu. If you do not remember your password or cannot log into myLeo with your current CWID and password, please contact Help.Desk@tamuc.edu.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS For a list of Graduate School Frequently Asked Questions visit the Graduate School FAQ.
GRADUATE SCHOOL COORDINATORS You will be assigned a Graduate Student Services Coordinator who will assist you throughout the admissions process. You will be contacted via email by your coordinator with application/admissions information within 24-48 hours of submitting your application.
EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS It is very important to monitor and read all emails sent from the Graduate School. All official correspondence will be sent via email to your Leomail.
APPLICATION PROCESS AND ADMISSION TYPES MASTER'S/SPECIALIST DEGREE PROGRAM STATUS There are three types of admission status for master's/specialist degree students: full, conditional, and provisional.
FULL ADMISSION STATUS Full Admission Status is given to those students meeting the following requirements: • Hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution or equivalent degree from a foreign institution. The bachelor's degree must be substantially equivalent in content to degrees granted by Texas A&M UniversityCommerce. • Have an overall undergraduate GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale, or a 3.00 on the last 60 undergraduate hours. • Meet all departmental requirements. • Applicants holding a master's degree from a regionally accredited institution who are seeking a second master's degree may be able to use their First Master's degree as an option to meet the GRE/GMAT requirement, subject to Departmental Approval. Departmental requirements may be more rigorous.
CONDITIONAL ADMISSION STATUS Applicants not qualifying for full admission may be granted conditional admission status. • Conditional status will be changed to full admission once the student has completed 12 semester hours of Texas A&M University-Commerce with at least a graduate GPA of 3.0. • Failure to achieve a 3.0 GPA after completing 12 graduate hours will result in suspension of the student from further graduate study in any degree program for 3 years.
PROVISIONAL ADMISSION STATUS • Most programs will allow a student to enroll for one semester under provisional status (initial semester of enrollment in graduate studies) with an application for admission and an application fee. • International students are not eligible for provisional admission status. • Students admitted provisionally must be sure all outstanding admission documents are received before the end of the first semester of enrollment. Students whose files are not complete during the semester of provisional enrollment will not be permitted to enroll in future semesters until the necessary documentation is received and a full/conditional admission decision is determined.
NON-DEGREE Students holding a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution and who are not seeking a degree may enroll as a non-degree seeking student to take courses for certification, licensure, or personal development. Non-degree students are not subject to the academic suspension policies applicable to degree-seeking students.
EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION Students holding a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution and who are not seeking a degree but are working toward a state or professionally mandated certification may enroll in graduate courses. Certification students are not subject to the academic suspension policies applicable to degree-seeking students. Applicants should consult with Educator Certification & Academic Services for specific requirements.
GRADUATE CERTIFICATES Graduate Certificates are a planned course of study designed to meet the academic and career needs of graduate students and employed professionals in a wide variety of disciplines. Students holding a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution and who are not seeking a degree may enroll in graduate courses. Graduate Certificate programs must follow a planned course of study with minimum of twelve graduate semester hours and no more than twenty-four graduate semester hours. Course substitutions will not be allowed and all courses required in a certificate program must be earned from Texas A&M University-Commerce. The Graduate School requires students to have a 3.0 GPA on all courses used for the certificate; however, departments may establish more rigorous GPA requirements. Additional information regarding Graduate Certificates can be found online.
Graduate School procedures limit the number of courses used for a degree program if taken in a non-degree status. No more than 12 graduate credit hours taken in non- degree status may be applied toward a master's/specialist or a doctoral degree. Individual departments have the final determination on how many semester credit hours (up to 18) from an educator certification program may be used toward a master's/specialist degree program.
REGISTRATION Registration dates, times, and instructions are available on the Registrar's website. myLeo allows eligible students to register online. Students can access myLeo through leo.tamuc.edu. The academic year is divided into two long semesters, fall and spring, and a summer semester of two terms. Additional terms and sub-terms may be available.
TUITION & FEES/ PAYMENT PLANS The Tuition and Fee Schedule, Net Price Calculator and contact information can be found on the Admissions web page.
INSTALLMENT PAYMENT During the fall and spring semesters, tuition/fees and housing may be paid in full or through an Installment Plan. The installment payment plan is not available during summer and mini terms. Texas A&M UniversityCommerce Institutional Loan program offers two types of short term loans-tuition loans and emergency loans.
FINANCIAL AID/SCHOLARSHIPS Financial Aid is only available to students with full or conditional admission to a master's/specialist program, and doctoral students. Students in non-degree and provisional status are not eligible. Financial Aid information can be found on the Financial Aid & Scholarships website. Current graduate scholarship information from the Graduate School can be found online at the Funding Your Education web page. Additional scholarships and funding opportunities may be available through your department and the scholarship office.
MENINGITIS Texas state law requires all new students under the age of 22 to either receive a bacterial meningitis vaccination or meet the exemption requirements prior to the first day of their first semester. Click here for information about the Bacterial Meningitis Vaccination requirement. Students who fail to submit their proof of vaccination and have their vaccination approved at least 10 days prior to the first day of their first semester may not be allowed to attend classes at A&M-Commerce. An information form and step by step process for how to submit your proof of vaccination are available through your myLEO account.
ADVISING You will be assigned an academic advisor by your major department once you have been given full/conditional admission to a master's/specialist or doctoral program. Please contact your academic advisor for specific information pertaining to your program and coursework.
DEGREEWORKS DegreeWorks is software that allows students to easily read and identify various components of their degree.It provides a degree evaluation, allows for planning, and increases the ease of communication between advisor and advisee. DegreeWorks is available to master's, specialists and doctoral students. To access DegreeWorks: • Log into your MyLeo using Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari. DegreeWorks is not compatible with Chrome. • Select “Registration, Records, Grades and DegreeWorks” • Select “DegreeWorks Login for Students” • Select “Access Graduate School DegreeWorks” For additional information and FAQ’s visit the Graduate School FAQ.
GRADUATE STUDENT COURSE LOAD • During the fall or spring semester, a student taking 9 or more graduate hours is considered full time. The maximum course load for a full-time graduate student during the fall or spring semester is fifteen (15) hours. A student taking 6 graduate hours is considered half-time. • The maximum course load for a full-time graduate student during each summer term is 7 hours. A student taking 6 hours in a summer term (summer I or II) is considered full-time for that term. A student taking 9 hours (combination of summer I and II) is considered full-time for the entire summer (summer I and II). • The maximum course load for a mini-term is 3 hours. • A master's or specialist student who has completed all other course work and is enrolled in 3 hours of 518 thesis credit is considered half-time.
CATALOG PRIVILEGES Catalog Privileges. A student is entitled to use the degree provisions of any catalog in effect between the semester the student is admitted to the master's/specialist degree program and the semester the student's degree is conferred, provided the catalog used is not more than 6 years old at the time the degree is conferred.
REPEATING A COURSE If a course is retaken, the last grade will be counted in the computation of the overall graduate GPA, even if the last grade is lower than the previous grade. After a degree is awarded, courses taken before the degree was awarded (regardless of whether the course is applied to the degree) cannot be repeated and the GPA recalculated.
SECOND MASTER'S DEGREE Subject to the approval of the Graduate Dean and the department head, students holding master's degrees from a regionally accredited graduate institution in the United States may apply certain courses that were a part of a previously earned graduate degree toward a second master's degree, provided such courses are not more than 6 years old at the time the second master's degree is conferred. Specifics can be found in the Graduate Catalog.
GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP POSITIONS AND TUITION REMISSION A Graduate Assistant (GA) receiving tuition remission must hold a full-time Graduate Assistant Teaching (GAT) or a full time Graduate Assistant Research (GAR). Payment is based on resident, designated graduate tuition. Fees are not included and only six graduate hours of enrollment (no undergraduate courses) at Texas A&M UniversityCommerce will be paid. Departments will be required to submit accountability reports each semester for all students receiving tuition remission. Accountability reports can be found online at the Graduate School website.
REQUIREMENTS FOR A MASTER'S/SPECIALIST DEGREE PREREQUISITE COURSEWORK Admission to the Graduate School does not imply that the applicant has the necessary background to earn a degree in a specific department. To major or minor in a department, the candidate must have or must obtain adequate preparation to assure successful graduate work. Background leveling courses cannot be applied toward the graduate major.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS All master's and specialist degrees require completion of at least 30 hours.
MAJOR A minimum of 18 hours in the major discipline is necessary to complete a major.
MINOR A student may complete a minor (approved sequence of 12 hours (4 courses)), upon receiving approval from the major and minor departments. Completion of a minor is not a mandatory requirement. Minors are not available for all programs and must be approved within a master's or specialist program. A student receiving a minor must satisfy candidacy and comprehensive examination requirements of the minor department.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT The candidate for the Master of Arts degree must meet the language requirement for the Bachelor of Arts degree at this institution. That requirement can be met with one of the following: • Completion of at least 12 semester hours (four courses) in one foreign language. • Completion of 6 semester hours (above elementary courses) if 2 years of high school credit in the language have been submitted as part of the regular university admission requirements. • Completion of 3 semester hours if the student presents 3 or 4 years of high school credit. • American Sign Language (ASL) is considered an acceptable foreign language. Students should consult with departmental Director of Graduate Studies regarding this requirement.
GRADE POINT AVERAGE A GPA of 3.00 or better on all graduate work completed at Texas A&M University- Commerce, all graduate courses taken toward the degree, all major courses in the student's major field, and an overall GPA of 3.00 or better on all graduate courses completed is required for graduation. If a course is retaken, the last grade will be counted in the computation of the overall GPA. A course in which an "F" is received is considered a course completed. Only grades earned at Texas A&M University-Commerce are calculated into the student's GPA. • No grade of "D" or below will count toward a graduate degree. • No more than three grades of "C" can be used toward a master's degree.
MASTER'S/SPECIALIST RESIDENCY A minimum of two-thirds of the course work applied to a master's/specialist degree must be taken from Texas A&M University-Commerce.
TIME LIMITATION All work for the master’s/specialist degree must be completed during the 6 years immediately preceding the date the degree is to be awarded.
ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY In those programs requiring candidacy, the student must apply and be admitted to candidacy at least one semester prior to graduation. Not all programs require candidacy. Students should check with the major department to determine candidacy requirements.
THESIS (518) AND RESEARCH LITERATURE AND TECHNIQUES (595) CREDIT All degree programs require the satisfactory completion of either the thesis (518) or the 595 course at Texas A&M University-Commerce. These courses cannot be transferred from another institution. • A student who is writing a thesis is required to register for 518 to receive guidance from a member of the faculty or while utilizing university facilities. • Only 6 hours of credit for 518 or 3 hours of credit for 595 per degree will be given upon satisfactory completion of the requirement.
• Unless approved by the department and the Graduate Dean, a 518 or 595 must be taken in the student's major department. • Students writing a thesis must be enrolled in 518 during the semester the thesis is approved by the Office of Graduate Studies.
COMPREHENSIVE EXAM The candidate must pass a comprehensive examination administered by the advisory committee or major department and covering all the work within the master's/specialist degree program, including an acceptable defense of the thesis, if applicable. The student must be fully admitted to a master's/specialist degree program and be in good academic standing with the Office of Graduate Studies to be eligible to take the final examination. A candidate who fails this examination must complete whatever further courses or additional study are stipulated by the advisory committee or by the major department to correct the weaknesses or deficiencies revealed by the examination. The candidate who fails the examination may retake it when the department head deems it appropriate. Should the candidate fail the examination upon the second attempt, a third/final attempt may be taken only with the recommendation of the advisory committee or major department and approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies.
OFFICE OF THESIS AND DISSERTATION SERVICES THESIS/DISSERTATION OFFICE The Office of Thesis & Dissertation Services offers support services for graduate students completing theses and dissertations. Training and support is provided from the proposal process through completion of theses and dissertations. More information is available online.
RCR TRAINING To ensure integrity and compliance in research, all students, faculty, and staff involved in research activities must successfully complete Responsible Conduct in Research training Training is required for individuals whose research involves human/animal subjects or biological agents.
MASTER’S/SPECIALIST ACADEMIC STANDING/ACADEMIC HONESTY ACADEMIC PROBATION AND SUSPENSION FROM MASTER'S/SPECIALIST PROGRAMS • Students with full admission who fail to achieve and maintain an overall graduate GPA of 3.00 after the completion of 12 semester hours of graduate enrollment will be placed on academic probation. • A student on academic probation who fails to achieve a 3.00 overall graduate GPA by the end of the next semester of enrollment will be placed on academic suspension for a period of 2 semesters (two summer terms count as one semester). After the academic suspension is served, the student may be allowed to re-enroll only upon the recommendation of the major department head and with the approval of the graduate dean. Failure to achieve an overall 3.00 graduate GPA during any subsequent semester of enrollment will result in suspension and the student will not be allowed to pursue further graduate study in a degree program for 3 years. • Students with conditional admission who fail to achieve a 3.00 graduate GPA after the completion of 12 graduate semester hours will be suspended and will not be allowed to pursue further graduate study in a degree program for 3 years. • Students with provisional admission who fail to achieve a 3.00 graduate GPA after the completion of 12 graduate semester hours will be suspended and will not be allowed to pursue further graduate study in a degree program for 3 years. • Courses taken from other institutions will not be transferable if taken during a period of suspension from Texas A&M University-Commerce. • A student who fails to meet the professional expectations of the field for which he/she is preparing may be suspended from further study in that program by the department administering that program.
ACADEMIC HONESTY Graduate students at Texas A&M University-Commerce are expected to maintain high standards of integrity and honesty in all their scholastic work. Faculty members are expected to uphold and support student integrity and honesty by maintaining conditions that encourage and enforce academic honesty. Conduct that violates generally accepted standards of academic honesty is defined as academically dishonest. "Academic dishonesty" includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism (the appropriation or stealing of ideas or works of another and passing them off as one's own), cheating on exams or other course assignments, collusion (the unauthorized collaboration with others in preparing course assignments) and abuse (destruction, defacing, or removal) of resource material. The Texas A&M University-Commerce Policy 13.99.99.R0.10 Graduate Student Academic Dishonesty can be viewed here.
GRADUATION AND COMMENCEMENT Commencement exercises are held three times each academic year in May, August, and December. Students must file for graduation with the Registrar's Office during the semester they plan to graduate. The Graduation Application is available through myLeo the first two weeks of the Fall, Spring and Summer I semesters. Graduation information is available online at tamuc.edu/admissions/registrar/graduation. Students will be approved for graduation and the degree after they have satisfactorily completed all degree requirements and been approved by the Graduate Committee of the department and the Graduate School. Participation in the commencement ceremony does not guarantee conferring of any degree. Texas A&M UniversityCommerce has the right to rescind any conferred degree if the University becomes aware that the student did not meet all degree requirements including: • Good Academic Standing • No more than 3 Grades of "C" in the degree program • Overall graduate GPA of 3.0 or better • Departmental Course Requirements are met • Successful Completion of Comprehensive Examination
REQUESTS AND USEFUL LINKS TRANSFER CREDIT Up to one-third of the credit required for a student's current master's/specialist degree program (excluding leveling courses) may be accepted as transfer credit from another regionally accredited institution in the United States. Transfer courses applied toward a master's/specialist degree must be in a graduate academic area taught at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Below are the minimum requirements for transfer; please refer to the catalog under Transfer of Credit for more information. • Transfer credit will be granted for only those courses in which the student received a grade of "B" or better. • 595 or 518 must be taken at Texas A&M University-Commerce and cannot be transferred from another institution. • Only grades earned at Texas A&M University-Commerce will be calculated into the student's grade point average. • Time limitations on transfer courses are the same as Texas A&M University- Commerce courses. • All work for the master’s/specialist degree must be completed during the 6 years immediately preceding the date the degree is to be awarded. • Transfer courses will only be accepted from a Regionally Accredited University. Students desiring to use transfer courses toward their degree requirements must have full or conditional admission to a degree program. A transfer request must be submitted for approval to the student’s Academic Advisor via the Transfer Course Request form. An official transcript sent directly from the institution to the Graduate School. These courses will be evaluated and, if approved, posted to the Texas A&M University- Commerce transcript.
Approval from both the major department head and the Dean of Graduate Studies is required before these courses can be applied toward a master's/specialist degree. Students that have applied for graduation and are concurrently enrolled or enrolled at another institution during the final semester of his/her program will be required to submit an official transcript before final clearance can be completed and degree can be awarded.
CHANGE OF MAJOR As a master's or specialist student, you may change your major after one semester if you are in good standing with the university (minimum 3.0 overall graduate GPA) and you meet the requirements for the new program. You will need to submit a Change of Major form and all required admission documents to complete this process.
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES TAKEN FOR GRADUATE CREDIT Under some circumstances a student may take a 300 or 400 level course for graduate credit. In such cases a student will be expected to complete additional work beyond the normal course requirements at a level commensurate with graduate instruction. In order to obtain graduate credit for a 300 or 400 level course, the student must, prior to enrollment, initiate submission of a Graduate credit for a 300 or 400 level course form for approvals. A copy of the course syllabus detailing the additional requirements for graduate credit must accompany the request to the Graduate School for final approval by the Graduate Dean. Up to two such courses may be applied toward a master's/specialist degree. The course must be taught by a Graduate Faculty member.
OVERLOADS Requests to register for courses over the maximum hours per semester must be submitted to the Graduate School and approved by the Graduate Dean. The Request for the Overload form can be found here.
WITHDRAWAL FROM COURSES It is the student's responsibility to withdraw from classes if he/she does not plan to attend during the semester in which they have enrolled. A student wishing to withdraw from all courses before the end of a semester or summer term for which he/she is registered must clear his/her record by filing an application for voluntary withdrawal on a form which can be secured online from the Office of the Registrar. This is a withdrawal from the semester, not the university. Please refer to the Academic Calendar for deadlines for dropping a class and withdrawal.
POLICY AND PROCEDURE A complete listing of Texas A&M University-Commerce Rules, Procedures and Policies, including Graduate School Policies is available.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES COUNSELING CENTER The Counseling Center operates from a holistic approach to student development and fosters an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding where everyone feels welcome. We offer services to help students reach their academic and personal goals and maximize their potential for success. We provide academic skills assistance, assessment and screening, consultation and referral, crisis intervention, educational outreach, individual and group counseling, legal advising, a relaxation room and biofeedback. We also serve as a resource for faculty, staff and parents and play an active role in interpreting and advocating the concerns of students to the university community. We are sensitive to the needs of ethnic and cultural minorities, LGBTQ, returning veterans, and non-traditional students. We collaborate with other campus departments and community agencies, utilize referral resources within the university and community, and serve as an integral part of campus mental health and wellness teams. The Counseling Center offers 24-hour crisis assistance for students. During office hours, students can talk to a counselor immediately. Counselors can also be reached after hours and on weekends at 903-886-5145. Please watch this 5-minute video to learn how you can help.
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