Mays PhD Handbook

Mays PhD Handbook (also refer to the University’s Graduate Student Handbook)

Last update: July 2004

INTRODUCTION

The PhD program represents the highest level of formal academic study available in business administration. A PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) has always been considered the most significant achievement in preparation for an active career in scholarship and research. The PhD program in business administration has three primary objectives:

Providing you with comprehensive knowledge of methods, institutions, and concepts in business and related functional and research disciplines.
Preparing you to conduct quality research relevant to private or public organizations, to direct research by others, and to communicate research findings through teaching and writing.
Preparing you for the varied responsibilities and opportunities of academic careers or for positions requiring similar research and analytical skills.

The PhD program at Mays Business School (Mays) is individualized. Your degree program is prepared in detail only after a systematic careful review of career objectives and thorough appraisal of prior preparation. In order to preserve this individualized character of the program, only a small number of applicants are admitted.

Because the PhD degree signifies the highest level of excellence in intellectual attainment, our requirements are demanding and the standards exacting. As our doctoral program is monitored on four administrative levels throughout Mays and Texas A&M, successful attainment of your doctorate requires your understanding our program's requirements, rules, and procedures.

This handbook provides a detailed explanation of those program requirements, policies, and procedures. Some information presented here has been taken from the University’s Graduate Catalog and the Office of Graduate Studies (OGS). Other information presents requirements within Mays.

It is your responsibility to know degree program requirements. The Office of Graduate Studies (OGS), Mays, your academic Department, and doctoral Advisory committee are available to assist you, but you should make sure that you have personal knowledge of the requirements in your degree program. Departmental requirements may be more definitive, in selected areas, than Mays requirements presented in this handbook.

RESIDENCE AND CREDIT HOUR REQUIREMENTS

A major purpose of the residence requirements for graduate degrees is to ensure that you experience the advantages of a university environment. These advantages include access to computing, library facilities, laboratories and other physical facilities, and opportunities to participate in seminars and other activities. Becoming acquainted with the faculty and other students on a personal and professional basis are also major advantages. The residency requirements afford the faculty the opportunity to properly assess your professional development, guide and direct your studies, and determine your competency.

If you enter our doctoral program with a baccalaureate degree, you must spend a minimum of two (2) academic years in residency.

If you hold a master's degree, a minimum of one (1) academic year in resident study is required. In either case, the residency requirement must be as a full-time student. Most PhD students in Mays are in residence for more than these minimums.

The requirements for a doctorate degree are normally either a minimum of 96 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree or 64 credit hours beyond the master's degree. The credit hour requirements usually include 18-24 hours for dissertation research. The actual credit hours taken are a function of the specific requirements of the Department, the major field of study, and the expectations of your Advisory Committee (AC), and are often more than the minimums stated.

Full-time status. The University defines full-time status as being registered for a minimum of nine (9) semester credit hours during a fall or spring semester, six (6) semester credit hours during a 10-week summer semester, or three (3) semester credit hours during a 5-week summer term. Effective spring 2004, for fall and spring semesters, Mays requires all PhD students to be registered in residence and full time until all coursework is completed. After the completion of coursework, if the student is on an assistantship, full-time registration is required.

International students should always contact International Student Services (845-1825) to determine the minimum number of credit hours required depending on the type of visa held.

Maximum hours. Graduate students may enroll for a maximum of 15 credit hours during a regular semester, six (6) credit hours for a 5-week summer term, and ten (10) credit hours for a 10-week summer semester. Requests to exceed the maximum hours must be made through the Executive Associate Dean, 413 Wehner.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

100 Credit Hour Cap. In 1997, the State of Texas passed legislation that limits the number of credit hours beyond the master’s degree that the State will financially support. State universities, including Texas A&M, have been given the authority to charge non-resident tuition to doctoral students who accrue 100 or more hours of doctoral course work regardless of residence status. See the Graduate Catalog for more information.

Summer Registration Requirements (Mays)

1st year doctoral students are required to register for a total of six (6) credit hours during their first summer semester in the PhD Program. Any combination of semesters is acceptable and should be determined by semesters funded.

2nd year and beyond (in-residence) doctoral student summer registration is based on summer funding and immigration requirements for international students. Registration is only required if funded and must meet the University’s minimum requirement.

International students should always contact International Student Services (845-1825) to determine the minimum number of credit hours required depending on the type of visa held.

Assistantships. PhD students who hold assistantships (or receive other summer funding) must be enrolled for a minimum of three (3) credit hours for each 5-week summer term funded in order to meet the University’s full-time enrollment requirement. This requirement can be accomplished by registering in each 5-week term that you are funded and/or the combined 10-week term. Any combination is appropriate. Assistantships terminate upon failure to maintain the University’s minimum enrollment requirement. Contact your Department Head or Advisor for more information.

In-absentia Registration Requirement. PhD students admitted to candidacy and no longer in-residence, yet still engaged in research for their dissertations, must register in-absentia for one (1) credit hour of 691 (Research) each fall, spring, and 10-week summer term until all requirements for the degree have been completed.

To qualify for in-absentia registration, you must:

Not have access to or use of facilities or properties belonging to or under jurisdiction of The Texas A&M University System at any time during the semester or summer term for which you are enrolled;

Facilities include human resources and services such as those provided by graduate Advisory committee members responding to drafts of theses, dissertations, or records of study, or other academic materials.

In-absentia registration must continue until all requirements for the degree have been completed. In order to be exempt from some student fees, make sure to register in the appropriate in-absentia section number. If unsure, contact your Department for the correct section number.

Students not in compliance with this requirement will have future registration blocked. Re-registration will only be allowed after receiving a favorable recommendation from a Departmental review committee (not your AC), the endorsement of the Department Head, and the approval of the EAD and the OGS dean.

You are not required to register if:

Your dissertation clears the Thesis Clerk before the last day to add a course at the beginning of the semester (including SSI). The critical point is that the dissertation is “cleared by the Thesis Clerk”; submission is not sufficient.

You file for graduation.

If you defend your dissertation, but it does not clear by the last day to add a course, then you must enroll for one (1) credit hour.

Response time from the Thesis Clerk's office lengthens as the deadline approaches due to "last minute" requests. Mays Executive Associate Dean (EAD) will answer questions relating to residency status.

ADVISING (Initial)

Until your Advisory Committee (AC) is formed, the Departmental PhD Advisor is responsible for directing your program. Upon entering the program, you should consult with the doctoral student Advisor to determine if there are foundation knowledge requirements of Mays and prerequisite requirements of your Department that must be satisfied.

General competency in calculus and a computer programming language are required foundation courses for the PhD program. These requirements may be satisfied by a set of courses at Texas A&M or equivalent courses from other Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited programs.

Departments may also have their own prerequisites. Consultation with your doctoral Advisor is necessary to determine these possible prerequisites. Such prerequisites may be satisfied with courses at Texas A&M or equivalent courses from other accredited graduate programs. Prerequisites should be satisfied through the completion of graduate level course work.

After receiving admission to graduate studies and enrolling, you must follow a number of procedural steps to fulfill your degree requirements.

Consult with the Departmental Graduate Advisor about forming an Advisory Committee (AC) and appointing an Advisory Committee Chair. These individuals will help you prepare a degree plan, which lists the courses you must take to fulfill your degree requirements and formally establish your Advisory committee.
You and your AC, at your first meeting, should agree upon the general field of research for the dissertation so that you can select the proper courses to support your proposed research.
After completion of class work, the next step is to schedule a preliminary exam.
Then, as soon as the research project can be outlined in reasonable detail, you must submit a dissertation proposal. Your AC must approve the proposal. The Committee should also review the feasibility of the proposed research and the adequacy of available facilities. The approved proposal, signed by all the members of your AC, and the Head of your major Department (plus the Chair of the intercollegiate faculty, if appropriate) should be submitted for final approval.
Finally, to fulfill the procedural requirements of your PhD degree you must complete your residence requirement, apply for your degree, schedule and pass a final exam, and submit two copies of your completed dissertation to the Thesis Office.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Your Advisory Committee (AC) is normally formed after the Departmental review process that occurs during your first year of the program.

Your AC guides and directs your academic program. Their responsibilities include:

Your degree plan
Your preliminary written and oral examination
Your research proposal
Your dissertation
Your final oral examination

As a group, and as individual members, your AC is responsible for advising you on academic matters and initiating correspondence to the OGS Dean with respect to your standing in the program and any academic deficiencies.

Most PhD students begin forming their AC by selecting a Chair (the person who Heads your AC) during their second year. You may want to visit with several graduate faculty members in your Department to discuss research interests and availability.

Your AC will consist of not fewer than four (4) members of the graduate faculty whom you select to represent your several fields of study and research of which one (1) must be from a Department other than your major Department.

Your Chair usually has immediate supervision of your research and thesis, is responsible for calling required meetings of the AC and any other meetings deemed necessary.

For AC member criteria: (refer to the current OGS Graduate Student Handbook).

Ombudsperson: OGS will provide an Ombursperson who advocates for the processes of graduation education by being equally open and accessible to all parties-students, faculty, staff, and administrators. They can be contacted at 845-3631 or ombuds@tamu.edu.

In forming your AC, it is strongly recommended you consider the following:

The faculty member's general areas of interest (i.e., share your interests or areas of specialization)
The faculty member's particular research interests (i.e., are qualified to supervise your research)
The faculty member's career plan (i.e., have knowledge and/or contacts that could be helpful to you in accomplishing your plans)

The Head of your major Department will approve the final selection of your committee Chair when the degree plan is filed with the OGS.

Alternate Chair. You may request, in writing, that the Department Head appoint an alternate Chair if your AC Chair is unavailable for an extended time during any academic period in which you are involved in activities relating to your dissertation. A faculty member located away from the Texas A&M campus may not serve as Chair of your AC, but may serve as co-Chair with a faculty member located on campus.

DEGREE PLAN

In consultation with the AC, you are to develop a proposed degree plan that will constitute the course work requirements for the degree. Your proposed degree plan must be filed with the OGS no later than 90 days prior to your preliminary examination.

Normally, the degree plan is filed in the second year of your program. It must be submitted on the standard degree plan form available at the OGS web site.

The proposed degree plan must be signed by:

You,
The members of your AC,
The Head of your major Department,
Once all signatures have been obtained then submit to the Executive Associate Dean (EAD), 413 Wehner. The EAD will verify compliance with program requirements and will then forward the proposed degree plan to the OGS dean for approval.

Subsequent to the approval of a degree plan, your AC may add additional course work. This could occur if additional course work is deemed necessary to correct deficiencies in your academic preparation.

Your degree plan may be altered, after approval, by submitting a petition form initiated by you to the Office of Graduate Studies (OGS). A petition is used to make changes to the degree plan, including changes in AC members, course substitutions, change of major Department, and requests for exception to published rules. A petition requires approval by your AC, the Department Head, and the EAD before it is submitted to the OGS Dean.

Petitions requesting additions, deletions, or substitutions of courses, each course entry must show the official course prefix, course number, full title (full, exact titles of 689 courses must be indicated), and the number of semester credit hours assigned to the course. Provided space is adequate, as many requests as needed should be included on one petition form.

The name of each individual listed on a petition (student, AC members, individuals requested as replacements for AC members or as additions to the AC, etc.) and the Department must be typed beneath the signature of the individual.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Program requirements include:

A first year review (conducted by the major Department),
Preparation in a major field and at least one minor field,
Classroom teaching experience,
Possible experience as a research or teaching assistant.

Requirements vary somewhat among the academic Departments within Mays. The general components of program requirements include:

Major Field. The major field is selected from one of the following: accounting, finance, management, management information systems, management science, marketing, or production/operations management.

Minor Field. The minor field(s) is designed to assure that you have the requisite knowledge and skill to conduct and communicate independent research. The courses in this field do not necessarily need to come from a single academic Department.

Teaching. All entering PhD students must attend a teaching assistant training and development program.

Other. Each academic Department has specific requirements for minimum hours required in each major area, the maximum hours of 681, 685, and 688 courses, transfer credit, and so forth. Departments may require their doctoral students to enroll in certain seminars. Consult with your Department Doctoral Advisor concerning these requirements.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Academic excellence is expected in all work undertaken. A minimum Grade Point Ratio (GPR) of 3.00 (B average, based on a 4.00 maximum) in all course work - other than in those courses in which grades of Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) are given (681, 684, 690, 691, 692), must be maintained throughout the period of your graduate study. After admission to the PhD program, all grades earned in courses taken at Texas A&M will be used in computing the GPR ratio. Students holding fellowships may have higher GPR requirements.

A course in which a grade of less than C or U is earned will not count toward completion of the degree program. A course in which the final grade is C or less may be repeated for a higher grade. Courses on a degree plan with grades of D, F, or U must be absolved by repeating the courses and achieving a grade of C or above.

Grades and credit hours transferred to your degree program from another institution shall not be used in computing your final overall GPR ratio.

Courses listed for graduate credit on the official degree plan in which you have received a final grade may not normally be removed from the degree plan. However, courses acceptable for graduate credit may be added. You may petition for an exception to this rule.

The major Department and Dean’s Office monitor academic progress.

You will be considered to be on scholastic probation if your GPR falls below the minimum 3.0 in a given semester. If placed on academic probation, you will be notified of your status as well as the conditions required to regain "good academic standing."

Failure to remedy such academic deficiency in an appropriate time period, failure to earn a least a 3.0 GPR after being placed on scholastic probation, or other evidence of poor performance constitutes grounds for being dropped from the PhD program.

Upon recommendation of your AC, major Department, and the EAD; with the approval of the OGS Dean, you may be dismissed from the program at any time for failure to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree.

If an AC has not been appointed, the responsibility for initiating such a recommendation to the OGS Dean resides with the Department Head.

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION

A preliminary examination is required of all PhD students. Through the preliminary examination, your AC should satisfy itself that you have demonstrated the following qualifications:

A mastery of the subject matter of all fields in the program.
An adequate knowledge of the literature in these fields and the ability to critically evaluate and synthesize that literature.

Purpose. The preliminary examination is required at the completion of course work, thereby being preliminary to formal dissertation research.

Timing. This exam must be taken no later than the end of the first semester after the completion of course work. It may be taken when you are within six credit hours of completion of the formal course work [not counting 681 (seminar); 690 (theory of research); or 691 (dissertation) courses].

Students are urged to have completed all course work before taking prelims. No student may be given a preliminary examination unless their official GPR ratio at the time of the examination is 3.0 or better. The preliminary examination includes both written and oral portions and must be administered on campus. All portions of the examination (other than a Departmental exam) must be held within a two-week period. If a Departmental exam is used as a part of the written portion of the preliminary examination, it must be the last Departmental exam offered prior to the date for the preliminary examination.

Procedures. When nearing completion of course work, your AC Chair will notify the AC and faculty in the Department to arrange the schedule for the preliminary examination.

The Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) no longer requires a memo announcing the preliminary exam. Rather the Chair and student should refer to the OGS Checklist to ensure the student is ready for the exam, etc. This Checklist refers to the time frame in which the degree plan has to be on file, the time span between the written and the oral, and the reporting of the examination results. Refer to the Checklist under Exams on the OGS website at http://ogs.tamu.edu/OGS/currentForms.htm

A Department may require a Departmental examination as part of the preliminary exam. In this case, it is the responsibility of the doctoral student Advisor to solicit questions from faculty, prepare the examination, and obtain faculty assessments on the written examination. These assessments will serve as input to your AC. The marked exam must be forwarded to your AC Chair within two weeks after the exam has been taken.

If Departmental preliminary examinations are given, the OGS should receive prior notification of such examinations, along with a listing of those who are to participate.

If a Departmental examination is used as a part of the written portion of the preliminary examination, it must be the last Departmental examination offered prior to the anticipated date of the preliminary examination. Departmental preliminary examinations must be offered at least once every six (6) months and should be announced at least thirty (30) days prior to the examination date. Departmental qualifying or cumulative examinations given early in a student's program may not substitute for the written preliminary examination. Prior participation in a Departmental examination must be noted on the announcement of the preliminary examination submitted to the OGS.

The written portion of the preliminary examination normally covers both the major and minor fields. The member of your AC representing the minor field(s) may conduct the written examination(s) in the minor field(s) or the appropriate Department(s) at the request of the AC Chair may give the examination(s). Your AC conducts the oral portion of the preliminary examination.

Your AC Chair is responsible for making all written examinations available to AC members at or before the oral examination. Each written examination must be completed and reported as satisfactory to your AC Chair before the oral portion of the examination may be held.

Your AC Chair must report the results of the preliminary exam (or any changes in the schedule) in writing to the OGS Dean. (See Appendix for OGS link to form)

After passing the required oral and written portions of the preliminary examination, you must complete all remaining requirements within 4 calendar years as specified in University Rules. Otherwise, you must repeat the preliminary examination.

By permission of your AC and the OGS Dean, if you fail the preliminary examination, you may be given one reexamination, but only after a period of at least 6 months has elapsed.

DISSERTATION RESEARCH PROPOSAL DEFENSE (Mays Requirement)

As early in your program as possible, you and your AC should determine and agree on the general research domain for your dissertation.

After successfully completing your preliminary exams, you shall prepare a dissertation research proposal that fully describes the proposed research. An oral defense of the dissertation research proposal is required within Mays.

Preparation and guidelines:

Two (2) weeks prior to the scheduled date, the proposal defense must be announced with a memo (normally sent as an e-mail) from your AC Chair to Mays faculty and doctoral students two weeks prior to the scheduled date.
A copy of your proposal must be available in your major Departmental office for interested faculty and PhD students.
The proposal defense is open to Mays faculty, doctoral students, and other persons. Those attending the proposal defense are encouraged to provide recommendations for improving or modifying the dissertation research design. The purposes of having open proposal defenses are to obtain greater uniformity in quality of proposals and to provide helpful suggestions to you and the AC.
Your AC evaluates your proposal defense and the input received and decides whether to approve the dissertation proposal.

If approved by your AC, the dissertation research proposal is filed with the OGS along with a University title page. The official title page can be obtained from the Office of Graduate Studies. (see Appendix for link to form). The research proposal is a description of the research that you intend to perform in a detailed, comprehensive dissertation. It gives you the opportunity to demonstrate to your AC your ability to successfully pursue your projected topic.

Your dissertation proposal and title page must be submitted to OGS at least 14 weeks prior to the date of your final defense. In the case of lengthy proposals, OGS prefers to receive an overview of the intended research. (See Appendix for OGS link to form)

Additionally, if human subjects are to be used in the dissertation, the form titled "Protocol for Human Subjects in Research" must also be submitted to OGS. The complete document for this protocol is available from the Departmental PhD GIC member or in the Dean's Office. This would apply even if you will use human subjects for mailed questionnaires. (Contact the Office of Research Management at 979.845.1812 for questions dealing with human subjects in research.)

ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY

To be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree, you must have:

A cumulative GPR and a degree plan GPR of at least 3.00,
Satisfy the residence requirement,
Pass the preliminary examination,
Complete all formal course work on the degree plan,
Have an approved dissertation proposal on file with OGS.

You and your AC Chair should receive written notification from the OGS certifying admission to candidacy. You must be admitted to candidacy well in advance of the date when the degree is to be granted. OGS will not authorize a final examination for any doctoral student who has not been admitted into candidacy.

DISSERTATION

You must complete a dissertation embodying the results of research and showing evidence of originality and ability for independent investigation. The dissertation must show mastery of the literature and relevant research techniques, be written in creditable literary form, and represent a contribution to knowledge in the field. The ability to perform independent research must be demonstrated by your dissertation. It is generally agreed that the doctoral dissertation should be a distinct contribution to knowledge and of sufficient value to warrant its publication in a reputable journal or as a book/monograph.

It is strongly recommended that you check with the Thesis Clerk (University Library) on format issues at the beginning of your writing process.

The format of the final dissertation document must comply exactly with OGS specifications found in the thesis manual, Instructions Concerning the Preparation of Proposals, Theses, Dissertations, and Records of Study. This booklet may be purchased from the Texas A&M Bookstore.

You will work closely with the Thesis Clerk in preparing the final dissertation document according to the format of an academic journal you select. Two (2) copies of the finished dissertation must be submitted to the Thesis Office and must include all suggestions and corrections by the members of your AC. The Department Head and your Advisory Committee must also sign it.

DEFENSE OF DISSERTATION

Make sure to review the current OGS Graduate Student Handbook to ensure that you have met all requirements prior to the submission of your dissertation.

Upon the recommendation of your AC, as finally constituted, shall conduct a final oral defense of your dissertation.

The final examination is not to be administered until such time that the dissertation is available to your AC in substantially final form.

This form would constitute, as a minimum, a typed version that is complete in content in all respects. Moreover, all AC members should have had adequate time to review the document. Although the defense may cover the broad field of your training, it is presumed that the major portion of the time will be devoted to the dissertation and closely allied topics. The defense is open to faculty and PhD students at Texas A&M.

The Chair of your committee will send a memo to OGS and Mays faculty and PhD students announcing your dissertation defense. (See Appendix for link to OGS forms.) Only your AC will be present for evaluating your performance on the examination.

You must pass the defense of your dissertation by the deadlines announced in the OGS calendar each semester or summer session in order to graduate in that semester or summer.

The announcement of the defense should be submitted to the OGS at least two (2) weeks in advance of the scheduled date for the defense. The approval to hold the defense is signified by receipt by your Chair of the form from the OGS for the final defense. This form is later used by your AC to submit its recommendations to the OGS Dean concerning the acceptability of the candidate for the doctoral degree.

The defense may be held only if you meet the following conditions (in addition to satisfactory status of the dissertation research):

Have completed all course work on the degree plan, with the exception of any 691 (research) hours for which you are registered (or any course for which permission from the OGS, has been granted to delete from the degree program);
Have a 3.0 or better and have no un-absolved grades of D, F, or U for courses listed on the degree plan;
Have an approved research proposal on file with the OGS;
And have been admitted to candidacy.

The form your Chair submits to OGS indicating your successful defense also is used to change all grades of "I" in 691 hours to "S."

After satisfactory completion of the final oral exam and by the dates announced each semester or summer session in the OGS calendar, you must submit to the Office of the Thesis/Dissertation Clerk (University Library) two (2) copies of the dissertation in the final form. The two copies are for the University library and your Department.

The dissertation must be completed, with all suggestions and corrections of your AC properly incorporated. The dissertation also must bear the signatures of the Department Head and members of your AC.

An abstract not exceeding 350 words and a vita page must be included with the dissertation. Two (2) additional copies of the abstract and title page must be submitted with the dissertation for microfilming.

In addition to a dissertation-binding fee, all successful candidates for the doctoral degree are required to pay to Financial Management Services a dissertation-microfilming fee. This fee is used to film doctoral dissertations in cooperation with University Microfilms.

Formal application for the degree must be filed in the OGS office not later than ninety (90) days prior to the end of the semester, or thirty (30) days prior to the end of the summer term in which you expect to complete requirements for graduation.

You must be formally registered at Texas A&M for the semester in which the degree is to be conferred. The only exception to this rule is presented earlier in the section on "residency and credit hour requirements."

TIME LIMIT

Work leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)in Mays Business School is designed to give a candidate thorough and comprehensive knowledge of his or her professional field and training in methods of research. Mays exceptions to the University requirements include:

a) all requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within a period of five (5) consecutive calendar years for the degree to be granted;

b) a course will be considered valid until four (4) years after the end of the semester in which it is taken and credit for course work more than four (4) calendar years old at the time of the final oral examination may not be used to satisfy degree requirements; and

c) final corrected copies of the dissertation or record of study must be accepted by the thesis clerk no later than one (1) year after the final examination or within the five (5) year time limit, whichever occurs first. Failure to do so will result in the degree not being awarded.

MISCELLANY

Advisors. Your key contacts are your doctoral student Advisor, your AC Chair, and the EAD. All questions concerning the program should be directed to one of these individuals.

Financial Assistance. Full and partial graduate assistantships are available. These enable a student to work 10 to 20 hours per week in research-related and/or teaching-related duties.

A recipient of a graduate assistantship for 20 hours per week qualifies as a resident and pays in-state tuition. Assistantships may be awarded for the full academic year, subject to availability of funds. The assistantships are normally renewable annually on the basis of satisfactory performance and availability of Departmental funds. Departments normally do not renew assistantships beyond the fourth (4th) year of a student's program. As stated earlier, if you have an assistantship, you must enroll in the summer term(s) that you are funded per 5-week terms or for 10-week courses. Assistantships terminate upon failure to maintain the University’s minimum enrollment requirement. Contact your Department Head or Advisor for more information.

A graduate assistant should be relatively flexible in arranging hours of availability. The faculty supervisor(s) will evaluate the performance of the graduate assistant both for continued support and employment opportunities. You should always feel free to discuss assistantship assignments with the doctoral student Advisor, your AC Chair, or the Department Head.

Graduate Assistant Lecturer (GAL). The title "Graduate Assistant Lecturer (GAL)" is available for Ph.D. students under certain circumstances. Recommendations for appointing students to this position must be initiated by the department and approved by Mays Dean's Office. Minimum qualifications for appointment to this position include--

Must be senior level doctoral student and in-residence at Texas A&M University
Successfully completed preliminary examination
Successfully defended dissertation proposal
On track to complete program in one year or less
Appointment will be classroom instruction
International students need approval from International Student Services to ensure they are within immigration compliance

GCR (Graduate Council Representative) no longer required. NOTE: As of May 2003, the University/OGS no longer require a GCR (Graduate Council Representative), to be a part of your AC. GCR’s currently serving on Advisory Committees may elect to remain if mutually agreed by the student, GRC, and AC. Neither OGS nor Mays Dean’s Office need to be involved.

Language. All students must demonstrate proficiency in English. The doctoral foreign language requirement at Texas A&M University is to be administered and monitored by the individual Departments.

Program Change. If you wish to change from the PhD program to one of our master's programs, you must petition the Departmental Advisor of the appropriate master's program and the OGS Dean for approval. Such a petition shall be routed through the EAD (for information only) to the master's program director and then to the OGS Dean.

Placement. Each Department typically receives announcements of job openings from other institutions. These are made available to each doctoral candidate. You are encouraged to examine these announcements and to discuss them with faculty members. Regional and national meetings of professional organizations conduct placement activities specifically for doctoral students. In some organizations, ads about openings and/or applicants are carried in newsletters or in special listings that are made available to members.

Mays faculty also utilitize direct contact with colleagues at other institutions to assist students in placement. This is probably the most powerful placement assistance available, and the extensive contacts of the faculty will be very valuable to Texas A&M graduates.

Records. You should assume responsibility for your records in Mays Business School and the OGS. You should coordinate with your AC Chair to ensure that all required forms are filed and approved. The EAD and the Departmental Advisor should be notified of changes in course of study, change of address and telephone numbers, and any other information pertinent to individual student records. All completed forms are to be submitted through the EAD to the OGS. This will ensure accurate records of your progress toward degree completion.

Regents’ Graduate Fellowships. These highly competitive awards are given to new graduate or professional students with exceptional credentials. The awards are for one (1) year with an option for renewal by Mays Business School. The Departments submit fellowship nominations to Mays Dean’s Office. Regents’ Graduate Fellowships are intended for applicants planning to pursue doctoral degrees.

Program Progression Chart

PhD Progression Chart

FAQ

Do I have to register in the semester or summer after I've completed my dissertation?

According to the Office of Graduate Studies Graduate Handbook, a student is not required to register for classes that semester if the Thesis Clerk approves their dissertation before the last day to add a course in the subsequent semester or summer and you file for graduation.

Do I have to enroll in both summer sessions?

1st-year doctoral students are required to register for six (6) credit hours during their first summer term in Mays Business School. Any combination of semesters is acceptable.

2nd year and beyond (in-residence) doctoral student summer registration is based on summer funding and immigration requirements for international students. Registration is only required if funded and must meet the University’s minimum requirement.

International students should always contact International Student Services (845-1825) to determine the minimum number of credit hours required depending on the type of visa held.

If I'm on assistantship, can I enroll in a 3-hour course for SSI and a 3-hour 691 for the 10-week session?

Yes.

Can I have my exam/defense between semesters?

Yes, provided your full Advisory committee is in agreement.

How will I know if my exam schedule has been approved?

For preliminary examinations, your Chair will be sent an approved copy of the exam request. OGS does not send out forms for preliminary exams. Your Chair should send a memo to OGS no later than ten working days after the oral portion of the exam stating the results of the exam. For final examinations, your Chair will be mailed the form to be signed by your AC.

What forms do I have to submit to schedule my exam/defense?

There is not a form for scheduling your exam/defense. A memo from your Chair requesting that you be allowed to schedule your exam/defense is required.

May I submit a petition at the same time I submit my preliminary exam or final defense schedule?

Yes, but you should allow extra processing time.

APPENDIX
Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) Student Forms

OGS Web site http://ogs.tamu.edu
Telephone 979.845.3631

Online Degree Application

Degree Plan Adobe PDF | Microsoft Word
Instructions for filling out Degree Plan
Degree Plan only: once all signatures have been obtained and prior to submitting to OGS – please bring to 413 Wehner (Dean’s Office) for EAD (Executive Associate Dean) approval.

Letter of Intent Adobe PDF | Microsoft Word