Overview
In extenuating circumstances, some university requirements may be requested to be waived via a Waivers and Exceptions Long Form Petition. This petition is submitted through DPSS. The most common examples are listed below.
Requesting a Leave of Absence
You can initiate a leave of absence request by submitting a Waivers and Exceptions petition through the Document Processing Submission System (DPSS). A leave of absence will be granted for one year, and only under conditions that require the suspension of all activities associated with pursuing the degree. For certain types of approved leave, such as medical, the time period for completing the degree will stop with the leave and begin when the student returns to the program. Other types of leave may not stop the time limit for the degree. Consult your program’s graduate academic advisor for details.
If you are a pregnant or parenting student who would like to request a leave of absence, please do not submit your request through DPSS. Instead, please contact the Title IX office at TIX.Pregnancy@tamu.edu, (979) 845-8116, or the main Title IX phone number at (979) 485-8407. For more information related to pregnancy and parenting accommodations, please see the Title IX webpage.
Waive the Residence Requirement
Students who are employed full-time while completing their degree may request to waive the residence requirement. In order to be considered for this, students are required to submit a Petition for Waivers and Exceptions along with a letter from their employer. This letter should indicate that they are a “full-time” employee with their dates of hire to the Graduate and Professional School.
Unapply Research Courses from Previous Degree
All research courses taken during the span of one graduate degree will be applied to the first degree earned. In some cases, students will have pursued multiple research projects simultaneously and some of these research hours will need to be able to be used on a subsequent degree. This is most common for students who graduate from a secondary degree program while pursuing a doctoral degree.
To do so, a Waiver and Exception Long Form Petition should be submitted with the “other” category to apply G7 hours to the G8 degree. All courses listed should include the course prefix, number, semester taken, and hours.
Register for Excess Hours in a Semester
Students are allowed to enroll in a maximum of 15 hours during the Fall/Spring Semesters, 6 hours for each Summer session, and 10 hours during the 10-week summer session. The dean of a college/school can approve (and register) students for 18 hours (fall/spring), 9 hours (5-week summer sessions), and 15 hours (10-week session). Registration in addition to the 18, 9, and 15 hours – respectively – will require the Graduate and Professional School approval by submitting a Long Form Petition for Waivers and Exceptions that includes the number of hours, the coursework to be taken, and the semester.
Fall and Spring semesters:
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To register for 16-18 hours: |
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To register for 19 or more hours |
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The student must have the approval of their Dean and the excess hours will be added to their registration in the Dean's Office. Some colleges may have an arrangement for the Registrar's Office to add the excess hours. |
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The student must submit a petition for exception to the Graduate and Professional School. The excess hours will be added to the student's registration by the Graduate and Professional School. |
Summer Term
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The student's Dean's office may approve the following excess registration and will register the student for the excess hours. |
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The following excess registration must be requested by petition for exception to the Office of Graduate Studies. The excess hours will be added by the Office of Graduate Studies. |
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10-week term |
13-15 hours |
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10-week term |
> 15 hours |
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5-week term |
7-9 hours |
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5-week term |
> 9 hours |
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The combination of hours in the 10-week term and 5-week terms may not exceed 9 hours in either half of the summer (i.e., 5-wk hrs. + 1/2 10-wk hrs. < or = 9 hrs). |
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Any combinations of hours in the 10-week term and 5-week terms that exceed 9 hrs in either half of the summer (i.e., 5-wk hrs. + 1/2 10-wk hrs. > 9 hrs). |
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Time Limits Long Form Petition
All degrees have time limits that affect various requirements:
- Completed Final Examinations expire after 1 year
- Completed Preliminary Examinations expire after 4 years
- Coursework applying to a Master’s degree expires after 7 years
- Coursework applying to a Doctoral degree expires after 10 years
Under extenuating circumstances, these time limits can be extended up to 1 year at a time via a Time Limits Long Form petition. This request should be submitted before the expiration or shortly thereafter. The petition should contain a brief description of the circumstances requiring the extended time.
Any approved extensions will notate whether any future extensions will be considered.