Graduate Advisor Handbook

Find everything you need to know about working with the Graduate and Professional School, from policies and procedures, to clearance for graduation, in the Grad Advisor Handbook.   

Table of Contents 

1 Graduate and Professional School

• 1.1    Expectations for Graduate Study
• 1.2    Directory Summary
• 1.3    Associate Provost and Dean and Leadership Team
• 1.4    Graduate and Professional School Services
  • 1.4.1    Data and Survey Coordination
  • 1.4.2     Dual Enrollment Graduate Student Special Support
  • 1.4.3     Graduate Student Awards
  • 1.4.4    Graduate Student Professional Development
  • 1.4.5    New Graduate Student Orientation
  • 1.4.6    Graduate Student Ombuds Services
  • 1.4.7    Administrative and Programmatic Support
  • 1.4.8    Graduate Records Processing
  • 1.4.9    Interdisciplinary Degree Graduate Student Special Support
  • 1.4.10    Thesis and Dissertation Services
  • 1.4.11    General Contacts

2 Graduate Administrative Services

• 2.1    Student Recruitment and New Students
  • 2.1.1    Graduate Student Recruiting Best Practices
  • 2.1.2    Suggestions for the Successful Graduate Recruitment of Diverse Students
  • 2.1.3    Recruiting Services from the Graduate and Professional School
• 2.2    Graduate and Professional Student Government
• 2.3    Graduate and Professional Council
• 2.4    Graduate Operations Committee 
• 2.5    Authorized Signers for Colleges or Schools, Departments and Interdisciplinary Degree Programs (IDPs) 
  • 2.5.1    Authorized Signers Form Access
  • 2.5.2    Authorized Signers for the Graduate Committee Faculty Portal
  • 2.5.3    Authorized Signers for the Document Processing Submission System
  • 2.5.4    Authorized Signers on InfoReady for Fellowships and Awards
  • 2.5.5    Graduate Student Records Access
  • 2.5.6    Authorized Signers for Non-Resident Tuition Waivers
• 2.6    Access to Graduate and Professional School Documents in TAMUDocs
• 2.7    Guidelines for Graduate Faculty Membership
  • 2.7.1    Graduate Teaching Faculty
  • 2.7.2    Graduate Committee Faculty
• 2.8    Graduate Committee Faculty Nomination
  • 2.8.1    Graduate Committee Faculty Nomination Entry
  • 2.8.2    Graduate Committee Faculty Membership Change Requests
  • 2.8.3    Nominating Special Appointments
  • 2.8.4    Graduate Committee Faculty Membership Change Requests  
• 2.9    Interdisciplinary Degree Programs (IDPs)
• 2.10  New Special Topics (689) Courses
• 2.11    GradAdvisors LISTSERV
  • 2.11.1    Some examples of LISTSERV appropriate information
  • 2.11.2    Submitting Information to the LISTSERV
  • 2.11.3    Subscribing/Unsubscribing from the LISTSERV
• 2.12    Compass Use
  • 2.12.1    Access
  • 2.12.2    Compass Training
• 2.13    Compass Reports
  • 2.13.1    Access
  • 2.13.2    Graduate and Professional School Use of Compass Reports

3 Graduate Student Funding And Development

• 3.1    Graduate Student Funding Offers Guidelines
• 3.2    Graduate Fellowships and Awards
  • 3.2.1    The Dr. Dionel Avilés ’53 and Dr. James Johnson ’67 Fellowship Program
  • 3.2.2    Award Information
• 3.3    National Fellowships
  • 3.3.1    NSF GRFP
  • 3.3.2    The National GEM Consortium | GEM Fellowship Program
  • 3.3.3    Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship
  • 3.3.4    Graduate Fellowships for STEM Diversity (GFSD)
  • 3.3.5    Fulbright U.S. Student Program
  • 3.3.6   Graduate Recruitment, Enhancement, and Travel (GREAT) Program
• 3.4    Graduate Student Awards
  • 3.4.1    U.S. Senator Phil Gramm Doctoral Award ($5,000)
  • 3.4.2    The Texas A&M Distinguished Dissertation Award and George W. Kunze Endowed Graduate Fellowship ($1,000)
  • 3.4.3    Montgomery Award ($1,000)
  • 3.4.4    Distinguished Graduate Student Awards (Certificate and Watch values at $500)
• 3.5    Other Grants 
  • 3.5.1    Graduate Student Research and Presentation Travel Award
• 3.6    TAMU Graduate Fellowship Nominations and Processing
  • 3.6.1    Call for Nominations/Applications
  • 3.6.2    Nomination Submission Process
  • 3.6.3    Review and Award Process
  • 3.6.4    Reviewer Selection Process
  • 3.6.5    Award Letters
  • 3.6.6    Acceptance Forms
  • 3.6.7    Follow-up and Welcome Letters
  • 3.6.8    Welcome Social
• 3.7    Retention Techniques
• 3.8    Professional Development Opportunities

4 Graduate Student Matriculation Processing

• 4.1    Departmental Role in Document Processing
  • 4.1.1 Document Processing Submission System (DPSS)
  • 4.1.2 Additional Processing Notes
• 4.2    Graduate and Professional School Signature and Approval Requirements for Graduate and Professional Students Documents
• 4.3    Standardized Test Scores
  • 4.3.1    Standardized Test Score is Required for Fall 2024 and Beyond Admissions
• 4.4    English Language Proficiency Requirements
  • 4.4.1    Waivers for Admission
  • 4.4.2    Verification
  • 4.4.3    Certification
  • 4.4.4    Non-Degree Status for International Students
  • 4.4.5    English Language Proficiency Certification - Compliance Procedures
• 4.5    English Language Proficiency Examination
  • 4.5.1    ELPE for International Graduate Students Serving in Teaching Positions
  • 4.5.2    Testing During the Semester
  • 4.5.3    ELPE Results
  • 4.5.4    ELPE Retesting
• 4.6    Center for Teaching Excellence-English Language Proficiency (CTE-ELP) Instruction and English Language Certification
  • 4.6.1 English Language Certification and Teaching-Assistant Eligibility
  • 4.6.2 English Language Proficiency Certification Process
  • 4.6.3 The CTE-ELP Program
  • 4.6.4 CTE-ELP Progress Assessment and ELPE Re-Testing for ELP Certification
• 4.7    TA Training Requirements
  • 4.7.1    Purpose of TATEP
  • 4.7.2    TA Evaluation
• 4.8    Graduate Classifications
  • 4.9.1    G6 Postbaccalaureate Non-degree
  • 4.9.2    G7 Graduate, Master’s
  • 4.9.3    G8
  • 4.9.4    G9 Graduate, Master’s/Doctoral Admitted
• 4.9    Degree Level Change Information
  • 4.9.1    Domestic Students
  • 4.9.2    International Students
  • 4.9.3    Changing from G7 PhD to G8 PhD
  • 4.9.4    Semester Change for Late Classification Changes
• 4.10    Subvention Funding
• 4.11    99-Hour Doctoral Cap
• 4.12    Separation of a Graduate Student for Scholastic Deficiency
• 4.13    Registration
  • 4.13.1    Full-Time Status
  • 4.13.2    Half-Time Status
  • 4.13.3    Continuous Enrollment
  • 4.13.4    Excess Hours
  • 4.13.5    Examinations
  • 4.13.6    Not Registering for Courses in Graduating Semester
  • 4.13.7    Certification of Full-Time Enrollment
  • 4.13.8    Residence Requirement
  • 4.13.9    Undergraduates Registering for Graduate Courses
  • 4.13.10    Leave of Absence
• 4.14    Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirements
  • 4.14.1    Scholastic Requirements
  • 4.14.2    GPA on the Degree Evaluation
  • 4.14.3    Calculating GPAs
  • 4.14.4    Checking GPA without a Degree Plan on File
• 4.15    Degree Plan Information and Filing Degree Plans and Petitions
  • 4.15.1    Online Document Processing Submission System (DPSS
  • 4.15.2    Committee/Staff/Departmental Approvers
  • 4.15.3    Proxy Approvers
  • 4.15.4    Aquiring DPSS Accounts for New Faculty and Staff
  • 4.15.5    Special Appointments and Degree Plans
  • 4.15.6    Miscellaneous DPSS Tips
  • 4.15.7    Transfer Course Work
  • 4.15.8    Verifying Outdated Standardized Test Scores as Official
  • 4.15.9    Petitions
  • 4.15.10  Degree Plan Blocking Criteria
• 4.16    Viewing Degree Evaluations – Graduate Advisors
• 4.17    Viewing Degree Evaluations – Committee Chairs
• 4.18    Research Proposal
• 4.19    Preliminary Examinations
  • 4.19.1    Preliminary Examination for Doctoral Students
  • 4.19.2    Preliminary Examination Format
  • 4.19.3    Preliminary Examination Scheduling
  • 4.19.4    Grading of the Preliminary Exam
  • 4.19.5     Failure and Expiration of Preliminary Exam
• 4.20    Final Examination/Final Defense
  • 4.20.1     Final Examination for Doctoral Students
  • 4.20.2     Grading of Final Exam

5 Financial Processing

• 5.1    Fellowship Payments
  • 5.1.1    Fellowship Payment
  • 5.1.2    NSF GRFP Fellowship and Other National Fellowship Payments
• 5.2    Payment of Tuition and University Required Fees for Graduate Assistants
• 5.3    Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Assistantship Non-Resident Tuition Waivers for Graduate Students
  • 5.3.1    Enrollment Issues
  • 5.3.2    Registration Requirements Graduate Assistantships
  • 5.3.3    Maximum Allowed Graduate Assistant Work Hours Per Term
• 5.4    Graduate Student Health Insurance
  • 5.4.1    Student Insurance
  • 5.4.2    Avilés ’53 and Dr. James Johnson ’67 Fellowship Students
  • 5.4.3    Dissertation Fellowship Students
  • 5.4.4    National Science Foundation – Graduate Research Fellowship Program Students
• 5.5    Graduate Assistantship Titles and Checklist

6 Graduate Admissions Processing

• 6.1    Directory
• 6.2    Items Required by Admissions Office
  • 6.2.1    Applicants Who Are Citizens of the Following Countries Do Not Need to Submit Proof of English Proficiency:
• 6.3    Graduate Confirmation Process
• 6.4    Evaluation and Admission Tools
  • 6.4.1    WebAdMIT
  • 6.4.2    Graduate Tracking Report and Decision Codes
  • 6.4.3    TAMUDocs (http://tamudocs.tamu.edu)
  • 6.4.4    Uploaded Transcripts
  • 6.4.5    Applicant Information System (AIS)
• 6.5    Special Circumstances
  • 6.5.1    TAMU Undergraduates Admitted to Graduate and Professional School
  • 6.5.2    Admission without Final Transcript or Diploma
  • 6.5.3    Readmission to Graduate and Professional School
  • 6.5.4    Admission Deferrals
• 6.6    Graduate Admissions Compass Forms Guide
  • 6.6.1    SPAIDEN- General Person Identification
  • 6.6.2    SOAIDEN – Name search form
  • 6.6.3    SAASUMI – Admissions Application Summary
  • 6.6.4    SAAACKL - Admission Application/Checklist Summary
  • 6.6.5    SOAPCOQ- Prior College and Degree
  • 6.6.6    SOATEST- Test Score Information
  • 6.6.7    SOAHOLD/WOAHOLD- Hold Information
  • 6.6.8    SPACMNT- Person Comment
  • 6.6.9    SOASUPL- Application Supplemental Information
  • 6.6.10    SUAMAIL- Student Mail
  • 6.6.11    GOAINTL- International Information

7 International Student and Scholar Services

• 7.1    Directory
• 7.2    Overview of International Student and Scholar Services
• 7.3    Information about F-1 and J-1 status
• 7.4    Academic Departments and ISSS
• 7.5    Financially Sponsored Students
  • 7.5.1    Identifying a Sponsored International Student
  • 7.5.2    Restrictions
  • 7.5.3    Sponsor Visits

8 Resources And Services For A&M Students Going Abroad

• 8.1    Directory
• 8.2    Passport Services
• 8.3    International Medical Insurance
• 8.4    Texas A&M Education Abroad Programs
  • 8.4.1  Texas A&M Faculty-Led Programs
  • 8.4.2. Exchange Programs 
  • 8.4.3. Non-Degree Programs
  • 8.4.4. Independent Research Abroad
  • 8.4.5. Internships
• 8.5    Scholarships Available for Students
  • 8.5.1    Junior Fulbright
  • 8.5.2    British Marshall
  • 8.5.3    Rhodes
  • 8.5.4    Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship
  • 8.5.5    National Security Education Program (NSEP) – Boren Fellowship
  • 8.5.6    Study Abroad Fellowship 
  • 8.5.7    International Education Fee Scholarship – Graduate and Professional
  • 8.5.8    International Education Fee Study Grant – Graduate and Professional
  • 8.5.9    Patti and Weldon Kruger ’53 scholarship

9 Office Of The Registrar - Student Services Area

• 9.1    Directory
• 9.2    Registration Information
• 9.3    Grade Changes
• 9.4    Full-Time Classification for Internships/Co-Op Experience
• 9.5    Graduate Certificates (Degree Audit)
• 9.6    Graduate Application (Degree Audit)

10 Graduate and Professional School - Student Forms

• 10.1    Special Request Letter
• 10.2    Research Proposal , Preliminary Examination, and Final Examination ARCS guides
• 10.3    Request for Exemption from the Final Examination
• 10.4    Request for Letter of Completion
• 10.5    Letter of Intent
• 10.6    Graduate Student Graduation Cancellation Form
• 10.7    Non-Resident Tuition Waivers
• 10.8    Thesis / Dissertation – Approval of Written Thesis Form
• 10.9    Thesis / Dissertation – Copyright and Availability Form
• 10.10    Graduate Student Research and Presentation Travel Award Application
• 10.11    Graduate Student Research and Presentation Travel Award Reimbursement Form
• 10.12    Request for Fellowship Deferment
• 10.13    Request for Fellowship Reinstatement 

11 Graduate and Professional School - Faculty/Staff Forms

• 11.1    Special Topics (689) Course Requests
• 11.2    Authorized Signatures Forms
  • 11.2.1   College/School Authorized Signers Form
  • 11.2.2   Department Authorized Signers Form
  • 11.2.3   Interdisciplinary Degree Program Authorized Signers Form
• 11.3    English Language Proficiency – Alternative Verification Form
• 11.4    English Language Proficiency – Alternative Certification Form
• 11.5    English Language Proficiency –Emergency Deferral Request Form
• 11.6    Academic Department Approval for Graduate Assistant to Work >50% Effort
• 11.7    Request for Doctoral Student to Add a Secondary Master's Degree Program

The Graduate Advisor Handbook is updated as needed.

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