Texas A&M University Graduate Catalog

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Degree Information

The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Plan

The student's advisory committee will evaluate the student's previous education and degree objectives. The committee, in consultation with the student, will develop a proposed degree plan and outline a research problem which, when completed, as indicated by the dissertation (or its equivalent for the degree of Doctor of Education or the degree of Doctor of Engineering), will constitute the basic requirements for the degree. The degree plan must be filed with the Office of Graduate Studies following the deadline imposed by the student's college (or intercollegiate program, if applicable), and no later than 90 days prior to the preliminary examination.

The proposed degree plan must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies on the standard form (the accepted degree plan format appears on the website at ogs.tamu.edu) with endorsements by the student's advisory committee and the head of the major department. Students in interdisciplinary programs should have endorsements by the student's advisory committee and the chair of the Intercollegiate Faculty. A minimum of 64 hours is required on the degree plan for the Doctor of Philosophy for students who have completed a master's degree. Students who have completed a DVM or a MD at a U.S. institution are also required to complete a minimum of 64 hours. Failure to complete the requirements for the DVM or MD invalidates this 64-hour degree plan and necessitates petitioning to convert to a 96-hour degree plan for the PhD. Students who have completed a baccalaureate degree but not a master's degree will be required to complete a 96-hour degree plan. Completion of DVM or MD degrees at a foreign institution requires completion of a minimum of 96 hours for the Doctor of Philosophy. A field of study may be primarily in one department or in a combination of departments. All degree plans must carry a reasonable amount of 691 (Research).

Additional course work may be added by petition to the approved degree plan by the student's advisory committee if it is deemed necessary to correct deficiencies in the student's academic preparation.

Selected courses offered by The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center--College of Medicine may be used for graduate credit. For a listing of these courses, the student should see the head of his or her major department, the dean of the appropriate college or the Office of Graduate Studies. Approval to enroll in any professional course (900-level) should be obtained from the head of the department (or chair of the intercollegiate faculty, if applicable) in which the course will be offered before including such a course on a degree plan.

No credit may be obtained by correspondence study, by extension or for any course of fewer than three weeks duration.