Texas A&M University Graduate Catalog

• Academic Calendar
• Board of Regents
  & System Adminstrative
  Officers
• TAMU Administrative
  Officers
• Office of
  Graduate Studies
• General Information
• Degree Information
• Admission
• Registration & Academic Status
• Tuition, Fees &
  Other Financial Information
• Housing
• Orientation
• Resources for Students
• Texas A&M University at Galveston
• Course Descriptions
• School of
  Rural Public Health
• Faculty
• Appendices

Office of Graduate Studies

Objectives of Graduate Studies

The Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) maintains the official record for each graduate student, and in this role serves as the primary administrative body and overarching source of information for graduate education. Once a graduate student is accepted by an academic department, school or college, OGS assists and facilitates progression towards completion of a graduate degree through maintenance of all official documents. OGS interacts directly with the Graduate Council and Graduate Operations Committee in order to set minimal University guidelines, and all departments and colleges use these as a framework for operation, only setting more stringent standards when needed and appropriate. Clearance for graduation, including final review of theses and dissertations when required, is performed by OGS, but the Office of the Registrar is responsible for issuing all transcripts.

The overall objective of graduate study is to provide students with the intellectual depth and breadth, and appropriate training necessary to pursue productive careers in the professions and in various fields of teaching and research and in other ways make a larger contribution to society than would be otherwise possible.

Graduate students are admitted for graduate study in a department to pursue generally only one of the programs listed on the following pages. Such programs are usually accessible by admission into a single department. However, there are a select number of dual degree programs, which allow a student the opportunity to pursue two masters degrees simultaneously. For a listing of the approved dual degree programs, students should consult their departments. In some cases, an intercollegiate faculty oversees the programs allowing access through several departments. Each department has one or more graduate advisors who can provide information about specific programs within that department.

A student's program of graduate study usually consists of a combination of course work, independent study and scholarly research resulting in a report, record of study, master's thesis or doctoral dissertation. In some programs, students may be required to participate in an internship or other professional activity to satisfy particular degree requirements. Some departments require students' participation in teaching as part of their degree programs.