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

Degree Information

The Degree of Master of Biotechnology

Student’s Advisory Committee

After receiving admission to graduate studies and before enrolling for course work, the student will consult with the Professional Program in the Biotechnology Office. The student’s advisory committee for the master’s degree will consist of no fewer than three members (more than one department must be represented by the members of the advisory committee). The committee chair or co-chair of the advisory committee must be a member of the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology and at least one or more of the members must have graduate faculty membership through another academic program.

The chair, in consultation with the student, will select the remainder of the advisory committee. The chair will then notify the tentative members of the advisory committee, giving the student’s name and field of study, and a request that they consider serving on this committee. The student will interview each prospective committee member to determine whether he or she is willing to serve. The chair of the committee has the responsibility for calling required meetings of the committee, and for calling meetings at any other time considered desirable.

If the chair of the student’s advisory committee is unavailable for an extended time in any academic period during which the student is involved in activities relating to an internship and is registered for 684 courses, the student may request, in writing, that the Program Chair appoint an alternate advisory committee chair during the interim period.

The duties of the committee include responsibility for the proposed degree plan, the professional portfolio and the final oral defense. In addition, the committee, as a group and as individual members, is responsible for counseling the student on academic matters, and, in the case of academic deficiency, initiating recommendations to the Office of Graduate Studies.

The committee members’ signatures on the degree plan indicate their willingness to accept the responsibility for guiding and directing the entire academic program of the student and for initiating all academic actions concerning the student. Although individual committee members may be replaced by petition for valid reasons, a committee cannot resign en masse.