Graduate Academic Policies

Students should review this section of the catalog entitled “Academic Regulations” for rules that apply to all graduate programs.

• Class Attendance
• Class Policies
• General Requirements for Graduation With a Master’s Degree
• Grades
• Registration
  • Normal Course Load
• Schedule Changes
• Student Records

Change of Grade 

After being reported to the Registrar, grades may not be changed unless an error has been made by the instructor. Students should review their end of semester final grades closely to ensure their accuracy. If an error or discrepancy should occur, the student should contact the appropriate professor and/or the Office of the Registrar immediately for resolution. It is recommended that those changes occur no later than the beginning of the next semester. Under no circumstances will grades be changed after one calendar year.

Scholastic Probation

A graduate student pursuing a specific program is placed on scholastic probation if, at the end of either long semester or the second summer session, the cumulative grade point average of the student falls below 3.0. Students placed on scholastic probation are required to seek academic advising before registering for classes for the following term. Students placed on scholastic/ academic probation are not eligible for graduate assistantship appointments. If the student's cumulative grade point average is not restored to a 3.0 or better by the end of the next full semester that the student enrolls (combined summer terms count as one full semester), the student will be placed on academic dismissal and will be dropped from any courses they are registered for in any following semesters.

Academic Dismissal

The graduate student placed on academic dismissal for the first time must sit out for one complete semester (combined summer terms count as one full semester) before being permitted to petition for reinstatement to the program they were pursuing. An appeal packet for reinstatement must be submitted for review by the dean of the college for the program of study they were pursuing. The appeal deadlines are as follows:

• Fall: June 15^th
• Spring: October 15^th
• Summer: March 15^th

All appeal paperwork and documentation must be submitted before the deadline(s) listed above in order for the appeal packet to be reviewed. Appeal decisions are made by the Academic Suspension committee of each College and are final.

As part of an approved re-admission appeal packet, all students are required to develop, in consultation with their assigned graduate advisor, a student success plan. Once reinstated from academic dismissal, the graduate student must demonstrate that they successfully restored their academic standing to a 3.0 grade point average or better within one semester in order to continue towards degree program completion at the university.

If the student fails to restore their GPA to a 3.0 or better during their probation semester, the student will be academically dismissed from Graduate Studies at A&M-SA. Individual academic programs may also apply more restrictive criteria regarding probation and dismissal. Also, students will be dismissed from their graduate program for having failed twice the comprehensive examination for their graduate degree. Dismissal from an academic program will result in dismissal from A&M-SA.

Students dismissed from the university due to scholastic probation and subsequent academic dismissal have to wait for a period of three years before they can apply to any graduate programs at A&M-SA.

1. Change of Admission/Semester/Term
2. Change of Major/Concentration/Catalog Year
3. Graduate Student Petition for Substitution/Transfer of Classes/5 Year Limits
4. Petition for Graduate Reinstatement
5. Application to Qualify for Resident Tuition Based on Employment

Instructors are responsible for determining the curriculum of a course, for developing appropriate methods of evaluating student learning, for evaluating fairly, for upholding academic standards, and for enforcing policies concerning academic honesty. Decisions made by instructors regarding the quality or honesty of student work – especially decisions about course grades – are, as a matter of routine, accepted as authoritative and cannot be overturned by administrative officers. Students, however, have a right to expect instructors to have defensible course policies and to implement them in a reasonable, equitable manner.

Students who believe that they have grounds for challenging an instructor's decision regarding academic issues – excepting those pertaining to matters of academic freedom – may appeal using the procedure outlined below. Please note, if a student wishes to dispute a course grade due to violations of academic misconduct, they must go through the Academic Misconduct Process only.

Except under unusual circumstances, the entire process outlined below should be completed within 30 days from the student's request for an explanation of the grade or, for final grades, within 30 days from the date the grade was posted to the student's transcript. Grade changes will not be accepted after one academic year. The process is as follows:

1. The student should first write an email to the instructor to request an explanation of their reasons for assigning the grade. This begins the 30 day period for the entire process to be completed.
2. If the student is not satisfied with that explanation and wants to move forward with an appeal, the student must write letter of appeal to the instructor stating clearly their objection to the grade received and requesting a different grade. This letter should be submitted via email as soon as possible after the decision has been made.
3. If the instructor refuses to alter their decision or grade, the student may then submit a written letter outlining their objections to the instructor’s Department Chair or immediate academic supervisor (hereafter, “Chair” will be used to mean either the Department Chair or the immediate academic supervisor). This letter should be submitted via email as soon as possible after the response from the instructor. If the Chair believes that the student’s claims may have merit, the Chair would discuss the matter with the instructor.
4. If the student is not satisfied with the Chair’s assessment of the issue, the student may then request a review of the decision by writing to the Dean. The decision of the Dean is final.

Graduate degree candidates must obtain clearance and complete a Degree Candidacy form at the Office of Academic Affairs.  Clearance to graduate follows recommendation by the official graduate advisor(s) to the Graduate Studies.  Students may apply for candidacy with the Graduate Studies six months in advance of the day of graduation by presenting a signed, final degree plan.

Final Degree Plan

Once a final degree plan has been submitted to the Graduate Studies for candidacy completion, the final degree plan cannot be changed during the semester of candidacy without the review and written permission from the Graduate Studies.

Comprehensive Examination(s)

Each graduate student must demonstrate proficiency in the major subject (and supporting field area if it includes nine semester hours or more) by passing comprehensive examinations approved by the appropriate graduate coordinator(s) and administered by the student's program committee. 

The comprehensive examination(s) and thesis defense should be completed no later than the first week of April (for May candidates), July (for August candidates), and November (for December graduates).

Comprehensive Exam deadlines, instructions and information are provided on the University website, the Graduate Studies.

The Master’s Thesis 

Thesis 5306 is used solely by Plan I students.  The thesis requires 6 semester credit hours of grades, the first 3 semester credit hours consisting of a proposal, and the last 3 semester credit hours consisting of a thesis.  The student should be enrolled in 5306 during semesters or summer terms when the student receives supervision from the research advisor or thesis committee or receives a research stipend. Students who complete two semesters of thesis and need to continue in a thesis course can choose to enroll in GRAD 5101, a thesis continuation course.

A thesis proposal signed by the student and the thesis committee constitutes the minimum requirement for the student to receive a letter grade on the first three hours of thesis credits.

The Graduate Studies must review each thesis submission. This review ensures that all theses meet university guidelines regarding the thesis's formatting, structure, and composition.  Instructions concerning the form to be used and details to be followed in preparing the thesis may be obtained from the Graduate Studies.

The final graduate thesis is submitted to the Graduate Studies via Digital Commons https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/masters_theses/ on or before the published deadline. Deadlines for submitting completed theses are typically three weeks before the end of the semester. Specific deadlines are published on the Graduate Studies Website.

Research activities involving live animals, biohazards, or human subjects must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate Texas A&M University–San Antonio regulatory research committee (i.e., IRB, IACUC, IBC) before the activity can commence. This requirement applies to activities conducted at A&M-SA and at non-A&M-SA facilities or institutions. In both cases, students are responsible for working with the relevant A&M-SA research compliance program to ensure and document that all A&M-SA compliance obligations are met before the study begins. Specific forms, instructions, and additional information are provided online: https://www.tamusa.edu/academics/research-and-graduate-studies/research-compliance/index.html.   

Plan I-A (with thesis, major, and supporting field):

1. Thirty semester hours of approved graduate courses, with 18 to 24 semester hours (including 6 hours of Thesis 5306 research) in a major subject area and 6 to 12 semester hours in a supporting field subject area, are required.  The supporting field may be divided between two subject areas, with 6 semester hours each.
2. At least 24 of the 30 semester hours must be in graduate-level courses.  No more than three semester hours of credit for special problems courses (other than the thesis courses) may be accepted unless the special problem course is identified as a repeatable course when the topic changes.  No credit extension or correspondence courses will be accepted.
3. A research thesis must be prepared under the direction of the professor in the major subject area, who is also the student's thesis committee chair.  A thesis proposal approved by the thesis committee chair must be completed for a grade to be assigned in the first 3 hours of Thesis 5306.  The thesis must be accepted by a committee consisting of the committee chair, at least one other professor from the major area, and one professor from the supporting field area (or one from each of the supporting field areas).
4. The student will make an oral defense of the thesis before the committee no later than five weeks before commencement.

Plan I-B (with the thesis and major):

Thirty semester hours of approved graduate courses, with at least 24 semester hours (including 6 hours of Thesis 5306 research) in a major subject area are required.
At least 24 of the 30 semester hours must be in 5000-level courses.  No more than 3 semester hours of credit for special problems courses (other than the thesis courses) may be accepted.  No credit for extension or correspondence courses will be accepted.
A research thesis must be prepared under the direction of the professor in the major subject area who serves as the student's thesis committee chair.  A thesis proposal approved by the program chair must be completed for a grade to be assigned in the first 3 hours of Thesis 5306.  The thesis must be accepted by a committee consisting of the program chair and at least two other professors from the major area.
The student will make an oral defense of the thesis before the committee no later than five weeks before commencement.

Graduate Research Projects

Course number 5305 may be used for the selection, planning, and conduct of a research project to fulfill research requirements under Plan II and Plan III programs.  The graduate research project requires a grade in 3 semester credit hours of 5305 or other courses identified by the degree plan. The student should be enrolled in 5305 during semesters or summer terms when the student is receiving supervision from the research advisor or graduate research committee or is receiving a research stipend.

For Plan II, the graduate research project must be approved and signed by a committee consisting of the program chair and at least one other professor from the major area.  For Plan III, the graduate research project must be approved and signed by the program chair.  In both Plan II and Plan III, the graduate research projects must have the department chair's signature.  One copy of the approved research project will be placed in the student's file in the program department. 

In Progress (IP) grades are assigned in 5305 when appropriate until a letter grade is assigned. IP grades remain indefinitely on a student's transcript and cannot be changed with a change-of-grade card.  Students must be actively enrolled in 5305 to receive the letter grade. 

Plan II (with major and supporting field):

1. Thirty to thirty-six semester hours of approved graduate courses, with 21 to 24 semester hours in a major subject area and 12 to 15 semester hours in a supporting field subject area, are required.  The supporting field may be divided between two subject areas, with at least 6 semester hours in each.
2. At least 21 semester hours in the major subject area and at least 9 semester hours in the supporting field subject area must be in 5000-level courses.  Without special permission from all members of the student's committee and the graduate director, no more than 6 semester hours of credit for special problems courses may be accepted.  No more than 6 semester hours of credit for extension courses of this University may be accepted.
3. A research project, produced as a major assignment in a 3-hour 5000-level, research-titled course (which may be a special problems course) or Research Project 5305 in a major subject area, is required.

Plan III (with major and resource areas):

1. Thirty to thirty-six semester hours of approved graduate courses, with at least 24 hours in a major subject area. (This plan requires resource areas rather than supporting field subject areas.  A resource area consists of no more than 6 semester hours of graduate credit in a concentrated area.)
2. At least 27 of the 36 semester hours must be 5000-level courses.  Without special permission from the appropriate graduate coordinator and the graduate division, no more than 6 semester hours of credit for special problems courses may be accepted.  No more than 6 semester hours of credit for extension courses offered by A&M-San Antonio may be accepted.
3. A research project, produced as a major assignment in a 3-hour 5000-level, research-titled course (which may be a special problems course) or Research Project 5305 in the major subject area, is required.

Graduate Internships

The requirement for a student to complete a graduate internship varies by college and degree program. You should consult with your assigned graduate advisor to determine if you are required to complete an internship as part of your degree program or if it simply would be beneficial for your professional and academic growth.

Internships for academic credit will require submission of an internship application packet and supporting documentation to the graduate internship coordinator for the respective College and Program. Please speak to the graduate internship coordinator for the respective deadlines for submission of the internship packet and registration process.

The Mays Center for Experiential Learning and Community Engagement provides graduate students assistance with internship search through the use of Handshake software. Please make an appointment with a career advisor for further assistance in creating your Handshake profile and navigating the software.

Application for Degree

Graduate degrees are conferred at the close of each regular semester and second summer session.  Candidates for advanced degrees who expect to complete their work must first seek approval from their graduate advisor/coordinator.  To apply for graduation, students must complete a Graduation application online via JagWire.  It is the student’s responsibility to be informed and meet graduation deadlines published in the Academic Calendar in an earlier section of this Catalog and in the Class Schedule each semester.  A student cannot graduate with an “I” or “F” notation on their academic record in the last semester before graduation.

Use of Official Name on Diploma

Students applying for graduation must use their official name as listed on their permanent record in the Office of the Registrar.  No nicknames or any other informal name will be allowed.  All printed information, including diplomas, will list a student's official name.  Students requesting a name other than their official name on their diploma must change their name on their permanent record.

• Travel Grant Guidelines
• Travel Grant Request Form

• Graduate Assistantship Handbook

• Graduate Faculty Membership Policy
• Graduate Faculty Nominations Form