Graduate Studies Program Guide

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Graduate Studies Program Guide

RLEM Graduate Studies Program Guidelines

This brief guide is presented as a supplement to the Graduate Catalog, the Graduate Handbook from the Office of Graduate Studies, and other relevant University publications with which you should become thoroughly familiar. The Graduate Handbook is also available on internet. It is the student's responsibility to read and to adhere to all procedures and deadlines established by the Office of Graduate Studies and Department of Rangeland Ecology & Management. Remind your advisor to check his/her Graduate Advisor's Handbook for answers to questions on regulations, protocol, forms, and deadlines. The Office of Graduate Studies home page contains pointers to forms you will need during your graduate program and to other URL's helpful to graduate students.

Heather Haliburton, maintains an active list of RLEM Graduate Student email addresses. Please be sure to get email addresses to Heather as soon as possible so that you can be quickly and conveniently notified of important deadlines, changes in policy, jobs, seminars, etc.. If you have questions regarding RLEM department policy, protocol or procedures, or if you have suggestions for enhancing the Graduate Program in RLEM, feel free to schedule an appointment with Dr. Kothmann, Heather Haliburton, or with the Department Head, Dr. Whisenant.

Graduate Advisory Committee (GAC)

The Graduate Advisory Committee's major role is to offer guidance on study design and interpretation of results. A student should select a Graduate Advisory Committee by the end of the first long semester. The committee must be selected from members of the TAMU Graduate Faculty. Students working with off-campus research faculty must have an on-campus RLEM academic co-chair.

For M.Agr. and M.S. degrees, the committee shall consist of no fewer than three members of the Graduate Faculty, including the advisor. At least one member must be from a department other than RLEM, and cannot hold a joint appointment in RLEM.

Doctoral committees must have at least four members of the Graduate faculty, including the advisor(s). At least one member must be from a department other than RLEM, and cannot hold a joint appointment in RLEM.

A student may petition to change advisors and committee members.

Degree Plan

A degree plan listing formal course work, seminars, and research and thesis hours should be developed with and approved by the student's GAC. Courses on degree plans will vary among students depending upon their background and career objectives. The degree plan is a contract between the student and his/her GAC. It is in the student's best interest to have the degree plan approved as soon as possible, preferably within the first or second semester. Degree plans must be filed with the Office of Graduate Studies before registration/pre-registration for a fifth term or no later than 90 days prior to the preliminary exam for Ph.D. students, or before registration/pre-registration for a third term and no later than 90 days prior to the final exam for M.S. students.

The Office of Graduate Studies will accept only official degree plans and petition forms downloaded from the OGS web site. Degree plans and petitions completed on unofficial versions will be returned to the students and not processed. The forms downloaded from the web site have a watermark when printed.

The degree plan form required by the Office of Graduate Studies must be completed according to strict protocol defined in the Graduate Handbook. Be sure all portions of the form are completed and signed. RLEM courses are to be listed first, followed by courses in other departments. Departments must be listed in alphabetical order and courses within a department in numerical order. An example of how to complete a degree plan is provided in the Graduate Handbook published by the Office of Graduate Studies. Contact the Office of Graduate Studies if you have questions.

A student's program should emphasize graduate-level work, but undergraduate course work may be required to address academic deficiencies, particularly for research skills and techniques. The University limits the amount of undergraduate courses for the M.S. to 8 credit hours. If critical deficiencies exist, the GAC may require a student to take additional undergraduate courses that will not contribute to degree requirements. Department head approval is required before a graduate student can put a 900-level course on their degree plan. M.Ag. and MS-nonthesis students will typically take at least 31 hours of formal courses plus additional internship, problems and seminar hours. MS-thesis and Ph.D. students with a MS degree will typically take about 23 and 42 hours of formal courses, respectively.

Minimum Credit Hour Requirements
Master of Science (Non-thesis)	36 credit hours
Master of Science (Thesis)	32 credit hours
Master of Agriculture (Non-thesis) Master of Natural Resource Development (Non-thesis)	36 credit hours 36 credit hours
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)	96 credit hours beyond B.S. or 64 credit hours beyond M.S.

These are minimum hours required by the Department, the College, and the Office of Graduate Studies. Individual advisors may require additional hours depending on the scope of the research problem, previous course work, etc.

See the Graduate Catalog for further specifications, requirements, and limitations regarding degree program requirements.

RLEM does not have a foreign language requirement for the graduate degrees offered.

Seminars

All MS and Ph.D. students are required to register for a minimum of 1 credit hour of RLEM 681 (or other approved 681). Ph.D. students are required to take 1 additional hour of seminar. This additional hour may be satisfied by:

One additional hour of RLEM 681;
1 semester hour of a Professional Development Seminar offered in RLEM;
1 semester hour of a Special Topics Seminars offered in RLEM or other related departments;
Graduate/faculty seminars (1 hr) offered in other departments.*

*In cases where graduate/faculty seminars in other departments are not offered for formal credit, a petition may be submitted to substitute 1 hr of 685 for 1 hr of 681 and earn the 685 hour by participating in the other department's seminar series. Your advisor, or the person in charge of the graduate/faculty seminar program, would serve as the instructor of record.

In addition, all students will present a Final Thesis or Dissertation Research Seminar immediately prior to the final examination. The final defense/seminar must be approved by the department head and Office of Graduate Studies at least 2 weeks prior to the scheduled date. The student should post the date and time of the seminar in the Animal Industries Building and should distribute copies of the seminar announcement to all on-campus RLEM faculty, graduate students, and staff at least one week in advance of the scheduled date. The Graduate Advisory Committee will administer the final oral examination after the seminar audience has been excused.

Teaching Requirements

Laboratory and/or classroom instruction are important components of graduate education. M.S. and Ph.D. students on research assistantships or fellowships are encouraged to teach a minimum of one semester and two semesters, respectively, during their tenure. Students on designated RLEM departmental assistantships must teach every fall and spring semester while they are on the assistantship.

Students supported on departmental teaching assistantships must meet the following criteria: (1) undergraduate GPA of >3.0; (2) GRE of >950; (3) valid drivers license and liablity insurance, (4) van safety course, (5) acceptable driving record, (6) register for 9 hours of coursework that does not conflict with course assigned for teaching, and, for international students (7) passing scores in all sections of the English Language Proficiency Exam (ELPE). ELPE must be taken and all sections passed one month prior to start of semester. The ELPE requirement cannot be waived and is enforced by the COALS Dean regardless of the students' GRE of TOEFL scores. There will be no exceptions to any of these seven requirements.

In 1991 the University enunciated a policy of training for teaching assistants employed as instructors in laboratory or lecture courses. The policy mandated (1) a central training session to be conducted by the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) several times a year; (2) a start-of-semester session in departments or colleges; and (3) a semester-long program, either for credit or not-credit. All three parts of the program were specified in considerable detail, and it was mandated that parts one and two be completed before TA's were allowed to begin classroom duties.

The three-part approach remains valid. All graduate assistants employed by the University in a teaching capacity that entails direct student contact should be provided training experiences before they begin their duties for the first time, both centrally (the program presented by the CTE) and in the department or college. In addition, some form of regularly scheduled ongoing training in the execution of their responsibilities needs to be provided in the department.

The CTE program is offered in advance of the Fall and Spring Terms. It covers the role and nature of a syllabus, the main points in Rules and Regulations, the University policy on sexual harassment, teaching methodology and classroom management. A reporting system will be in place so that departments will be notified whether the designated students have in fact completed the full day.

The Graduate Teaching Academy at Texas A&M University provides educational support to graduate students as they prepare for teaching careers in academia. This interdisciplinary program promotes teaching and learning among graduate students and faculty members. Contact The Office of Graduate Studies or The Center for Teaching Excellence for a listing of current activities and events sponsored by this program.

The primary goals of the TA training program are to ensure that undergraduate students at Texas A&M are provided a high-quality educational experience and to provide graduate students the support and preparation they need, both for their work assignments here and as a foundation for their subsequent careers.

Retention

Graduate students are required to maintain a 3.0 GPR. A student who falls below a 3.0 GPR has one semester to reestablish a satisfactory GPR or face dismissal and/or loss of assistantship funding. Once accepted, a student will be allowed one probationary semester. Standards for students on fellowships or scholarships may be higher. Although a 3.0 GPR is necessary criterion for retention, steady progress toward a degree and commensurate academic accomplishments are also expected. If a student earns a D, F, or U in a course on their degree plan, it must be repeated and a C or S achieved. Both grades will remain on the student's record and both will be used to compute the GPR.

Time Limits

All degree requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. must be completed within a period of seven and ten consecutive years, respectively. Course work which is over 7 (M.S.) and 10 (Ph.D.) calendar years old may not be applied toward these degrees. A student has one calendar year after the final oral exam to submit the thesis or dissertation.

Residency Requirements

M.S. students must take 9 hrs (any combination of formal class or research credit) here on the College Station campus. M.Ag. students must complete 12hrs on the College Station campus. Ph.D. students must register for 2 consecutive semesters (Fall/Spring, Spring/Summer, or Summer/Fall) of 9 hrs each (any combination of formal class or research credit) here on the College Station campus.

Minimum Registration

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (COALS) requires graduate students to be registered for a minimum of 1 credit hour each fall semester, spring semester, and 10-week summer session or both 5-week summer sessions. This rule applies to all students actively using Texas A&M University System facilities or faculty/staff time on the main campus and/or off-campus Experiment/Extension Stations.

Students registering after the deadline published in the class schedule book each semester will be required to pay a late fee of up to $200.

Any condition that requires a higher minimum registration would supersede COALS' minimum registration standard. For example, students with Texas A&M University teaching or research assistantships must be registered for 9 hours during the spring and fall semesters and for 6 hours in the 10-week summer term (or 3 hours for each 5-week summer session). Additional requirements for students with loans, fellowships, visas, etc. may exist.

When a graduate or professional student holding a graduate assistantship q-drops courses which result in the student being registered for less that the required minimum number of hours (ie., currently 9 in Fall and Spring semesters), the student shall not be required to add additional hours to replace the dropped hours IF the student q-drops after the 12th class day. Said student could maintain their graduate assistant position with a memo supporting the q-drop signed by their academic department head and their Graduate Dean.

A graduate or professional student will be eligible to hold a graduate assistantship in the summer so long as the student has registered for a minimum total of six hours. This six hours requirement must be met by enrollment in either the 10 week session and/or in 5 week sessions. Whereas the total must equal 6 hours, this total can be fulfilled by any contribution of hours with a minimum of 1 credit hour in any one session. If a student holds an assistantship for only one 5 week session, the student must register for a minimum of 3 credit hours in that session.

Students should be aware that less than full-time registration in summer:

may cause loan deferement classification;
will cause INS compliance problems for international students;
may not qualify them for reduced automobile insurance coverage;
may not qualify them for personal health insurance coverage.

Please consider these and other possible implications when attempting to drop below the minimum hour requirements for full-time classification.

Contact the Office of Graduate Studies if you have questions.

All graduate students are required to maintain continuous registration (even those without assistantships) until they complete all requirements for graduation, unless a specific leave of absence is granted to a student (in writing) by the Department.

If final thesis/dissertation corrections have been submitted to the thesis clerk before the last day to register in a given semester, registration is not required.

Doctoral Preliminary Examinations

A formal preliminary examination is required for the Ph.D., but it will not be given to any student whose current GPR is less than 3.0. The Graduate Advisory Committee (GAC) may administer the preliminary exam when the student is within approximately 6 credit hours of completing formal courses specified on the degree plan. The preliminary examination must be given no later than the semester following the completion of the formal course work on the degree plan.

The GAC chair and the student must complete a Preliminary Examination Checklist and submit it along with the examination results to the Office of Graduate Studies.

Preliminary examinations will cover all areas within the scope of the student's doctoral program. They usually will involve a written exam from each advisory committee member, followed by an oral exam administered by the committee as a whole. A unanimous affirmative vote by the GAC is required for a student to pass the preliminary examination. Students who do not graduate within 4 years of their preliminary exam will be required to retake the exam.

A student's GAC and the Office of Graduate Studies may grant permission for one re-examination to a student who has failed the preliminary exam. A period of at least six months must elapse before the retest may take place.

Thesis / Dissertation Research Proposal

The research proposal represents a contract between the student and his/her GAC. The student should work with his/her advisor to develop the research proposal and should submit it to the Graduate Advisory Committee and to the Office of Graduate Studies for approval during the first year of study. A title page provided by the Office of Graduate Studies must be signed by the student, by all members of the Advisory Committee, and by the Department Head (and by the Graduate Council Representative for doctoral prospects). One copy of the proposal with signed title page and three copies of the signed title page only must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies. Copies should also be given to members of the GAC. Research involving human or animal subjects require additional special approval forms.

The narrative of the research proposal should be about 10 pages in length and should contain: (1) a concise statement of the problem, goals, objectives, and hypotheses; (2) a review and critique of current and relevant literature; (3) site description, experimental design, and research methodology; and (4) a time line for data collection, analysis, and writing.

The Graduate Advisory Committee should approve the proposal before the student begins the research. The student should report regularly to the advisor and to the advisory committee regarding research progress in order to avoid last minute surprises or misunderstandings and to gain approval of any redirection.

The proposal should include the following:

Justification and rationale: Summarize previous research on the subject, provide specific literature citations, identify particular problems that your study will help resolve.
Statement of hypothesis: Specify questions your research is designed to answer.
Objectives: Specify what you will accomplish to test your hypothesis; define the limits of the proposed study.
Procedure: Identify methods to be used to accomplish objectives including data analysis.
Budget: Where practical, construct a budget for experience, but do not include it in the OGS copy.

Thesis / Dissertation Protocol

Deadline dates for filing with the Thesis Clerk are announced each semester in the Office of Graduate Studies Calendar. Format instructions for these documents are available in the "Thesis Manual" which may be purchased at the Library Copy Center or at other locations on and off campus. The research project should be designed to produce a publishable product for a refereed journal. Students are encouraged to organize the document into chapters which represent stand-alone publications.

A polished draft of the thesis/dissertation in proper format should be delivered to the Graduate Advisory Committee for review only after the student and the advisor have agreed upon technical and editorial content. Committee members have the right to reject documents with grammatical errors or papers that fail to meet high standards of scientific style. Signatures can be obtained on the thesis/dissertation only when changes recommended by the committee have been incorporated.

Receipts for all applicable fees must be presented to the Thesis Clerk before the document will be accepted. Any theses or dissertations deemed unacceptable by the Thesis Clerk will be returned to the student's department head. These manuscripts must be corrected and resubmitted as a new document, and all original submission deadlines must be met in order for the student to graduate that semester. Therefore, students should schedule an appointment with the Thesis Clerk for review of an early draft and for guidance regarding acceptable documents.

The TAMU Writing Center (phone: (979) 458-1455) is a free resource available to graduate students in need of consultation at any stage of the writing process. A wide range of services are available to assist with the preparation of theses and dissertations.

Final Examination

Formal application for a graduate degree must be filed in the Office of Graduate Studies no later than 90 days prior to the end of the semester, or 30 days prior to the end of the summer term in which the student expects to complete his or her requirements for graduation. To be eligible to take the final examination, a student's GPR must be at least 3.00, and there must be no unabsolved grades of D, F or U for any course on the degree plan.

Although the final oral exam tends to focus on the thesis, dissertation, or M.Agr. report, additional issues may be addressed as a follow-up to the preliminary exams (Ph.D. candidates) or as an outgrowth of the discussion of the student's research or professional activity. The final exam is to be scheduled only after the Graduate Advisory Committee agrees that the thesis, dissertation, or professional paper is ready for defense. All students must schedule a final Thesis or Dissertation defense seminar in conjunction with the final oral exam (see Seminars section).

A student must make formal degree application to the Office of Graduate Studies and must be admitted to candidacy before the final oral exam can be scheduled. The degree application and fee must be submitted within the first week of the semester in which the final examination is to be taken. See the graduate Catalog for specific deadlines. Students must also be registered in the University in the semester or summer session in which the final examination is taken. Check with the Thesis Clerk for deadlines regarding submission of final copy of theses and dissertations after completion of oral examination. A student who has a current GPR less than 3.0 is not eligible to take the final oral examination.

A memo requesting permission to conduct the final oral examination must be sent to the Office of Graduate Studies at least two weeks prior to the proposed date and only after all graduate Advisory Committee members issue approval to schedule. Requests for scheduling which include a petition for changes to the degree plan or to the advisory committee must be submitted at least 5 weeks prior to the requested date.

A unanimous affirmative vote by the GAC is required for a student to pass the final examination.

Submission of Thesis or Dissertation

To meet deadlines for graduation, students need to begin the final defense process months in advance.

Due to the size of this department, faculty normally serve on a number of graduate committees, both as advisors and as committee members. Thus, faculty members often have multiple proposals, theses, and dissertations to review each semester, typically near the end of the semester. In addition, the department head and/or a designated representative must review all documents before they are sent to the Office of Graduate Studies. The student should allow adequate time for review of these documents and sufficient time for corrections to be made.

Students should be in close contact with advisory committee members so that travel schedules, etc. can be accommodated and planning adjusted accordingly. It is the student's responsibility to initiate and to coordinate this process. Professional courtesy dictates that ample time be allowed for each step in the process if academic standards are to be maintained. It is inappropriate for students to pressure Graduate Advisory Committee members to short-circuit this process to meet graduation deadlines.

The student should schedule time for the following sequence of steps:

Student submits draft of document to major professor. Allow at least 2 weeks for review.
Major professor returns draft to student for revision. Normally, several drafts will be required to produce a document acceptable to the Graduate Advisory Committee.
Student meets with Thesis Clerk to clarify style and format requirements.
Student makes formal application for the degree in the Office of Graduate Studies. Applications must be submitted within the first week of the semester in which the final examination is to be taken. See Graduate Catalog for deadlines.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 until major professor agrees to send document to Graduate Advisory Committee and Department Head. Allow 2 weeks for GAC review.
After each member of the GAC has approved the document's general form and content, the major professor requests permission from the Office of Graduate Studies to conduct the final oral exam.
Student posts defense seminar announcement at least one week in advance of the proposed final oral exam date.
Upon approval of the Office of Graduate Studies, the thesis/dissertation seminar is presented, and the oral exam is held.
Students passing the final oral exam may be required to make additional changes to the thesis/dissertation document before the GAC gives final approval. A student who fails the oral exam may request permission to retake the final exam after a 6-month waiting period.
Student submits the thesis/dissertation complete with GAC and Department Head approval signatures and receipts for all applicable fees to the Thesis Clerk for inspection.
Thesis Clerk may return documents not in compliance with style standards for revision.

General Time Line
Steps 1-5	4 to 12 weeks
Step 6	2 to 3 weeks
Steps 7-8	2 to 3 weeks
Step 9	1 to 2 weeks
Steps 10-11	1 to 2 weeks
Total	10 to 22 weeks

As indicated, 10 to 22 weeks (2 to 5+ months) are typically required to meet graduate deadlines after completion of the first draft of the thesis/dissertation document.

Publication of Research

Students are encouraged to submit findings from their research to refereed journals and should discuss order of authorship with their major professor and with relevant parties early in their program. Scientific publication will greatly enhance a student's career opportunities and are an important return on investments of faculty, Departmental, and University resources into graduate education.

In many cases, the grants and contracts which support a student's project stipulate timely publication of research results. Faculty members responsible for acquiring these funds may, therefore, have professional and/or legal obligations to publish. Data collected from research sponsored by grants, assistantships, and departmental projects are the property of the Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management.

The major professor will assume control of research results and make final decision on re-directing authorship for students who do not make a reasonable attempt to publish within six months of their defense. Students may publish portions of their thesis/dissertation prior to the final oral exam. Permission for prior publication should be obtained from the GAC and from the Office of Graduate Studies via petition.

The TAMU Writing Center is a free resource available to assist in the preparation of journal articles and other publications. Some useful advice on the preparation of publications (and theses/dissertations) has also been published in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America (June 1995, pp. 86-90).

Other RLEM Policies & Procedures

Graduate students who have department-funded assistantships are considered to be staff, and, as such, must abide by University regulations relating to faculty/staff work schedules, holidays, sick leave, travel, etc. Most assistantship positions are eligible for benefits through the University. Benefits will be explained to you by the University Personnel Office. Note that students on fellowships are often not considered employees of the University and, therefore, may not be covered by University insurance. Such students may also be required to fill out special forms in order to be reimbursed for travel expenses, etc.

For insurance purposes, travel by graduate students on University business requires an approved Travel and Leave Form. You may obtain information about Travel and Leave Forms from the RLEM Administrative Assistant.

Copy and FAX machines are for RLEM department business only; they are not for any student's class work or personal use. Use of University mail services or long-distance phone calls for personal matters is prohibited. Use of secretarial staff or equipment for work related to degree plans, proposals, dissertations, theses, or professional papers is also prohibited. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with rules pertaining to use of University vehicles and equipment. Personal use of University vehicles is strictly prohibited and is a violation of State law.

All faculty, staff and graduate students have assigned mailboxes in the copy room near the Main Office. If you are going to be out of town for several days, please arrange for someone to retrieve the mail from your box and store it. If you will be gone for an extended time period, please leave a forwarding address so that your mail can be sent on to you.

Parking regulations are strictly enforced on campus. Failure to pay fines can result in registration blocks, denial of permission to conduct prelim exams and defenses, withholding of transcripts and diplomas, etc. Be sure to familiarize yourself with current rules and protocol. When it is necessary to use the loading zone near the Animal Industries Building for Departmental business, be sure to activate the emergency flashers; and, do not leave the vehicle in the loading zone for more than 15 minutes.

Graduate Student Mini-Grant Program

The primary purpose of this program is to support graduate student research. A secondary purpose is to help defray travel expenses of Ph.D. students attending professional meetings to present research papers. Research awards are limited to $500; travel support is limited to $400. Deadlines for spring semester is October 15, deadline for summer is March 15, and deadline for fall semester is July 15. Applicants must have an approved dissertation or thesis proposal on file and be enrolled for at least 9 semester hours (4 if in absentia). Students receiving previous awards are not eligible. Click here for more information.

Graduate Student Organization

The RLEM Graduate Student Organization (GSO) is an extension of a campus-wide association that functions as liaison between graduate students, faculty, and administration. Officers (president, secretary/treasurer, and faculty representative) are nominated and elected annually. A GSO representative attends faculty committee meetings and has input regarding issues that impact graduate students. Other GSO activities have included organization and acquisition of computer facilities, coordination of graduate student travel to professional meetings, and establishment of a graduate student seminar program.

Summary of Deadlines

The following is a general outline of steps and time sequence a student must follow to be awarded a graduate degree from RLEM.

Select Graduate Advisory Committee and finalize a degree plan by end of first or second long semester.
Develop research proposal with advisor's assistance, and submit it to GAC and OGS before end of second long semester for M.S. and before end of third long semester for Ph.D.
Begin research after GAC approves proposal.
Ph.D. students take preliminary examination within 6 hours of completing formal degree plan course work, or within one semester thereafter.
Make formal application for degree with Office of Graduate Studies according to schedules issued each semester by the Office of Graduate Studies.
Submit draft of thesis/dissertation document to advisor for evaluation and input.
Meet with Thesis Clerk after return of document from major professor.
Present polished draft of thesis/dissertation to GAC only after major advisor agrees the document is ready.
Schedule final oral exam after GAC has approved document.
Submit GAC-approved copy of thesis/dissertation to Department Head.
Advertise defense seminar.
Pass final oral exam.
Submit thesis/dissertation to the Thesis Clerk.
Schedule an exit meeting with the Department Head.
Submit journal article(s) within 6 months of final examination.