College of Arts & Sciences

Graduate Degrees Requirements

See Academic Regulations - Graduate Degrees for specific TAMIU regulations.

  • Major/Minor Requirements: Twenty-four to thirty-three hours in a major subject and six to twelve hours in a minor. Minors not currently included as options for the degree will require department and dean approval.
  • Concentrations: Eighteen hours in each of two areas of concentration, where applicable.
  • Admission: No student seeking a graduate degree will be permitted to register for a graduate class until such time that he or she has been admitted to the University. Individuals wishing to take courses for personal growth, etc. may register for up to twelve hours as non-degree seeking. These courses may not be applicable to a degree program.
  • Applicants seeking admission to the Graduate School in the College of Arts and Sciences are encouraged to apply by November 1 for the Spring Semester and July 1 for the Fall Semester.
  • Applicants seeking admission to the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, must complete additional admission requirements before April 30 for Fall Semester.
  • Students wishing to change degrees must re-apply to the University and be accepted for admission by the new degree program.  
  • Prerequisites (Stemwork): Twelve advanced semester hours in the major subject to six advanced semester hours in each minor. The department, however, retains the right to examine the applicant’s prerequisites and to accept certain equivalent hours or to require additional work.
    • The maximum load for a graduate student for a long semester is nine (9) hours. The maximum load for summer school is six (6) hours per session. Any SCH load in excess of the maximum must be approved by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
  • Thesis: This is defined as a professional paper in the major field. All required course work must be completed before thesis is started. Thesis must be successfully defended before the faculty advisory committee for completion of graduate degree program. Students in master’s degree programs in the COAS requiring a thesis who have completed all course work on their degree are required to register each subsequent fall and spring semester until the thesis receives final approval. Students who do not comply with this requirement will have their registration blocked.
  • Leave of Absence: Under unusual circumstances, a student may petition for a leave of absence. A petition for leave of absence is initiated by the student by submitting a Leave of Absence Request form. The Department/Advisory Committee Chair and College Dean must approve the petition and route it to the Graduate School. If the Graduate School Dean approves the petition, the registration requirement will be set aside during the period of leave. Leave will be granted only under conditions that require the suspension of all activities associated with pursuing the degree. For certain types of approved leave, such as medical, the time period for the completion of the degree will stop with the leave and begin when the student returns to the program. Other types of leave may not stop the time limit for the degree. A student should refer to the sections on Time Limits for master’s and doctoral programs. A leave of absence is granted for one year. In a case of extenuating circumstances, the leave of absence can be extended by the student’s Department/Advisory Committee Chair and the Graduate School Dean. A student who returns to the University after an approved leave of absence will not be required to submit an application for readmission to the Graduate School. An international student should visit with an Office of International Engagement advisor to find out how a leave of absence may impact the student’s stay in or re-entry into the U.S.
  • Written Comprehensive Examination: Non-Thesis degrees in COAS may require a comprehensive examination to complete the requirements of the degree. Students should check with their respective program coordinators for further information. This exam is taken in the last semester of coursework and is VALID FOR ONE YEAR. Exams will be given each long semester. A student who fails to pass one or more questions of the exam will be allowed one opportunity to repeat and pass the exam. All requirements for a master’s degree to include the comprehensive exam must be completed within a period of five years.
  • Oral Comprehensive Examination: For degree programs requiring an oral comprehensive examination, oral exams must be completed by mid-November or mid-April.
  • Additional Master's Degree Policy: Students shall not be permitted to apply the same course credit to more than one master’s degree except in the Master of Public Administration program. Students pursuing the Master of Public Administration as an additional master's degree, may obtain the degree upon successful completion of the major curriculum and substituting hours attained in the first master’s program for nine hours of electives.
  • Minor in Information Systems. This minor is available in COAS degree programs which include 9 SCH in a minor. Students pursuing the graduate minor in IS must satisfactorily complete MIS 3310 Management Information Systems. The minor will consist of three courses, completed with a grade of "B" or better, from the following:
MIS 5330Advanced Programming3
MIS 5340Networks&Distributed Systems3
MIS 5350Information System Analysis3
MIS 5360Management of Info Systems3
MIS 5365Business Info Security3
MIS 5370Database Management & Design3
MIS 5375Data Mining&Bus Analytics3
MIS 53803
MIS 5390Project Design & Management3
MIS 5399Special Issues in Info Systems3

Collaborative PH.D. in Hispanic Studies
Offered by Texas A&M University-College Station

Texas A&M International University, through the Department of Humanities, cooperates with Texas A&M University in College Station in the delivery of their Ph.D. degree in Hispanic Studies.

Faculty in the Department of Humanities occasionally teach courses via TTVN for the program, and students in the program from the Laredo area are offered access to our university’s TTVN facilities to take courses delivered by faculty in College Station or at Texas A&M University at Kingsville, another university cooperating in the delivery of the program. Faculty from our college also serve, as needed, on dissertation committees.

Locally-based students in the program have also taught courses for the Department of Humanities in the past as graduate teaching assistants and currently as adjunct faculty.

Persons interested in admission into the program must apply directly to Texas A&M University in College Station at https://hisp.tamu.edu/graduate-program/.

Dr. Irma Cantú is the TAMIU contact for the program and may be reached at icantu@tamiu.edu or call her at 956.326.2657.

GRADUATE DEGREES

Doctor of Philosophy

CERTIFICATE