The graduate courses, through evidence-based design practices, are designed to equip students with knowledge and skills to deal effectively with the opportunities and challenges inherent in the design, development and visualized futures of cities and landscapes. Students acquire skills that enable them to apply theories to design communities, cities and sites that are safe, healthy and sustainable, all based on built environment research. While still completing master-level credits in landscape architecture, students begin Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)-level coursework in Urban and Regional Sciences to refine and extend their skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, and theory and methodology, saving nearly a year worth of course coursework when entering the PhD in Urban and Regional Science program.

Master of Landscape Architecture

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban and Regional Science

Master of Landscape Architecture

Program Requirements

• Student's Advisory Committee
• Degree Plan
• Credit Requirements
• Limitations on Credits and Coursework
• Final Examination
  • Eligibility
  • Scheduling
  • Format
  • Grading
  • Expiration

Student’s Advisory Committee

After receiving admission to graduate studies, students will consult with the graduate program concerning selection of a chair and members (if applicable) for an advisory committee representative of the student’s field(s) of study and research.

A non-thesis option Master of Landscape Architecture student’s advisory committee will consist of no fewer than three members, where the chair or co-chair must be from the student’s major department. At least one or more of the members must have a primary appointment with an academic unit external to the student’s major department. The chair, in consultation with the student, will select the remainder of the advisory committee.

This program does not offer a thesis option.

Only members of the Graduate Committee Faculty located on Texas A&M University campuses may serve as chair of a student’s advisory committee. Other members of the Graduate Committee Faculty – including those located off-campus or outside the university (if permitted by program, department, and college/school policy) – may serve as a co-chair or member, but not as chair.

The advisory committee as a group – and as individual members – are responsible for advising students on academic matters. These duties include the responsibility for approving a student’s proposed degree plan; research proposal (if applicable); thesis, dissertation or record of study (if applicable); and conducting examinations (if required). The advisory committee members’ approval of a degree plan indicates their willingness to accept the responsibility for guiding and directing a student’s entire academic program and for initiating all academic actions concerning a student. Additionally, in cases of academic deficiency, the advisory committee is responsible for initiating recommendations to the academic unit and the Graduate and Professional School.

The chair of an advisory committee, who usually has immediate supervision of a student’s degree program, has the responsibility for calling meetings at any time considered desirable.

If the chair of a student’s advisory committee is unavailable for an extended period of time in any academic period during which the student is involved in activities relating to an internship, thesis or professional paper – and is registered for courses such as 684 (Professional Internship), 691 (Research), 692 (Professional Study) or 693 (Professional Study) – the Department Head or interdisciplinary degree Program Chair (if applicable) may appoint an alternate advisory committee chair during the interim period.

If a student’s advisory committee chair is on an approved leave of absence – and the student wants the chair to continue to serve in this role – a written request must be submitted by the Department Head, or interdisciplinary degree Program Chair (if applicable), to the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School,  for the faculty member who is on an approved leave of absence to be allowed to continue serving as chair of the advisory committee – without a co-chair – for up to one year. The request must confirm that the faculty member is able to engage in the required duties as chair during the leave of absence. Extensions beyond the one-year period (if necessary) may be granted with additional approval of the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School.

If a student’s advisory committee chair voluntarily separates from the university, and the student is nearing completion of the degree, the chair may continue to serve in this role – at the student’s request – for up to one year. Two options are available:

1. The chair may continue, with a co-chair, without additional approval by the Graduate and Professional School. The student must select a current member of the Graduate Committee Faculty – from the student’s academic program and located near the Texas A&M University campus site – to serve as co-chair of the advisory committee.
2. The chair may continue, without a co-chair, with approval by the Graduate and Professional School. A written request must be submitted through the Graduate Committee Faculty Office to the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School by the Department Head or interdisciplinary degree Program Chair to allow the faculty member to continue as chair, without a co-chair, of the advisory committee.

For both options, extensions beyond the one-year period (if necessary) may be granted with approval of the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School.

Although individual members may be replaced by petition for valid reasons, all members of a student’s advisory committee cannot resign en masse.

Degree Plan

Upon commencement of graduate studies, an advisory committee will evaluate the student’s previous education and outline a program of study and/or research topics(s) based upon the student’s degree objectives. Graduate students, in consultation with the advisory committee, will then develop a degree plan which includes those courses to be applied toward a particular degree and formally establish the advisory committee. 

The degree plan must be created, submitted, and approved through the online Document Processing Submission System (DPSS). The degree plan must be submitted prior to the deadline imposed by the student’s college or school and approved by the Graduate and Professional School no later than 90 days prior to the last day for completion of a Final Examination. Students must select the appropriate program option(s) when submitting a proposed degree plan.

Coursework included on the degree plan is subject to the requirements and restrictions detailed in the Credit Requirements and Limitations on Credits and Coursework sections in each degree program page, or as required by the student’s advisory committee and/or academic unit. Coursework included on the degree plan may not satisfy requirements for more than one degree, except for approved combination degree programs.

Changes to an approved degree plan, if deemed necessary by the advisory committee, may be made through a petition to the Graduate and Professional School. No changes can be made to a degree plan once a student’s Final Examination Request or Final Examination Exemption Request is approved by the Graduate and Professional School.

Degree program time limits apply to courses listed on a degree plan. For additional information, students should check the Time Limits section under Additional Requirements.

Credit Requirements

All graduate students must complete sufficient semester credit hours to satisfy their degree requirements.

A minimum of 45 semester credit hours of approved coursework is required for the non-thesis option Master of Landscape Architecture. For students enrolled in the combined degree program that leads to the Master of Landscape Architecture and Doctor of Philosophy in Urban and Regional Science, the maximum number of credit hours which may be double-counted toward the master's and doctoral degrees is the greater of 12 credit hours or one-third (1/3) of the total hours of a degree plan.

This program does not offer a thesis option.

Coursework may be completed in one or a combination of academic units. Ordinarily, students will devote the major portion of their time on work in one or two closely related fields of study; but other work may be required in supporting areas of interest.

Limitations on Credits and Coursework

Credit hour requirements for all graduate degrees at Texas A&M University are subject to the following limitations:

1. To receive a graduate degree, students must earn one-third or more of the credits through the institution’s own direct instruction. These limitations also apply to joint degree programs.
2. Transfer credits may be used to meet the credit hour requirements under the following limitations:
   1. The maximum number of credit hours which may be considered for transfer credit is the greater of 12 credit hours or one-third (1/3) of the total hours of a degree plan.
   2. Graduate and/or upper-level undergraduate courses (400-level only) taken in residence at an accredited United States or international institution (recognized by the Office of Admissions), with a final grade of B or greater, may be considered for transfer credit if – at the time the courses were completed – the courses would be accepted for credit toward a similar degree for a student in degree-seeking status at the host institution.
   3. An official transcript from the institution at which the transfer coursework was taken must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions. Coursework credit submitted for transfer from any institution must be shown in semester credit hours or equated to semester credit hours.
   4. Up to 1 hour of credit may be obtained for each five-day week of coursework for graduate courses of three weeks’ duration or less taken at other institutions. Each week of coursework must include at least 15 contact hours.
   5. Grades for courses completed at other institutions are not included in computing the GPA.
   6. Coursework in which no formal grades were given, or in which grades other than A or B were earned (for example, CR, P, S, U, H, etc.), is not accepted for transfer credit.
   7. Courses completed at Texas A&M University and appearing on the degree plan with grades of D, F or U may not be absolved by transfer work.
   8. Except for officially approved cooperative doctoral programs, credit for thesis or dissertation research – or the equivalent – is not transferrable.
   9. Courses used toward a degree at another institution may not be applied for transferred graduate credit.
   10. Courses used toward a certificate, but not applied to an awarded degree, may be considered for transfer. If the course to be transferred was taken for a certificate or prior to the conferral of a degree at the transfer institution, a letter from the registrar at that institution stating that the course was not applied for credit toward the degree must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School.
   11. Credit for internship coursework in any form, or taken by extension, is not transferable.
   12. Courses for which transfer credits are sought must be approved by the student’s advisory committee and the Graduate and Professional School.
   13. A student who has earned 12 credit hours of graduate credit in residence at Texas A&M University may be authorized to transfer courses in excess of the limits upon the advice of the advisory committee and with the approval of the Graduate and Professional School.
3. The maximum number of credit hours taken in post-baccalaureate non-degree (G6) classification at Texas A&M University which may be considered for application to the degree plan is 12.
4. Only grades of A, B, C and S are acceptable for graduate credit.
5. Graduate courses on a degree plan may not be taken on an S/U basis except for 681 (Seminar), 684 (Professional Internship), 690 (Theory of Research), 691 (Research), 692 (Professional Study), 693 (Professional Study), 695 (Frontiers in Research), 697 (Methods), 791 (Doctoral Capstone) or SOPH 680 (Public Health Capstone).
6. Approval to enroll in any professional course should be obtained from the Department Head or interdisciplinary degree Program Chair (if applicable) in which the course will be offered before including such a course on a degree plan.
7. No more than 50 percent of the non-research coursework required for an in-person degree program may be completed through distance education courses.
8. No graduate credit may be obtained by continuing education, correspondence study, extension, or for any course of fewer than three weeks duration.

Some academic units may have additional or more restrictive requirements.

The foregoing limitations apply to all graduate programs. Exceptions will be permitted only in unusual cases, when petitioned through the student’s advisory committee, and approved by the Graduate and Professional School.

Credit hour requirements for non-thesis master’s degrees are subject to the following additional limitations:

1. A student pursuing a non-thesis option master’s degree may not enroll in 691 (Research) courses for any reason.
2. A maximum of 12 credit hours may be used, in any combination of the following, on a non-thesis master’s degree plan:
   1. No more than 4 credit hours in any combination of the following:
      1. no more than 2 credit hours of 681 (Seminar),
      2. no more than 4 credit hours of 684 (Professional Internship), and
      3. no more than 3 credit hours of 685 (Directed Studies).
   2. No more than 8 credit hours in any combination of the following:
      1. no more than 4 credit hours 684 (Professional Internship),
      2. no more than 3 credit hours of 685 (Directed Studies), and
      3. no more than 8 credit hours of 691 (Research), if permitted.
   3. No more than 3 credit hours of 690 (Theory of Research).
   4. No more than 3 credit hours of 695 (Frontiers in Research).
3. Certain zero-credit courses may be allowed on a non-thesis master’s degree plan:
   1. A zero-credit 681 (Seminar), 684 (Professional Internship), or 685 (Directed Studies) course may be used.
   2. Other courses – including 691 (Research) hours, if permitted – are not eligible for zero credit.
4. A maximum of 9 credit hours of advanced undergraduate courses (300- or 400-level only) may be considered for application to a master’s degree plan.

Exceptions will be permitted only in unusual cases, when petitioned through the student’s advisory committee, and approved by the Graduate and Professional School.

The foregoing limitations apply to all master’s degrees, except for the following approved exceptions for the Master of Master of Landscape Architecture:

1. A maximum of 12 credit hours may be used, in any combination of the following, on a non-thesis master’s degree plan:
   1. No more than 2 credit hours of 681 (Seminar).
   2. No more than 8 credit hours of 684 (Professional Internship).
   3. No more than 4 credit hours of 685 (Directed Studies).
   4. No more than 3 credit hours of 690 (Theory of Research).
   5. No more than 3 credit hours of 695 (Frontiers in Research).

All other exceptions will be permitted only in unusual cases, when petitioned by the student’s advisory committee, and approved by the Graduate and Professional School.

Final Examination

Candidates for all thesis-option and certain non-thesis option master’s degrees must pass a Final Examination by deadlines announced through the Graduate and Professional School Dates and Deadlines Calendar.

Master’s students may be given only one opportunity to repeat a Final Examination, and that must be within a time period that does not extend beyond the conclusion of the next regular semester (Summer terms excluded).

Eligibility

For master's degree students, eligibility to schedule a Final Examination requires that

1. a student’s cumulative and degree plan GPA must be at least 3.00;
2. no unabsolved grades of D, F or U for any course may be listed on a degree plan (to absolve a deficient grade, the student must repeat the course at Texas A&M University and achieve a grade of C or better); and
3. all coursework on the degree plan must be completed, with the exception of those hours for which the student is registered.

Master’s students may be given only one opportunity to repeat a Final Examination, and that must be within a time period that does not extend beyond the conclusion of the next regular semester (Summer terms excluded). 

For non-thesis option students, a Final Examination is required for the Master of Landscape Architecture. The examination cannot be held prior to the mid-point of the student's final semester if questions on the Final Examination are based on courses in which the student is currently enrolled.

If a student has completed all required degree plan coursework, the student is not required to register for classes in the semester a Final Examination is administered (unless the student holds a graduate assistantship).

Non-thesis option candidates may not be exempt from the Final Examination.

Scheduling

The Final Examination request must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School via the Academic Requirements Completion System (ARCS) a minimum of ten (10) working days in advance of the requested examination date, or the deadline listed on the Graduate and Professional School Dates and Deadlines Calendar – whichever comes first. Any changes to the Degree Plan must be approved by the Graduate and Professional School prior to submission of the request.

Any cancellations will be notated in ARCS.

Format

The Final Examination shall be conducted by the student’s advisory committee as approved on a graduate degree plan, and the format shall be determined by the student’s academic unit and/or advisory committee and communicated to the student in advance of the examination. The Final Examination may consist of a written component, oral component, or combination of both.

The examination may cover the broad field of the candidate’s training and closely related topics.

Only one committee member substitution is allowed – with prior approval of the Graduate and Professional School – to provide an evaluation decision for a student’s Final Examination. The advisory committee Chair may not be replaced by a substitute. If the degree program requires the advisory committee to include at least one External Member, and the substitution is for the sole external member of the advisory committee, then the substitute must also be external to the student’s academic unit. In extenuating circumstances, with approval of the Graduate and Professional School, an exception to this requirement may be granted.

Persons other than members of the advisory committee may – with mutual consent of the candidate and the advisory committee chair – attend Final Examinations. Upon completion of a candidate’s questioning, all visitors must excuse themselves from the proceedings.

Grading

A positive evaluation of the Final Examination by the members of a student’s advisory committee – with at most one dissension – is required to pass a student on the examination. If the chair is the sole member of the student’s advisory committee, a positive vote is required to pass a student on the Final Examination. Academic units may have stricter requirements provided there is consistency in all degree programs within a given department or interdisciplinary degree program.

Final Examination results must be reported to the Graduate and Professional School via ARCS within ten (10) working days of completion of the examination.

Expiration

For restrictions on Final Examination validity, please see the Time Limits section under Additional Requirements.

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban and Regional Science

Program Requirements

• Student's Advisory Committee
• Degree Plan
• Credit Requirements
• Limitations on Credits and Coursework
• Preliminary Examination
  • Eligibility
  • Scheduling
  • Format
  • Grading
  • Failures and Retakes
  • Expiration
• Research Proposal
• Admission to Candidacy
• Final Examination
  • Eligibility
  • Scheduling
  • Format
  • Grading
  • Expiration
• Dissertation

Student’s Advisory Committee

After receiving admission to graduate studies, students will consult with the graduate program concerning selection of a chair and members (if applicable) for an advisory committee representative of the student’s field(s) of study and research.

A Doctor of Philosophy degree student’s advisory committee will consist of no fewer than four members, where the chair or co-chair must be from the student’s major department. For all doctoral degrees, at least one or more of the members must have a primary appointment with an academic unit external to the student’s major department. The chair, in consultation with the student, will select the remainder of the advisory committee.

Only members of the Graduate Committee Faculty located on Texas A&M University campuses may serve as chair of a student’s advisory committee. Other members of the Graduate Committee Faculty – including those located off-campus or outside the university (if permitted by program, department, and college/school policy) – may serve as a co-chair or member, but not as chair.

The advisory committee as a group – and as individual members – are responsible for advising students on academic matters. These duties include the responsibility for approving a student’s proposed degree plan; research proposal (if applicable); thesis, dissertation, or record of study (if applicable); and conducting examinations (if required). The advisory committee members’ approval of a degree plan indicates their willingness to accept the responsibility for guiding and directing a student’s entire academic program and for initiating all academic actions concerning a student. Additionally, in cases of academic deficiency, the advisory committee is responsible for initiating recommendations to the academic unit and the Graduate and Professional School.

The chair of an advisory committee, who usually has immediate supervision of a student’s degree program, has the responsibility for calling meetings at any time considered desirable.

If the chair of a student’s advisory committee is unavailable for an extended period of time in any academic period during which the student is involved in activities relating to an internship, thesis, or professional paper – and is registered for courses such as 684 (Professional Internship), 691 (Research), 692 (Professional Study) or 693 (Professional Study) – the Department Head or interdisciplinary degree Program Chair (if applicable) may appoint an alternate advisory committee chair during the interim period.

If a student’s advisory committee chair is on an approved leave of absence – and the student wants the chair to continue to serve in this role – a written request must be submitted by the Department Head, or interdisciplinary degree Program Chair (if applicable), to the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School,  for the faculty member who is on an approved leave of absence to be allowed to continue serving as chair of the advisory committee – without a co-chair – for up to one year. The request must confirm that the faculty member is able to engage in the required duties as chair during the leave of absence. Extensions beyond the one-year period (if necessary) may be granted with additional approval of the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School.

If a student’s advisory committee chair voluntarily separates from the university, and the student is nearing completion of the degree, the chair may continue to serve in this role – at the student’s request – for up to one year. Two options are available:

1. The chair may continue, with a co-chair, without additional approval by the Graduate and Professional School. The student must select a current member of the Graduate Committee Faculty – from the student’s academic program and located near the Texas A&M University campus site – to serve as co-chair of the advisory committee.
2. The chair may continue, without a co-chair, with approval by the Graduate and Professional School. A written request must be submitted through the Graduate Committee Faculty Office to the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School by the Department Head or interdisciplinary degree Program Chair to allow the faculty member to continue as chair, without a co-chair, of the advisory committee.

For both options, extensions beyond the one-year period (if necessary) may be granted with approval of the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School.

Although individual members may be replaced by petition for valid reasons, all members of a student’s advisory committee cannot resign en masse.

Degree Plan

Upon commencement of graduate studies, an advisory committee will evaluate the student’s previous education and outline a program of study and/or research topics(s) based upon the student’s degree objectives. Graduate students, in consultation with the advisory committee, will then develop a degree plan which includes those courses to be applied toward a particular degree and formally establish the advisory committee. 

The degree plan must be created, submitted, and approved through the online Document Processing Submission System (DPSS). The degree plan must be submitted prior to the deadline imposed by the student’s college or school and approved by the Graduate and Professional School no later than 90 days prior to the last day for completion of a Final Examination. Students must select the appropriate program option(s) when submitting a proposed degree plan.

Coursework included on the degree plan is subject to the requirements and restrictions detailed in the Credit Requirements and Limitations on Credits and Coursework sections in each degree program page, or as required by the student’s advisory committee and/or academic unit. Coursework included on the degree plan may not satisfy requirements for more than one degree, except for approved combination degree programs.

Changes to an approved degree plan, if deemed necessary by the advisory committee, may be made through a petition to the Graduate and Professional School. No changes can be made to a degree plan once a student’s Final Examination Request or Final Examination Exemption Request is approved by the Graduate and Professional School.

Degree program time limits apply to courses listed on a degree plan. For additional information, students should check the Time Limits section under Additional Requirements.

Credit Requirements

All graduate students must complete sufficient semester credit hours to satisfy their degree requirements.

Students who have completed a master’s degree are required to complete a minimum of 64 hours for the Doctor of Philosophy in Urban and Regional Science. Students who have completed a DDS/DMD, DVM or MD at an accredited academic institution within the United States are also required to complete a minimum of 64 hours. Students enrolled in an approved combination program which includes a doctoral degree, and in which the doctoral degree will be awarded at the same time as another advanced degree, must complete a minimum of 64 hours. Students enrolled in a master’s degree and a doctoral degree simultaneously must have their master’s degree awarded before they are eligible to complete a 64-hour doctoral degree.

Students who have completed a baccalaureate degree, but have not completed another advanced degree, must complete a minimum of 96 hours. Completion of a DDS/DMD, DVM or MD degree at an international institution are also required to complete of a minimum of 96 hours.

Coursework may be completed in one or a combination of academic units. Ordinarily, students will devote the major portion of their time on work in one or two closely related fields of study; but other work may be required in supporting areas of interest.

Limitations on Credits and Coursework

Credit hour requirements for all graduate degrees at Texas A&M University are subject to the following limitations:

1. To receive a graduate degree, students must earn one-third or more of the credits through the institution's own direct instruction. These limitations also apply to joint degree programs.
2. Transfer credits may be used to meet the credit hour requirements under the following limitations:
   1. The maximum number of credit hours which may be considered for transfer credit is the greater of 12 credit hours or one-third (1/3) of the total hours of a degree plan.
   2. Graduate and/or upper-level undergraduate courses (400-level only) taken in residence at an accredited United States or international institution (recognized by the Office of Admissions), with a final grade of B or greater, may be considered for transfer credit if – at the time the courses were completed – the courses would be accepted for credit toward a similar degree for a student in degree-seeking status at the host institution.
   3. An official transcript from the institution at which the transfer coursework was taken must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions. Coursework credit submitted for transfer from any institution must be shown in semester credit hours or equated to semester credit hours.
   4. Up to 1 hour of credit may be obtained for each five-day week of coursework for graduate courses of three weeks’ duration or less taken at other institutions. Each week of coursework must include at least 15 contact hours.
   5. Grades for courses completed at other institutions are not included in computing the GPA.
   6. Coursework in which no formal grades were given, or in which grades other than A or B were earned (for example, CR, P, S, U, H, etc.), is not accepted for transfer credit.
   7. Courses completed at Texas A&M University and appearing on the degree plan with grades of D, F or U may not be absolved by transfer work.
   8. Except for officially approved cooperative doctoral programs, credit for thesis or dissertation research – or the equivalent – is not transferrable.
   9. Courses used toward a degree at another institution may not be applied for transferred graduate credit.
   10. Courses used toward a certificate, but not applied to an awarded degree, may be considered for transfer. If the course to be transferred was taken for a certificate or prior to the conferral of a degree at the transfer institution, a letter from the registrar at that institution stating that the course was not applied for credit toward the degree must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School.
   11. Credit for internship coursework in any form, or taken by extension, is not transferable.
   12. Courses for which transfer credits are sought must be approved by the student’s advisory committee and the Graduate and Professional School.
   13. A student who has earned 12 credit hours of graduate credit in residence at Texas A&M University may be authorized to transfer courses in excess of the limits upon the advice of the advisory committee and with the approval of the Graduate and Professional School.
3. The maximum number of credit hours taken in post-baccalaureate non-degree (G6) classification at Texas A&M University which may be considered for application to the degree plan is 12.
4. Only grades of A, B, C and S are acceptable for graduate credit.
5. Graduate courses on a degree plan may not be taken on an S/U basis except for 681 (Seminar), 684 (Professional Internship), 690 (Theory of Research), 691 (Research), 692 (Professional Study), 693 (Professional Study), 695 (Frontiers in Research), 697 (Methods), 791 (Doctoral Capstone) or SOPH 680 (Public Health Capstone).
6. Approval to enroll in any professional course should be obtained from the Department Head or interdisciplinary degree Program Chair (if applicable) in which the course will be offered before including such a course on a degree plan.
7. No more than 50 percent of the non-research coursework required for an in-person degree program may be completed through distance education courses.
8. No graduate credit may be obtained by continuing education, correspondence study, extension, or for any course of fewer than three weeks duration.

Some academic units may have additional or more restrictive requirements.

The foregoing limitations apply to all graduate programs. Exceptions will be permitted only in unusual cases, when petitioned through the student's advisory committee, and approved by the Graduate and Professional School

Credit hour requirements for all doctoral degrees are subject to the following additional limitations:

1. A student pursuing a doctoral degree must enroll in an appropriate amount of 691 (Research) credit hours.
2. A maximum of 9 credit hours of advanced undergraduate courses (400-level only) may be considered for application to a doctoral degree plan.

Some academic units may have additional or more restrictive requirements.

Exceptions will be permitted only in unusual cases, when petitioned through the student’s advisory committee, and approved by the Graduate and Professional School.

Preliminary Examination

Candidates for all doctoral degrees at Texas A&M University must pass a Preliminary Examination.

The objective of a Preliminary Examination is to evaluate the following qualifications:

1. Mastery of the subject matter in all program fields.
2. Adequate knowledge of the literature in these fields and an ability to carry out bibliographical research.
3. An understanding of the research problem and appropriate methodological approaches.

A Preliminary Examination may be administered by an advisory or other committee designated by the academic unit (herein referred to as an “examination committee”).

Credit for Preliminary Examination is not transferable in cases where a student changes degree programs after passing an examination.

A doctoral student’s graduate degree program and/or advisory committee may require additional qualifying, cumulative, or other types of examinations at any time deemed desirable. These examinations are entirely at the discretion of the academic unit and/or the student’s advisory committee.

Eligibility

Students are eligible to schedule the Preliminary Examination in the Academic Requirements Completion System (ARCS) if they meet the following qualifications:

1. An approved degree plan on file with the Graduate and Professional School prior to any component of the Preliminary Examination.
2. No pending requests in the Document Processing Submission System (DPSS).
3. A cumulative and degree plan GPA of at least 3.00.
4. Registration at Texas A&M University with a minimum of one (1) semester credit hour in the fall, spring or summer term during which any component of a Preliminary Examination is held. If the entire examination is held between semesters, then the student must have been registered for the term immediately preceding the Preliminary Examination.
5. At the end of the semester in which at least the first component of the Preliminary Examination is given, there are no more than six (6) semester credit hours of coursework remaining on an approved degree plan (except 681, 684, 690, 691, 692, 693, 695, 697, 791 or other graduate courses specifically designated as S/U in the Graduate and Professional Catalog). Please note: the head of the student’s academic unit has the authority to approve a waiver of this requirement.

Scheduling

Preliminary Examinations shall be given no earlier than a date at which a doctoral student is within six (6) credit hours of completing formal coursework on an approved degree plan (except 681, 684, 690, 691, 692, 693, 695, 697, 791 or other graduate courses specifically designated as S/U in the Graduate and Professional Catalog).

A student should schedule and complete a Preliminary Examination no later than the end of the semester following the completion of formal coursework on an approved degree plan.

Doctoral students who meet the eligibility requirements must submit a Preliminary Examination Request via ARCS.

Format

The student’s academic unit and/or examination committee shall determine the Preliminary Examination’s format and communicate it to the student in advance of the examination. The Preliminary Examination may consist of a written component, oral component, or combination of both.

If an academic unit requires students to take a written component as part of their Preliminary Examination, the faculty must:

1. Offer the examination at least once every six months and be announced at least thirty (30) days prior to the scheduled examination date.
2. Assume responsibility for marking the examination as satisfactory or unsatisfactory – or otherwise graded – and stating specific reasons for an unsatisfactory mark.
3. Forward the marked examination to the student’s advisory committee chair within one week following administration of the examination.

If a written component precedes an oral component of a Preliminary Examination, the examination committee chair is responsible for making all written examinations available to all members of the examination committee. 

Only one examination committee substitution is allowed – with prior approval of the Graduate and Professional School – to provide an evaluation decision for a student’s Preliminary Examination. The examination committee chair may not be replaced by a substitute. If the substitution is for the sole External Member of the examination committee – with an appointment to an academic unit other than the student’s (or advisory committee chair, for interdisciplinary degree programs) – then the substitute must also be external to the student’s (or chair’s) academic unit. In extenuating circumstances, with approval of the Graduate and Professional School, an exception to this requirement may be granted.

Grading

Regardless of format, students will receive an overall Preliminary Examination result of pass or fail. The academic unit will determine how the overall pass or fail result is determined based on the examination structure and internal academic unit procedures.

A positive evaluation of the Preliminary Examination by all examination committee members – with at most one dissension – is required to pass a student on the examination. Preliminary Examination results must be reported to the Graduate and Professional School via ARCS within ten (10) working days following completion of the examination.

Failures and Retakes

First Failure

In accordance with Student Rule 12.5, the student’s graduate program or advisory committee should make a recommendation to the student regarding scholastic deficiency for a failure of the Preliminary Examination. Upon approval – by a student’s examination committee (with no more than one member dissenting), the academic unit, and the Graduate and Professional School – a student who failed a Preliminary Examination may be given one re-examination.

Retake of Failed Preliminary Examination

The examination committee must agree upon – and communicate to the student, in writing – an adequate time frame from the first failed Preliminary Examination (normally six months) to retest, as well as a detailed explanation to address inadequacies emerging from the examination. 

The student and examination committee should jointly negotiate a mutually acceptable date for a retake of the Preliminary Examination. When providing feedback on inadequacies, the committee should clearly document expected improvements that the student must be able to exhibit for a retake of the examination.

The examination committee will document and communicate the time frame and feedback within ten (10) working days of the first Preliminary Examination failure.

Second Failure

Upon a second failure of the Preliminary Examination, students are no longer eligible to continue pursuit of a doctoral degree in that program/major. In accordance with Student Rule 12.5.3 and/or 12.5.4, the student will be notified of the action being taken by the academic unit as a result of the second examination failure.

Expiration

For restrictions on Preliminary Examination validity, please see the Time Limits section under Additional Requirements.

Research Proposal

Candidates for all doctoral degrees must submit a Research Proposal.

The general field of research to be used for a dissertation should be agreed on by the student and the advisory committee as a basis for selecting the proper courses to support the proposed research. Once the research project can be outlined in reasonable detail, the Research Proposal should be completed.

Compliance issues must be addressed before completion of a Research Proposal if a graduate student is performing research involving human subjects, animals, infectious biohazards, or recombinant DNA. Students engaged in these types of research should check with the Office of Research Compliance and Biosafety to address questions about all research compliance responsibilities before the proposal is submitted to the Graduate and Professional School. Additional information may be obtained at the Office of Research Compliance and Biosafety website.

The Research Proposal should be finalized at a meeting of the student’s advisory committee, at which time the feasibility of the proposed research and the adequacy of available facilities should be reviewed. Once completed, the Research Proposal must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School via the Academic Requirements Completion System (ARCS).

For doctoral degrees, a Research Proposal should be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School via ARCS according to guidelines and deadlines set by the individual academic unit or program as soon as possible following the completion of formal coursework on an approved degree plan, but no later than 20 working days prior to the submission of the Final Examination Request.

Doctoral students must have an approved Research Proposal to be admitted to candidacy.

Admission to Candidacy

Candidates for all doctoral degrees must be admitted to candidacy. Students are eligible for admission to candidacy if they meet the following qualification:

1. Complete all formal coursework on the degree plan (with the exception of any remaining 681, 684, 690, 691, 692, 791 or other graduate courses specifically designated as S/U in the Graduate and Professional Catalog).
2. Achieve a cumulative and a degree plan GPA of at least 3.00, with no grade lower than C in any course on the degree plan.
3. Pass a Preliminary Examination.
4. Have an approved Research Proposal.
5. Meet the Residence Requirements.

A Final Examination will not be authorized for any doctoral student who has not been admitted to candidacy.

Final Examination

Candidates for all doctoral degrees must pass a Final Examination by deadlines announced through the Graduate and Professional School Dates and Deadlines Calendar.

Eligibility

For doctoral degree students, eligibility to schedule a Final Examination requires that

1. the dissertation or record of study is available in substantially final form to all members of a student’s advisory committee, and all members have had adequate time to review the manuscript;
2. the student’s cumulative and degree plan GPA must be at least 3.00;
3. no unabsolved grades of D, F or U for any course may be listed on a degree plan (to absolve a deficient grade, the student must repeat the course at Texas A&M University and achieve a grade of C or better); 
4. the student must register for any remaining hours of 681, 684, 690, 691, 692, 791 or other graduate courses specifically designated as S/U in the Graduate and Professional Catalog during the semester of the Final Examination; and
5. the student must be admitted to candidacy (please refer to the Admission to Candidacy section of the Graduate and Professional Catalog for requirements).

A doctoral student is allowed only one opportunity to take the Final Examination.

Scheduling

The Final Examination request must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School via the Academic Requirements Completion System (ARCS) a minimum of ten (10) working days in advance of the requested examination date, or the deadline listed on the Graduate and Professional School Dates and Deadlines Calendar – whichever comes first. Any changes to the Degree Plan must be approved by the Graduate and Professional School prior to submission of the request.

Any cancellations will be notated in ARCS.

Format

The Final Examination shall be conducted by the student’s advisory committee as approved on a graduate degree plan, and the format shall be determined by the student’s academic unit and/or advisory committee and communicated to the student in advance of the examination. The Final Examination may consist of a written component, oral component, or combination of both.

The examination may cover the broad field of the candidate’s training and closely related topics. For doctoral students, it is presumed that the major portion of the time will be devoted to the dissertation.

Only one committee member substitution is allowed – with prior approval of the Graduate and Professional School – to provide an evaluation decision for a student’s Final Examination. The advisory committee Chair may not be replaced by a substitute. If the degree program requires the advisory committee to include at least one External Member, and the substitution is for the sole external member of the advisory committee, then the substitute must also be external to the student’s (or chair’s, for interdisciplinary degree programs) academic unit. In extenuating circumstances, with approval of the Graduate and Professional School, an exception to this requirement may be granted.

Persons other than members of the advisory committee may – with mutual consent of the candidate and the advisory committee chair – attend Final Examinations. Upon completion of a candidate’s questioning, all visitors must excuse themselves from the proceedings.

Grading

A positive evaluation of the Final Examination by the members of a student’s advisory committee – with at most one dissension – is required to pass a student on the examination. If the chair is the sole member of the student’s advisory committee, a positive vote is required to pass a student on the Final Examination. Academic units may have stricter requirements provided there is consistency in all degree programs within a given department or interdisciplinary degree program.

Final Examination results must be reported to the Graduate and Professional School via ARCS within ten (10) working days of completion of the examination.

Expiration

For restrictions on Final Examination validity, please see the Time Limits section under Additional Requirements.

Dissertation

Candidates for all Doctor of Philosophy degrees must complete an acceptable dissertation.

A doctoral dissertation, which must be a candidate's original work, demonstrates the ability to perform independent research. Whereas acceptance of the dissertation is based primarily on its scholarly merit, it must also exhibit creditable literary workmanship.

Manuscript formatting must be acceptable to the Graduate and Professional School as outlined in the Guidelines for Theses, Dissertations, and Records of Study.

After a successful Final Examination/defense, and approval of the student’s advisory committee and the Department Head (or interdisciplinary degree Program Chair, if applicable), the student must submit the manuscript in electronic format as a single PDF file to the Thesis and Dissertation Submission System (Vireo).

A manuscript determined by the Graduate and Professional School to require corrections will be returned to the student. The student must make all necessary corrections and resubmit a revised version of the manuscript, which will be re-reviewed. All original submittal deadlines must be met during the resubmittal process to clear for graduation.

Additionally, a Written Thesis/Dissertation Approval Form must be submitted through the Academic Requirements Completion System (ARCS). Both the PDF file of the manuscript in Vireo, and the completed ARCS approval form, must be received by the Graduate and Professional School by the deadlines announced each semester or Summer term in the Graduate and Professional School Dates and Deadlines Calendar. Please see the Time Limits section in the Graduate and Professional Catalog.

Each student who submits a manuscript for review is assessed a one-time thesis/dissertation/record of study processing fee through Student Business Services for the review services provided. After commencement, manuscripts are digitally stored and made available through the Texas A&M Libraries.

Master of Landscape Architecture

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban and Regional Science

Master of Landscape Architecture

Additional Requirements

• Continuous Registration
• Residence
• Scholastic Requirements
• Professional Internship or Practicum
• Foreign Languages
• Time Limits
• Graduation

Continuous Registration

Students in master's degree programs must satisfy Continuous Registration Requirements until completion of all degree requirements. Students in degree programs requiring a thesis who have completed all coursework on an approved degree plan – other than 684 (Professional Internship), 691/791 (Research) or 692 (Professional Study) – are required to maintain continuous registration until completion of all requirements for a degree. Registration for zero-credit courses does not satisfy the Continuous Registration Requirement. For more information, please see Continuous Registration Requirements under the Registration and Academic Status tab on the Academic Expectations and Program Requirements page in the Graduate and Professional Catalog.

Residence

A major purpose of the Residence Requirement for graduate degrees is to ensure that students have an opportunity to benefit from the advantages of a university environment.

A student must complete 12 semester credit hours in resident study at Texas A&M University to satisfy the Residence Requirement for the Master of Landscape Architecture degree.

Students who are employed full-time while completing their degree may fulfill the total Residence Requirement by completion of less-than-full time course loads each semester. To be eligible, the student is required to submit a Petition for Waivers and Exceptions through the Document Processing Submission System (DPSS) along with verification of employment to the Graduate and Professional School.

For more information, please see the Residence Requirements section under the Degree Requirements tab on the Academic Expectations and Program Requirements page in the Graduate and Professional Catalog.

Scholastic Requirements

Students in graduate degree programs must maintain good academic standing and meet minimum university scholastic requirements throughout the duration of their graduate studies. Academic units may have additional or higher requirements. For more information, please see the Scholastic Requirements section under the Academic Expectations tab on the Academic Expectations and Program Requirements page in the Graduate and Professional Catalog.

Professional Internship or Practicum

Professional internship or practicum requirements for graduate programs at Texas A&M University are administered and monitored by the individual academic units overseeing graduate studies.

An internship is required as part of the Master of Landscape Architecture degree requirement in order for the student to graduate. The internship requirement may be met as a “full summer work internship” or a “fall or spring internship.” Students who complete an internship during the fall or spring semester should register for LAND 684 LAND 684 credit. Internships completed during the summer are reported as “summer work” and students should report it to the Coordinator of the MLA program.

A Final Examination is not to be administered until all requirements for the degree, including any internship, have been substantially completed.

Students should contact their graduate program office regarding any professional internship or practicum requirements.

Foreign Languages

Foreign language requirements for graduate programs are administered and monitored by the individual academic units overseeing graduate studies.

For the Master of Landscape Architecture degree, a foreign language is not required.

Time Limits

All requirements for master’s degree programs must be completed within a period of seven consecutive calendar years for the degree to be granted.

A course will be considered valid until seven (7) years after the end of the semester in which it is taken. Students in non-thesis option master’s degree programs must complete all other degree requirements within one (1) year of the semester in which a Final Examination (if required) was taken. Failure to do so will result in the degree not being awarded.

For more information, please see the Time Limits section under the Degree Requirements tab on the Academic Expectations and Program Requirements page in the Graduate and Professional Catalog.

Graduation

Candidates for an advanced degree who expect to complete their work at the end of a given semester may apply for graduation. For more information, please see the Graduation section under the Degree Requirements tab on the Academic Expectations and Program Requirements page in the Graduate and Professional Catalog.

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban and Regional Science

Additional Requirements

• Continuous Registration
• Residence
• Scholastic Requirements
• Professional Internship or Practicum
• Foreign Languages
• Time Limits
• 99-Hour and 7-Year Cap on Doctoral Degrees
• Graduation

Continuous Registration

Students in graduate degree programs requiring a thesis, dissertation, internship, or record of study and who have completed all coursework on an approved degree plan – other than 684 (Internship), 691/791 (Research), or 692 (Professional Study) – are required to maintain continuous registration until the completion of all requirements for a degree. Registration for zero-credit courses does not satisfy the Continuous Registration Requirement. For more information, please see Continuous Registration Requirements under the Registration and Academic Status tab on the Academic Expectations and Program Requirements page in the Graduate and Professional Catalog.

Residence

A major purpose of the Residence Requirement for graduate degrees is to ensure that students have an opportunity to benefit from the advantages of a university environment.

A student who enters the doctoral degree program with a baccalaureate degree must spend one academic year plus one semester in resident study at Texas A&M University. Students who hold a master’s degree when entering a doctoral degree program must spend one academic year in resident study. One academic year may include two adjacent regular semesters or one regular semester and one adjacent 10-week Summer semester. The third semester is not required to be adjacent to the one year. Enrollment for each semester must be a minimum of 9 credit hours each to satisfy the Residence Requirement.

To satisfy the Residence Requirement, the student must complete a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester or 10-week summer semester in resident study at Texas A&M University for the required period. A student who enters a doctoral degree program with a baccalaureate degree may fulfill residence requirements in excess of one academic year (18 credit hours) by registration during summer sessions or by completion of a less-than-full course load (in this context a full course load is considered 9 credit hours per semester).

Students who are employed full-time while completing their degree may fulfill the total Residence Requirement by completion of less-than-full time course loads each semester. To be eligible, the student is required to submit a Petition for Waivers and Exceptions along with verification of employment to the Graduate and Professional School. Verification of Employment should be provided when a degree plan is submitted.

For more information, please see the Residence Requirements section under the Degree Requirements tab on the Academic Expectations and Program Requirements page in the Graduate and Professional Catalog.

Scholastic Requirements

Students in graduate degree programs must maintain good academic standing and meet minimum university scholastic requirements throughout the duration of their graduate studies. Academic units may have additional or higher requirements. For more information, please see the Scholastic Requirements section under the Academic Expectations tab on the Academic Expectations and Program Requirements page in the Graduate

Professional Internship or Practicum

Internship or practicum requirements for graduate programs at Texas A&M University are administered and monitored by the individual academic units overseeing graduate studies. For more information, please see the Professional Internship, Practicum or Licensing section under the Degree Requirements tab on the Academic Expectations and Program Requirements page in the Graduate and Professional Catalog.

Foreign Languages

Foreign language requirements for graduate programs are administered and monitored by the individual academic units overseeing graduate studies. The doctoral foreign language requirement is a departmental option, to be administered and monitored by administrators of the program’s academic instruction.

Time Limits

All requirements for doctoral degree programs must be completed within a period of ten consecutive calendar years for the degree to be granted.

A course will be considered valid until ten (10) years after the end of the semester in which it is taken. Students must complete a Final Examination within four (4) years of the semester in which a Preliminary Examination was taken. Students in doctoral degree programs must have a final corrected version of the dissertation manuscript cleared by the Graduate and Professional School within one (1) year of the semester in which a Final Examination was taken. Failure to do so will result in the degree not being awarded.

For more information, please see the Time Limits section under the Degree Requirements tab on the Academic Expectations and Program Requirements page in the Graduate and Professional Catalog.

99-Hour and 7-Year Cap on Doctoral Degrees

In Texas, public colleges and universities are funded by the state according to the number of students enrolled. In accordance with legislation passed by the Texas Legislature, the number of hours for which state universities may receive subvention funding at the doctoral rate for any individual is limited to ninety-nine (99) semester credit hours. Texas A&M and other universities will not receive subvention funding for hours in excess of the limit.

Institutions of higher education are allowed to charge the equivalent of non-resident tuition to a resident doctoral student who has enrolled in one-hundred (100) or more semester credit hours of doctoral coursework.

Doctoral students at Texas A&M have seven years to complete their degree before being charged out-of-state tuition. A doctoral (G8) student who, after seven (7) years of study, has accumulated one-hundred (100) or more doctoral hours will be charged tuition at a rate equivalent to out-of-state tuition. Please note that the tuition increases will apply to Texas residents as well as students from other states and countries who are currently charged tuition at the resident rate. This includes those doctoral students who hold a Graduate Assistant-Teacher (GAT), -Lecturer (GAL), Non-Teaching (GANT), or -Research (GAR) appointment or recipients of competitive fellowships who receive more than $1,000 per semester. Doctoral students who have not accumulated one hundred hours after seven years of study are eligible to pay in-state tuition if otherwise eligible. For counting purposes, a year is considered as three semesters – normally Fall, Spring, and Summer. Using this system, a student is allowed twenty-one (21) semesters as a G8 student to complete the doctoral degree before penalization with the higher tuition rate. Any semester in which a G8 student is enrolled for a doctoral-level course is counted.

Doctoral students who exceed the credit limit will receive notification from the Graduate and Professional School during the semester in which they are enrolled and exceeding the limit in their current degree program. The notification will explain that the State of Texas does not provide funding for any additional hours in which a student is enrolled in excess of ninety-nine (99) hours. Texas A&M University will recover the lost funds by requiring students in excess of ninety-nine hours to pay tuition at the non-funded, non-resident rate. This non-funded, non-resident tuition rate status will be updated for the following semester and in all subsequent semesters until receipt of a doctoral degree. Please see the Tuition Calculator at the non-resident rate for an example of potential charges.

The following majors are exempt from the 99-Hour Cap on Doctoral Degrees and have a limit of one-hundred and thirty (130) doctoral hours:

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
• Biomedical Sciences
• Clinical Psychology
• Counseling Psychology
• Epidemiology and Environmental Health
• Genetics and Genomics
• Health Services Research
• Medical Sciences
• Microbiology
• Neurosciences (College of Medicine)
• Nutrition
• Oral and Craniofacial Biomedical Sciences
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Public Health Sciences
• School Psychology
• Toxicology

Graduation

Candidates for an advanced degree who expect to complete their work at the end of a given semester may apply for graduation. For more information, please see the Graduation section under the Degree Requirements tab on the Academic Expectations and Program Requirements page in the Graduate and Professional Catalog.