Mays Business School offers a graduate program leading to the Master of Science (MS) in Business degree. All core course enrollments are administered through the MS Business Program Office. Enrollment in the 11-month program and related coursework is restricted to students who hold a non-business undergraduate degree and have less than 12 months of post-graduation professional work experience.

Additional information regarding program curriculum and requirements is available through the MS Business Program Office or on the MS Business Program website. The MS Business Program is a non-thesis degree for which a final oral examination is not required. The program begins once annually in early summer, and admission is limited to that entry term.

Mays Business School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) at all program levels.

Steps to Fulfill a Masters Program 

Program Requirements

• Student's Advisory Committee
• Degree Plan
• Course Requirement
• Limitations on Credits and Coursework
• Final Examination

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 Science in Business student’s advisory committee will consist of no fewer than one member, where the chair must be from the student’s major department. Typically, the Director of the Mays Master of Science Business Program, or the Assistant or Associate Dean for Graduate Programs within Mays Business School, will serve in this role.

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.

Course Requirements

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

A minimum of 36 semester credit hours of approved coursework is required for the non-thesis option Master of Science in Business.

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. Students must complete 20 credit hours of core Business courses and 16 hours of Business Administration (BUAD) courses.

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. Under special circumstances, however, students in a non-thesis Master of Arts or Master of Science degree program may request application of 691 hours on a degree plan under the following conditions:
   1. The Department Head or interdisciplinary degree Program Chair (if applicable) for the program may approve an exception for a student who changes to a non-thesis option MA or MS degree program from a PhD (after at least one year of study) or a thesis option MA or MS degree.
   2. If approved, a maximum of 8 credit hours in combination of 685 (Directed Studies) and 691 (Research) may be used.
   3. Colleges/schools, departments, and interdisciplinary degree programs may establish additional requirements.
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.

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.

Final Examination

For non-thesis option Master of Science in Business students, a Final Examination is not required.

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 36 semester credit hours in resident study at Texas A&M University to satisfy the Residence Requirement for the Master of Science in Business.

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. 

To maintain good academic standing and to be eligible for graduation, a Mays MS Business student must maintain a minimum cumulative 3.000 GPA in each block of the Mays MS Business Program. A degree-seeking graduate student is considered to be scholastically deficient if either his or her cumulative GPA or the GPA for courses listed on the degree plan falls below 3.000.

In the event a degree-seeking graduate student becomes scholastically deficient, he or she may be subject to one of the following actions, initiated by a recommendation from the Director of the Mays MS Business Program or the Assistant or Associate Dean for Graduate Programs within the Mays Business School:

1. Permitted to continue in the program on scholastic probation. A student failing to attain a 3.000 GPA by the end of the next block may be dismissed from the program.
2. Immediate dismissal from the program due to the severity of the scholastic deficiency.

The Director of the Mays MS Business Program or the Assistant or Associate Dean for Graduate Programs will evaluate all scholastic probation students at the end of each of the program’s blocks and take appropriate action. When necessary, recommendations regarding the blocking of the student from further enrollment will be made to the Graduate and Professional School.

A student who withdraws or is dismissed from the Mays MS Business Program may not reenter the program. An exception may be granted in the case of voluntary withdrawal in good academic standing with prior approval at the time of withdrawal from the Director of the Mays MS Business Program or the Assistant or Associate Dean of Graduate Programs. A student who withdraws, or who is dismissed from the program, after the University deadline for refunds will not receive any refund of tuition and fees.

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, or the student handbook for additional academic standards, requirements, and processes.

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. 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 Science 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.