Graduate Resources

Graduate students must complete a request, through Concur, BEFORE ALL domestic and international travel. This is required for all research, field schools, or conference travel. Please contact Rebekah Luza in our business office for assistance at rluza@tamu.edu.

Graduate students (enrolled as students at Texas A&M) must register international travel with the Education Abroad Office. This includes international travel to conferences and international travel for research.

Prior to August 1, 2011, if you registered with Study Abroad, you were automatically covered by SOS International for evacuation, but you had to purchase the health insurance separately. The university no longer uses the SOS service, but now uses Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI). When you sign up for the health insurance (which is highly recommended, even if you are already covered under a health insurance plan), you also are signed up for the travel insurance and evacuation insurance. For all the services this insurance provides, it is relatively inexpensive.

Texas A&M has contracted with CISI, a 24-hour travel and security assistance service for faculty, staff and students who travel to international destinations on official university business or an A&M sponsored trip. CISI manages a wide range of requests ranging from lost passports, physician referrals, and complex medical and security evacuations. For more information on additional coverage available to faculty and student travelers, please contact the Education Abroad Office at (979) 845-0544.

Register for CISI coverage.

According to University Rule 21.01.03.M1, traveling on university business to a country under a travel warning must have approval from the university President.  Effective April 4, 2012, the CONCUR Pre-trip Authorization process replaces the PDF versions of the Foreign Travel Request Form and Acknowledgement of Risk Form for all Texas A&M University System members who are participating in CONCUR.

IRB approval is required for all research projects involving human subjects. For more information, please consult the Texas A&M Office for Research Compliance and Biosafety website.

OGAPS Forms

The Office of Graduate and Professional Studies website contains a comprehensive list of forms relevant to graduate studies, including:

• Steps to Fulfill Masters Degree Requirements
• Steps to Fulfill Doctoral Degree Requirements
• Steps to Fulfill Preliminary Exams

These are the most commonly used forms for MA and PhD students:

• Degree Plan
  • Used for both MA and PhD students
  • Must be filed at least 90 days before the Preliminary Exam is taken
• Preliminary Exam Checklist and Report of the Preliminary Exam
  • Both forms must be turned in within 10 days of the scheduled exam
  • Exam must be completed at least 14 weeks prior to the Final Exam (i.e. defense date)
• Proposal Approval Page
  • Used for both theses and dissertations
  • Must be submitted no later than 15 working days prior to submission of the Request and Announcement of Final Examination
• Request and Announcement of Final Exam
  • Used for both MA theses & PhD dissertations
  • Must be submitted at least 10 days prior to the exam
• Request for Exemption from the Final Exam
  • Must be submitted at least 10 days prior to deadline to complete the exam
  • Often used by MA students if committee decides a committee defense is not necessary 

Curious about what search committees wish you knew? Want to learn how to make your CV impeccable? Would it help to hear newly minted PhD’s tell stories of their experience in the job market and at their first appointments?

The Chronicle of Higher Education has a series of articles compiled in a special report to answer questions like these that graduate students may have about entering the job market!

Read this series of articles now!