2013-2014 Graduate Catalog Downloadable PDF (10.71MB)

Degree Information/The Degree of Master of Urban Planning 169working days of the scheduled examination date will be recorded as failures. A studentmay be given only one opportunity to repeat the final examination for the master’s degreeand that must be within a time period that does not extend beyond the end of thenext regular semester (summer terms are excluded).The final examination covers the thesis and all work taken on the degree plan and atthe option of the committee may be written or oral or both. For a student in the thesisoption, the final examination may not be administered before the thesis is available to allmembers of the student’s advisory committee in substantially final form, and all membershave had adequate time to review the document. For a student in the non-thesisoption, no examination may be held prior to the mid-point of the semester or summerterm in which a student will complete all remaining courses on the degree plan. Theexamination is conducted by the student’s advisory committee as finally constituted.Thesis-option a student must be registered in the University in the semester or summerterm in which the final examination is taken. Persons other than members of the graduatefaculty may, with mutual consent of the candidate and the major professor, attendfinal examinations for advanced degrees. Upon completion of the questioning of thecandidate, all visitors must excuse themselves from the proceedings. A positive vote byall members of the graduate committee with at most one dissension is required to pass astudent on his or her exam. A department can have a stricter requirement provided thereis consistency within all degree programs within a department.Thesis-option candidates may petition to be exempt from their final examination providedtheir degree plan GPR is 3.500 or greater and they have the approval of the advisorycommittee, the head of the student’s major department and the Office of Graduateand Professional Studies. It is recommended that the petition for exemption be submittedthe same semester the student intends to submit the thesis. A non-thesis option studentcannot be exempted from the final examination.Exam results must be submitted with original signatures of only the committee membersapproved by the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies. If an approved committeemember substitution (1 only) has been made, his/her signature must also be submittedto the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.Application for DegreeGraduate degrees are conferred at the close of each regular semester and 10-weeksummer semester. A candidate for an advanced degree who expects to complete his/herwork at the end of a given semester must apply for graduation by submitting the electronicapplication for degree to the Office of the Registrar and by paying the requiredgraduation fee to the Fiscal Department no later than the Friday of the second week ofthe fall or spring semester or the Friday of the first week of the first summer term. Theelectronic application for degree can be accessed via the student’s Howdy portal.A cancellation made after the application deadline will not receive a refundof the diploma fee. Students who have completed all their degree requirementswill not be allowed to cancel their graduation. The Registrar attempts each semesterto balance the size of each ceremony. Thus, the makeup of the ceremony by collegesdoes change from semester to semester. Graduation times are posted each semesteron the website of the Office of the Registrar. A student should check the website atgraduation.tamu.edu to determine the date and time of the graduation ceremony.