/Institutions/University-of-Texas-Rio-Grande-Valley/json/2022-2023/Graduate-Catalog-local.json

/Institutions/University-of-Texas-Rio-Grande-Valley/json/2022-2023/Graduate-Catalog.json

Graduate Curriculum

CURRICULUM STANDARDS

The curriculum in each graduate program will provide the opportunity to acquire knowledge of the literature of the discipline.

The curriculum in each graduate program will promote ongoing student engagement in research and/or appropriate professional practice and training experiences.

Faculty with appropriate credentials as required by the Graduate College will teach graduate courses and provide thesis/dissertation supervision.

COURSE SUBSTITUTION

Course substitution is the process by which an alternate course may replace a required or proscribed course in a program of study, provided the substituted course meets the content, learning objectives, and/or spirit of the original course.

Only letter grade courses may be substituted for letter grade course requirements, and courses must be of equal credit hours.

Only courses in which the student earns or has earned a grade of B or better will be used as course substitutions.

Students may not replace a core required course in which they have earned an F, NC, NP, or U grade with a substituted course. 

INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAMS

UTRGV offers two interdisciplinary degree programs at the graduate level, the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS) and the Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies (MSIS). These degrees offer the student the option of obtaining a broader background at the master’s level, rather than specializing in a particular area. The degrees both have the same basic structure: 

• Non-Thesis Option: 18 hours in Discipline One (concentration area), 9 hours in Discipline Two, and 9 hours in Discipline Three.
• Thesis Option: 18 hours in Discipline One (concentration area), 6 hours in Discipline Two, 6 hours in Discipline Three, and 6 hours Thesis.

Special requirements for interdisciplinary degree include:

• 18 hours of graduate work must be taken in the primary area of concentration in addition to any thesis hours.
• Students must submit a plan for their interdisciplinary studies to be approved by the Graduate program director in the concentration area during the first semester. 

The MAIS is available with the following primary concentration areas: Anthropology, Art History, English, History, and Mexican American Studies have defined the courses required for a concentration in their area.

The MSIS is available with the following primary concentration area: Science and Technology.

COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS

The purpose of the comprehensive exam is to evaluate the student’s mastery of their field(s) of study. The academic program prepares, administers, and grades the comprehensive exam according to their policies, procedures, and discipline-specific requirements and norms. 

 

The methods, policies, and procedures for examination and, if applicable, reexamination in the event of a non-passing grade, must be published in the student’s program of study, handbook, student policies manual, website, or other readily available document.   

 

Students must be enrolled in the semester or module in which they complete their Comprehensive Exam, which should be scheduled between the first class day and no less than 7 days prior to the last class day of a given semester or module. Students must also be enrolled for any subsequent reexaminations or alternate exit option.  

 

DISSERTATION AND THESIS REQUIREMENTS

Each college and/or department may have its own guidelines for the development and completion of the dissertation or thesis, including the formation of the committee. The student shall choose a dissertation or thesis committee in consultation with their faculty advisor, as follows:

• A thesis/dissertation committee must be comprised of at least three and no more than six members.
• One member may be from outside the department.
• One member may be from outside UTRGV.
• A majority of the committee members must be fulltime faculty members in the department conferring the degree.

A master’s student considering the thesis option should contact the graduate program director in the first semester of enrollment for specific procedures. A doctoral student should refer to the dissertation requirements and procedures in the program’s degree information or contact the doctoral program director.

 

Each college and/or department may determine its own guidelines for scheduling thesis/dissertation oral defenses, as follows:

• Thesis/dissertation oral defenses cannot be scheduled after the last class day of the semester in which the student intends to graduate. For Fall 2022 the last class day is Thursday, Dec. 9, for Spring 2023 the last class day is Thursday, May 12, for Summer I 2023 the last class day is Tuesday July 12, and for Summer II 2021 the last class day is Monday Aug. 19.

The manual detailing the University requirements for the format and submission of a dissertation or thesis is available on the Graduate College’s website.

Deadlines for the submission of the final draft and the finalized copy of the thesis or dissertation can be found on the graduate website. Students who do not submit a draft by the draft deadline will not have their thesis or dissertation title listed in the commencement ceremony program.

 

In unusual circumstances, thesis/dissertation chairs may request extensions to these deadlines in writing to the Graduate College. Extensions to the final submission deadline will be granted by the Dean of the Graduate College only when special circumstances warrant doing so.

The thesis and dissertation requirement will not be considered complete until the student has uploaded a final copy on the ProQuest website that has been approved by the Graduate College and the student submits a signed “Certification of Completion of Thesis or Dissertation” form to the Graduate College.

All submissions and payments for copies of manuscripts and copyright are done online at the ProQuest website. Students are not required to purchase copies for the UTRGV Library; however, programs, departments, or colleges may require the purchase of additional copies of the thesis (at additional binding expense to the student). Students may order personal copies at his or her discretion. If you select to purchase a copyright, payment is required after uploading your manuscript to ProQuest.

THESIS AND DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP POLICY

All graduate students completing a thesis or dissertation must, in consultation with their thesis or dissertation chair, secure the agreement of a minimum of three full-time UTRGV faculty members (inclusive of the chair) to serve on their thesis or dissertation committee by the time of enrollment in thesis or dissertation coursework.

A minimum of two committee members must be faculty members in the student’s major degree unit. Some programs or departments may require that more than three individuals serve on the thesis or dissertation committee and may have established additional requirements for committee membership.

Retired faculty nominated for or granted emeritus status upon retirement may request committee membership with approval of the Academic College Dean and the Dean of the Graduate College. Retired faculty may serve as a committee member or as a co-chair but may not serve as the sole chair/supervisor. Requests for the inclusion of retired faculty members should be accompanied by the recommendation of the thesis or dissertation chair.

If a member of a thesis or dissertation committee terminates employment with the university, except as noted above, an additional member must be added to the committee. A former faculty member may remain on the dissertation committee but will assume status as an external committee member.

External thesis or dissertation committee members are defined as subject matter experts who are not employed by UTRGV. External committees may serve as fourth or additional committee members. Requests for the inclusion of external committee members should be accompanied by the recommendation of the thesis or dissertation chair and must include the proposed members’ current curriculum vita.