Thesis/Dissertation format requirements, as well as other services and processes, are changing for students who will graduate in December 2012.  This announcement will summarize the major changes. For resources and other guidance please visit the Thesis/Dissertation pages on the Office of Graduate Studies website.

Format Changes

Style Guide

Students will no longer submit a sample journal article from a selected journal model to the Thesis Office. See the chart below, and consult with your committee and/or department, for allowable style choices in the thesis/dissertation.

Page Numbering

The location of the page number has shifted to the bottom center of the page. Students are no longer required to rotate the page number placement for pages in the landscape orientation.

Preliminary Pages

• Copyright and Approval Pages have been eliminated. The unique information these pages (committee listing and copyright notice) have been moved to the Title Page
• Preliminary lines have been eliminated from the Abstract Page.
• The Abstract Page is the first numbered page (using the lowercase Roman numeral ii)

Body

A journal model sentence will no longer be included on page 1 of the thesis/dissertation.

Back Matter

The Vita has been eliminated. The last page of the thesis/dissertation should consist of reference or appendix material.

Review and Service Changes

In addition to format changes, the Thesis Office has also made the following adjustments to review processes and services:

• The pre-submittal conference will be offered in a face-to-face, group format approximately once per week. Students who cannot attend in person should consult the online pre-submittal conference tutorials.
• The Thesis Office will no longer provide copy-edit feedback on the Abstract, Dedication and Acknowledgments; however, if content therein does not meet standards, revisions will be requested.
• Corrections feedback will be more generalized, pointing to patterns of problems in the document with reference to examples, as needed. Students will need to review the entire document to address all iterations of an identified problem.
• Students requiring extended rounds of review (more than 3) will lose priority in the review queue in order to ensure fixed resource are able to serve all students equitably. Feedback times may be extended for these students, while deadlines to clear Thesis Office in order to graduate in a given semester will remain in effect.

*Previous GRE verbal score of 400 = Revised GRE verbal score of 146.*

1. What are the two levels of English Proficiency Status for graduate students?

•  English Proficiency Verification (Verification is the minimum English language proficiency required to graduate, to complete the preliminary examination (if doctoral student), or to hold the final examination or thesis defense. Students who are verified may not teach.)
•  English Proficiency Certification (Certification is required, by the State of Texas, and Texas A&M University, before a graduate student is eligible to serve as a graduate assistant-teaching, or any other position considered to be a teaching position (e.g., instructor, lab instructor, lecturer, etc.).

2. How does a graduate student meet the verification requirements?

English Proficiency Verification can be achieved by presenting:

• an official TOEFL score of at least 550 (paper-based)/TOFLC 213 (computer-based)/TOFI 80 (Internet-based) and no more than two years old.
• an official GRE Verbal score of at least 400 (previous) or 146 (revised), or
• an official GMAT Verbal score of at least 22, or,
  
• an official IELTS score of 6.0, or
• confirmation of  a 2-year Master’s degree from an accredited US institution (if the department/program is willing to support this verification).

Individual colleges may choose to establish minimum TOEFL standards that exceed the University minimum.

3. How does a graduate student meet the certification requirements?

English Proficiency Certification can be achieved by:

• scoring at least 80 on each of the four sections (Composition, Reading, Listening, Oral) of the English Language Proficiency Examination (ELPE).
• obtaining grades of A or B in English Language Institute (ELI) courses at the 300-level or higher, or
• alternative certification is granted only if students have received a baccalaureate degree following four years of study at an accredited U. S. institution. The request must be made by the departmental graduate advisor in writing to the Office of Graduate Studies. The official transcripts for the four-year degree must show in Compass. 

4. When are graduate students required to take the English Language Proficiency Examination?

Graduate students must take the English Language Proficiency Examination (ELPE) if the

• TOEFL is below University requirement of 550 (paper-based)/213 (computer-based)/80 (Internet-based), or
• TOEFL scores are not official or more than 2 years old, or
• GRE Verbal (400 (previous) or 146 (revised)) /GMAT Verbal (22) below minimum University requirement, or
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score is below University requirement of 6.0.

5. Are graduate students allowed to postpone required English Language Institute coursework?

Graduate students are automatically allowed to postpone taking English Language classes the first semester they are enrolled at Texas A&M University.  If students fail to pass the four sections (Composition, Reading, Listening, Oral) of the ELPE, they are required to begin ELI course work no later than the second semester if they are not verified by the TOEFL/TOFLC, IELTS, GMAT or GRE verbal.

Graduate students may take a combination of Texas A&M University and ELI courses up to a total of 15 hours in fall or spring semesters and up to a total of 12 hours for a 10-week summer semester. English Language courses do not count for university credit nor can they be used to satisfy registration requirements if a student holds an assistantship (GANT, GAT, GAR).

6. Are graduate students allowed to retest on the English Language Proficiency Examination?

Graduate students may not take the ELPE within three months of their most recent attempt without permission from the Office of Graduate Studies.  Departments may request a retest if the student is needed to TA for the upcoming semester but has taken the test within the last three months. Departments will need to write a letter to the Office of Graduate Studies with the student name and UIN requesting the student(s) be allowed to test. This request should be made NO later than NINE days prior to the date of the first examination.

The departmental graduate advisor may request a retest for these students only if:

• The department needs the student to TA;
• The student has passed all areas of the ELPE but two; and
• The two areas lacking has a minimum score of 75 in each.

If the student meets ALL of the above 3 criteria, the Office of Graduate Studies will approve the request and fax it to the department and to Measurement and Research Services. Departments will be responsible for notifying students of their approval or denial for a retest.  The student will receive the testing information by email.  Departments should contact Dr. Kathy Clark with the English Language Institute directly in order to enroll students in ELI course.