Graduate Student Enrollment Classifications and Admission Criteria

GRADUATE STUDENT ENROLLMENT CLASSIFICATIONS

Graduate students are admitted in one of the following graduate classifications:

1. Degree Seeking. Students must meet all University and degree-specific admission requirements to be unconditionally admitted to a graduate degree program by the program offering the degree.
2. Graduate Certificate Seeking. A certificate student may enroll in certain graduate courses that lead to licensing or certification. Students admitted under this classification may register for only those graduate courses specified by the certificate program or licensing body. The admission requirements are the same as those for degree-seeking students.
3. Transient. A student who provides proof of enrollment in good standing in a graduate degree program at another university may enroll at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi for graduate course work to be transferred to the student’s home university. The student is not required to submit GRE or GMAT scores. Permission from the appropriate college is required. (International students cannot be admitted in Transient status.)
4. Non-Degree Seeking. Non-degree status is designed for the student who wants to enroll in graduate course work to meet personal or career goals that do not lead to a graduate degree or certification. The applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution (or equivalent degree from another country). The applicant is not required to submit GRE or GMAT scores. In addition, non-degree seeking students must be approved for registration by the department offering the course or courses they wish to study. Those students desiring additional professional or personal development beyond one semester must seek permission from the college.
   A student may petition to apply credits earned while in Non-degree status toward a graduate degree if the student applies to and is admitted to a graduate degree program at some later date and subsequent to meeting all of the usual admissions requirements. (See program-specific admissions requirements.) However, no more than nine semester hours of courses taken in Non-degree status may be applied to any graduate degree. (International students cannot be admitted in Non-degree status.)

NOTE: A student holding a baccalaureate or higher degree who intends to seek an additional bachelor's degree or an additional undergraduate major or minor, or who intends to take undergraduate course work required for Texas public school teacher certification, should seek admission as a postbaccalaureate student. Postbaccalaureate students are exempt from graduate admission requirements and may enroll in undergraduate-level courses (numbered below 5000) only. For information on postbaccalaureate admission requirements, see the "Admission" section of the Undergraduate Catalog.

GRADUATE ADMISSION CRITERIA

The following guidelines apply to degree seeking and certificate seeking applicants to graduate study.

To be admitted to graduate studies, an applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education in the United States (or an equivalent foreign institution). The applicant must show promise of success in graduate studies. Decisions regarding admission to graduate study will be based on a review of all application materials submitted. Factors that may be considered include the student’s grade point average (GPA), the relevancy of previous course work, the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to the field of study, and other criteria identified by the degree program. No single factor will automatically disqualify an applicant from acceptance. Rather the overall strength of the record will be used to grant or deny admission to an individual.

A student who already holds a graduate degree from a regionally accredited university, as documented by an official transcript, is considered to have met the University requirements for admission to graduate study. Admission to a particular degree program may involve meeting additional requirements.

Right to an Academic Fresh Start Legislation

If a student who enrolls in a Texas public institution of higher education under the Right to an Academic Fresh Start law completes a prescribed course of study, earns a baccalaureate degree, and applies for admission to a postgraduate program, the University, in considering the applicant for admission into the program, will consider only the grade point average of the applicant established by the course work completed under this law, along with other standard admissions criteria discussed in this catalog. (For more information on the Right to an Academic Fresh Start, see the "Admission" section of the Undergraduate Catalog or contact the Office of Admissions and Records.)