Academic Policies

If you have a specific question, contact your advisor or email us at artsci-advising@tamu.edu.

• Undergraduate students seeking to change their major should consult Student Rule 5 and Change of Major University Policies and Deadlines: https://us.tamu.edu/change-of-major
• All Change of Curriculum Requests are submitted by a student online in Howdy, search for “Change of Major Requests” .
• Academic departments and programs in the College of Arts & Sciences publish their requirements for change of curriculum here. Departmental faculty leaders establish the requirements and decisions will be based on those requirements. Advisors are not permitted to accept a student who does not meet these requirements unless approved by faculty leadership.
• College credit hours earned prior to graduation from high school, either through dual credit or credit by exam, will not count toward the maximum hour cap for change of major requirements.
• All questions about change of curriculum should be directed to the appropriate departmental advisor.
• Departments vary in terms of processing. Some departments will make decisions on a rolling basis and hold for final grades. Others will make a decision only considering the grades completed. Advisors should regularly check the portal and ensure all applications are reviewed by the deadline listed in the Change of Major system.

Students at Texas A&M are allowed to earn up to two minors with their A&M undergraduate degree. Some degree programs may require a minor but for others it is optional, students should discuss this with their major academic advisor. The list of University Approved Minors, the requirements, and the process to gain approval are found at the Office of the Registrar. Students should visit with the academic advisor for their minor of interest to discuss requirements for entry and completion.

• Degree planner requirements vary by department. Your major advisor can confirm if you need to complete a planner.
• Failure to complete the degree planner as required may result in a registration hold that can only be lifted by submitting the planner in Howdy and getting it approved by your academic advisor.

Students should consult Student Rule 10 for information about Texas A&M University’s grading system.

• Texas A&M University’s process for appealing a final grade is indicated in Student Rule 48.
• The basis for appealing a final grade must be the claim that the instructor was arbitrary, capricious or prejudicial in determining the final grade. The burden of proof shall be upon the student. The Undergraduate Ombuds has prepared guidance on grade appeals here: https://us.tamu.edu/ombuds/academic-appeals.

• The College of Arts & Sciences recognizes academic achievements of students as distinguished students and Dean’s honor roll students. We define these achievements according to Student Rule 11.
• Official notification of these designations will be issued to the student by email and online at Dean's List | Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences.

• According to Student Rule 10, students who have fewer than 30 credit hours completed at A&M, students below a cumulative 2.0 GPA, or student athletes are required to have midterm grades input by instructors of record into Howdy at the mid-semester point.
• These grades can be viewed by students, advisors, and administrators. Students with midterm grades below 2.0 may be contacted to engage in College of Arts & Sciences midterm advising support programming.

• Student Rule 10.6 outlines the guidelines regarding incomplete grade requests.
• An Incomplete grade (I) may be awarded to a student by an instructor if the student has completed the course with the exception of a major quiz, single major assignment, or final exam with a university excused absence.
• An Incomplete is a temporary grade and if the work is not completed and a grade change is not submitted by the instructor by the last day of classes in the next full semester (fall or spring), the grade of I will become an F.
• You should work with your instructor on the timeline to complete missing work. Students  must not request an Incomplete to retake an entire course.

• Pert student rule 10.10: Grades transferred from other institutions will be reflected on a student’s Texas A&M University transcript but without associated grade points for those classes. The only classes that will impact a student’s A&M grade point average are the ones taken at A&M.

Visit Graduation - Aggie One Stop for more information.

• Successfully complete ALL coursework for degrees, minors, and certificates on your academic record with the required grades.
• Submit a graduation application for each degree and certificate you have completed by the deadline dates in the Academic Calendar.
  • Make sure your name is correct and provide a valid mailing address for your diploma.
• Provide Degree Requirement Verification and transfer all necessary coursework back to TAMU by the deadlines in the Academic Calendar.

• If a student wants to drop a course after the official census date, they will request a Q-Drop.
• Students wishing to drop all classes must go through the withdrawal process in Howdy.
• Students are allowed four Q-drops at Texas A&M but a total of 6 from all state institutions. For example, if a student went to a state school in Texas prior to attending Texas A&M and had three drops on their record at that school, then only three Q-drops would be allowed at A&M.
• Students can submit requests through the online Q-Drop Request system in Howdy on their My Dashboard. All Q-drops must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the day of the deadline, which is published in the Academic Calendar.
• Courses in non-standard parts of term will have different Q-Drop deadlines than courses in the standard term so the deadline will be different.
• Late Q-drops are not allowed.
• Students should contact their advisor with questions regarding Q-Drops.

• Effective the first day of class, students wanting to drop all of their courses (resulting in zero hours) for the entire semester should submit a withdrawal request (withdrawal applies to an entire term and not just to a particular part of term).  Any courses already graded will not be affected by the withdrawal.
• Withdrawal Requests are submitted online in Howdy for dean’s approval (per the withdrawal process as outlined in Student Rule 17). 
  • If for any reason the withdrawal request must be initiated outside of the online process (such as with a military withdrawal), please ensure you notify Scholarships & Financial Aid at faid_attendance@tamu.edu in addition to the Registrar.  This will ensure we remain compliant with regulatory deadlines established by the U.S. Department of Education.
• If an undergraduate student withdraws before the end of the census date, they will need to go through the admission process to be readmitted if/when they decide to return to Texas A&M, even if they are planning to return the immediately following term.
• If an UG student withdraws after the semester census date, they will be able to pre-register for the following term during their assigned pre-registration time slot or during open registration.

• The last day for schedule changes is the fifth day of the fall/spring semester.
• Students and staff can make permissible schedule changes during the Add/Drop period.  Permissible actions include adding and dropping courses from a current schedule (students must still retain a Fall schedule). 
• Students can NOT drop all classes starting the first day of classes.  Add/Drop does NOT permit students to drop or be dropped from all classes on or after the first day of fall classes, as this is considered a Withdrawal (see Withdrawals below). 

Course level overrides are used for an undergraduate student enrolling in a graduate level course when the course is restricted to graduate student status students only. Some students may opt to take a graduate level course for use in their undergraduate degree or to hold for a graduate certificate or graduate degree.  Students seeking course level overrides should have senior hours and a minimum grade point average of a 3.25 to use the course toward his or her undergraduate degree; and a 3.00 grade point average to reserve for a graduate credit. Students must request permission to register from their academic advisor and submit the appropriate forms to ensure the credit is applied properly.

According to Student Rule 1.13.1, an undergraduate student with an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better may register for a course load in excess of 19 hours in a fall or spring semester or 6 hours (7 if part is a laboratory) in a five-week summer term. If a student has a cumulative GPA above a 3.0, they can consult their academic advisor for approval. The Dean’s Office Advising team must approve all overloads for students whose GPA is less than 3.0. Students whose GPA is below 2.0 are not eligible for a course overload. Students who do not meet these criteria may discuss their situation with their undergraduate advisor.

• All course overload requests for students whose GPA is less than 3.0 must have completed the Course Overload Request & Student Acknowledgement of Responsibility form located here. If the student’s academic advisor supports the student’s request, the advisor will send the paperwork to their college’s Dean or Dean’s designee for further review. If the Dean or the Dean’s designee approve of the exception, the form will be sent to the Registration office for processing and the departmental advisor and student will be copied on the email. If the request is declined, the departmental academic advisor will then be responsible for discussing the decision with the student.

The College of Arts & Sciences recommends that a first term student take only face-to-face (“traditional”) classes during their first semester to successfully connect to their peers and  instructors and to learn the time management skills you will need to succeed at Texas A&M University.

The College of Arts & Sciences does not offer any undergraduate distance degree program. All students in the College must not take more than 50% (60 hours) of their required courses with attributes of DIST or WEB.

The College strictly adheres to standards and definitions set by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board regarding online or distance courses and the 50% threshold.

We regularly monitor student records for signs that students are approaching 60 hours of DIST or WEB credit hours and notify students by email in a timely manner. Questions regarding progress/status toward the 50% online limit should be directed to your academic advisor.

• If a student is not enrolled in any courses by the census date, the student will need to complete the Request for Registration After Census
• This must be sent from the student’s academic advisor to Dean’s Office Advising for assistance with Dean’s designee signature.
• Confirm Registration Readiness items have been completed to prevent delays in processing.

• Students who were previously enrolled at Texas A&M but did not attend class through the official census date of the previous long semester (Fall or Spring) must apply for readmission. Please review the deadlines and process at the Admissions Office website and ArtSci Readmission Guide.
• Students preparing their readmission application are strongly encouraged to meet with a Dean’s advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Education Office at artsci-advising@tamu.edu or(979) 845-5143.

The College of Arts and Sciences applies Student Rule 12 to all undergraduate students. Students who become scholastically deficient, defined by a GPA below 2.0 for an academic term, overall (cumulative), or for their major (Section 12.1)may be placed on scholastic probation by the college and/or dismissed from continued enrollment. All students who become scholastically deficient (Section 12.1) will be blocked from continued enrollment (Section 12.2.4) until the relevant probation requirements are met or the student successfully changes to a different college.

Students with the specific academic deficits in their cumulative, semester, and/or major grade point averages (GPAs) will be placed on scholastic dismissal and blocked from continued enrollment. Please refer to the College of Arts & Sciences Probation and Dismissal Policy for a detailed explanation of academic deficits and terms of dismissal.

Undergraduate students who are suspended at the university level must leave the university for a period of 12 months and are permitted to re-apply for admission to return to Texas A&M after that 12-month period. Application for re-admission though the Office of Admissions is required, and acceptance is not guaranteed. During the suspension period, you will not be a Texas A&M student and will have limited access to Texas A&M resources. Please refer to the university-level suspension website here for details: https://us.tamu.edu/students/university-level-academic-suspension.

Students may appeal their dismissal through the dismissal appeal process via the below form if they can:

• Identify and document extenuating circumstances that were beyond their control and negatively impacted their grades in a specific time period (e.g. fall 2016);
• Demonstrate that the extenuating circumstances that contributed to their poor academic performance have been resolved via valid, third-party documentation (e.g. counseling, medical treatment, etc.); and
• Demonstrate that the extenuating circumstances have been resolved so that they have the opportunity to complete the following semester successfully.

Download the College of Arts and Sciences Probation and Dismissal Policy

Submit the Dismissal Appeal Form

Scholastic probation requires completion of an individualized success program and academic advising. The terms of probation require that the student completes probation programming and meet specific variance or GPA requirements. See the College of Arts & Sciences Probation and Dismissal Policy for details.

Per Texas A&M University Student Rule 1.16.4, a student may drop a course without academic penalty through the 60th class day of a fall or spring semester, the 15th class day of a summer term or the 35th class day of a 10-week summer semester. This date is published in the academic calendar. Late requests, defined in Rule 17, may be granted by the Dean’s Review Panel. Students must present evidence for extraordinary circumstances beyond the student's control. Please note that the Late Withdrawal must be processed within 30 days of the receipt.

Submit a Late Withdrawal Request here

No Grade (NG) is assigned only through the Dean or Dean’s designee when extraordinary circumstances exist. In the College of Arts and Sciences, the Dean’s Review Panel serves as the Dean’s designee. According to Student Rules (Section 10.3), this action "requires extensive documentation of the extraordinary circumstances justifying the No Grade". Please note that it can take up to a full semester to completely process a NG request. It is the college’s policy to not approve No Grade for courses that have a passing grade.

Submit your No Grade Request here

General Advising Guidance for Study Abroad

• The College of Arts and Sciences values the role that international experiences play in preparing students for successful careers and leadership roles in our increasingly global environment. Texas A&M offers hundreds of international program options for students, including faculty-led programs and field trips, reciprocal exchange, affiliated, and independent programs. 
• Students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisor as early as possible, but at least one year in advance of the term abroad to express interest in studying abroad [refer to EA site and our Study Abroad site to define the main modalities for study abroad activities] and to incorporate overseas courses into their degree planning. We strongly recommend discussion of these points to inform exploring of program types and overseas coursework. Some suggested points of discussion include:
  • Types of courses for students to consider taking abroad (major-specific courses or electives, upper or lower-level courses, etc.)
  • Any courses or degree requirements that must be completed in residence at TAMU
  • Timing of the experience abroad, for example after completing certain degree requirements or during a term that might allow for more flexibility
  • Potential impacts to anticipated graduation timeline

Pre-Approval for Transfer Credit (PAFTC) Process

• Students participating in reciprocal exchange, affiliated provider, and many independent experiences abroad are required to complete the Pre-Approval for Transfer Credit (PAFTC) process. This process is embedded into the application completed through TAMU Education Abroad and can take several weeks to complete, so students are strongly encouraged to start this process as soon as possible in order to ensure timely completion. 
• The student is responsible for selecting courses, completing the student portions of the PAFTC form, and emailing the form and relevant course syllabi to the appropriate Subject Matter Expert (SME) for review.  After the SME reviews the courses, they sign and return the form to the student, who then submits the form and course information to their academic advisor.
• It is the advisor’s responsibility to review the notes from the SME and course information and indicate how each course applies to the student’s degree plan. Advisors are encouraged to include any relevant notes about course evaluation or conversations with the student on the PAFTC form for future reference before signing and returning the form to the student.
• The student then submits the completed form with SME and advisor signatures to ArtSci Study Abroad (artsci-studyabroad@tamu.edu), who coordinates AOC Dean review. Should there be any questions during this review, ArtSci Study Abroad will reach out to the advisor or SME as appropriate.
• After AOC Dean reviews, ArtSci Study Abroad will return the fully signed PAFTC form to the student with Education Abroad and the student’s advisor included so that all parties know the process is complete.

Additional Resources

• Students and advisors can reach out to the ArtSci Study Abroad team at artsci-studyabroad@tamu.edu at any time with questions or concerns.
• ArtSci Study Abroad website
• General overview of Pre-Approval for Transfer Credit process from TAMU Education Abroad website: Pre-approval Form for Transfer Credit