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Texas
Tech University is in compliance with Comprehensive Standard 3.6.1.
The
prologue to the catalog section on Graduate Studies and Research states:
Graduate study is much more than a continuation of
undergraduate work. It is distinguished by the spirit of inquiry and the
desire to increase human knowledge. Graduate study should be contemplated,
therefore, only by students who have demonstrated in their undergraduate
programs unusual intellectual ability and the capacity for independent
thought and investigation. (p. 57) (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/catalog/GradSchool.html#About)
This statement reflects an expectation on the part of the Graduate School
that students will be required to meet higher standards than undergraduates,
especially with respect to the ability to learn independently and to think
creatively.
Ultimately, it is the Graduate School and the individual colleges and
departments of the university that determine the content and level of
difficulty of post-graduate courses. The Graduate Studies and Research
section of the catalog notes repeatedly that graduate work expectations
exceed those of the undergraduate level. For example, under Prerequisites
for a Graduate Major, students are informed: “For a graduate major, an
applicant must have completed, or must take, sufficient undergraduate work
to ensure adequate background for successful graduate work in the proposed
field.” (p. 64) (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/catalog/GRADEnrollment.html)
In a subsequent note under Prerequisites for the Master’s Degree students
are advised that “[a] substantial body of undergraduate work in the major
subject and considerable breadth of background are essential for graduate
study.”
Graduate students are not allowed to count undergraduate courses toward
their degree; however, undergraduate students who have at least a B (3.00)
average in their major subject, who are within 12 hours of graduation, and
who apply for permission through the Graduate School, may enroll in courses
for graduate credit and may apply up to 12 hours of such credit toward a
graduate degree. (p. 64) (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/catalog/GRADEnrollment.html)
These requirements suggest a clear distinction in level of difficulty
between graduate and undergraduate courses.
Courses offered for graduate credit must be approved within the college in
which they originate and also be approved by the Graduate School. The
Graduate Council of the Graduate School, a rotating body of elected faculty
who represent each of the colleges and schools in the university that offer
courses for graduate credit (the exception is the Honors College), has the
responsibility for approving all graduate programs and courses (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/catalog/GRADCouncil.html).
This approval process also helps to insure that graduate programs and
courses are substantially more advanced in both academic content and also in
their expectations that students will be able to learn independently and
apply what they learn to formulating and conducting independent research
within the context of the discipline in which they are working.
Finally, most professional graduate programs and many non-professional areas
are accredited by discipline-specific organizations. (A list of such
accrediting organizations is provided at the front of the catalog on p. 2.)
(http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/catalog/Catalog.html#Expiration)
These accrediting agencies also help to insure that graduate education is
progressively more advanced than undergraduate programs. |
