Students may transfer a maximum of 12 credit hours for M.S. and M.Eng degree plans, and 24 credit hours for Ph.D. degree plans. This must be approved by the entire Advisory Committee and the Director of Graduate Programs before submitting for approval to the Graduate and Professional School. Transfer credit must also meet the university criteria, which may be found in the Graduate Catalog. A brief overview is below.
Rules on transferring credit
- Cannot have been used to satisfy another degree's requirements
- Must be from a U.S. accredited university
- Must be an A or B
- Research hours are not transferrable
- Your faculty supervisor, the Director of BMEN Graduate Programs and the Texas A&M Graduate and Professional School must approve the transfer
- An official transcript has to be on file with Texas A&M for the transfer courses to post to your TAMU account.
Only six hours of undergraduate coursework can be placed on your graduate degree plan.
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All changes are processed in DPSS via the MDD petition. Note you may submit the MDD petition at any point in this process; however, it will not be approved until the entire process is approved.
FIRST, the student will inform their current department/advisor of their desire to switch majors/degree programs. It is also highly encouraged that the student speak with the BMEN Graduate Academic Advisor to discuss academic requirements and feasibility of change.
SECOND, the student will identify a faculty advisor who will support him or her and commit to mentoring them through the program.
In the case of transitioning to M.Eng. BMEN, he or she will need to speak with the departmental Director(s) of the MEng program and gain approval to join (currently Dr. Criscione and Professor Hanks). Keep in mind, the MEng is an unfunded degree program.
In the case of transitioning to M.S. BMEN, the student must speak with a Biomedical Engineering faculty member and determine what level of financial support the faculty is willing to provide the student. There is no guarantee of funding.
In the case of transitioning to Ph.D. BMEN, the student must speak with a Biomedical Engineering faculty member who will have to agree to support the student according to the current requirements as laid out in all offer letters the department distributes to each entering student. If no funding is determined, the student may be ineligible to transfer. The case would need to be reviewed by the Director of Graduate Programs for the department (currently Dr. Daniel Alge, dalge@tamu.edu).
THIRD, the student will submit a MDD petition in the DPSS portal stating this change and the effective term. Please note that this MDD petition must first be reviewed and approved by the student's current major/department. Once approved, it will route to the BMEN department for review.
Materials needed for the department to review a student's MDD petition. All documents should be compiled into one email from the student to the BMEN Graduate Academic Advisor with a copy to the current Director of Graduate Programs and the student's faculty supervisor(s) :
- Letter of Recommendation from the faculty supervisor for the new major/degree program
- Agreement of financial support from the faculty supervisor for the new degree level, if necessary
- Statement of Purpose from the student stating the reason(s) for the transition
- Resume or CV from the student
- Unofficial TAMU transcript from the student
FOURTH, once all materials are received, the BMEN advising office will review the request. Once a decision is obtained, the Graduate Academic Advisor will inform the student and submit the decision on the student’s MDD petition in DPSS and route the petition forward.
If approved, the MDD petition has several other layers of review before being updated by the TAMU Graduate and Professional School and the change being reflected in the student's file (these layers are simply internal university procedures).
NOTICE: The student should monitor the MDD petition in his or her DPSS portal and ensure that the form is not getting “stuck” in one location. If so, the student will alert either their current major/department and/or the BMEN Graduate Academic Advisor who will contact the necessary parties involved to move the petition forward.
NOTICE: Once your degree change is approved, the TAMU Graduate and Professional School will void any current degree plans, proposals, preliminary examination results, etc on file and students will have to resubmit all requirements for the new degree program.
DEADLINE: Please remember that all transfers must be fully approved and through the ENTIRE process by the 12th class day for fall and spring semesters or by the 4th class day for summer semesters.
If the student is international, you must speak with ISSS BEFORE requesting to transfer majors or degree levels.
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All changes are processed via the Letter of Intent housed on the TAMU Graduate and Professional School website. Note you may submit the Letter of Intent at any point in this process; however, it will not be approved until the entire process is approved.
FIRST, the student will inform their current department/advisor of their desire to continue to a new degree program in BMEN. It is also highly encouraged that the student speak with the BMEN Graduate Academic Advisor to discuss academic requirements and feasibility of additional degree.
SECOND, the student will identify a faculty advisor who will support him or her and commit to mentoring them through the program.
If applying to pursue M.Eng. BMEN, he or she will need to speak with the departmental Director(s) of the MEng program and gain approval to join. Keep in mind, the MEng is an unfunded degree program.
If applying to pursue M.S. BMEN, the student must speak with a Biomedical Engineering faculty member and determine what level of financial support the faculty is willing to provide the student. There is no guarantee of funding.
If applying to pursue Ph.D. BMEN, the student must speak with a Biomedical Engineering faculty member who will have to agree to support the student according to the current requirements as laid out in all offer letters the department distributes to each entering student. If no funding is determined, the student may be ineligible to transfer. The case would need to be reviewed by the Director of Graduate Programs for the department.
THIRD, the student will submit a Letter of Intent with the TAMU Graduate and Professional School.
Materials needed for the department to review a student's Letter of Intent. All documents should be compiled into one email from the student to the BMEN Graduate Academic Advisor with a copy to the current Director of Graduate Programs and the student's faculty supervisor(s) :
- Letter of Recommendation from the faculty supervisor for the new major/degree program
- Agreement of financial support from the faculty supervisor for the new degree level, if necessary
- Statement of Purpose from the student stating the reason(s) for the transition
- Resume or CV from the student
- Unofficial TAMU transcript from the student
FOURTH, once all materials are received, the BMEN advising office will review the request. Once a decision is obtained, the Graduate Academic Advisor will inform the student and submit the decision on the student’s Letter of Intent and route the petition forward.
If approved, the Letter of Intent has several other layers of review before being updated by the TAMU Graduate and Professional School and the change being reflected in the student's file (these layers are simply internal university procedures).
DEADLINE: Please remember that all changes should be approved well in advance of the requested entry term. This will allow the student time to organize their BMEN student file.
If the student is international, you must speak with ISSS BEFORE requesting to pursue an additional degree.