Graduate Catalog 
Graduate School Executive Committee
Policies that govern the organization and administration of the Graduate School are developed by the Graduate School Executive Committee. As authorized by the Administrative Council of the University, the membership of this committee includes a minimum of eight faculty members, representing the four colleges in which graduate programs are offered; a minimum of seven administrators, to include representation from each of the four colleges; a minimum of four student members, also representing the four colleges; and such nonvoting advisory members as may be determined by the President of the University. The Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies serves as executive officer. All appointments are made by the President. The chairperson of the committee is elected annually.
The Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies, in collaboration with the Executive Committee, exercises overall review and supervision of graduate programs and provides leadership in developing new programs and in improving standards for existing programs.
Graduate Faculty
Appointment and Qualifications of Graduate Faculty. Any member of the faculty is eligible for appointment to membership on the graduate faculty, regardless of the member's academic discipline, provided the following criteria are satisfied.
A full-time member of the faculty who has the following qualifications is eligible for membership in the graduate faculty as a FULL MEMBER:
- an earned doctorate or equivalent terminal degree in an appropriate discipline;
- achieved professorial rank in the discipline relevant to the degree;
- achieved an appropriate level of scholarship and erudition characterized by honesty, accuracy, critical ability, and thoroughness; and
- demonstrated (by involvement in institutional activities) his or her commitment to the academic community and the University, as well as to his or her students and academic discipline.
Any full-time member of the faculty who is not eligible for full membership may be nominated for appointment as an ASSOCIATE MEMBER on the basis of at least a master's degree and demonstrated specific competence to carry out the departmental special needs for graduate teaching, advisement, or research. The associate membership appointment is for a three-year period and may be renewed or a review for full membership may be requested at such time.
Part-time faculty who hold the terminal degree or its equivalent and are employed for graduate teaching, advisement, or research may be nominated as an ADJUNCT MEMBER of the graduate faculty. The period of appointment is for two years and may be renewed when appropriate. Adjunct members may not serve as an academic or research advisor but may serve as an advisory committee member. Adjunct members are not listed in the graduate catalog.
RETIRED MEMBERS of the graduate faculty are listed in the graduate catalog immediately following the listing of the current graduate faculty members.
Primary responsibility for determining that a faculty member meets the above requirements rests with the departmental chairperson and those faculty in the department who are members of the graduate faculty; with oversight being provided by the dean of the college, the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Each member of the graduate faculty is required to have on file in his or her academic unit current information as to qualifications for continuing service as a member of the graduate faculty, such as the faculty member's postsecondary level education, relevant employment experience, professional certifications or licenses, publications and presentations, and master's and doctoral-level students advised. All appointments to membership on the graduate faculty are made by the President of the University based upon recommendations submitted by departmental chairpersons with suitable endorsement from the dean of the college, the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The appropriate appointment forms may be obtained from the office of the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies.
Responsibilities of the Graduate Faculty. A faculty member appointed to full membership on the graduate faculty serves also as a member of the faculty of an academic department and college. As a member of the graduate faculty, the appointee may be asked to serve as a teacher of a graduate course, as a teacher of a readings or special problems course, as a director of some phase of development of the research facilities of the University, as a member of the Graduate School Executive Committee, or as a member of a graduate student’s advisory committee, including serving as the student’s academic and/or research advisor. (If appropriately qualified, a faculty member may serve as both academic and research advisor.) The graduate faculty member who serves as the student’s academic advisor shall chair or cochair the advisory committee and must hold faculty rank in the department in which the student is majoring. A student’s research advisor may hold faculty rank in a department other than that in which the student is majoring but must have research capability in a discipline closely related to a discipline associated with the student’s department. For a doctoral student, the academic advisor shall be an experienced faculty member with demonstrated ability to effectively mentor both students and faculty; the research advisor must have demonstrated significant research capability and be experienced in directing independent study. Service as a graduate student’s academic and/or research advisor must be reviewed and approved by the student’s departmental chairperson, the dean of the college, and the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies. A faculty member may not direct independent study/research courses taken by a student who is a relative of the faculty member and may not be a member of a relative's graduate advisory committee. For the purposes of this policy, "relative" means a parent, foster parent, parent-in-law, child, spouse, brother, foster brother, sister, foster sister, grandparent, grandchild, son-in-law, brother-in-law, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, or other family member who resides in the same household.
At the discretion of the departmental chairperson, responsibilities of an associate member may be any of those normally given to a full member of the graduate faculty, except serving on the Graduate School Executive Committee, or serving as a doctoral-level academic or research advisor. Serving as a master's-level academic and/or research advisor must be reviewed and approved by the student’s departmental chairperson, the dean of the college, and the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies.
A teacher of any course for which students receive graduate credit must be a member of the graduate faculty. The teacher has the normal responsibilities appropriate to the course. When students are enrolled in undergraduate classes (4000/5000) for graduate credit, the faculty member has the responsibility of making appropriate additional assignments to ensure students receive proper value from the courses. A general description of the extra work required of students taking a 4000/5000 level course for graduate credit must be included in the description of the course approved by the Graduate School Executive Committee. Teachers of undergraduate courses are provided class rolls that show the names of those students seeking graduate credit for work in their classes. Each teacher is also responsible for seeing that the students in graduate classes have sufficient prerequisites to permit the subject matter to be presented and discussed without hindrance.
Responsibilities of Departmental Chairperson. The chairperson of any department offering a graduate degree may act in any capacity open to a graduate faculty member and has certain administrative responsibilities pertaining to the graduate program. The chairperson is responsible for reviewing applications of prospective graduate students and making recommendations as to acceptance and status of applicants; acting as the advisor (or for designating one) for each student's first registration period; and nominating qualified faculty members for appointment to the graduate faculty. The departmental chairperson also provides direction and coordination in supporting departmental faculty members in the development of research projects and in the appropriate utilization of facilities.
Organization and Appointment of Advisory Committee. The advisory committee may be appointed during the student's first term but no later than the term in which 15 credits of course work are to be completed. The student, in consultation with the departmental chairperson, will determine a minimum of three (four in the doctoral program in Education; five in the doctoral programs in Engineering and Environmental Sciences) suitable graduate faculty members who are willing to serve as voting members of the committee. Members shall represent each of the areas in which the student expects to study, with two members having background in the major area. Each area in which the student presents as many as six (6) credits should be represented by one member. At least one member of the advisory committee should have adequate background and research interests in the area in which the student has proposed a research objective. After selection of the committee and the student's determination that the committee members are available to serve, the selection is submitted to the dean of the college and the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies for approval and appointment.
Changes to the advisory committee must be requested by the student and approved by the departmental chairperson, the dean of the college, and the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies, with the latter making the subsequent appointments to complete the committee. Except in unusual circumstances such as extended campus leave, change of teaching fields, or inappropriate advisement loads, a faculty member enjoys the prerogative of accepting or relinquishing an appointment on a student's advisory committee.
The organization and appointment of advisory committees to supervise graduate study for the doctorate shall be the same, generally, as in a master’s program, except that the advisory committee shall consist of at least five members of the Graduate Faculty. Changes in a doctoral advisory committee also require the approval of the departmental chairperson, the dean of the college, as well as the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies.
Each member of a graduate student's advisory committee is expected (1) to review the student's proposed plan of study and to approve it or make recommendations to improve it; (2) to consider the student's application for candidacy including both the proposed plan of study and the research proposal and, with other members of the committee, to approve, approve with change, or disapprove the program; (3) to review the student's thesis (if one is required) prior to the comprehensive examination; and (4) to assist in the conduct of an examination to insure that the student has at least a satisfactory knowledge of the subject matter covered in the program of study and that the thesis (when required) is of suitable caliber and presents a valid investigation properly completed. The minimum required majority for all actions of the advisory committee at the master's and specialist levels is three (3) positive votes, or three-fourths of the committee members eligible to vote. At the doctoral level four-fifths is required as the minimum for the programs in Engineering and Environmental Sciences and a unanimous vote for the program in Exceptional Learning.
Responsibilities of Thesis Advisor. The chairperson of an advisory committee assists the student in the selection of a course of study and works with the student in choosing a suitable thesis topic. The chairperson is expected to furnish appropriate assistance and encouragement when excessive difficulties arise in the investigation of the problem. At the request of the student, the chairperson schedules the comprehensive examination and is responsible for its administration and conduct, as well as the reporting of the examination results to the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies.
Turnitin Use Guidelines & Self-Study Materials. We are pleased that you have chosen to utilize the TurnItIn software as part of your teaching activities. This resource has been made available to the graduate school faculty and offers you an excellent mechanisms for education students about the nature of academic integrity, as well as the mechanics of proper citation of sources.
Before you begin using TurnItIn, we strongly recommend that you go through a brief set of self-study training materials that we have assembled for you. Also, please familiarize yourself with the current policies regarding academic integrity that are listed in the student and faculty handbooks.
If you have any questions regarding TurnItIn, please contact Information Technology Services at 931-372-6526 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Self-Study Checklist
- Read the Faculty Advisory Statement provided below aqnd approved by the TBR Office of Legal Counsel regarding TurnItIn use by you and your students. You should also include this statement in your student syllabus if appropriate.
Faculty Advisory Statement
The faculty and staff at TTU are committed to the lifelong learning of students and thus providing an environment for learning that fosters the highest academic conduct. To this end, TTU and its faculty reserve the right to use electronic means to detect and help prevent the inappropriate use of intellectual property. Student agrees and understands that by taking this course, his or her work may be subject to originality check through Turnitin, and student thereby grants any necessary copyright permission required to do so. Personally identifiable information (such as student name, social security number, student i.d. number, etc.) should NOT be included in the work submitted to Turnitin. This work will be encoded and stored in the Turnitin database where it will also be used for originality checks on other works submitted by the student or anyone else using the system. The faculty may require that the students submit their work through Turnitin or questionable text may be submitted by the faculty for the student. The terms that apply to TTU's use of the Turnitin service are described on the Turnitin.com website.
- View the Instructor Quick Start Video--Demo 1. You will not need the user ID or password in order to view the video. (Approximately 7 minutes long)
http://www.turnitin.com/static/training_support/instructor_training_intro.html - View the Originality Report Video. (Approximately 8 minutes long)
http://www.turnitin.com/static/training_support/or_full_movie.html - Download and read the first two sections of the TurnItIn Instructor Manual.
Section 1: Getting Started
Section 2: Plagiarism Prevention
http://www.turnitin.com/static/training.html – Scroll down to User Manuals and select the “Instructor User Manual” link
Faculty must inform students of links to on-line educational resources that provide information for understanding plagiarism and proper ways to cite the work of others. Two such resources are available at:
http://www.turnitin.com/research_site/e_home.html
http://education.indiana.edu/~frick/plagiarism/ [1]
Students must be instructed by faculty to complete the on-line test available at http://www.indiana.edu/~istd/plagiarism_test.html and provide documentation that they “understand plagiarism and know how to avoid it” as stated on this website by providing a copy of the completed test certificate to the faculty member. [1]
[1]Permission to use the links to the University of Indiana Bloomington website for non-profit educational purposes was received on 02/14/07.
Graduate Assistants
Appointment and Qualifications of Graduate Assistants
There are four classifications of graduate assistantships:
- Graduate Teaching Assistant
- Graduate Teaching Associate
- Graduate Support Assistant
- Graduate Research Assistant
Appointment is made by the President of the University, upon unit recommendation of the department in which the assistantship is available, provided the recommendation is appropriately endorsed by the Dean of the College and the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies. Unless other arrangements are specified, it is assumed the graduate assistant will pursue a degree objective in the department where the assistantship assignment is made. Applications for assistantships are obtained from the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies.
Special assistantship and fellowship awards are available for Black graduate students. Consideration is given on the basis of academic preparation, major area of study, and the availability of funds. Additional information may be obtained from the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies.
Appointment to a graduate assistantship requires Full Standing in the graduate program, unless exception is made because of unusual abilities or circumstances. The period of appointment is normally for one academic year at a stipend determined by the department in which the assistantship is available. The graduate assistant is required to maintain a minimum quality point average of 3.0, except that the student may be permitted to retain the assistantship on probation for one semester should the average fall below the minimum requirement.
Duties of Graduate Assistants
Students holding full assistantships are assigned duties which require approximately one-half the workload of a full-time faculty member. Graduate assistants may receive teaching, research, or support assignments and are expected to devote sufficient clock hours per week as may be required to perform their duties satisfactorily. The average workload for a full-time assistantship may not exceed 20 clock hours per week. In extenuating circumstances, the major advisor, departmental chairperson, and Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies may approve a full-time graduate assistant's workload up to an average of 30 clock hours per week for a period of time not to exceed four weeks in any fiscal year. Full-time research assistants are not permitted to assume concurrent duties as teaching assistants and vice-versa. Teaching assistants may be given classroom teaching assignments, may work during laboratory or similar periods with undergraduate students, or may devote time to laboratory development projects determined by the departmental chairperson. Except for instruction in physical education activities, laboratory assignments, and discussion groups, graduate assistants will not be given primary responsibility for teaching a course unless they have achieved appropriate professional and scholarly preparation. This preparation must include at least 18 semester credits of graduate study in the subject area which would be taught by the graduate assistant. Research assistants are assigned to graduate faculty members to assist with specific research projects. All graduate assistants are expected to complete their assignments in a professional manner. When a graduate assistant resigns or is terminated or withdraws from the University during a semester, remuneration for the assistantship (including tuition and fees) will be made by the student on a prorated basis.
Permissible Loads of Graduate Assistants
In order to insure sufficient time for necessary reading and study, certain restrictions are placed on permissible credit loads that graduate assistants may carry each semester. Students who are appointed to full graduate assistantships are limited to a maximum of 12 credits each semester. Students holding half assistantships may carry 14 credits.
In the case of full assistantships, it shall be the prerogative of the department to further restrict the credit load of a graduate assistant when the nature of the student's work or when class requirements are unusually demanding.
Since graduate assistants are expected to make normal progress toward a degree, a minimum credit load of 6 graduate hours per semester is required. Any exception to this regulation must be approved by the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies. Loads may vary from a minimum of six hours per semester to a maximum of 12 hours depending upon individual programs and residency. A full graduate assistant who is classified as out-of-state may gain in-state residency if a semester credit load of at least six semester hours is maintained. A student holding a full assistantship and registered for at least six graduate hours is considered to be full-time (three graduate hours for Summer Semester), except that an international master's level student will be required to earn nine hours per semester during the academic year in compliance with federal laws.
A graduate assistant is classified as an in-state resident ONLY while he/she is an assistant. Residency will be reviewed when assistantship ends.
Assistantship Stipends
All full assistantships which are supported by University funds provide tuition and fee payments in addition to a salary stipend during the period of appointment. Full stipend range varies depending on the major field of study. Doctoral students and research assistants in the Centers of Excellence may receive additional compensation.
Full assistantships which are funded from sources outside the University, such as in projects underwritten by grants and contracts, provide a salary stipend consistent with the above; tuition and fees are also paid if provided for by the source of the assistantship. If tuition and fees are not provided by the source of the assistantship, the monthly stipend may be proportionately increased when project funds are available.
Other Financial Aid
Other forms of financial aid--including loans, workships, internships, and positions as head residents in dormitories--may be available through the Office of Student Financial Aid. Additional information may be obtained by writing to the Director of Student Financial Aid (P. O. Box 5076).
