Graduate School Texas A&M University-Commerce

Academic Honesty

Students

Graduate students at Texas A&M University-Commerce are expected to maintain high standards of integrity and honesty in all their scholastic work. Faculty are expected to uphold and support student integrity and honesty by maintaining conditions that encourage and enforce academic honesty. Conduct that violates generally accepted standards of academic honesty is defined as academically dishonest. “Academic dishonesty” includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism (the appropriation or stealing of ideas or works of another and passing them off as one’s own), cheating on exams or other course assignments, collusion (the unauthorized collaboration with others in preparing course assignments) and abuse (destruction, defacing, or removal) of resource material.
If a student is accused of academic dishonesty, the faculty member making the accusation is responsible for initiating disciplinary proceedings. The penalty assessed should be related to the severity of the infraction. If the student and faculty member agree on the penalty, assessment of the penalty concludes the disciplinary action.
However, certain violations of academic honesty, such as plagiarism, infringe upon the academic community’s basic tenets of scholarly inquiry. Therefore, if a faculty member believes the infraction is severe enough to warrant further action and/or if the problem may be cumulative, occurring in other classes in which the student is enrolled, the faculty member may file a report of the infraction with the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. The student must be notified that the report has been filed with the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research so as to allow the student the opportunity to file a response. If a faculty member believes the infraction is so severe that a penalty greater than failure on a project and/or course is warranted, the faculty member may recommend to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research through the department head and academic dean that the student be suspended or expelled.
If the student disagrees with the charge or level of penalty, he/she is entitled to due process in accordance with the University policy for student appeals. The appeal process for this policy is through the following channels: department head, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research and the Administration Committee of the Graduate Council which will present its recommendation to the full Graduate Council for final disposition of the appeal. Final jurisdiction on graduate student appeals is the Graduate Council.
In addition, international students must comply with Immigration and Naturalization Statutes, for example, Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.

Good Standing Rule
This policy defines good standing for graduate students enrolled at A&M-Commerce. Entering students who have been fully admitted (without any type of probationary admission, provisional admission, or other restriction) will be considered in good standing. A student will remain in good standing if, and only if, he or she has a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 and is free of the following holds: holds indicating delinquent financial indebtedness, academic suspension, academic probation, provisional status, and disciplinary suspension.
Students who are not in good standing will not be able to graduate until good standing has been achieved.

Faculty and Professional Staff
Graduate faculty and professional staff at Texas A&M University-Commerce are expected to maintain high standards of integrity and honesty in all their scholastic work. Faculty are expected to uphold and support integrity and honesty by maintaining conditions that encourage and enforce academic honesty. “Academic dishonesty” includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism (the appropriation or stealing of the ideas or words of another and passing them off as one’s own), cheating, collusion (the unauthorized collaboration with others), and abuse (destruction, defacing, or removal) of resource material.
If a faculty or staff member is accused of academic dishonesty, the department head or supervisor is responsible for initiating a timely investigation. Any necessary discipline actions that result from this investigation should be related to the severity of the infraction.
If a faculty or staff member disagrees with the charge or level of penalty, he/she is entitled to due process in accordance with the usual procedures available to faculty who are accused of any other infraction.

Back to Admission Information

"Texas A&M University-Commerce nurtures and educates for success
through access to academic, research, and service programs of high quality."