Graduate School - Texas A&M University-Commerce

The Texas A&M University-Commerce Complex is a multi-campus university with a main campus of 8,000 students in Commerce and the Metroplex Center in Mesquite, providing graduate courses to a large Dallas/Ft. Worth constituency of approximately 1,500 students. Courses are also offered at Navarro College in Corsicana and the Universities Center at Dallas (downtown). This catalog serves the graduate student population of all four campuses.

A&M-Commerce covers 1,883 acres of land and the 140-acre campus proper is located eight blocks southwest of Commerce’s business center. Commerce is located 65 miles northeast of Dallas and has a population of 7,670. Surrounding the Commerce campus are recreational areas such as lakes Texoma, Tawakoni, Cooper, Pat Mayse, Ray Hubbard, Crockett, and Coffee Mill. Nearby Dallas is one of the world’s leading metropolitan areas. Greenville, the county seat of Hunt county, has a population of more than 24,000 and is 14 miles west of Commerce.

In addition to classes that are taught in the traditional classroom setting on the Commerce campus, a large array of courses are offered at off-campus sites, via telecommunications and by internet-based instruction.

Texas A&M University-Commerce Metroplex Center
Texas A&M University-Commerce Metroplex Center is located at 2600 Motley Drive, Mesquite, Texas. This facility consists of 15 traditional classrooms, three distance learning rooms, two computer labs, a teaching computer lab, a seminar area, a library, a bookstore and faculty/staff offices. This facility is shared by A&M-Commerce and the Mesquite Independent School District. Master’s degrees in business administration, educational administration, elementary education, secondary education, special education, and training and development are available at this facility as well as courses supporting other programs. On-site security and free parking are provided. It is conveniently located between I-30, LBJ 635 and Hwy 80 in Mesquite, approximately 1.4 miles south of Eastfield Community College.

Navarro Partnership Program
Navarro Partnership Program is located on the Navarro College campus at 3200 W. 7th Avenue, Corsicana, Texas. This partnership offers four-year programs in education, a Master of Education in Elementary Education, Master of Science in Secondary Education, Master of Science in Higher Education as well as graduate courses supporting other programs.

Universities Center at Dallas (UCD)
Universities Center at Dallas is located at 1901 Main Street, Dallas, Texas. Currently, there are six participating universities: Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas Woman’s University, the University of North Texas, The University of Texas at Arlington, The University of Texas at Dallas and Midwestern University. Centrally located in downtown Dallas, the Center is connected to the walkway and tunnel system linking downtown buildings. It offers secured access, public parking and is served by DART bus routes and the RAIL. The Universities Center at Dallas offers convenient class schedules for downtown residents and employees—after work or on Saturdays. Office hours are 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

International Studies Program
Texas A&M University-Commerce sponsors a number of international studies programs. Students have the opportunity to participate in the British Studies Program (London), Caribbean Studies Program, Mexican Business Studies, Australian-New Zealand, African Studies, French Studies Program, Austrian Studies Program, Irish Studies Program, European Union Business Program, Scottish Studies Program, Spanish in Spain, Cuban Studies, and Spanish in Mexico (Guadalajara and Cuernavaca). For information on these and other international studies programs, contact the director of International Studies at 903-468-6041.

Our History
Texas A&M University-Commerce began as East Texas Normal College in 1889 when founder William Leonidas Mayo opened the doors to a one-building campus in Cooper. His creed, which continues today, was “ceaseless industry, fearless investigation, unfettered thought, and unselfish service to others.” The institution’s history of dynamic change began in 1894 when “Mayo’s College” moved to Commerce. The State of Texas took over the campus in 1917 and the name was changed to East Texas State Normal College. In 1923, the school was renamed East Texas State Teachers College. The graduate program was added in 1935, and in 1957 the Legislature, recognizing that the purpose of the institution had broadened from teacher education, changed the name to East Texas State College. Following the inauguration of the first doctoral program in 1962, the name was changed to East Texas State University.

In 1996, the institution entered The Texas A&M University System and became Texas A&M University-Commerce. Today, on the Commerce campus, the Metroplex Center, the Universities Center at Dallas, Navarro College Partnership, and through state-of-the-art distance learning, the University meets the undergraduate, graduate and professional needs of the citizens of Northeast Texas and beyond. Its mission is achieved through teaching, scholarship, and service activities on its campuses, and in the community and region.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is the state agency, created by the Texas Legislature in 1965, that is charged with providing “leadership and coordination for the Texas Higher Education system to achieve excellence for the college education of Texas students.” The Board exercises its leadership and oversight responsibilities through a variety of means that include making recommendations to the state for the enhancement of higher education, approving or disapproving degree programs, and establishing policies for the efficient use of the state’s higher education resources.

Our Programs
Today, A&M-Commerce offers graduate programs in 23 academic departments with more than 40 major areas of study. Six departments offer doctoral degrees.

Graduate degrees now offered by A&M-Commerce are:

The Graduate School is one of four academic divisions of the University. The other divisions are the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business & Technology, Education and Human Services.

The College of Arts and Sciences includes the departments of Agricultural Sciences; Art; Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences; Chemistry; Computer Science and Information Systems; History; Literature and Languages; Mass Media, Communication and Theatre; Mathematics; Music; Physics; Political Science; and Sociology and Criminal Justice.

Departments within the College of Business and Technology are Accounting; Business Administration and Management Information Systems; Economics-Finance; Industrial Engineering and Technology; and Marketing and Management.

Departments within the College of Education and Human Services are Counseling; Educational Administration; Elementary Education; Health, Kinesiology, and Sports Studies; Psychology and Special Education; Secondary and Higher Education; and Social Work.

Major areas of study at the master’s level include: agricultural sciences; agriculture education; art; biological sciences; broad field sciences; business administration; chemistry; computer science; counseling; early childhood education; e-commerce; economics; educational administration; elementary education; English; health, kinesiology, and sports studies; higher education; history; industrial technology; interdisciplinary studies; learning technology and information systems; management; marketing; mathematics; music; physics; psychology; reading; secondary education; social work; Spanish; special education; sociology; theatre; training and development.

Major areas of study leading to a doctoral degree include: counseling; educational administration; educational psychology; English; and supervision, curriculum, and instruction.

Our Vision
Texas A&M University-Commerce, as part of the A&M family of universities, will become the university of choice for all those seeking a higher education in the Northeast Texas region and beyond. It will provide traditional and non-traditional learning opportunities through existing and new programs that set high expectations and goals for students, faculty and staff. The University will promote a sense of community through a nurturing environment for all individuals in order to maximize learning, career and personal development. A&M-Commerce will become a place where students, faculty, staff, and community are engaged in the pursuit of excellence

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

The Campus
Texas A&M University-Commerce covers 1,883 acres of land in and near Commerce. The university plant is valued at $240 million, and the 140-acre campus is located eight blocks southwest of Commerce’s business center.

James G. Gee Library and Other Research Facilities
The James G. Gee Library, named for Texas A&M University-Commerce’s fifth president, is the academic center of campus. The online catalog, which is Internet accessible, provides access to the library’s collection containing over 1.8 million monographs, periodicals, microforms, and other processed materials including non-print media. This total includes collections of juvenile and young people’s literature, archival materials, curriculum materials, and maps. The university has been a depository for federal government publications since 1937 and for Texas state documents since
1963.

In support of undergraduate and graduate programs, the library provides free access to enrolled A&M-Commerce students, faculty and staff to many electronic databases, including full-text electronic resources, accessible from campus facilities, dorms and off-campus housing. An interlibrary loan service delivers books and articles to Gee Library from libraries throughout the world. Viewing machines are available for microform items, and reader-printers enable students to obtain hard copy of microform materials. Photocopy machines are also available in the library. The library’s extensive microform collections include ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) documents.

A&M-Commerce Library is a member of the AMIGOS Bibliographic Council, Phoenix Group, and TexShare. These alliances allow A&M-Commerce students access to all state-supported academic libraries plus many of the regional private universities as supplementary resources to the Gee Library collections. The library computer laboratory, located on the second floor, is available to all students. The lab contains computers, printers and software for word processing, spreadsheets, and reports. The lab also provides access to the Internet.

Computing, Telecommunications, and Information Services (CTIS) provides the centralization of Automated Data Processing, academic computing, academic research and Telecommunication Support. It is responsible for the integrity, security, reliability and availability of all administrative information that supports the e-mail and web infrastructure for the campus, and enhances A&M-Commerce electronic access to information resources. The Computer Center, located on the first level of the Business Administration Building, is staffed to provide systems analysis, programming, data preparation, and computer processing for all divisions. Among other research facilities at A&M-Commerce are the laboratories for arts and sciences, and the University Farm.

Alumni Relations
The Office of Alumni Relations is responsible for maintaining positive relationships between the University and its more than 60,000 alumni. The office plans and conducts an array of special events to maintain contacts and recognize alumni, including class and organization reunions, commencement receptions, alumni chapter activities, the Alumni Ambassador Forum, and the annual Homecoming celebration. The Alumni Relations Office serves as the headquarters for the Texas A&M University- Commerce Alumni Association and supports the operation of the Association Board of Directors. A variety of services are provided to individual alumni and groups. This office maintains addresses and other data files on the alumni constituency. Records maintained include membership in campus organizations, degrees and majors, biographical data, and employment information. All A&M-Commerce graduates are placed automatically on the mailing list of the Alumni Association. Alumni Relations also facilitates production of The Pride, the quarterly newspaper for alumni and friends of the University. Other programs and services include an affinity credit card program for graduates, the alumni directory, legacy scholarship for children of alumni, and recognition of alumni for distinguished achievement and service. Plans are being developed to construct a new Alumni Center on State Highway 50/24 just south of the main campus. The financial support of alumni is making this project possible.

Scholarship Office
Graduate students with a high GPA are encouraged to apply within their graduate department for available scholarships. For additional information, contact 903-886-5915.

Administration Building
The McDowell Administration/Business Administration Building houses administrative offices, class rooms, laboratories, and computer facilities. The Offices of the President and Vice Presidents are housed on the second floor of the McDowell Administration Building. The Offices of School Relations, Admissions, Registrar’s Office, Office of Graduate Studies and Research, Computer Center, Purchasing, and other business offices are located on the ground floor. The Student Assessment and Evaluation offices are on the third floor. The College of Business and Technology is located in the eastern portion of the building.

Student Services Building
Built in 1970, the three-story D. Whitney Halladay Student Services Building houses the offices of the Dean of Students, Assistant Dean of Students, Counseling Center, Scholarship Office, Financial Aid, Career Services and Veterans Affairs, Mach III, Student Life, Intercultural Services and Greek Life, and Loan Office.

Residence Life
The Department of Residence Life at Texas A&M University-Commerce offers a variety of living environments including traditional residence halls, suite-style residence halls, single student apartments, family housing apartments, and the New Pride Apartments (for single junior, senior, and graduate students). The Department of Residence Life strives to create a living-learning environment in each residence hall that will enable each resident to succeed academically and developmentally. The Department of Residence Life is located in the first floor of Whitley Hall. For more information about student housing, contact the Department of Residence Life at 903-886-5797 and/or visit the department’s website at www.tamu-commerce.edu/admin/housing.

Recreational and Cultural Facilities
The center of student activity at Texas A&M University-Commerce is the Sam Rayburn Memorial Student Center. Built in 1962, the three-story structure was expanded in 1969.

Housed in the student center are the Office of Student Organizations, Office of International Student Services, Synergy Lab, Campus ID Center, campus post office, a variety of places to eat, University Bookstore, student government offices, two ballrooms, meeting rooms, lounges, candy corner, a video arcade, recreation room with billiard tables, and information services.

Completed in June 2003, the Jerry D. Morris Recreation Center serves as the “heartbeat” of student life at A&M-Commerce. This exciting new facility houses a 45-foot tall climbing rock, three-lane jogging track, 6,000 sq. ft. fitness room, four racquetball courts, large gymnasium, aerobics room, and classrooms. The outdoor area features a heated leisure pool, two-tier hot tub with waterfall, two basketball courts, two sand volleyball courts, and sunbathing area.

Other recreational areas include the Field House, Whitley Gymnasium, tennis courts, and outdoor intramural fields. A&M-Commerce’s Memorial Stadium, which seats 10,000, is used for athletics and other special events. In intercollegiate athletics, A&M-Commerce competes in football, basketball, track and field, cross country, golf, soccer, and volleyball. Texas A&M University-Commerce is a member of the Lone Star Conference of Texas and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II.

The Performing Arts Center has two theatres, a revolving stage in the main playhouse, scene shop, dressing rooms, makeup rooms, and studios for the public radio stations KETRFM (100,000 watts) and KKOM and studios for KETV-Television cable Channel 3. The University Playhouse produces several plays during the school year. The Department of Music sponsors 14 musical groups, including A&M-Commerce’s Show Band.

The 1,200-seat University Auditorium is housed in the Ferguson Social Sciences Building.

Student publications are The East Texan, a weekly newspaper; A&M-Commerce Special, a feature magazine; and Forthcoming, a magazine of prose and poetry.

More than 100 social, departmental, special interest, and religious organizations offer many opportunities for students.