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Academic Advisor


Program Selection

Initial Conversations with Students

  • Download our Advising Checklist and use it when meeting with students about international opportunities.
  • Learn about the below common myths and how to debunk them:
 
Myth   Fact
I'll have to reapply to Texas A&M if I go abroad.   You can maintain your Texas A&M students status while abroad.
I need to speak a foreign language in orer to study abroad.   Many programs worldwide offer courses in English.
I'll be away for too long.   Duration can range from 1 week to 1 year.
Education abroad will delay my graduation.   You can earn credit abroad toward your degree plan. According to the Texas A&M Accountability - Time to Degree site, students who participate in education abroad graduate sooner than their peers.
I can't afford education abroad.   Students can use financial aid and scholarships for credit-bearing international experiences.
Education abroad is not possible for students with my major.   Education Abroad can fit into the degree plan of any major with advance planning.
Only juniors and seniors can study abroad.   Education abroad opportunities range from freshman year through graduate school.

Program Types

 

Program-Specific Advising

Transfer Credit Approval

COURSE PRE-APPROVAL PROCESS

Course Registration

Students participating in credit-bearing, outgoing international experiences receive details on which course to enroll in for their term abroad from their program leader or Education Abroad advisor. Course registration timelines follow the schedule set by the Office of the Registrar. Additionally, access to certain courses may be facilitated by Education Abroad or the student’s academic department. See table below.

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Upon Return & Degree Adjustments

Undergraduate Students

  • For experiences granting Texas A&M credit (e.g., faculty-led programs, field trips, and certain unit-led groups), the Texas A&M instructor submits the course grades at the end of the program to the Registrar, and then the academic advisor confirms the degree requirements fulfilled through the University Adjustment System. 
  • For experiences granting transfer credit from another institution (e.g., exchange, affiliate provider, virtual, and independent programs), a transcript is sent to Texas A&M approximately 1 – 4 months after the program completion.
  • Exchange participants send their program transcript to Education Abroad. The mailing address is:  Education Abroad, Texas A&M University, 3262 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-3262
  • Provider, virtual, and independent participants send their program transcripts to the Office of Admissions. The mailing address is: Office of Admissions, 750 Agronomy Road, Suite 1601, 0200 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-0200
    • For electronic transcripts from U.S. institutions, acceptable delivery platforms include SPEEDE, eSCRIP-SAFE, PARCHMENT or the National Student Clearinghouse.
    • For other electronic transcripts, contact tcabroad@tamu.edu to verify alternative acceptance methods. 
  • Once the education abroad courses are processed ‘by title’ as they appeared on the program transcript, which students can monitor in Howdy (Unofficial Transcript -> Transfer Credit section), the academic advisor submits an adjustment confirming the Texas A&M course equivalent and/or degree requirements fulfilled. If additional documentation is needed during the course adjustment process (e.g., a copy of the students’ Pre-approval Form for Transfer Credit), students have access to this item within their education abroad application. In order for a course to count towards a student’s TAMU residency requirement per student rule 14.21, the pre-approval form copy needs to show all signature approvals, including the Dean’s Office and must be included as an attachment when the advisor submits the adjustment.
  • To troubleshoot questions regarding the UAS, contact Degree Audit at degree-audit@tamu.edu or 979-845-1089. 
  • Note: The placeholder courses are not eligible for course adjustment. Record of the placeholder courses will always appear in the ‘Courses in Progress’ section of the students’ unofficial transcript in Howdy. However, it will not appear on students’ official Texas A&M transcript. Education Abroad collaborates with the Registrar to reconcile the course level from IP (In Progress) to NC (No Credit). 
 

Graduate Students

  • ​​Once the education abroad courses have been entered (grades for experiences granting Texas A&M credits or scanned program transcript for experiences granting transfer credit), students can file a degree plan/petition in Howdy.
  • To troubleshoot filing a degree plan, contact Office of Graduate and Professional Studies. 

Incoming Students

Course registration process

  • ​Academic Advisors will receive the following items from their college liaison or from Education Abroad:
    • ​Official transcript from students’ home university
    • Courses in progress at students’ home university
    • Course selection form of desired courses students wish to take at Texas A&M

  • After review of materials, academic advisors are given time during open registration to enroll incoming students in classes. If the advisor is unable to enroll students in full-time coursework (12 credit hours for undergraduate and 9 credit hours for graduate), Advisors will need to communicate with the incoming student to finalize classes when the student arrives on campus at the beginning of the semester. Students may have holds that prevent registration. Admissions and Student Health Services (SHS) holds can only be removed once the student satisfies their requirements. 

​Special course requirements 

  • ​Many students will need overrides to be registered in courses since their major is 'REEP' and prior coursework is not populated in the TAMU system.

Important Resources

Contact information

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Additional resources

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