http://matc.unl.edu/education/scholars-program2012.php

1. Persistence -- A necessary
and sufficient condition for
success
Dr. Karen Butler-Purry
Mid-America Transportation Minority Study Conference
October 5, 2012

2. My Early Years
• Early Aspirations – Math Teacher
• Pre-college Engineering Summer Program -- before
11th grade
• Later Aspirations – Electrical Engineer
2
GRADUATE STUDIES

3. My College Years
• Mentors
• Summer Undergraduate Research Program – MIT
Lincoln Laboratory
• Summer Internship – IBM
• Extracurricular and Leadership Activities
• Later Aspirations – College Professor
3
GRADUATE STUDIES

4. Preparation Recommendations
• Develop Leadership Skills.
• Develop very strong Oral and Written Communication
Skills.
• Develop Creativity Skills.
• Participate in Summer Internships/Co-Op Experiences,
Undergraduate Research Experiences, International
Experience.
• Join a student chapter of a Technical Organization in
your major.
• Seek out mentors.
GRADUATE STUDIES

5. Strategies for Academic Success
• Form and participate in study groups for your
classes
• Seek the assistance of your professors.
• Read your textbook, review your class notes,
work problems.
GRADUATE STUDIES

6. My Graduate School Years
• M.S.
• Industry experience
• PhD
– Funding
– International Experiences
– Conferences
6
GRADUATE STUDIES

7. Academic Career
• Assistant -> Associate -> Full Professor
• Administrative Positions
– Graduate Dean
– Associate Department Head
– Associate Provost for Graduate Studies
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GRADUATE STUDIES

8. Graduate Studies
at Texas A&M University

9. Texas A&M University
www.tamu.edu
GRADUATE STUDIES

10. Graduate and Professional Enrollment
• Offer over 267 graduate degrees, includes 23 degrees from 12
interdisciplinary programs
• In 2009-10, 2,754 graduate and professional degrees conferred
(2,051 master’s, 578 doctoral, 125 DVM)
• Fall 2011 Graduate and Professional Enrollment – Total – 9,994
- Doctoral 3,943
- Master’s 5,530
- DVM 521
- 3,662 (37%) international from 130 countries
- 1,597 (16%) minority (African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, American
Indian)
GRADUATE STUDIES

11. Graduate Student Enrollment
Fall 2005-Fall 2010
Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010
Enrollment
M D M D M D M D M D M D
Totals 4669 3329 4839 3452 5365 3315 5798 3308 5919 3464 5834 3631
White 2680 1266 2685 1308 2848 1238 2909 1250 2829 1297 2871 1297
Black 156 134 153 154 156 162 150 194 175 199 190 218
Hispanic 321 207 340 232 341 248 383 258 413 261 473 279
International 1300 1592 1451 1614 1807 1533 2121 1470 2213 1546 1991 1674
Other 212 130 210 144 213 134 235 136 289 161 309 163
GRADUATE STUDIES

12. Graduate Degrees Awarded
2004-05 to 2009-10
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10
Degrees
Awarded
M D M D M D M D M D M D
Totals 1949 528 1761 535 1768 598 1930 594 2015 597 2051 578
White 1088 207 1043 185 1072 226 1119 190 1131 203 1102 232
Black 42 14 56 14 48 20 49 27 46 19 52 13
Hispanic 106 21 110 21 122 23 107 33 134 38 115 35
International 632 270 466 289 441 306 575 317 628 306 706 277
Other 81 16 86 26 85 26 80 27 76 31 76 21
GRADUATE STUDIES

13. Fellowship Programs for Prospective Students
TAMU/AFS Graduate Merit Fellowships (nominated by department)
• Master’s: One year stipend and tuition/fee funds
• Doctoral: One year stipend, tuition/fee funds forfour years
• U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or residing in U.S. at time of application
• Overall measurements/department support
TAMU Diversity Fellowship (nominated by department)
• Two years for master’s and three years for doctorate (assistantship/fellowship
combination)
• U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or residing in U.S. at time of application
• Overall merit and nominating department’s statement for proven and successful
accomplishments in a diverse environment
Pathways to the Doctorate Fellowship Program (funding for faculty teams to
build sustained recruiting pipelines with TAMUS institutions)
• One year assistantship, tuition/fee for two years
• U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or residing in U.S. at time of application
• Overall merit and Texas A&M System students (e.g. PVAMU, TAMUK)
GRADUATE STUDIES

14. Engineering Disciplines
• Aerospace Engr. • Computer Science
• Biological & • Electrical Engr.
• Health Physics
Agricultural Engr.
• Industrial Engr.
• Biomedical Engr.
• Industrial Distribution
• Chemical Engr. • Materials Sci & Engr
• Civil Engr. •Mechanical Engr.
• Computer Engr. • Nuclear Engr.
• Ocean Engr.
• Petroleum Engr.
GRADUATE STUDIES

15. Advanced Degrees – Engineering
• Master of Science • Master of Engineering
– 32 hours of courses and – 30 hours of course
research work
– At least 24 hours of
course work – No thesis
• Master of Computer
Science
– 30 hours of course
work
– No thesis
GRADUATE STUDIES

16. Advanced Degrees – Engineering
• Doctor of Philosophy • Doctor of Engineering
(Ph.D.) (D.E.)
– 96 hours (if completed a – 96 or 64 hours
bachelor’s – 96 hours
– 64 hours (if completed a • 21 hrs of Professional
master’s degree) Development (acct, fin,
comm, management, etc.)
– Includes course work,
• 3 hrs of Seminar
research, qualifying and/or
preliminary exams • 16 hours of Professional
Internship
• 56 hours of courses (Dept
grad courses, Engr
design, Electives)
GRADUATE STUDIES

17. Funding Opportunities
• National Fellowships • Departments
• University – Fellowships
– Fellowships – Teaching
Assistantships
• College
– Research
– Fellowships
Assistantships
– Lecturers
GRADUATE STUDIES

18. Graduate Admissions
• Application
• Transcripts (send to admissions office)
– GPA calculated on last 60 hrs
• GRE exam (select TAMU)
• 3 Letters of Recommendation
• Statement of Purpose Essay (can be submitted on-
line)
• Application fee (can be waived)
GRADUATE STUDIES

19. Tips for Securing Funding
• Apply early, by Late-Fall
• Put effort into writing a statement of purpose that
articulates research interests
• Select references who can really discuss your
technical skills and graduate student potential
• Have undergraduate research experiences
• Have conference presentation experiences
• Contact Graduate coordinator, visit campus, contact
faculty members
• Be persistent
GRADUATE STUDIES

20. My Family
• Married in 2000
• Adopted Daughter in 2006
20
GRADUATE STUDIES

21. Contact Information
Dr. Karen Butler-Purry
Associate Provost for Graduate Studies
979-845-3631
klbutler@tamu.edu
http://ogs.tamu.edu
GRADUATE STUDIES