Dr. Karen Butler-Purry

Mid-America Transportation Minority Study ConferenceOctober 5, 2012

Persistence -- A necessary and sufficient condition for success

GRADUATE STUDIES

My Early Years

• Early Aspirations – Math Teacher• Pre-college Engineering Summer Program -- before

11th grade• Later Aspirations – Electrical Engineer

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GRADUATE STUDIES

My College Years

• Mentors• Summer Undergraduate Research Program – MIT

Lincoln Laboratory• Summer Internship – IBM• Extracurricular and Leadership Activities• Later Aspirations – College Professor

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GRADUATE STUDIES

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

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

My Graduate School Years

• M.S.• Industry experience• PhD

– Funding– International Experiences– Conferences

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GRADUATE STUDIES

Academic Career

• Assistant -> Associate -> Full Professor• Administrative Positions

– Graduate Dean– Associate Department Head– Associate Provost for Graduate Studies

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Graduate Studies

at Texas A&M University

GRADUATE STUDIES

Texas A&M University

www.tamu.edu

GRADUATE STUDIES

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

Graduate Student Enrollment

Fall 2005-Fall 2010

EnrollmentFall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010

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

Graduate Degrees Awarded

2004-05 to 2009-10

Degrees Awarded

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10

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

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

Engineering Disciplines

• Aerospace Engr.

• Biological &

Agricultural Engr.

• Biomedical Engr.

• Chemical Engr.

• Civil Engr.

• Computer Engr.

• Computer Science• Electrical Engr.• Health Physics• Industrial Engr.• Industrial Distribution• Materials Sci & Engr •Mechanical Engr.• Nuclear Engr.• Ocean Engr.• Petroleum Engr.

GRADUATE STUDIES

Advanced Degrees – Engineering

• Master of Science– 32 hours of courses and

research– At least 24 hours of

course work

• Master of Engineering– 30 hours of course

work– No thesis

• Master of Computer Science– 30 hours of course

work– No thesis

GRADUATE STUDIES

Advanced Degrees – Engineering

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)– 96 hours (if completed a

bachelor’s– 64 hours (if completed a

master’s degree)– Includes course work,

research, qualifying and/or preliminary exams

• Doctor of Engineering (D.E.)– 96 or 64 hours– 96 hours

• 21 hrs of Professional Development (acct, fin, comm, management, etc.)

• 3 hrs of Seminar• 16 hours of Professional

Internship• 56 hours of courses (Dept

grad courses, Engr design, Electives)

GRADUATE STUDIES

Funding Opportunities

• National Fellowships• University

– Fellowships

• College– Fellowships

• Departments– Fellowships– Teaching

Assistantships– Research

Assistantships– Lecturers

GRADUATE STUDIES

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

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

My Family

• Married in 2000• Adopted Daughter in 2006

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GRADUATE STUDIES

Contact Information

Dr. Karen Butler-Purry

Associate Provost for Graduate Studies

979-845-3631

klbutler@tamu.edu

http://ogs.tamu.edu