Advising Forms

Forms:

• Waitlist
• 484 Shadowing/Internship
• 285/485 Directed Studies
• 291/491 Research
• 491 Writing Intensive
• Submission Deadlines

BIMS students can earn Directed Elective (BDE) credit via field/work experience, directed studies, or research — up to a combined 9 credits during their undergraduate degree. Registration is handled by BIMS Advising (not Schedule Builder). Forms must be submitted by the end of Add/Drop week each semester

Waitlist for BIMS Classes

BIMS Course Waitlist Form

Please remember that (1) the waitlist is for  BIMS/ VTPP/VTPB/VIBS courses only and (2) requests are Needs-Based. It is recommended that if any section of a course is currently open, you register for it without delay, as many courses are capped at maximum capacity already and cannot be exceeded regardless of request. Priority is given to students graduating that semester, but submission does not guarantee placement.

• Submit a waitlist form, linked above via Google Forms.
• Approval not guaranteed; students informed up to the start of classes. Email bims@tamu.edu with questions.

Field experience (shadowing/internship) – BIMS 484

This course allows you to earn credit for professional experiences like internships or shadowing in a relevant field. You’ll need to arrange your own placement and meet a required number of hours to receive credit.

• Shadowing/internship in a related professional setting: 30 hours per credit hour, graded S/U.
• Apply via the BIMS 484 Google Form after securing a placement.
• Max 6 credits total count toward BDE; registration handled by Advising

Directed Studies – BIMS 285/485

Directed Studies offers the chance to explore a specific topic in-depth under faculty guidance. It may include reading, lab work, or projects beyond the standard curriculum.

Options:

• With VMBS faculty: Submit the BIMS 285/485 Google Form; eligible for 0–3 credits per semester, up to 9 total across all x84/x85/x91 courses.
• With Non-VMBS faculty: The outside department registers you; submit BIMS 285/485 Non-VMBS PDF by email to bims@tamu.edu for BDE credit review.

Research – BIMS 291/491  

Research courses let you gain hands-on experience in a lab setting under faculty supervision. These opportunities can strengthen your academic and professional development, especially if you’re considering graduate or professional school.

• Lab-based research under faculty guidance (techniques, experiments, analysis).
• Credits: 0–4 per semester, max 9 total. No stipend allowed.
• All forms should be completed and emailed to bims@tamu.edu by the end of Add/Drop

Options:

1. 291/491 with VMBS faculty – submit form before Add/Drop week.
2. 291/491 with Non-VMBS faculty – outside department registers, plus BIMS review form emailed. Retroactive credit eligible if meets BDE criteria.
3. MSCI 691 (College of Medicine) – grad-level S/U course. Submit PDF with details & signatures by end of Add/Drop week. Form includes:
   • The student’s academic information
   • The number of credit hours that you and professor have agreed for you to earn
   • The biomedical science research goal(s) and your specific biomedical science related research learning objectives
   • The professor’s signature and the Texas A&M University College of Medicine’s Dean’s representative (the representative can be reached at med-graduatestudies@tamu.edu).

Lab Safety Trainings

Before beginning any research experience, all students must complete safety training to ensure compliance with university policies and lab protocols. This includes general and lab-specific requirements.

All Research Students must complete:

• General training: Hazardous Communication (#11020) via TrainTraq; Lab Safety Training (#2114106) via TrainTraq
• Lab-specific form: Submit by Day 10; valid across consecutive semesters (excluding summer).
• Additional training may be required per lab.

Research as BIMS Writing Intensive Request

With faculty approval, one research course may also count as a Writing-Intensive (W) credit. Research completed within the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) is eligible for this option. Research conducted outside of VMBS may also qualify with additional approval requirements.

A research course may count toward both a BDE and one Writing-Intensive requirement if:

1. Faculty member in charge of your research agrees to writing expectations.
2. A signed BIMS Writing Intensive Form and syllabus are submitted (via email at bims@tamu.edu) by Add/Drop week.
3. For research outside of VMBS, see petition details below.
4. Only one of the two required University Writing-Intensive courses may be fulfilled this way; a separate course is needed for the second.

Petition Requirements for Non-VMBS Writing Intensive Research

If a BIMS undergraduate student wishes to designate a faculty member from a different college (i.e., outside of VMBS) as the Instructor of Record for their UWRT research writing course, the student must first submit a formal petition to the BIMS Undergraduate Instruction Committee (UIC) for review and approval. 

The petition must be a 1-3 page formal proposal that includes the following elements:

• Student Information: Student name, UIN, BIMS specialization (if applicable), and contact information. 
• Course Information: The specific UWRT course number for which the exception is requested. For BIMS Students, this will be BIMS 491. 
• External Instructor Information: Name, title, department, and college of the proposed external Instructor of Record. 
• Research Proposal: A detailed description of the research project the student will be completing for the UWRT requirement. The proposal should clearly outline the scope of the research, the methodology, the expected outcomes. It must also specifically detail the research writing work the student will be conducting under the guidance of the external faculty member. 
• Justification: A compelling rationale for why the expertise of the proposed external faculty member is essential and necessary for the successful completion of the UWRT course requirements and why an instructor from the home college would be unsuitable. 

Review and Approval: 

The BIMS UIC will review the submitted proposal to ensure the proposed work aligns with the BIMS degree requirements and the expected learning outcomes of the UWRT curriculum. The committee reserves the right to approve, conditionally approve (with modifications), or deny the petition. No external instructor may be assigned until formal, written approval is received from the BIMS UIC. 

Submission Deadlines

All forms must be submitted by end of Add/Drop week (see TAMU Academic Calendar). Ensure registration planning aligns.