Upon acceptance into the Ph.D. program, each student plans an individualized program of study in consultation with the student's major adviser. A Plan of Study form will be completed and a Committee, which will consist of both inter-departmental and outside member(s) will be selected. Required forms must be submitted to the Graduate College for approval, usually by the beginning of the second year of the student's residence at the University of Missouri. Specific programs will depend on the student's previous preparation, goals, and needs. Research methods should be taken as soon as possible so that the student can prepare themselves for their dissertation research. The student must successfully complete oral and written exams as well as the research and writing of a dissertation. A minimum of 72 credit hours are required, but it is not uncommon for students to have 90 or more. Please refer to the Graduate School for more specific details. Learn more from the Doctoral Degree Handbook.

There are a few graduate assistantships available in TAM. Half-time appointment is 20 hours per week of service to the department. Quarter time assistants work 10 hours per week. Teaching Assistants (TAs) are assigned to faculty in various subject areas within the department. Master's TAs assist faculty in preparing teaching materials and in course evaluation. They are expected to participate in the planning of course subject matter and may be asked to teach a class or assist students in laboratory work. They are generally not assigned full responsibility for teaching 4 to 6 credit hours. The Research Assistant (RA) is assigned to an ongoing or a new research project. The student's thesis research may be related to that assistantship, but is not necessarily a part of it. Depending on when the research assistant comes to a research project, he or she may be involved in the planning, collecting, data, analysis of data, or writing of the final report.

Applicants for admission must be graduates of accredited colleges or universities. Students must complete the GRE exam with a score of 500 or above. International students must have an overall Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 550 (paper test) or 213 (computer test) or above with a minimum listening sub-score of 50. Students may be required to take deficiency courses if their undergraduate work does not meet the minim area proficiencies.