Texas Tech University is in compliance with Comprehensive Standard 3.6.1.

The prologue to the catalog section on Graduate Studies and Research states: 

Graduate study is much more than a continuation of undergraduate work. It is distinguished by the spirit of inquiry and the desire to increase human knowledge. Graduate study should be contemplated, therefore, only by students who have demonstrated in their undergraduate programs unusual intellectual ability and the capacity for independent thought and investigation. (p. 57) (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/catalog/GradSchool.html#About)

This statement reflects an expectation on the part of the Graduate School that students will be required to meet higher standards than undergraduates, especially with respect to the ability to learn independently and to think creatively.  

Ultimately, it is the Graduate School and the individual colleges and departments of the university that determine the content and level of difficulty of post-graduate courses. The Graduate Studies and Research section of the catalog notes repeatedly that graduate work expectations exceed those of the undergraduate level. For example, under Prerequisites for a Graduate Major, students are informed: “For a graduate major, an applicant must have completed, or must take, sufficient undergraduate work to ensure adequate background for successful graduate work in the proposed field.” (p. 64) (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/catalog/GRADEnrollment.html) In a subsequent note under Prerequisites for the Master’s Degree students are advised that “[a] substantial body of undergraduate work in the major subject and considerable breadth of background are essential for graduate study.” 

Graduate students are not allowed to count undergraduate courses toward their degree; however, undergraduate students who have at least a B (3.00) average in their major subject, who are within 12 hours of graduation, and who apply for permission through the Graduate School, may enroll in courses for graduate credit and may apply up to 12 hours of such credit toward a graduate degree. (p. 64) (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/catalog/GRADEnrollment.html) These requirements suggest a clear distinction in level of difficulty between graduate and undergraduate courses. 

Courses offered for graduate credit must be approved within the college in which they originate and also be approved by the Graduate School. The Graduate Council of the Graduate School, a rotating body of elected faculty who represent each of the colleges and schools in the university that offer courses for graduate credit (the exception is the Honors College), has the responsibility for approving all graduate programs and courses (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/catalog/GRADCouncil.html). This approval process also helps to insure that graduate programs and courses are substantially more advanced in both academic content and also in their expectations that students will be able to learn independently and apply what they learn to formulating and conducting independent research within the context of the discipline in which they are working.  

Finally, most professional graduate programs and many non-professional areas are accredited by discipline-specific organizations. (A list of such accrediting organizations is provided at the front of the catalog on p. 2.) (http://www.depts.ttu.edu/officialpublications/catalog/Catalog.html#Expiration) These accrediting agencies also help to insure that graduate education is progressively more advanced than undergraduate programs.