thesis dissertation committees

Thesis/dissertation committees

• Graduate resources overview

Students are guided by faculty mentors who advise them through their degree program, called supervisory committees. Students should identify their committees early in their graduate career and look to them for guidance in their graduate work. Once students have selected a supervisory committee, they must add each member in their iPOS, in the faculty committee section, and submit for approval. Approval then goes through levels of review as needed within SOLS and the Graduate College.

Your initial iPOS submission only requires your chair or co-chairs be added. You will later need to add the rest of your committee members by the deadlines described for your specific program in the handbook. These deadlines are summarized below. If you need an extension or have questions about these deadlines, please contact your faculty advisor and program director(s).

PhD dissertation committee submissions

• Animal Behavior PhD: End of 2nd semester
• Biology PhD: End of 2nd semester
• Biology and Society PhD: End of 4th semester and at least 1 semester prior to planned comprehensive exams and dissertation prospectus
• Environmental Life Sciences PhD: End of 2nd semester
• Evolutionary Biology PhD: End of 2nd semester
• History and Philosophy of Science PhD: End of 4th semester and at least 1 semester prior to planned comprehensive exams and dissertation prospectus
• Microbiology PhD: End of 3rd semester
• Molecular and Cellular Biology PhD: End of 2nd semester
• Neuroscience PhD: End of 2nd semester  

MS thesis committee submissions

• Biology MS (Research & Thesis): End of 1st semester
• Biology and Society MS: End of 2nd semester
• Microbiology MS: End of 1st semester
• Molecular and Cellular Biology MS: End of 1st semester
• Plant Biology and Conservation MS: End of 1st semester  

Committee chair

For most students, their thesis or dissertation committee Chair is their faculty/research advisor. This is typically agreed upon during the admissions process, though some students complete rotations or coursework first. The faculty/research advisor must be a member of the ASU Graduate Faculty and endorsed to chair or co-chair a committee in the student’s degree program. You can see this by searching their name in the iPOS > Faculty Committee tab. If they are endorsed to chair, no co-chair is needed. If they endorsed to co-chair only (which is typically the case for advisors at partner institutions like Mayo, BNI, Desert Botanical Garden, etc.), then a tenure-track SOLS faculty member must be chosen to serve as the other co-chair.  If your planned committee chair or co-chair does not have the proper endorsement or is not pulling up when you search them in your iPOS, the proper endorsement may just need to be added. This is commonly the case for newer faculty or external research advisors. In some cases, this could be because they are not eligible for the role you are attempting to add them for. If this is the case for you, please fill out the request form linked here in order to initiate the process of properly endorsing your committee chair or co-chair.  

PhD committees

• *Animal Behavior PhD is the only exception to this, as it required at least 5 total members
• 3 of the 4 (or 5 for Animal Behavior) individuals on the committee should be ASU tenure-track faculty
• 2 of the 4 (or 5 for Animal Behavior) individuals on the committee should be ASU tenure-track and program-specific faculty (i.e., if you are a Biology PhD student, 2 of the 4 folks on your committee must be tenure-track faculty in the biology program)
• In some cases, an external committee member may be approved as the 4th (or 5th for Animal Behavior) committee member with justification from the student and approval from the Program Director, Graduate Associate Director, and Graduate College
• While you may have more than 4 (or 5 for Animal Behavior) committee members, please consider your justification for doing so, as coordinating schedules for large committees can place undue burden on students

Certain programs have program-specific rules with their committee expectations. Please review your program's requirements in the SOLS Handbook to ensure you meet requirements. If you have a special request, please consult with your Program Director(s).  

MS thesis committees

• Must have at least 3 total members (1 committee chair and 2 members, or 2 committee co-chairs and 1 member)
• 2 of the 3 individuals on the committee should be ASU tenure-track, program-specific faculty (i.e., if you are a Biology MS student, 2 of the 3 folks on your committee must be tenure-track faculty in the biology program)
• In some cases, an external committee member may be approved as the 3rd committee member with justification from the student and approval from the Program Director, Graduate Associate Director, and Graduate College
• While you may have more than 3 committee members, please consider your justification for doing so, as coordinating schedules for large committees can place undue burden on students Certain programs have program-specific rules with their committee expectations. Please review your program's requirements in the SOLS Handbook to ensure you meet requirements. If you have a special request, please consult with your Program Director(s).

MS Biology Capstone committees

If you are enrolled in the MS Biology - Coursework & Capstone track, you are not required to have a formal 3-person supervisory committee. Instead, you are required to have 1 committee Chair. Typically, this is the current Program Director for the MS Biology - Coursework & Capstone program: Dr. Stephen Pratt. However, if you are working on a capstone project under the guidance of another SOLS faculty member, it may be appropriate to add them as your committee Chair. Please contact your academic advisor or [email protected] if you would like guidance on this matter.

Adding new or external committee member(s)

If you have an external individual you would like to add to your committee or someone internal that does not have approval yet, please fill our the faculty committee request form by clicking the button below. In order to submit your request, you will need an up to date CV or resume of the individual you are requesting approval for, their date of birth if they are not ASU personnel, or their ASU ID number if they are ASU personnel. Once you submit your request via this form, the SOLS Graduate Office will route it through the necessary channels for approval including Program Directors, the Graduate Associate Director, and the Graduate College. You'll be notified once approved so you can then update your iPOS accordingly.  

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Forming an Interdisciplinary Dissertation Committee

Doctoral students in interdisciplinary programs face unique challenges in forming dissertation committees. Based on our experience as directors of three such programs (Public Health Genetics, Urban Design and Planning, and Astrobiology), we offer the following suggestions.

Your first challenge

Find the optimal set of members — especially the right chair (or two co-chairs) for your committee. Committee members need to:

• be the best match for your intellectual interests
• have the expertise to help you succeed in designing and completing your dissertation
• be able to help you prepare for your career

In planning for a dissertation, you should consult extensively with faculty members in your program for guidance about:

• potential research questions
• planning/timing methodology
• potential committee members

The role of the committee

The final decision about the appropriate content of your project rests with the dissertation supervisory committee. You should work closely with the committee (especially the chair) to determine your project’s scope and content. The committee will guide your research and should meet regularly with you. Being sure you and your committee agree on what is meant by “regular” meetings is also a good idea. You may find it useful to meet individually with the members and obtain their feedback at several stages of your dissertation process. The interdisciplinary nature of your work may require that feedback at an advanced stage of your dissertation will be provided by the committee in an integrated form. You may want to discuss with your chair how the committee could produce a collective memo integrating their shared feedback.

The composition of dissertation committees

The dissertation supervisory committee must have at least four members, including the chair and the Graduate School representative (GSR). At least three committee members (including the chair and the GSR) must be UW graduate faculty members with an endorsement to chair doctoral committees; a majority of your committee members must be graduate faculty members, identifiable through the  Graduate Faculty Locator .

Committee members should include faculty expertise in your dissertation’s core fields. You might consider having five members, especially if your project involves different disciplines requiring advice and guidance in all areas. Four committee members must attend general and final exams — so having five on your committee provides flexibility if one member cannot attend. However, having more than four committee members may make it more difficult for them to find time to work together.

Selecting a Graduate School representative

You must select the Graduate School representative for your committee by consulting with your chair, other committee members, and/or program directors. The GSR votes and represents the interests of the Graduate School. GSR requirements:

• be a graduate faculty member
• have an endorsement to chair doctoral committees
• no conflict of interest with you or your committee chair

Also, the GSR may not have an official faculty appointment within your committee chair’s department(s) or the department in which your program is housed. This can be challenging for students in interdisciplinary programs. Exceptions to this rule can be made, with appropriate justification, by petition to the dean of the Graduate School.

by Professor Emeritus Melissa Austin, Public Health Genetics; Marina Alberti, professor, Urban Design and Planning; and Woody Sullivan, professor, Astrobiology

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Forming Your Committee

Students should not schedule the proposal defense prior to their committee being finalized and their appointment form being approved by the Graduate School.

It is necessary to have the form approved in advance of the proposal defense, as there are instances in which committee members are not approved (for example, if someone is listed as the Graduate Faculty Representative who the Graduate School does not deem  qualified to serve in this capacity).

The Graduate School's requirements for everything from committee formation to graduation clearance can be found under the Current Students tab on the Graduate School website. 

Composition of the Doctoral Committee: Roles and Responsibilities

The Graduate School requires that doctoral committees consist of no less than four members. These four members must be regular members of the Graduate Faculty or must be granted an exception by the Dean of the Graduate School.  All committees must include a chair and a Graduate Faculty Representative. Assistant Professors are usually not approved to serve as chair unless they have served as a committee member first. Exceptions are granted on a case-by-case basis. 

Graduate Faculty Representative

The primary role of the Graduate Faculty Representative is to ensure that the student is treated fairly and that Graduate School policies are upheld. Expertise in the student's area of research is not a requirement. The Graduate Faculty Representative's responsibilities are explained in greater detail here . Assistant Professors are not eligible to serve as Graduate Faculty Representative. 

The requirement to include an outside member on all dissertation committees is not uncommon among institutions of higher education and is in keeping with best practices in doctoral support. 

Committee Members

Committee members are often chosen to provide topic or methodological expertise. Even without contributing their expertise, committee members may be chosen based on faculty with whom the student has a good professional relationship or who could offer a helpful outside perspective. Committee members are generally not as involved as the committee chair in the everyday progression of the dissertation.  Typically, they read the dissertation only in its final form before the defense, although they should be available for consultation throughout the process and may be more closely involved in sections or chapters in which they have particular expertise. 

The committee members and Graduate Faculty Representative will:

• Approve of the subject matter and methodology of the thesis or dissertation research
• Review and comment on drafts of the thesis or dissertation prior to submission to The Graduate School
• Verify, to the best of their ability, the quality of the data collection and evidence, data analysis, and logical reasoning or interpretation in light of the proposal aims
• Evaluate whether the student’s thesis or dissertation fulfills the requirements of the degree

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Guidelines for Dissertation Committee Service

It is recommended that the membership of the dissertation committee be submitted to the graduate school for approval at least six months prior to the student’s oral defense

The Graduate Faculty

For dissertation committee purposes, “the graduate faculty” consists of persons who are tenure or tenure-track instructional faculty holding an “unmodified” (i.e., not visiting, adjunct, etc.) appointment at the University of Michigan as professor, associate professor, or assistant professor with an earned doctorate from an accredited institution.

Composition of the Dissertation Committee

Dissertation committees must have at least four members, three of whom are members of the graduate faculty ( see definition above ), and two of whom are from the doctoral candidate’s home program. Furthermore, each committee:

• Must have a sole chair or two co-chairs
• Must have a cognate member who is familiar with the standards for doctoral research and holds at least a .50 appointment in a Rackham doctoral program, other than the student’s home department/program (except IDP programs.)
• May include a university faculty member who is not graduate faculty ( see definition above ), a university staff member, or a qualified individual outside the university to provide expertise in the candidate’s discipline

Roles of the Chair (or Co-chairs) and Cognate Member

The chair (or each co-chair) is responsible for guiding and encouraging the candidate’s design and execution of an original, high quality, doctoral-level research project. The end result of this effort is expected to be a dissertation that makes a substantive contribution to the candidate’s discipline.

The cognate member’s role is to broaden the scholarly representation of the dissertation committee beyond the candidate’s home program. The cognate member also serves the graduate school and its faculty by providing a non-specialist’s perspective on the quality of the dissertation.

Eligibility for Service on Dissertation Committees

Nominations for dissertation committee service are made by means of the Dissertation Committee form , which must be signed by the chair of the doctoral candidate’s program. All nominations must be approved by the graduate school and are subject to the following guidelines:

• Graduate faculty ( see definition above )—i.e., professors, associate professors, and assistant professors—affiliated with a Rackham doctoral program and who hold an earned doctorate from an accredited institution may serve as a member of the committee, or as sole chair, co-chair, or cognate member.
• Graduate faculty ( see definition above ) not affiliated with a Rackham doctoral program may serve on dissertation committees. They may also serve as co-chair with a member of the graduate faculty ( see definition above ) affiliated with a Rackham doctoral program, but not as sole chair or cognate member.
• Instructors and lecturers who have no appointment as members as graduate faculty ( see definition above ) may serve on dissertation committees if they hold an earned doctorate from an accredited institution. They may also serve as co-chair with a member of the graduate faculty ( see definition above ) affiliated with a Rackham doctoral program, but not as sole chair or cognate member.
• Retired and emeriti professors who were affiliated with a Rackham doctoral program may serve on dissertation committees. They may also serve as co-chair or, by special arrangement ( see Special Membership ), as sole chair or cognate member.
• Research professors (RP,i.e., research professors and research associate professors) who are affiliated with a Rackham doctoral program may serve on dissertation committees if they hold an earned doctorate from an accredited institution. They may serve as a co-chair, regular member or by special arrangement as a sole chair.
• Research scientists, associate research scientists, assistant research scientists, research assistant professors, and research investigators who are affiliated with a Rackham doctoral program may serve on dissertation committees if they hold an earned doctorate from an accredited institution ( see Special Membership ). They may not serve as sole chair or cognate member.
• All those who do not have an earned doctorate, whether affiliated with a Rackham doctoral program or not, must be approved for dissertation committee service on a case by case basis. If approved, they may serve as a member of the committee, as the sole chair, co-chair, or cognate member.
• University faculty and staff not included in the preceding categories and qualified individuals outside the university whose service is desirable may serve on dissertation committees, subject to review on a case by case basis. They may also serve as co-chair with a member of the graduate faculty (see definition above) affiliated with a Rackham doctoral program, but not as sole chair or cognate member.

N.B. No person working toward a doctoral degree may serve on a dissertation committee until all requirements for the degree have been met.

N.B. University faculty who were approved to serve as sole chair or cognate member but who are no longer affiliated with the university may not continue to serve as the sole chair or as the cognate member. The faculty member may serve as a co-chair or as a regular member based upon the eligibility guidelines for dissertation committee service.

Special Membership on the Dissertation Committee

University faculty and staff who are not graduate faculty (see definition above), and qualified people from outside the University of Michigan who may or may not hold academic appointments and whose service on the Dissertation Committee would contribute significantly, may be nominated for special membership by submitting:

• Dissertation Committee form
• A memo detailing the nominee’s expertise in the dissertation topic
• A vita or resume
• Experience in serving on, and chairing dissertation committees (decision-making experience as chair is required)
• Service as a teacher of formal courses or seminars
• Served as a counselor or advisor for doctoral students

Previous experience as a cognate is not required for nomination as cognate (cognate criteria must be met).

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• Dissertation Committee Worksheet for Students to submit to Program

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Dissertation and Thesis Committees: Student and Faculty Responsibilities

All doctoral programs and some master’s programs at UA Little Rock culminate in the completion of a dissertation or thesis. The purpose and content of dissertations and theses varies by program area, but their supervision is universally handled by a member of the UA Little Rock graduate faculty as chair and by a committee of graduate faculty. This sections outlines the Graduate School’s expectations for graduate student and graduate faculty interaction and responsibilities on dissertation and thesis committees.

Graduate Student Responsibilities

Concerning Rules and Requirements

• Be familiar with the Graduate Catalog and the rules and guidelines of the specific program they are enrolled in.
• Be thoroughly familiar with the current edition of the Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines , the core document that describes what is expected in a dissertation/thesis, including UA Little Rock’s unique conventions. This document includes all post-proposal and post-final defense steps that are required of students.
• Be aware of and comply with established defense and manuscript submission deadlines held by individual programs and the Graduate School.
• Obtain and maintain appropriate research certifications. Students may be required to complete human subject research training and responsible conduct of research (RCR) training. Students conducting research involving human subjects, animals, or biological materials must submit research protocols for review to the Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and/or Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) before they begin their research.

Concerning the Dissertation or Thesis

• Craft and execute the dissertation or thesis through all its phases, including completion of a final manuscript that has been properly edited and that follows all of the conventions described in the current edition of the Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines published by the UA Little Rock Graduate School. Students with inter-institutional (e.g., UA Little Rock and UAMS) should check with their program coordinator to determine which institution’s guidelines to use for thesis and dissertation formatting.
• Submit only original work and properly cite the works of others that inform the study. Students should be familiar with UA Little Rock policies on academic dishonesty and plagiarism. Misconduct in these areas is treated seriously and may result in a range of penalties up to and including academic dismissal.
• Make substantive progress towards completion of their degree requirements, especially while being supported by a graduate assistantship. This applies even during the summer when the student may not be enrolled in classes.

Concerning the Committee

• Use the committee chair as the primary point of contact for developing ideas, selecting an appropriate committee (in consultation with the graduate coordinator), and developing early drafts. The committee chair should also serve as the gatekeeper for submitting materials to the committee and submitting a final manuscript to the Graduate School.
• Use the committee members as secondary points of contact for developing ideas, reviewing drafts, and submitting a final manuscript.
• Schedule regular meetings with the committee chair to discuss the project and its development. With the chair’s approval, students may also schedule meetings with members of the committee.
• Take personal initiative to move the project forward and discuss with the chair any problems that arise. If issues arise that cannot be resolved with the committee chair or that are best discussed with another person, the student may opt to discuss them with (in this order) the graduate coordinator; program or department chair; dean of the college; and the dean of the Graduate School.
• Recognize that crafting a dissertation is an ongoing process between the student and the chair and, often, between the student, the chair, and the committee.
• Maintain contact with their committees and make timely revisions when requested.
• Be mindful of the academic schedule of their chair and committee members. Students who want to finish and defend work over the summer (when faculty members’ availability may be limited) must get permission from their chair and committee members during the spring semester. Once permission has been granted, regular contact with the chair and committee members should continue over the summer. Before the end of the spring semester, the student and the chair should agree upon a method of contact and communication for the summer months.
• Check with their chair and committee members to find out if and when faculty may be unavailable due to off-campus duty assignments (OCDA). Depending on the faculty member’s schedule, students may be able to make arrangements to work with a chair or committee member on OCDA. Alternatively, the student may need to consult with the chair to identify a temporary or permanent replacement. Students must also be respectful of the fact that chairs and committees have many other time-intensive duties. Students must maintain realistic expectations about faculty workloads around holiday and vacation times as well as normal busy periods (e.g., beginnings and ends of semesters).
• Students who do not meet with their committee chairs over the summer should schedule an appointment with their chair within the first two weeks of the fall semester to provide evidence of their progress.
• Negotiate expectations early in the research effort regarding the publication of research and the ownership of research results generated as part of the dissertation/thesis project. Issues to be negotiated include authorship, the number and frequency of submissions, and any programmatic expectations concerning works published prior to the dissertation/thesis defense.

Committee Chair Responsibilities

• Recognize that, as the committee chair, he/she is a mentor who works closely with the student and has significant impact on the student’s training during his/her dissertation/thesis.
• Provide timely and thorough guidance on all aspects of the student’s graduate study, including the development of projects, the development of manuscript drafts, and the ethical conduct of research.
• Recommend appropriate members to serve on the committee and indicate when the student may circulate the drafts and the final version of the manuscript to members of the committee.
• Advise the student on proposal and final defense protocols.
• Ensure that students and their manuscripts are adequately prepared for the proposal and the defense.
• Facilitate the defense, take notes for the student at the defense, and discuss with the student any revisions that may be needed after the defense has been concluded.
• Help students develop appropriate timelines and procedures for completing dissertation or thesis. Students need to know how to schedule a defense date, how to prepare their manuscripts for the defense, how far in advance of the defense date the finished manuscript must be submitted to the committee, and the Graduate School’s deadlines for submitting the manuscript for review.
• Be accessible to students for dialogue and meetings as needed.
• Respond to student drafts in a timely manner. In general, committee chairs should provide feedback within 10 working days of receiving a draft. If more time is needed, the chair should contact the student to acknowledge receiving the draft and indicate how much additional time may be required for a response.
• Graduate faculty members who are chairing multiple committees should discuss their workload honestly with their students, setting clear, realistic expectations about how often and how quickly students can expect to receive feedback.
• Be thoroughly familiar with the Graduate Catalog as well as the rules and guidelines of the student’s specific program.
• Be thoroughly familiar with the material found in the current edition of the Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines , the core document that describes what is expected in a dissertation or thesis, including UA Little Rock’s unique conventions. This document includes all post-proposal and post-final defense steps that are required of students by the Graduate School.
• Maintain UA Little Rock graduate faculty status and certifications in the areas of human subjects research, animal research, biosafety, and the responsible conduct of research, if applicable.
• Monitor the student’s progress towards fulfilling all federal, state, local, and institutional compliance requirements. These include, but may not be limited to, IRB, IACUC, IBC, and RCR training (as defined in Item 4 under the section on “Graduate Student Responsibilities: Concerning Rules and Requirements”).
• Provide the editorial and citation support that students need to prepare a correctly edited manuscript or refer students to an outside resource for this purpose. Manuscripts with errors that are received by the Graduate School will be returned to the student for corrections.
• Respect the power differential that exists between the student and chair and not abuse the trust placed in the chair as a member of the graduate faculty and research mentor.
• If the student is a doctoral candidate, the chair should be present at graduation to hood the student unless alternative arrangements have been made.
• The chair can continue advising and assisting the student as normal, in which case the chair and the student must agree upon a method of communication while the chair is absent.
• The chair, in consultation with the student, may identify another qualified graduate faculty member–either temporarily (for the duration of the OCDA) or permanently–to serve as chair.

Committee Member Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the committee chair to provide timely and thorough guidance to the student as a mentor on all aspects of his or her graduate studies, including the development of projects, the development of manuscript drafts, and the ethical conduct of research.
• Respond to student drafts in a timely basis. Generally, committee members should provide feedback within 10 working days of receiving a draft. If more time is needed, the committee member should contact the student to acknowledge receiving the draft and indicate how much additional time may be required for a response.
• Graduate faculty members who are serving on multiple committees should discuss their workload honestly with students, setting clear, realistic expectations about how often and how quickly students can expect to receive feedback.
• Inform the committee chair of any feedback being provided to students outside of the formal defense settings.
• Respect the power differential that exists between a student and a committee member and not abuse the trust placed in the chair as a member of the graduate faculty and research mentor.
• Maintain UA Little Rock graduate faculty status and certifications in the areas of human subjects research, animal research, biosafety, and the responsible conduct of research, as applicable.
• The committee member can continue advising and assisting the student as normal, in which case the member and the student, in consultation with the committee chair, must agree upon a method of communication while the member is absent.
• The committee member, in consultation with the student and the committee chair, may identify another qualified graduate faculty member–either temporarily (for the duration of the OCDA) or permanently–to serve as his or her replacement on the thesis/dissertation committee.

Conflict Resolution

Conflicts occasionally arise between students and their dissertation/thesis chairs or committee members. Sources of conflict may include but are not limited to disagreement about a timeline for completing the project, disagreement about the direction of the study or the interpretation of the results, and disagreement about the content, style, and editing of the dissertation or thesis manuscript.

If a conflict is disrupting the progress of the dissertation/thesis, the student should follow the procedures below.

• The student must first make a documented attempt to resolve the issue with the chair or committee member who is involved in the conflict.
• If unable to resolve the conflict, the student may follow up with the chair (except in those instances when the conflict is with the chair), followed by the program coordinator or the department chairperson.
• If the conflict cannot be resolved within the department to the satisfaction of all parties, the chair or the student may forward the disagreement in writing to the dean of the Graduate School for further mediation.

Students should be aware that some committee members (including chairs) may resign from a committee if the student does not make timely progress toward completion. In addition, some students find that even without overt conflict, they may not be satisfied with their chair or with a committee member and wish to make a change.

Both students and faculty members can initiate action to change the membership of a committee, but this should be a collaborative, consensual process whenever possible. Students who wish to change committee members should demonstrate courtesy by communicating about the change directly with the faculty involved. Likewise, faculty who wish to resign from a committee should demonstrate courtesy by directly informing the student.

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Henley-Putnam's Dissertation or Thesis Committees

• Getting Started on Finding Your Research Committee

Committee Members Roles and Responsibilities

• Subject Matter Expert
• Committee Member

Committee Chair.   The chair schedules the comprehensive exams, delivers feedback and results of the comprehensive exams, acts as an instructor, oversees the production of the thesis/dissertation, communicates feedback from the subject matter expert and committee member, schedules the dissertation defense, meets monthly via Zoom with the student/candidate throughout the research courses, and reviews work for publication quality.  The chair deals directly with the student on the quality of the paper, the presentation, the flow, the sequence, and the conclusions.  

The role of the committee chair includes the following responsibilities:

• scheduling the comprehensive exams,
• communicating the grades and feedback from the doctoral comprehensive exam,
• overseeing the production of the dissertation,
• managing the timeline and schedule for completion of each phase of the dissertation in the courses.
• acting as an instructor in the courses,
• contacting the student/candidate regarding setting and meeting deadlines in the dissertation process,
• directing the timely and successful completion of each assignment,
• working directly with the SME and committee member to garner added perspective, feedback, and constructive criticism to strengthen the dissertation,
• communicating with the student/candidate to convey feedback, insights, added perspective, and constructive commentary provided by the committee member and SME,
• confirming with the SME that the content of the dissertation is factual and accurate,
• advising the student on formatting, sequencing, and organizing the thesis/dissertation,
• ensuring the academic quality of the thesis/dissertation, including each of the assignments in courses.
• facilitating final approval of the thesis/dissertation by making sure that all committee members sign the approval form, and
• scheduling and leading the thesis/dissertation oral defense and publication.

Subject Matter Expert (SME).   All members of the committee are subject matter experts (SMEs). The title of this particular member of the committee emphasizes and highlights specific responsibilities within the committee dynamic.  The SME should be in constant contact with the student regarding  content  of the dissertation.  This is the person the student turns to in order to test ideas and conclusions and to ensure the appropriateness, relevance, significance, and accuracy of the dissertation’s content in order to meet university and academic standards.

The SME also certifies the accurate reporting of that material to the chair and determines the factual nature of the work.  The SME knows the subject closely and acts as the student’s sounding board.  The SME does not establish timelines, length of the thesis/dissertation, etc.  The role of SME includes the following responsibilities:

• consistently consulting with the student/candidate regarding the relevance and significance of the research content,
• regularly discussing content with the student/candidate to test ideas and conclusions,
• updating the committee chair about discussions with the student/candidate and about any suggestions or recommendations resulting from those discussions, and
• confirming the accuracy, appropriateness, relevance, and significance of the research focus and content with the committee chair.

Committee Member.   One additional committee member works for the committee chair.  The committee member advises and assists the committee chair in every aspect of the project.  The committee member interacts directly with the chair, not the student.  This prevents conflicting information from being sent to the student and presents a unified stance during the process.  The chair and the committee member work out all responses presented to the student and resolve any conflicting guidance before the student is contacted.  If conflicts cannot be resolved, the chair makes the ultimate decision.  The chair and the committee member work together constantly, but the chair is the face of the university to the student.  The role of the committee member includes the following responsibilities:

• interacting with the chair to provide added insight, perspective, and feedback to be shared with the student, and
• determining responses, suggestions, and constructive criticism that will be shared with the student through the chair.
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Division of graduate studies menu, division of graduate studies, dissertation committee policy, dissertation committees.

The dissertation committee supervises a student’s dissertation work, determines the acceptability of the dissertation, and serves as the final examining committee.

Full Graduate Faculty Policy

The dissertation committee must be on file with the Division of Graduate Studies no later than 6 months prior to the final oral defense.

Appointment Procedures

Each department or program determines its own internal dissertation committee approval procedures. After the dissertation committee is approved by the department, the Graduate Coordinator submits the committee recommendation in GradWeb.

Once the Division of Graduate Studies has reviewed and approved the committee, the student and department will receive an email confirming that the committee has been approved by the Division of Graduate Studies.

Departmental policies for membership of doctoral committees should be guided by Division of Graduate Studies policy, but may be more restrictive than Division of Graduate Studies School policy. Petitions for exceptions to Division of Graduate Studies committee policies may be submitted using the general petition form .

Committee Membership

The dissertation committee consists of a minimum of four members , each with a particular role:

• 2 Core Members

Institutional Representative

• Committees in Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Physics also have an Advisor separate from the Chair

The chair has principal responsibility for advising the student. They should have adequate time available for this work and should expect to be accessible to the student.

If co-chairs are appointed, both co-chairs share the responsibility for the student's progress

The following requirements apply:

The chair must be a tenure-related member of the graduate faculty who holds a doctoral degree.

For a tenure-related member of the graduate faculty from a department other than the student’s degree-granting department, the student’s department must have authorized that faculty member to serve as chair (or co-chair) using the dissertation committee service nomination form .

Once a faculty member is authorized to chair in another department, they remain authorized to chair in that department indefinitely, or until the department asks to change the faculty member’s status.

Once authorized to serve in that capacity for a department, the faculty member can no longer serve as institutional representative for the department on future committees.

In those departments in which dissertation committees have both a chair and an advisor, the advisor(s) of a committee must be able and willing to assume principal responsibility for advising the student.

They should have adequate time available for this work and should expect to be accessible to the student. If co-advisors are appointed, both co-advisors share the responsibility for the student's progress.

In addition, the following requirements apply:

The faculty member must be a member of the graduate faculty with authorization to serve as advisor.

• Professors of practice may be appointed to the graduate faculty and granted authorization to serve as a dissertation advisor in the student’s degree-granting department.

For a member of the graduate faculty from a department other than the student’s degree-granting department, the student’s department must have authorized that faculty member to serve as advisor using the dissertation committee service nomination form .

Once a faculty member is authorized to serve as advisor in another department, the authorization remains indefinitely, or until the department asks to change the faculty member’s status.

Once authorized to serve as an advisor for a department, the faculty member can no longer serve as institutional representative for the department on future committees, except in the:

• Department of Biology
• Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Department of Physics

In these departments, if the advisor is not a member of the degree-granting department, the institutional representative must be from a different department or research institute than the advisor.

Core Members

At least one core member must be a member of the graduate faculty (including non-tenure-related members) from the student’s degree-granting department.

The remaining member may be a:

Member of the graduate faculty from the student’s degree-granting department

• Member of the graduate faculty from another UO department

Non-tenure-track faculty member who is not a member of the graduate faculty

Faculty member from another college or university

• Qualified practicing professional or community member

The institutional representative serves in the role of impartial, “outside” committee member who ensures that all rules and standard practices governing committee procedures are followed.

The institutional representative typically also offers substantive expertise related to the dissertation, although that is not required.

The institutional representative must meet the following requirements:

Must be a tenure-related member of the graduate faculty .

Must be from a University of Oregon department other than the student’s degree-granting department.

In the departments of biology, chemistry and biochemistry, and physics, where there the role of chair and advisor are separate, if the advisor is not a member of the degree-granting department, the institutional representative must be from a different department or research institute than the advisor.

Additional Core Members (optional)

Additional members may be appointed to the dissertation committee, at the discretion of the student’s degree-granting department.

An additional core nember may be a:

Interdisciplinary Doctoral Degree Programs

Each interdisciplinary degree program shall maintain a list of faculty members appointed to the program for purposes of graduate faculty membership and designated by the department as eligible to serve as chairs/advisors and core members or as core members only.

If a faculty member is appointed to serve as chairs/advisors or core members, they may not serve as institutional representatives for committees in that program.

Graduate Academic Policies

Timely formation of thesis and dissertation committees

• MS students should form their committees by ORD — the official reporting date or 12th day of class of the semester of their defense, which is their graduating semester.
• PhD students should form their dissertation committee two weeks prior to their proposal defense. For departments who do not have a proposal defense it will be the same time frame as MS students listed above.

Thesis/Dissertation Committee

• The thesis/dissertation committee (also called advisory committee) advises the student on research and writing of the thesis /dissertation, conducts the final oral examination (as required by the program) and approves the final version of the thesis/dissertation. A thesis committee should include at least three members (five for dissertation). The thesis/dissertation committee must have members from the student’s graduate program/academic unit. It may have additional members that are serving as an external committee member. The majority of members must be currently active in the scholarship of the field.
• One committee member will serve as the chair of the thesis/dissertation committee. In some cases, two committee members may be appointed as co-chairs and will share the chair responsibilities.
• If a student’s thesis/dissertation chair is a faculty member whose primary appointment is not in the graduate program offering the degree, then they must receive approval from the graduate program director/department chair to serve as a co-chair with a faculty member from the program also serving as co-chair. If the academic unit/graduate program has specified departmental or college policies regarding thesis/dissertation committee members, the student will follow the specified procedures of the graduate program/academic unit as long as they do not conflict with the policy outlined here.
• The thesis/dissertation chair (or co-chairs) is (are) the student’s mentor(s) and guide(s) through the degree program. Students should consult the departmental policy regarding the appropriate number of thesis/dissertation committee members, the process for the selection of the committee members and the process to request changes in the committee membership. If the chair of a student’s dissertation committee leaves the University and the student is near completion of the degree and wants the chair to continue to serve in this role, the student, in consultation with the graduate program director and committee members, should ask a current member of the University of Houston faculty to serve as the co-chair of the committee.
• A prospective committee member who is not a member of the University of Houston faculty may receive approval to serve on a thesis/dissertation committee by the chair of the committee. The chair has the responsibility of confirming that the prospective committee member has the requisite qualifications (typically, a terminal degree, subject matter expertise, and active in the field) to serve on the committee. When the committee chair approves a non-UH committee member to serve on the committee, they should provide a CV/resume from that member as part of the committee composition record.
• Changes to the Thesis/Dissertation Committee require the approval of the student, new committee members, and the graduate program director. The graduate director (and department chair) will have the authority to make changes in case of a disagreement over the committee composition. In case a dispute goes beyond the department, the associate dean for graduate studies (and dean) will have this authority to appoint committee members and/or appoint an external thesis/dissertation chair to oversee the proceedings. Exceptions to this process may be granted by petition to the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School.
• All thesis/dissertation committee members should be entered into the student information system when the committee is formed to facilitate accurate academic records. Exception: At this time, committee members not employed by the University of Houston cannot be entered into the student information system.
• A graduate program may have stricter requirements with respect to the final exam/defense and these requirements should be clearly articulated in the written policies and procedures or catalog entry for the graduate program.

Final Exam/Defense

• The thesis/dissertation committee will conduct a final exam/defense as specified in the degree requirements. The final exam/defense should be scheduled such that the thesis/dissertation is available in nearly final form so that the committee has adequate time to review the document prior to the final exam/defense. While the final exam/defense may broadly cover the disciplinary field of the candidate’s training, the primary questioning should be related to the thesis/dissertation. A positive evaluation by the thesis/dissertation committee — with at most one dissension — is required for a student to pass. The dissenting member should indicate their dissent on the approval form. At the discretion of the thesis/dissertation committee and per the graduate program rules, a student may be given one opportunity to repeat a final exam/defense for the master’s/doctoral degree. The repeat exam/defense must be held no later than the end of the next fall/spring semester (summer terms excluded). A graduate program may have stricter requirements with respect to the final exam/defense and these requirements should be clearly articulated in the written policies and procedures or catalog entry for the graduate program.
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How many members should be on my dissertation/doctoral essay/lecture recital essay committee? Doctoral Degree: For the dissertation/doctoral essay/lecture recital essay committee a student needs no less than four members. The committee chair (i.e. the primary research mentor/advisor), may or may not be from the student's program, department or school (this includes secondary appointments), and must be a permanent member of the Graduate Faculty. Of the remaining members, it is also required that two shall be members of the program or department of concentration (this includes secondary appointments), as well as permanent members of the Graduate Faculty, and one from outside the program or department of concentration.

Click here to view the Graduate Faculty Listings page. A thesis or dissertation committee cannot be chaired by a person unless they hold a higher or equivalent degree as the candidate for the graduate degree. Exceptions to the committee composition may be approved by the chair of the department and Dean of the Graduate School. A department, program, or school / college may require additional members.

Master’s Degree: The thesis committee will consist of not less than three members. The committee chair must be Regular Faculty from the student’s program or department of concentration (this includes secondary appointments). In addition to the chair, one of the remaining members must also be Regular Faculty or have Graduate Faculty status in the student’s program or department of concentration ( Click here to view the Graduate Faculty Listings page) ; the third member must be an outside member. “Regular Faculty” are faculty having tenured or tenure-earning appointments of a program or department. A thesis or dissertation committee cannot be chaired by a person unless they hold a higher or equivalent degree as the candidate for the graduate degree. Exceptions to the committee composition may be approved by the chair of the department and Dean of the Graduate School. A department, program, or school / college may require additional members.

Who would be considered an "outside member" of the committee? An outside member of the committee can be from a UM department outside your area of concentration or from outside the University of Miami altogether. All committee members must be approved by the Chair of your committee.

Can I have more than four members on my dissertation/doctoral essay/lecture recital essay committee? Yes, there is no maximum limit of members you can have on your doctoral committee. However, the Graduate School recommends that students have committees that do not exceed six members.

Do all committee members need to be present for my defense? Yes, all committee members must be present at and participate in the defense of your thesis or dissertation. If necessary, committee members can participate in the defense via teleconference or Skype.

What if one of my committee members retires before I defend?

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Division of Research and Graduate Studies

Thesis/Dissertation Committee Policy and Guidelines

It is the purpose of this document to set forth policies for the functioning of thesis and dissertation committees appointed at California State University, Fresno, in order to maintain high standards of quality in the conduct of graduate student research and writing and to provide guidelines for the orderly transfer of members' responsibilities if this should become necessary. Insofar as it is judged the academic obligation and expectation of all graduate faculty to serve on graduate thesis and dissertation committees, this work in turn is recognized by the Division of Graduate Studies and the university in support of tenure and promotion, and individual faculty mentorship is publicized through listings and published records of the abstracts and theses/dissertations at a national level.Where joint doctoral or master's degree programs are offered, policies and procedures of participating campuses may also apply. Additionally, joint requirements for approval of committee assignment and completion of the final document may add to or supersede this policy. The following policy and guidelines have been established for faculty members at California State University, Fresno who direct theses and dissertations.

Thesis/Dissertation Committees

Thesis/dissertation committees have an established place in the academic world and play a vital role in the guidance and direction of graduate student research. One member of the committee, the chair, has a more formal administrative relationship with the student because of the way the university recognizes the chair's responsibilities. On occasion, the roles of the chair and the committee members require clarification.

1.0 Thesis/Dissertation Committee Structure

1.1 Number of Members

1.11 Each master's thesis and doctoral dissertation committee shall be composed of a minimum of three members.

1.12. Under extenuating circumstances (e.g., member's death or sudden leave), to be noted by the graduate program coordinator in a letter to the graduate dean, an individual student in the final stages of the thesis/dissertation may request to have fewer than three members on the committee.

1.13 A fourth and/or fifth member may be added to the committee when deemed appropriate/necessary to provide required expertise.

1.2 Committee Membership

1.21 Two of the three required committee members, including the chair, shall be members of the Master's Graduate Faculty Group of the student's degree program.   Only members of this group are allowed to chair a thesis.   In order for a member to chair a thesis, he/she must have previously served as a second or third member of a thesis committee (per APM 226-2, III. Criteria for Membership in a Master's Graduate Faculty Group , par. 3 ). The Graduate Group in the program, with the approval of the department, may invite their Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP) faculty members to participate on thesis/dissertation committees as second or third readers, with the stipulation that they demonstrate a personal commitment to function in this capacity and that they have been appointed as members of the consultative body. Graduate faculty members whose status has been terminated due to retirement or who are in FERP status may complete outstanding examining committee, thesis committee, and advising assignments as chair if they wish to do so, but they may not accept new assignments to chair such committees (see APM 226-3, III. Criteria for Membership in a Master's Graduate Faculty Group , par. 8 ). Note: In order for the thesis/dissertation committee to function as required, the program must appoint FERP faculty serving on these committees as adjunct faculty during each of the academic terms in which they have inactive status.

1.22 An individual who possesses requisite expertise, but who is not a member of the Graduate Faculty Group in the student's program, may serve as a third reader on a thesis or dissertation committee with the approval of the department chair. This may include part-time and adjunct faculty, retired program faculty, faculty from other programs or universities, and community professionals. In such cases, a curriculum vita of the individual concerned must accompany the submitted Master's Thesis (299) Committee Assignment form .

1.23 Each graduate program committee may establish additional procedures for the appointment of thesis committee members. It is recommended that these procedures be published and be made available to incoming graduate students and new faculty members.

1.24 The committee chair shall be a faculty member of the graduate faculty from the student's program. A faculty member from another department may assume the role of committee chair only if eligible for and appropriately appointed as program graduate faculty (see APM 226 ) the student's degree program.

1.25 For the doctorate degree, the committee chair must be a member of the Doctoral Graduate Faculty Group will and possess requisite knowledge and experience in discipline-based research theory and methodologies at the doctoral level, knowledge of the requirements for doctoral dissertations in the discipline, and a demonstrated ability to successfully direct others in research activities. The first time an individual is being considered as a chair of a doctoral dissertation committee, supporting documentation must accompany the recommendation through all levels of review (per APM 227-2, III. Criteria for Membership in a Doctoral Graduate Faculty Group , par. 6c ).

1.26 Each graduate program's graduate group should establish a reasonable maximum for the number of theses an individual faculty member may supervise.

1.27 The department chair should ensure that work of the thesis or dissertation committee chair is calculated as part of the faculty's required regular workload. Interdisciplinary Studies (formerly Special Major): As representatives of the departments related to the student's fields of interest, the interdisciplinary studies student's program committee, approved by the graduate dean, will also serve as the thesis committee for the student.

2.0 Thesis Committee Responsibilities

2.1 the committee as a whole.

2.11 The initial responsibility of the committee is to meet and determine the feasibility of the topic and the thesis/dissertation plan or proposal, and to permit the student to proceed only after such determination has been made. The committee shall sign off on the student's plan or proposal and a copy should be kept in the student's file in the department. The signing of this document signifies that the student has permission to proceed with the study as outlined in the plan.

2.12 The committee is responsible for assuring that the student is familiar with and has received copies of appropriate university policies concerning the handling of dangerous materials, laboratory and fieldwork safety, and maintenance of standards of quality, ethics, and professional performance. The committee (chair) should inform the student regarding proprietary interests and ownership of data or research product as appropriate, and reach agreement about these issues. Formal written agreements may be desirable or even mandatory when patent-related issues may arise. This needs to be done as early in the process as possible, preferably at the time the proposal is accepted.

2.13 The committee shall determine whether the student's research is subject to the university policy on research on human or animal subjects and advise the student accordingly.

2.14 The committee shall determine the adequacy of the bibliography.

2.15 The committee shall review and approve the methodology and any instrument or questionnaire used in data collection.

2.16 Committee members are responsible for reviewing thesis and dissertation drafts, and providing feedback in a timely manner. Depending on circumstances, there should be no more than a four-week turnaround review time for each of the committee members to review the manuscript for a thesis or dissertation.

2.17 The responsibility of the committee as a whole is to examine the student's work and to meet and make a final determination of the acceptability of the thesis/dissertation, and to arrange for any oral defense of the thesis in accordance with written department policies.

2.18 It is the policy of this university to make all theses available to the public through the library and through established academic abstracting services. On rare occasions, committee members shall assist the graduate dean in determining the need for and recommending the withholding of material for publication for a specified period of time, not to exceed one calendar year.

2.19 It shall be the responsibility of the student to observe graduate deadlines for the submission of final and publication copies of the thesis/dissertation. A reasonable amount of time (not more than four weeks) should be allowed for each of the committee members to review the manuscript.

2.2 The Chair

2.21 The student and the committee chair, insofar as it is possible, should arrive at an agreement on an approximate time schedule, including meetings of the committee, for the accomplishment of thesis/dissertation-related work for each semester or term that the student is engaged in such work.

2.22 The chair shall have primary responsibility for the supervision of the student's work, setting deadlines, and guiding the student's progress.

2.23 The chair shall assume the role of "principal investigator" when the student's research involves human or animal subjects, and shall ensure that university policies in this area are carefully observed (The Policy and Procedures for Research and Human Subjects at California State University, Fresno, available from the Office of the Vice President for Administration; Policy and Procedures for Handling all Warm-Blooded Animals Used for Teaching, Experimentation, or Research at California State University, Fresno, see the ( Academic Policy Manual , 525 ).

2.24 The chair shall inform the student of university regulations regarding the need to maintain continuous enrollment while working on the thesis/dissertation, and the zero-unit policy requiring enrollment in a zero-unit "C" (thesis continuation) course.  (For full policy, see /gradstudies/requirements/enrollment.html).*

2.25 The chair shall inform the student of the university's Guidelines for Thesis Preparation and shall encourage attendance at a thesis workshop as early as possible in the student's thesis process. The Guidelines for Thesis Preparation are available at the Kennel Bookstore or from the Thesis Office Web site.

2.26 In consultation with the other members of the committee, the chair shall determine the final grade on the thesis/dissertation and see that it is properly reported on the Graduate Degree Clearance form.

2.27 The chair is responsible for evaluating the student's progress before assigning an "RP" (formerly "SP") grade for thesis/dissertation units. (The "RP" grade is automatically assigned unless a student is not making significant progress, in which case an "I" grade may be assigned.)

2.28 The chair shall inform the student of the style manual or journal style required by the department for formatting the reference list or bibliography.

3.0 Vacancies and Replacements

3.1 If any committee member anticipates an extended but temporary absence during the time the student is working on the thesis/dissertation, he or she should arrange for means of communicating during this leave, or designate an appropriate temporary/permanent substitute.

3.2 The determination to make a change in committee chair or membership must be reported on a Change in Master's Thesis (299) Committee and/or Topic form, submitted to the Graduate Division, and must be approved by the graduate program coordinator and department chair. A change in the committee chair requires a letter of justification from the department chair at the time the Change in Master's Thesis (299) Committee form is submitted, as stated on the form. Faculty members who are replaced must be so informed by the department chair.

3.3 If the chair is unexpectedly absent or absent due to planned sabbatical/retirement at the time the student completes the thesis/dissertation, the department chair may act for the thesis chair, in consultation with the absent chair or other committee members.

4.0 Disputes

4.1 In the event that a dispute or disagreement arises between a student and a member of the committee or between members of the committee, the committee chair shall call a meeting of the committee and the student for the purpose of resolving the problem.

4.2 If the dispute cannot be resolved through this process, or if the proposed solution is unacceptable to the student or one of the committee members, the disagreeing party or the department chair may request that the graduate committee of the student's department/program review the problem and recommend a solution.

4.3 If the problem cannot be resolved at the department level, the dispute should be appealed to the college or school dean. This will be the final level of appeal.

5.0 Termination of the Committee

5.1 The committee shall have discharged its obligations when the final manuscript has been approved by the Graduate Dean, each member has signed the approval page for the publication copy of the thesis/dissertation, and the thesis/dissertation grade is recorded on the clearance sheet.

5.2 In the event a student does not register for thesis/dissertation or fails to maintain an active status within one semester or term after official acceptance by a thesis committee, the committee chair has the option of dissolving the committee, in which case a new committee must be secured and approved before registration can be authorized.

5.3 If a student must suspend work on the thesis/dissertation for educational reasons acceptable to the committee chair, the student should obtain a planned educational leave of absence. These leaves may be approved for two to four semesters. If the leave is approved, the committee shall continue its existence until the student returns.

• Last Updated Nov 29, 2022

• Dissertation Advisory Committee
• Introduction

Harvard Griffin GSAS strives to provide students with timely, accurate, and clear information. If you need help understanding a specific policy, please contact the office that administers that policy.

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Dissertation Advisory Committee; Thesis Acceptance Certificate

The Dissertation Advisory Committee formally approves the dissertation by signing the Thesis Acceptance Certificate . In PhD programs that are not lab-based, this committee also guides the student in writing the dissertation. The committee should work cohesively in supporting the student to produce their best work. The signatures of these faculty members on the Thesis Acceptance Certificate indicate formal acceptance of the student’s scholarly contribution to the field.  

In some fields, especially in the sciences, the Dissertation Advisory Committee described below is known locally as the “Dissertation Defense Committee.” In these programs, a separate additional committee (also called the Dissertation Advisory Committee) that includes the student’s primary advisor, will guide the student’s progress until submission for formal review by the DAC/defense committee. The members of the DAC/defense committee give formal approval to the finished work, but the student’s work will be understood to have occurred under the guidance of the primary advisor. The changes to the DAC/defense committee as described below do not in any way affect the essential structure of dissertation advising that already exists in lab-based PhD programs. 

The following policy applies to every Harvard Griffin GSAS Dissertation Advisory Committee formed on or after July 1, 2024. Any Dissertation Advisory Committee approved before July 1, 2024 is subject to the rules outlined below, see “Grandfathering.”  

Effective July 1, 2024:  

•  The graduate thesis for the PhD shall be accepted, and the Thesis Acceptance Certificate signed, by at least three advisors, who will form the Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC). At least two members of the committee shall be on-ladder faculty members. 
• In FAS-based programs, the Director of Graduate Studies or Department Chair or Area Chair shall sign off on the proposed committee.  
• For programs based outside the FAS, the Program Head shall sign off. 
• A program may petition the Dean of Harvard Griffin GSAS to consider a variation to the above requirement. 
• A Professor in Residence or Professor of the Practice may serve as a non-chairing member of the DAC, as long as the committee composition is consistent with “1.”  
•  Senior Lecturers and other non-ladder faculty may serve on the DAC as the third member when appropriate, as approved by the Director of Graduate Studies, Department Chair, Area Chair, or Program Head, as long as the committee composition is consistent with “1.” 
• Tenured emeriti faculty members (including research professors) may serve on the DAC. They may co-chair the DAC with a current on-ladder faculty member from the student’s department or program but may not serve as the sole chair. 
• Non-Harvard faculty of equivalent appointment rank to on-ladder faculty at Harvard may serve as one of the non-chairing members of the DAC.  
• A committee with co-chairs shall require a third member, consistent with ”1.” 
• Additional members may be appointed to the DAC, as long as the core three-member committee is consistent with ”1.” 
• They may continue to serve as a committee member if they have moved to another institution with an appointment rank equivalent to on-ladder at Harvard.  
• Or, if they are no longer serving on the DAC (by choice of the student, the student’s program, and/or the departing faculty member), the advisor must be replaced in accordance with ”1.” 
• If the departing faculty member will remain as chair on the DAC, a co-chair must be designated in accordance with “1.” The co-chair may, in this instance, be the Director of Graduate Studies in the student’s program if a faculty member with field expertise is not available to serve in this capacity. 

Please note:

• “On ladder” refers to faculty members with tenure or who are tenure-track. The phrase “on ladder” is generally not used at HMS, but all HMS and HCSPH assistant, associate, and full professors are considered to be “on ladder” according to HMS Faculty Affairs, and, for the purposes of this legislation, may serve on the DAC/defense committee. 
• With regard to paragraph 3.b.ii, and in keeping with the spirit of this legislation, ordinarily a scholar appointed as a College Fellow would not be ready to serve as one of the three core members of the committee. 
• With regard to paragraph 3.b.iv, individuals who do not fit this category (e.g., a scholar holding a non-ladder faculty position at another institution) may sit on the committee as a fourth member, in accordance with paragraph 3.d.  
• On the rare occasion that a situation requires special consideration, programs are advised to consult with the Dean of Harvard Griffin GSAS.  

Grandfathering

Grandfathering, and rules applying to all dissertation advisory committees, regardless of status prior to July 1, 2024:  

For dissertation advisory committees approved before July 1, 2024 under the former policy ( Two signatories must be members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS); FAS emeriti (including research professors) and faculty members from other Schools at Harvard who hold appointments on Harvard Griffin GSAS degree committees are authorized to sign DACs as FAS members. Harvard Griffin GSAS strongly recommends that the chair of the dissertation committee be a member of the FAS. If approved by the department, it is possible to have co-chairs of the dissertation committee as long as one is a member of FAS) , the following rules apply:   

Dissertation Advisory Committees approved prior to July 1, 2024 will be grandfathered, except in two situations:  

• An existing DAC chaired by an individual whose faculty appointment does not meet the requirements of the new rules will need to be adjusted. A co-chair should be designated, with the option of appointing the DGS to serve as co-chair, as allowed in paragraph 3.e.iii;  
• An existing DAC with fewer than three members should be updated, and the new member(s) should be consistent with the new policy.   

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Master’s Thesis Committee Regulations

• Master’s Thesis committees are appointed by the Dean of the Graduate Division, acting for the Graduate Council, upon nomination by the Chair of the Department (or Interdepartmental Program), after consultation with the student.
• Master’s Thesis committees consist of a minimum of three faculty members from UCLA.
• Professor (any rank, regular series)
• Professor Emeritus
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• Acting Professor (any rank).
• Adjunct Professors (any rank), Professors of Clinical X (any rank), and Visiting Professors (any rank) may serve as one of the three regular members (not as chair) on professional (not M.A. or M.S.) master’s thesis committees.
• Acting Assistant Professors may serve as regular members, but not as chairs.
• The Chair of the committee and at least one other member must hold academic appointments in the student’s department or interdepartmental program at UCLA.
• Additional members from any of the above titles as well as those with the title of Lecturer may be appointed to the committee and/or serve as Co-Chairs, and shall have the same voting rights and responsibilities as the other committee members.
• By petition, one of the minimum three members may be a faculty member from another UC campus who holds an appropriate appointment as listed above.

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Thesis and Dissertation Committees for Clinical Psychology

• College of Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Forms
• Checklist and Forms for Thesis
• Checklist and Forms for Dissertation

Thesis Committees

Thesis committees must include three members. At least two of the three members must be Tenure Track psychology faculty, one of whom must be the chair. The third member of the committee may be a Tenure Track or Instructional faculty member from the Department of Psychology or a Tenure Track faculty member from another department at Ohio University. Exceptions are permitted with the pre-approval of the Assistant Chair of Graduate Studies. Additional committee members (beyond the required three) are also permitted. Once the committee has been formed, its membership should not change. If some need arises for changing the membership, see the Assistant Chair for Graduate Studies. All members of a thesis committee must approve the thesis proposal as well as the completed thesis.

Members of thesis and dissertation committees are expected to physically attend both the proposal and final defense meetings. If physical attendance is foreseeably problematic or overly restrictive and rescheduling prohibitive or otherwise infeasible, other arrangements may be made (e.g., video conferencing or phoning in) with the approval of both the committee chair and the Assistant Chair of Graduate Studies. For unforeseen events where other arrangements can be made (e.g., illness prevents physical attendance, but not virtual attendance), the committee chair will have the discretion to determine how to proceed, informing the Assistant Chair of Graduate Studies of the circumstances as soon as possible.

For all required forms for thesis proposal and defense, please see the “Checklist and Timeline for Psychology Master’s Degree” on the Department of Psychology website.

Dissertation Committees

Dissertation committees consist of four members and three of them must be Tenure Track psychology faculty. One of the three Tenure Track psychology faculty members must chair the committee. The fourth member must be a Tenure Track faculty member from another department at Ohio University who serves as the college representative. Students can opt to have an additional fifth member, which might be encouraged by their faculty mentor, depending on the nature of their dissertation project. This optional member cannot be a Tenure Track Department of Psychology Department of Psychology faculty member; they must have a doctorate in their field (e.g., Ed.D., M.D.) and may or may not be affiliated with Ohio University. Exceptions to this committee structure may be permitted with the pre-approval of the Assistant Chair of Graduate Studies. Once the committee has been formed, its membership should not change. If some need arises for changing the membership, see the Assistant Chair for Graduate Studies.  All members of a dissertation committee must approve the dissertation proposal as well as the completed dissertation.

Members of thesis and dissertation committees are expected to physically attend both the proposal and final defense meetings. If physical attendance is foreseeably problematic or overly restrictive, and rescheduling prohibitive or otherwise infeasible, other arrangements may be made (e.g., video conferencing or phoning in) with the approval of both the committee chair and the Assistant Chair of Graduate Studies. For unforeseen events where other arrangements can be made (e.g., illness prevents physical attendance, but not virtual attendance), the committee chair will have the discretion to determine how to proceed, informing the Assistant Chair of Graduate Studies of the circumstances as soon as possible.

For all forms, including approval forms for the proposal meeting, committee members, and the defense meeting, please see the “Checklist and timeline for Ph.D. Degree on the Department of Psychology website.

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Doctoral handbook

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• Dissertation Reading Committee

The Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee consists of three faculty members (the principal dissertation advisor and two other readers) who agree to read a student’s dissertation and serve on the orals committee. All members of an approved reading committee are expected to sign the signature page of the completed dissertation. The reading committee normally serves on the oral exam committee, but not always. At the very least, the primary dissertation advisor and one reader from the reading committee serve on the oral exam committee. The student is responsible for obtaining signatures from advisor and readers before submitting the form to the Doctoral Programs Officer for final processing.

The rules governing the composition of the reading committee are as follows: at least one member of the committee must be from the GSE; the principal dissertation advisor must be on the Stanford Academic Council (AC); and any member of the committee that is not a member of the academic council must be approved by the Area Chair and the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs. In the last case, the Petition for Non-Academic Council Member to Serve on Doctoral Committee form (available from the Doctoral Programs Officer) and a current CV of the proposed member are required. This person must be particularly well qualified to consult on the dissertation topic and hold a PhD or an equivalent foreign degree. Non-AC members may not serve as dissertation advisors, but may serve as a co-advisor along with a member of the AC. Students may only have one non-AC member on the reading committee. The only exception to this rule is if you have more than the three members required for a reading committee. At least two members of the reading committee must be members of the Stanford AC. Reading Committee members must sign the Doctoral Reading Committee form (all forms located on the GSE website under current students>forms). Email confirmations or digital signatures will be accepted.

The reading committee formation, and any subsequent changes to the committee composition, are reviewed and approved by the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs. This signature is obtained by the Doctoral Programs Officer, not the student.

The University requires approval of the Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee form prior to advancement to Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status, or before scheduling a University Oral Examination–whichever comes first in the student’s program. Further instructions for form completion are on the GSE Website.

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Handbook Contents

• Timetable for the Doctoral Degree
• Degree Requirements
• Registration or Enrollment for Milestone Completion
• The Graduate Study Program
• Student Virtual and Teleconference Participation in Hearings
• First Year (3rd Quarter) Review
• Second Year (6th Quarter) Review
• Committee Composition for First- and Second-Year Reviews
• Advancement to Candidacy
• Academic Program Revision
• Dissertation Proposal
• Dissertation Content
• University Oral Examination
• Submitting the Dissertation
• Registration and Student Statuses
• Graduate Financial Support
• GSE Courses
• Curriculum Studies and Teacher Education (CTE)
• Developmental and Psychological Sciences (DAPS)
• Learning Sciences and Technology Design (LSTD)
• Race, Inequality, and Language in Education (RILE)
• Social Sciences, Humanities, and Interdisciplinary Policy Studies in Education (SHIPS)
• Contact Information
• Stanford University Honor Code
• Stanford University Fundamental Standard
• Doctoral Programs Degree Progress Checklist
• GSE Open Access Policies

PhD students, please contact

MA POLS and MA/PP students, please contact

EDS, ICE/IEPA, Individually Designed, LDT, MA/JD, MA/MBA students, please contact

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Commonly Used Forms

To help you navigate your academic program, there are several processes that are in place. Some processes are conducted electronically, while others require manual processing with physical signatures. Forms included in this section are either Portable Document Format (PDF) files, dynamic forms, or HTML files that may be downloaded, filled out, and given to the appropriate university officials for approval. Many of these forms have been implemented by the College of Graduate Studies and have been adopted across UCF’s various colleges. Some forms are specific to CECS. Regardless, this list is not comprehensive, and your department may have additional forms to support your academic progress.  For College of Graduate Studies (CGS) forms, please visit: https://graduate.ucf.edu/forms-and-references/

Registration

• The deadline for Restricted Registrations/Overrides for Summer 2024 Registration is May 10, 2024 by 4pm .
• If you receive an email from [email protected] , this is because there is an issue with your registration.  Please read the email as there is very important information therein that will prevent the Office of Graduate Affairs from registering you for the requested classes.
• UCF CECS Registration Agreement Dynamic Form – THIS IS NOT THE OVERRIDE FORM! This form is a dynamic form for CECS Special Registration Agreement .  This form is needed for graduate students to register for any Variable Credit Hour Course in our college (XXX 6908, XXX 6918, XXX 6946, XXX 6958, XXX 6971, XXX 7919, or XXX 7980) .
• UCF CECS Graduate Override Dynamic Form : The Graduate Override form is only for access to a class where a prerequisite is required, 0V91 section of courses AFTER APPROVAL FROM COVE , or for IDS 6999.
• Administrative Record Change Registration/Override Attachment form : Please use this form when needing an Administrative Record Change completed by the department after the late registration deadline.
• SACM AND FULLBRIGHT ONLY:   If you are a SACM or Fullbright student please use this Override Dynamic Form to register for Section 002 courses ONLY.
• For Student guides on how to fill out the dynamic forms, please see the Guide for Restricted Registration – Student Edition and the Guide for Override Forms – Student Edition .
• For Instructor Guides on how to fill out the dynamic forms, please see the Instructor’s Guide on How to Complete Override Forms and Instructor’s Guide on How to Completed Restricted Registration Forms .

Program of Study

• Each graduate student must have a Program of Study on file by their 12th hour in their program.  These forms can be located on your department’s home pages and are simply the courses you have completed and plan to complete to meet your degree’s requirements.
• CECE – https://www.cece.ucf.edu/graduate/
• CS – https://www.cs.ucf.edu/academics/current-graduate-students/
• ECE – https://www.ece.ucf.edu/graduate-programs/
• IEMS – https://iems.ucf.edu/graduate
• MSE – http://mse.ucf.edu/graduate-program/
• MAE – http://mae.ucf.edu/advising/graduate-forms/
• Modeling & Simulation – https://msgrad.ist.ucf.edu/Forms.aspx

CECS How to Access Unofficial Transcripts

Here is a step by step guide on how to access your unofficial transcripts through your myUCF Portal.

Committee Forms

• The College of Graduate Studies has both the Doctoral and Thesis Committee Forms in dynamic forms.
• For doctoral students (at a minimum), you must have three members from your department and one member from outside of your department.  For both thesis and dissertation students, most of your committee members must be Graduate Faculty members.
• Before submitting either a thesis or dissertation committee for approval, please make sure that your Program of Study is approved and processed by the College of Graduate Studies.  These eForms originate by your program’s Graduate Advising Office.
• To find out committee member status, please visit the Graduate Faculty Page .
• To initiate a thesis or dissertation committee form, please fill out the dynamic Thesis and Dissertation Committee Form .
• To initiate a dissertation committee form where you need six members, please fill out the dynamic Dissertation Committee Form – 6 Members .

Graduate Procedures

• Filing your Intent to Graduate – The Intent to Graduate is filed online during the period designated on UCF Academic Calendar
• Graduate Petition Form  – Graduate students who wish to request an exception to university policy must complete this form to begin the process.
• Traveling Scholar Form – To request that courses taken at another institution apply toward completion of your UCF degree. After reading the form, complete the fields, have your advisor sign it, then submit the endorsed form and syllabus (or syllabi) to [email protected] .
• Thesis/Dissertation Approval Form – This form is used by Thesis and Dissertation students who have successfully defended.  It will be started by the student once they have completed their defense and automatically sent from member to member.  Students MUST complete their final submission before Graduate Studies will approve this form.

Student Services

• Change of Address Form
• Name Change Form 
• Student Grade Appeal Form 
• Thesis & Dissertation Webcourse ( https://webcourses.ucf.edu/enroll/EREP7Y )
• Integrity Training ( https://graduate.ucf.edu/pathways-to-success/#Academic Integrity Workshops)
• Binding Services for students who want their Thesis and Dissertation presentation bound

Forms for Research-Oriented Students

• Defense Link – Submit your request to convene your thesis/dissertation defense.

Performance Assessment

• PhD Annual Review
• GTA Assessment  

More graduate forms can be found at: https://graduate.ucf.edu/forms-and-references/ .

7-Year Plan

Students nearing 21 semesters since their admit term will need to complete a   7-Year Plan .

Probation Plan Agreement

Students who are placed on probation by the College of Graduate Studies are required to meet with their graduate program director to create a Probation Plan .

How to Apply for an IRB

NOTE: You must complete CITI Training before submitting an IRB application.

Follow these steps to complete an IRB application:

• If you are a graduate student, new submissions require principal investigator, faculty advisor, and departmental sign-off prior to submission to IRB. Complete form HRP 251  and upload it with your study submission.
• Visit HURON and login with your UCF NID.

• Once you have submitted the study, you can check your task list (items that require clarification) and track the IRB work-flow by selecting the study in “My Inbox.”

• One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
• A Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering or another closely related engineering degree.
• Résumé.
• Statement of educational, research, and professional career objectives.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.

For international students interested in  UCF Global Pathway Program  (immersive English-language learning), please contact  Dr. Ali P. Gordon  for guidance.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering or a closely related field with GPA of 3.0 or greater
• Mathematics through Calculus II (MAC 2312 or equivalent)
• An undergraduate course in engineering probability and statistics
• Familiarity with at least one programming language (such as Python, C, C++, Visual BASIC, Java, etc.)
• Official transcripts
• Two letters of recommendations
• Goal Statement

Admission is open to those with a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution recognized by UCF. An application to the graduate certificate program and official transcripts must be submitted. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline. Admission to the program is competitive on a space-available basis. Final admission is based on evaluation of the applicant's abilities, past performance and the applicant's potential for completing the certificate. • No Letters of Recommendation Required. For international students interested in  UCF Global Pathway Program  (immersive English-language learning), please contact  Dr. Ali P. Gordon  for guidance.

Applications are accepted for the fall and spring terms only. • No Letters of Recommendation Required.

• In addition, applicants to this certificate must provide: Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc only.
• Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation.
• Applications are accepted for the fall and spring terms only.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or closely related discipline with a minimum GPA 3.0
• No Letters of Recommendation Required.
• The GRE/GMAT is required
• A goal statement. This is your opportunity to outline in 500 words why you wish to join the program, what you think you will contribute to the program, and how you feel the program will enhance you both personally and professionally in the future.
• Updated résumé.
• Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.
• A computer-based TOEFL score of 220 or 80 on the internet-based TOEFL is required if an applicant is from a country where English is not the official language, or if an applicant’s degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution, or if an applicant did not earn a degree in a country where English is the official language or a university where English is the official language of instruction. Although we prefer the TOEFL, we will accept IELTS scores of 6.5.
• The GRE is not required for admission to this program.
• Resume or Curriculum Vita
• The goal statement should discuss all relevant professional background and any previous research and/or teaching experience. The statement should explain the motivation behind the pursuit of an MSSE. Future educational and career goals after the completion of the applicant’s master study should be discussed.
• If the applicant is interested in completing a Master thesis, then the applicant must clearly describe the particular area of research interest. The applicant should identify at least one UCF faculty member who shares a similar research focus and is believed to be best suited to serve as a potential thesis advisor. 
• The goal statement should between 500 and 1,000 words.
• The letters of recommendation should be from faculty members, university administrators, and employers with a supervisory role of the applicant. The letters, which must be current to the application and must not be for another degree program, should address the educational and career goals of the applicant. The letter writers should also know the applicant well enough to discuss the applicant’s capacity to perform, excel and succeed in a graduate program. Letters for Master’s thesis students must discuss the applicant’s ability to perform graduate-level research.
• Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.
• 2 Letters of recommendation

An undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Information Technology, or Computer Engineering is desirable but not required. Applicants without a strong undergraduate background in Computer Science and Statistics must demonstrate an understanding of the material covered in upper-division undergraduate courses listed under the Articulation Section of the Curriculum Information. Applicants may choose to demonstrate their knowledge of these courses by taking these courses as non-degree seeking and scoring “B” or better in all of them.

• A bachelor’s degree in Biomedical, Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related discipline. 
• Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.
• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering or closely related discipline.
• TOEFL 80, IELTS 6.5
• Letters of Recommendation (Optional)
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or closely related discipline.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering or closely related discipline.
• Official, competitive GRE score taken within the last five years.
• A written statement of experience and research, areas of current and future potential research interests, and future career goals.
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• A Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in statistics, data analytics or a related field from an accredited U.S. institution recognized by UCF or its equivalent from a foreign institution.
• A current curriculum vitae.
• A personal statement identifying the area of research interest and a description of the applicant’s academic and professional experiences.
• The student should have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all bachelor’s level work completed.
• Applicants to this program, except those that have earned or will earn a Masters or Doctoral degree from an accredited U.S. institution recognized by UCF, who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.

Establish Your Committee

The following criteria must be met when establishing your committee:

• All thesis committees require a minimum of two people, a chair from the student’s department/school and at least one other committee member. Dissertation committees require a minimum of 3 people, a chair from the student’s department/school and at least two other committee members. In all cases, the chair and majority of committee members should come from the student's department/school and have full graduate faculty status. Inquire with your department to learn your required number of members.
• Your chair and a majority of the members of the committee must be full members of your department’s graduate faculty. You can identify graduate faculty members by searching for a name(s) on this list: Graduate Faculty Members or by contacting the Graduate School ( (309) 438-2583 ).
• The other members of the committee may have associate graduate faculty status from inside or outside your department, or come from outside ISU if they bring special expertise to your study;
• A vita will be required for any committee member without ISU Graduate Faculty status (including those outside ISU). The vita can be submitted with your proposal approval form.
• Any ISU faculty committee member who leaves the university (unless for retirement) would then be considered an external committee member. Depending on the committee make up, another committee member may need to be added. Please check with the Graduate School for information in this situation.
• A retired faculty member can stay on as committee member, or chair. They must wait 60 days from their retirement to resume University work, and may not attend proposals or defenses during that time. Based on the retirement plan, this restriction may not apply and we advise checking with HR.
• If any of the above criteria are not met, an exception may be requested from the Graduate School.
• The Proposal Approval form will be completed in the next step of the thesis/dissertation process, which officially establishes your thesis/dissertation committee.

The Proposal

Under the direction of the committee chair you will prepare the proposal, establish a meeting, and present the proposal to the entire committee. In your research proposal meeting you will lay out your intended line of research, identify its scope, explain your research protocol, and establish a timeline for your study. A few tips for the proposal process:

• The Proposal Approval form is to be completed and signed by the committee. This form requires a completed copyright checklist.
• Research involving human subjects, live vertebrate animals, and biohazardous materials is overseen by the Institutional Review Board (IRB), the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) respectively. Consult your committee and/or the Office of Research Ethics & Compliance . Failure to receive the required approval may delay your research and may even result in the inability to use any data you may have collected. You may complete the appropriate research approval forms either before the proposal meeting or after. Keep in mind that your committee may change your methodology during the meeting. A change in methodology means a change to the above listed research approval forms.
• Copyright checklist: Information about copyright, completing the copyright checklist, FAQ's, and other related topics can be found through Milner Library's copyright information page .
• You may not collect any data until this form is approved by the Graduate School.

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