request for dissertation committee member

6 Email Templates to Ask Someone to be on Your Thesis Committee

By: Author Hiuyan Lam

Posted on Last updated: October 20, 2023

Categories Professional Etiquette

Writing a thesis is one of the most challenging parts of being an undergraduate or graduate student. You need to know how to ask someone to be on your thesis committee, especially if you are looking for a mentor to guide you through the writing process.

If you are currently starting the dissertation process, these unique email templates will help show you how to ask someone to be on your thesis committee.

How to ask someone to be on your thesis committee: When asking senior students

  These email templates will help you figure out how to ask a senior student to be on your thesis committee.   Senior students are perfect for helping you through the writing process. You can ask a student with whom you get along and share similar ideas.  

When asking professors to be on your thesis committee

  Your professor would be an invaluable addition to your thesis committee, especially since they could provide you with unique insight and constructive criticism.   Here is how to ask someone to be on your thesis committee if the person is your professor.  

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How to ask someone to be on your thesis committee: When asking professionals in your field

  Professionals can offer diverse and useful expertise if they choose to join your thesis committee. Here is how to ask someone to be on your thesis committee if you’re asking professionals in your field.  

  These are unique email templates that you can use when trying to figure out how to ask someone to be on your thesis committee.   Whether it is your professor, a senior student in your faculty, or a professional in your field, these templates will help you get that positive response that you are seeking.   If you are currently working on your thesis and wondering how to ask someone to be on your thesis committee, these templates will surely help you get some ideas.  

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We make college applications easier, 9 proven tips for a successful dissertation committee email request.

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Get a “YES” on your Dissertation Committee Email Request : Securing faculty members to serve on your dissertation committee is a critical step in completing your doctoral degree. Committee members agree to closely guide your dissertation research and writing from proposal through final defense.

Choosing the right people and making a strong request is key to starting this important journey on the right foot. This article provides proven tips and strategies for crafting an effective dissertation committee email request.

Before proceeding, let’s understand what a dissertation committee is.

Table of Contents

What’s a Dissertation Committees

Before diving into crafting your email, understand the basics of what a dissertation committee is and its composition.

A dissertation committee is usually made up of three to five faculty members who direct and evaluate a doctoral candidate’s dissertation research and writing. At minimum, it includes your dissertation chair or advisor who leads the committee and two additional members.

Committee members should have relevant expertise in your dissertation topic area and research methods. The chair usually holds a terminal degree in your field of study and has deep subject matter knowledge and dissertation mentoring experience.

Other members typically have doctorates as well and bring complementary areas of specialization to give you well-rounded feedback and oversight.

It’s preferable to have at least one committee member from outside your home department to provide a fresh external perspective. Your graduate program will have specific policies around committee composition, so be sure to review these guidelines before making requests.

The goal is to assemble a team of scholars enthusiastically invested in helping you conduct and complete high-quality original research. Here are some dissertation research examples to start your projects.

Dissertation Committee Email Request: Proven Tips to get a “YES” from Your Professors

1. do thorough research on potential members.

The first step to crafting an effective request email is conducting in-depth research on potential committee members. Beyond just their bios and credentials listed online, dig deeper into their research interests, current projects, and publications.

Look for alignment and overlap with your proposed dissertation topic to demonstrate how a faculty member would be well-suited to serve.

Go beyond just browsing public profiles – talk to other students, program staff, and current advisees to get insider perspectives. Ask what professors’ research and advising styles are like.

Learn which ones are particularly dedicated mentors willing to provide prompt feedback and support. Gauge appropriateness of workload – avoid bombarding the busiest faculty. With quality qualitative research, you’ll write a much stronger targeted case for specific individuals.

2. Customize Each Email Request

Rather than blasting a form letter to multiple professors at once, take the time to individually customize each email request. Address professors by name and reference something unique and relevant you learned about their work.

Show you understand their specialty areas and how your topic fits rather than broadly stating “I’m interested in Quantum Physics”. Demonstrate thoughtful consideration for why they in particular would make valuable committee members.

3. Highlight Connections

It’s not enough to simply state your interest – draw explicit connections between your research and a professor’s. Mention how a paper or project of theirs inspired an aspect of your work or methodology. Note any past classes taken from them to establish credibility as a dedicated student.

Point to similarities in a particular theoretical framework or discipline used. Quantify connections wherever possible rather than leaving statements vague. The clearer the synergies, the stronger case you’ll make.

4. Show Preparedness and Organization

Part of appealing to busy professors is demonstrating you’ve done the necessary groundwork so they won’t have to spend excessive time bringing a new student up to speed.

Attach a draft dissertation prospectus, timeline, or chapter outline to illustrate your proposal is developed and you’ve put serious critical thought into the research process and design already.

Offer to meet in person to provide further details and discuss next steps if interested in joining your committee. Convince them you’re organized and won’t require excessive hand-holding.

5. Highlight Mutually Beneficial Partnership

While faculty serve to mentor students primarily, frame committee membership as a mutually beneficial professional partnership. Note how a professor’s guidance could strengthen your work to a level warranting publication or conference presentation, thereby advancing both your careers.

Express enthusiasm for the opportunity to collaborate on related research with them going forward as a result of being advised through the dissertation. Highlight potential synergies and long term scholarly cooperation rather than it solely being a favor to you.

6. Emphasize Timeline and Commitment Needed

Be transparent about anticipated timeline, milestones, and level of involvement expected from committee members. Provide a draft completion schedule spanning IRB approval through final defense, noting when key checkpoints like proposal and full draft reviews are anticipated.

Outline roughly how many hours of meetings or feedback iterations they should expect per semester. Reassure professors you understand their other obligations and appreciate any commitment, even if a rigorous timeline can’t be promised. Honesty prevents future scope creep concerns.

7. Follow Best Practices for Email Format

While content of your message is most important, small formatting details also influence readability and response rates. Keep the email concise at 2-3 well-spaced paragraphs. Use a clear descriptive subject line stating the purpose succinctly.

Compose in a reader-friendly text format rather than an attached document. Include required contact information prominently like your name, program, and student ID. Proofread thoroughly for typos or awkward phrasing before sending to maintain professionalism. Attractive formatting leaves a positive first impression.

8. Add Appropriate Closing

Close by thanking the professor for considering your request and restating your enthusiasm and qualifications for the opportunity. Indicate next steps such as following up by phone within a week if no response is received or a deadline for response if needed to meet program deadlines.

Express willingness to provide any additional needed context in person. Close courteously whether a meeting is scheduled or not to maintain good rapport for future occasions. Leaving the door open maintains networking relationships even if an initial ask is declined.

9. Keep Trying Until Successful

Securing ideal committee members typically requires persistence, so keep networking and refining requests until confirmation is received. Respectfully follow up emails after a week or two if no initial response.

Reach out during posted faculty office hours if possible to have productive in-person discussions. Consult program advisors for alternative suggestions if all targeted professors decline.

Maintaining a positive attitude during the process reflects well and often secures backup options still committed to student success. With patience and continued effort, strong committees can usually be assembled.

Templates for Dissertation Committee Email Requests

Here are examples highlighting qualifications while requesting guidance:

Template #1 Subject: Dissertation Committee Inquiry – A Cross-country Analysis of Renewable Subsidies

Dear Dr. [Last Name],

I am a PhD candidate at University of Michigan studying the impacts of climate policy on agricultural innovation. My dissertation examines cross-country analysis of renewable subsidies and yields over the past decade.

Your publications on European Union renewable targets and rural development directly inform my project. I appreciate your thought leadership in this area and believe your insight would greatly enrich my research. I have reviewed my prospectus and timeline with my advisor, Dr. Johnson, and we believe finalizing my committee allows sufficient time for meaningful feedback.

I would be honored if you would consider joining my dissertation committee. Please let me know if you require any additional information. I have attached my prospectus for your review and look forward to discussing further if you accept this request.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely, [Your Name]

Template #2 Subject: Dissertation Committee Formation for Spring 2025

Dear Professor Jones,

I am a PhD student at Stanford studying US-China relations in the 21st century. My dissertation project analyzes patterns in trade and foreign direct investment since 2000 using novel datasets.

Your expertise in East Asian economics and quantitative political analysis would be incredibly valuable as I develop my models and analyze results. After reviewing my research plan with my advisor Prof. Smith, we believe your insight would strengthen my contribution to the field.

I have attached my prospectus outlining my key research questions and intend to defend by next Fall if possible. Please advise if you would be willing to serve on my dissertation committee. I am available to discuss further at your convenience.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.

Best regards, [Your Name]

Properly formatted requests effectively persuade respected scholars that accepting enhances their meaningful impact. Maintain a tone reflecting each scholar’s stature.

Follow-Up Best Practices

After initially contacting candidates:

• Send prompt thank you emails reiterating your appreciation for their consideration
• Follow up with any who request additional information within a week
• If still pending, send a respectful follow up email after 2-3 weeks
• Clearly communicate next steps including deadlines upon receiving positive or negative replies
• Express understanding and appreciation for feedback helping your research progress

Timely, courteous follow ups demonstrate enthusiasm while respecting scholars’ obligations. Maintain regular contact with your advisor regarding progress. Persistence, gratitude and professionalism maximize response rates.

Conclusion on Dissertation Committee Email Request

Securing top scholars for your dissertation committee takes strategic planning and relationship building through effective outreach. By thoroughly researching potential members, customizing compelling requests highlighting synergies, and following up courteously, your chances of enlisting dedicated mentors increase greatly.

With the right committee in place, you’ll receive invaluable guidance transitioning your ideas into a quality final product advancing both your career and field of study. Perseverance and sincere scholarly partnership are keys to dissertation success.

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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).

• Dissertation Committee Form
• Dissertation Committee Worksheet for Students to submit to Program

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Dissertation Committee: Roles, Functions, and How to Choose

The path to a dissertation is filled with choices that determine the quality of your experience as a student as well as the future strength of your professional network. 

Choosing your dissertation committee is one of the most important decisions–and one of the most fraught–that you’ll make as a graduate student. With the stakes being so high, many doctoral students worry about making a misstep and getting it wrong. 

Fear not! Putting together your dissertation committee becomes easier once you know the right questions to ask: of potential committee members, of your dissertation chair, and of yourself. While forming your dissertation committee can be challenging, striking the right balance will lead to a richly rewarding academic experience that will pay dividends throughout your career. Do your homework, and you’ll be just fine. 

Dissertation Committee Questions

• What does a dissertation committee do?
• Who serves on your dissertation committee?
• How do you choose dissertation committee members?
• What can you expect from your dissertation committee? 

What Does a Dissertation Committee Do?

The basic function of your dissertation committee, which typically consists of five members, is to guide you through the process of proposing, writing, and revising your dissertation.  

Dissertation committee members serve in a mentoring capacity, offering constructive feedback on your writing and research, as well as guiding your revision efforts. They are also the gatekeepers of the ivory tower, and the ultimate judges of whether or not your dissertation passes muster. 

The dissertation committee is usually formed once your academic coursework is completed. It is not uncommon in the humanities and social sciences for dissertation committee members to also write and evaluate qualifying exams, and of course serve as faculty. By the time you begin working on your dissertation, you may know the faculty members who will serve on your dissertation committee quite well. 

Who Serves on Your Dissertation Committee? 

To a degree, who serves on your dissertation committee is up to you. Dissertation committees usually consist mostly of faculty members from the doctoral student’s home department, though this can vary due to the rise of interdisciplinary programs. 

Some universities also allow an outside expert–a former professor or academic mentor from another university–to serve on your committee. It’s advisable to choose faculty members who know you and who are familiar with your work. 

While it’s a good idea to have a mix of faculty members, it’s also important to be mindful about the roles they can play. For instance, I always advise graduate students working in quantitative fields to have a statistician on their committee. When there’s big data to crunch, it never hurts to have a stats expert in your corner. You’ll also want at least one faculty member–besides your chair–whose research is in the same relative area as yours, or adjacent to it. 

How to Choose Dissertation Committee Members

Think Carefully. It’s tempting to approach a faculty member who is a superstar in their field (if not, necessarily, in yours) to lend a little extra sparkle to your own academic credentials. Or perhaps the kindly professor you can always count on for an easy A. Or even the faculty member you’d like to be friends with after graduate school. Right? 

Not so fast. Here are some things to keep in mind when building your dissertation committee dream team: 

• Avoid Superstars. Though the prospect of having your department’s most eminent name on your committee sounds exciting, their star power comes with a price. Between guest lectures, books, keynotes, and conference travel, their time is not their own, and it won’t be yours, either. Choose dissertation committee members who have time for you. 
• Choose faculty members you know, like, and can learn from. It’s not a bad idea to approach a professor whose coursework challenged you. One of the professors who served on my committee was such an exacting grader that my term papers for her courses were accepted for publication without revision (academia’s most coveted mythical creature). 
• Keep your eyes on the future. Members of your dissertation committee can be your mentors, co-authors, and research collaborators throughout your career. Choose them wisely. 

Forming Your Dissertation Committee

Reaching out to potential dissertation committee members and formally asking them to serve on your dissertation committee can be a surprisingly taxing process. It takes some planning, and you’ll want to put some thought into it before making the big ask. While being asked to serve on a dissertation committee won’t come as a surprise to most faculty–they know the drill–these are some considerations to know going in:

• Talk to your advisor before approaching anyone to be on your committee. Remember, your advisor knows their colleagues in a way that you don’t, and is also aware of departmental politics, potential personality conflicts, and which faculty members are a good fit on a dissertation committee. Trust your advisor’s judgement. 
• Know what you’re asking. Serving on a dissertation committee is a big time commitment for any faculty member. If they say yes to being on your committee, it means they are invested in you and your research, and they want to play a role in your future. It doesn’t hurt to send a thank-you note. 
• Don’t sweat it if they say no. It does not reflect on you as a student or a scholar. A good faculty member is aware of their limitations, and they probably just don’t have the time or bandwidth to take on another big commitment. Thank them and move on. 

Expectations

Once your dissertation committee is formed, it’s time to get down to business. As a faculty member, I love serving on dissertation committees because doing so gives me the chance to work with grad students one on one as they journey into new frontiers and carve a place for themselves in academia. It is a deep, rich learning experience, and it’s thrilling to watch students transform into scholars. 

Even though researching and writing a dissertation is the most challenging work you’ll ever do, recognize this time for the opportunity it truly represents. In your dissertation committee, you have a panel of experts all to yourself, and they’re eager to help you knock your dissertation out of the park. This is the experience of a lifetime; take advantage of your dissertation committee’s time and talent, and channel that energy and goodwill into your development as a scholar. 

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Courtney Watson, Ph.D.

Courtney Watson, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of English at Radford University Carilion, in Roanoke, Virginia. Her areas of expertise include undergraduate and graduate curriculum development for writing courses in the health sciences and American literature with a focus on literary travel, tourism, and heritage economies. Her writing and academic scholarship has been widely published in places that include  Studies in American Culture ,  Dialogue , and  The Virginia Quarterly Review . Her research on the integration of humanities into STEM education will be published by Routledge in an upcoming collection. Dr. Watson has also been nominated by the State Council for Higher Education of Virginia’s Outstanding Faculty Rising Star Award, and she is a past winner of the National Society of Arts & Letters Regional Short Story Prize, as well as institutional awards for scholarly research and excellence in teaching. Throughout her career in higher education, Dr. Watson has served in faculty governance and administration as a frequent committee chair and program chair. As a higher education consultant, she has served as a subject matter expert, an evaluator, and a contributor to white papers exploring program development, enrollment research, and educational mergers and acquisitions.

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Asking Faculty to Sit on Your Dissertation Committee

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The Role of the Dissertation Committee

Choosing a dissertation committee, give some warning, make your intentions known, explain their role, dealing with rejection.

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Graduate study can best be explained as a series of hurdles. First is getting in. Then comes coursework. Comprehensive exams typically are the culmination of coursework in which you demonstrate that you know your stuff and are ready to begin your dissertation. At this point, you are a doctoral candidate, unofficially known as ABD. If you thought coursework and comps were difficult you’re in for a surprise. Most students find the dissertation process to be the most challenging part of graduate school. It’s how you show that you are an independent scholar capable of generating new knowledge. Your mentor is critical to this process, but your dissertation committee also plays a role in your success.

The mentor is highly invested in the dissertation’s success. The committee serves as an outside consultant, offering a more broad perspective as well as support for the student and mentor. The dissertation committee can serve a checks and balances function that can boost objectivity and ensure that university guidelines are adhered to and that the product is of high quality. Members of the dissertation committee offer guidance in their areas of expertise and supplement the student and mentor’s competencies. For example, a committee member with expertise in specific research methods or statistics can serve as a sounding board and offer guidance that is beyond the mentor’s expertise.

Choosing a helpful dissertation committee isn’t easy. The best committee is composed of faculty who share an interest in the topic, offer diverse and useful areas of expertise, and are collegial. Each committee member should be carefully selected based on the project, what he or she can contribute, and how well he or she gets along with the student and mentor. It’s a delicate balance. You don’t want to argue over every detail yet you need objective advice and someone who will offer insightful, and tough, critiques of your work. Ideally, you should trust each committee member and feel that he or she has your (and your project’s) best interests in mind. Choose committee members whose work you respect, who you respect, and who you like. This is a tall order and finding a handful of faculty who meet these criteria and also have the time to participate on your dissertation committee is a daunting task. It’s likely that not all of your dissertation members will fulfill all of your professional and personal needs but each committee member should serve at least one need.

Work with your mentor to select committee members. As you select potential members, ask your mentor if he or she thinks the professor is a good match to the project. Aside from seeking insight – and making your mentor feel valued – professors talk to each other. If you discuss each choice with your mentor beforehand he is she is likely to mention it to the other professor. Use your mentor’s reaction as an indicator of whether to move forward and approach the potential committee member. You may find that the professor is already aware and may have already implicitly agreed.

At the same time, don’t assume that each professor knows that you’d like them as a committee member. When the time comes, visit each professor with that as your purpose. If you haven’t explained the purpose of the meeting by email then when you enter, sit and explain that the reason you’re asked to meet is to ask the professor to serve on your dissertation committee.

No professor will agree to participate in a project without knowing something about it. Be prepared to explain your project. What are your questions? How will you study them? Discuss your methods. How does this fit with prior work? How does it extend prior work? What will your study contribute to the literature? Pay attention to the professor’s demeanor. How much does he or she want to know? Sometimes a professor might want to know less – pay attention.

In addition to discussing your project, be prepared to explain why you are approaching the professor. What drew you to them? How do you think they will fit? For example, does the professor offer expertise in statistics? What guidance do you seek? Know what the professor does and how they fit in with the committee. Likewise, be prepared to explain why you think they are the best choice. Some faculty might even ask, “Why me? Why not Professor X?” Be prepared to justify your choice. What do you expect expertise-wise? Time-wise? How much or little time and effort will you require? Busy faculty will want to know whether your needs outstrip their time and energy.

If a professor declines your invitation to sit on your dissertation committee, don’t take it personally. Easier said than done but there are many reasons people decide to sit on committees. Try to take the professor’s perspective. Sometimes it’s that they’re too busy. Other times they may not be interested in the project or may have issues with other committee members. It’s not always about you. Participating on a dissertation committee is a lot of work. Sometimes it’s simply too much work given other responsibilities. If they are not able to meet your expectations be grateful that they’re honest. A successful dissertation is the result of a great deal of work on your part but also the support of a helpful committee that has your interests in mind. Be sure that the dissertation committee you build can meet these needs.

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Proposal and Dissertation Policies and Guidelines

Doctoral studies, phd students, edd students, dissertation policies and guidelines for phd students, appointment of a dissertation committee.

In order to officially request the appointment of a dissertation committee, you should  file the appropriate form  with the Office of Doctoral Studies. Please note that all forms to request the appointment of dissertation committees require the approval signature of the department chairperson and are subject to the approval of the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs.

Faculty Regulations Governing Appointment of PhD Dissertation Committees

The following regulations apply to dissertation committee appointments for all PhD candidates in NYU Steinhardt.

Dissertation committees typically consist of three faculty members with two and four-person committees allowed by exception (see below). The dissertation committee chairperson and at least one committee member must be full-time members of the faculty of New York University, holding the rank of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor with an earned doctorate. The chairperson is to come from the student's program of specialization. Further, in order to ensure a diversity of perspectives during the proposal and dissertation development process, at least one member of the committee must hold professorial appointment in a program different from the student's program.

Part-time adjunct faculty, clinical assistant professors, and persons with an affiliation other than New York University may serve as committee members with the approval of the department chairperson and the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs. Students requesting the appointment of such a member will be required to submit a copy of the proposed member's curriculum vitae or faculty bio along with the required dissertation committee appointment form to the Office of Doctoral Studies. All committee members must have earned doctorates.

Students may request, by exception, the appointment of a two-member committee. This request must be made in writing and must be countersigned by the dissertation committee chairperson. Three-member committees that have been officially appointed may only be reduced to two-member committees by exception and with the approval of the department chairperson and the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs. A two-member committee, at the written request of the student and the chairperson, may be increased to a three-member committee.

Students may request, by exception, the appointment of a four-member committee. As is the case with three-member committees, the chair and at least one member must be full-time members of the faculty of New York University, holding the rank of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor with an earned doctorate. Students requesting a four-member committee should submit an additional "Request for Appointment of Dissertation Committee" form with the signature of the committee chair, the fourth member, and the department chair.

Students may request the appointment of a dissertation committee chairperson without simultaneously requesting the appointment of the remaining members of the committee by following the instructions on the committee appointment form. Students who elect to request the advance appointment of a chairperson will have one year from the date of the approval of the chairperson's appointment to request the appointment of the remaining member(s) of the complete dissertation committee.

The Role of the Committee

The development of the proposal and the dissertation is an effort that requires a great deal of collaboration involving the candidate and his or her dissertation committee. There is no single model or formula for writing a proposal or dissertation, nor is there a single model governing the relationship of a doctoral candidate and his or her dissertation committee; however, the recommendations that follow should be applicable to most students.

It is important to confer with your chairperson and committee members as you proceed and to avoid long periods without making contact. It is recommended that you ask your chairperson and members for their preferences regarding how often and at what point your work should be presented. It is also a good idea to get a sense of turnaround times for drafts of your proposal and dissertation from your committee chair and members. You should have a work plan and a timetable that has been discussed with your chair and communicated to your members. It is the responsibility of your committee to read drafts and provide appropriate and timely written and oral feedback. You should be aware of University breaks and peak periods (such as final exams and midterms) when response times will often be longer for most faculty members.

Dissertation Proposal

The following procedures for submission of dissertation proposals apply to all candidates for PhD degrees in NYU Steinhardt. Please note that the dissertation committee must be officially appointed and on file with the Office of Doctoral Studies prior to submission of the dissertation proposal. After filing the Request for Appointment of Dissertation Committee form with the Office of Doctoral Studies, you will receive a letter confirming that the dissertation committee has been officially approved. Dissertation proposals to be submitted to the Office of Doctoral Studies must be accompanied by the Dissertation Proposal Cover Sheet obtainable in the Office of Doctoral Studies. The cover sheet must be signed by all members of the dissertation committee, indicating that they have met at least once with the candidate and that they approve the proposal for review. The committee chairperson's signature on this form also indicates approval of the research course requirements which the student has completed (or will complete). Two copies of the proposal (or one copy electronically) are to be submitted to the Office of Doctoral Studies. The remaining copies must be submitted to the proposal review panel coordinator for your program or department. You should be aware that different departments require that different numbers of copies be submitted for review. Please consult the proposal review panel coordinator for the correct number of copies for the specific department or program. All copies of the proposal must include a copy of the signed Dissertation Proposal Cover Sheet. The faculty of NYU Steinhardt recommends that the proposal be no longer than 40 pages in length (exclusive of appendices and bibliography). Information on the scheduling of proposal reviews and deadlines should be obtained from the proposal review panel coordinator for the department. Please note that some departments do not review proposals during the summer session.

Steinhardt students proposing to do research involving human subjects for an independent study, a graduate thesis, or a doctoral dissertation require approval from the  NYU IRB . If your proposed research involves interviews, surveys, questionnaires, participant observation, ethnography, or other methods involving human subjects, NYU IRB approval is required.  Approval from NYU IRB must be granted before work on the research or data collection has begun, including all pilot studies, trial runs, pretests, and preliminary sampling or surveys . 

Prior to submission to NYU IRB, students must complete the online training program through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI).

The student must work with a faculty mentor while preparing a NYU IRB application. This mentor is usually a dissertation chair or adviser.

Follow the instructions on the  NYU IRB  website to submit your application. 

The Dissertation Proposal Review

The procedures for reviewing dissertation proposals vary among the different departments; however, the following School policies apply to all departments and programs:

• The committee chairperson and both committee members must sign the Dissertation Proposal Cover Sheet indicating their approval of the proposal for review by the panel.
• The dissertation committee must meet as a group at least once with the candidate prior to the filing of the proposal for review.
• Both the candidate and the dissertation committee chairperson are required to attend the review.
• Attendance by a minimum of two reviewers (external to the dissertation committee) is required.
• Attendance by the committee members is optional.
• The recommendations of the proposal review panel are advisory.

After the proposal review, the proposal review panel coordinator will notify you of the outcome in writing (with copies to the dissertation committee chairperson and members and to the Office of Doctoral Studies). The proposal review panel will recommend that you proceed in one of the following ways:

• If the panel vote results in a "pass," the panel will recommend that you carry out the research and dissertation writing as proposed (there may be minor revisions suggested that are not officially noted).
• If the panel vote results in a "deferred pass" or "pass with conditions," the panel will recommend that you address the concerns of the panel in writing (with copies to the committee chairperson and members and to the Office of Doctoral Studies). In some cases the proposal review panel or the dissertation committee may recommend that you submit a revised proposal reflecting the revisions suggested by the panel. Two copies of the revised proposal must also be submitted to the Office of Doctoral Studies.
• If the panel does not approve the proposal, you will be asked to rewrite the proposal and submit it for a second proposal review.

Because the proposal review panel is an advisory committee, your dissertation committee may choose not to incorporate some or all of the proposal review panel's recommendations. In the event that the panel's suggestions are not incorporated, you will be expected to provide a written rationale explaining this decision. This rationale should bear the signature of the dissertation committee chairperson. As is the case with all correspondence regarding the proposal review, copies should be distributed to the committee members and to the Office of Doctoral Studies.

If requested, a copy of the proposal, the review panel's outcome and notes, and your response to the panel's notes are given to each of the two faculty members who serve as outside readers on the final oral examination of the dissertation.

MPhil Degree Conferral

The MPhil may be awarded to students in the PhD programs listed below who have completed all course requirements, have an approved dissertation proposal, and intend to complete their doctoral studies. 

If you are in one of the approved programs and your dissertation proposal has been approved, the Office of Doctoral Studies will ask your department to review your record and confirm that you have completed your course requirements. The Office of Doctoral Studies will then ask you to confirm that you would like to receive the MPhil en route to the PhD. 

Note that MPhil diplomas are not automatically issued by the Registrar's Office after degree conferral and must be requested by the student. Please follow the instructions on the Registrar's website here (though not a replacement diploma, the instructions for replacement diplomas should be followed).

Finally, the Office of Doctoral Studies will submit your name to the Office of the Registrar as an applicant for the next available degree conferral date.

Students in the PhD programs listed below are eligible for the MPhil:

• Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
• Educational Communication and Technology
• Higher and Postsecondary Education
• Counseling Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Psychology and Social Intervention
• International Education
• Statistics and Computational Social Science
• Sociology of Education
• Communicative Sciences and Disorders
• Media, Culture, and Communication
• Educational Theatre
• Music Education
• Music Performance and Composition
• Music Technology
• Food Studies
• Nutrition and Dietetics
• Bilingual Education
• English Education
• Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
• Teaching and Learning

Journal Article Format Dissertations

While most Steinhardt students follow the traditional dissertation format, students also may have the option of completing a journal article format dissertation.

Consult your program faculty to determine whether or not the journal article format is appropriate for your discipline and your proposed study. If allowed, your program will likely have specific guidelines outlining the requirements of the journal article format dissertation.

Below are general guidelines for journal article format dissertations, but be sure to obtain specific guidelines from your program if available.

• The dissertation should include an introduction and a conclusion as first and last “chapters” in addition to the stand-alone articles.
• The dissertation will contain two to four articles suitable for submission to refereed journals for publication (the number of articles will be determined by program guidelines).
• The student must be the sole or first author of each paper.
• At the final oral examination stage, some programs may allow one or two articles to be published (or submitted for publication), but at least one article must remain unpublished (and not yet submitted for publication) until after the successful dissertation defense.

Students writing journal article format dissertations follow the same proposal review and final oral examination procedures required of all PhD students.

Editors and Consultants

You are the sole author of your dissertation and are responsible for understanding, discussing, and defending all aspects of your work, including the methodologies employed. While some students may seek guidance with analyzing data, the use of consultants to conduct statistical work is discouraged.

You are responsible for making sure that proposal and dissertation drafts submitted to your faculty committee are free of errors in form, style, diction, spelling, and grammar. Your dissertation committee chair and members may alert you to such problems, but it is not their responsibility to do so. Your committee chair or a member may recommend that you use a professional editor, or you may feel that your work would benefit from editorial assistance. If you do employ a professional editor, make sure you shop around and use someone who has been recommended to you by a faculty member, another student, or the Office of Doctoral Studies. Again, you and only you are ultimately responsible for your own writing and for making sure that it conforms to the standards of written English and conventions of scholarly writing set forth by your dissertation committee.

Dissertation Deadline Information

See detailed deadline information for the current academic year .

Instructions for Filing for Orals

In order to schedule your final oral examination, you must submit simultaneously to the Office of Doctoral Studies the following forms and materials in accordance with the dissertation filing deadlines noted above:

In order to schedule your final oral examination, you must submit the following to the Office of Doctoral Studies in accordance with the filing deadlines on our website.

1.   The Approval Form for Final Oral Examination signed by the dissertation committee indicating a date and time for the final oral examination. The date must be agreed upon by the final oral commission (the committee chair, committee members, and outside readers) and must be within the final oral examination period for your anticipated month of graduation (January, September or May). 

2.   A dissertation abstract not more than 350 words in length which has been approved by the dissertation chairperson.  The title page of the abstract is the same as the dissertation title page except that the words "An Abstract of" are inserted above the title of the study.  

3.  The following Copyright Disclaimer Statement typed in the first person, signed and dated:

"I hereby guarantee that no part of the dissertation which I have submitted for publication has been heretofore published and/or copyrighted in the United States of America, except in the case of passages quoted from other published sources; that I am the sole author and proprietor of said dissertation; that the dissertation contains no matter which, if published, will be libelous or otherwise injurious, or infringe in any way the copyright of any other party; and that I will defend, indemnify and hold harmless New York University against all suits and proceedings which may be brought and against all claims which may be made against New York University by reason of the publication of said dissertation."

Note that if parts of your dissertation have been published (for example, if your dissertation follows the scholarly paper format), please edit the above statement accordingly.

4. The Dissertation, approved by your dissertation chairperson and members, will be submitted no less than four weeks before the agreed upon final oral examination date indicated on the Approval Form for Final Oral Examination . You will be required to submit the dissertation to the Office of Doctoral Studies electronically, and copies for each of the two outside readers either electronically or in hard copy according to their preference. NOTE: In the event that the dissertation is not prepared to the satisfaction of the dissertation committee within four weeks of the tentatively scheduled final oral examination date, it is understood that the committee will withdraw approval of your request for final oral exam. You may then resubmit the approval form for a later deadline.

All forms referred to above can be found on the Forms and Checklists page .

The Final Oral Examination

The final oral examination is a two-hour examination scheduled according to the guidelines outlined above. Attendance by the candidate and all members of the final oral commission, which consists of the dissertation committee and the two outside readers, is required. Outside readers must be approved by the dissertation committee chair and must be full-time tenured or tenure-track members of the NYU faculty (exceptions must be approved by the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs in advance of their appointment). 

Please also note that attendance at the final oral examination is restricted to the candidate and members of the final oral commission. Other members of the University community may attend as observers with the permission of the Dissertation Committee Chairperson, however, the Office of Doctoral Studies must be notified in advance. 

All course and matriculation maintenance requirements must be satisfied in advance of the final oral examination date.

The following policies pertain to the voting procedures for the final oral examination.

One vote is to be taken with three and only three possible outcomes (all members of the final oral commission vote). These outcomes (pass, fail, or deferred pass with conditions) result according to the following rules:

Rules Which Determines a Pass Outcome

If the candidate has an official three-member dissertation committee, then the candidate must secure at least four pass votes (out of five) to pass.

If the candidate has an official two-member dissertation committee, then the candidate must secure at least three pass votes (out of four) to pass.

If the candidate has an official four-member dissertation committee, then the candidate must secure at least five pass votes (out of six) to pass.

Procedures to Follow in the Event of a Pass Outcome

The Final Oral Examination Report (obtained by the dissertation committee chairperson from the Office of Doctoral Studies) is completed and returned to the Office of Doctoral Studies no later than 24 hours after the final oral examination has been completed. This form should be accompanied by a copy of the candidate's dissertation (to be reviewed for format by the Office of Doctoral Studies), unless the candidate is keeping the document to make minor changes and corrections required or noted by the final oral commission.

Rule Which Determines a Fail Outcome

If there are two or more fail votes, a fail outcome must be recorded.

Procedures to Follow in the Event of a Fail Outcome

The Final Oral Examination Report is completed and returned to the Office of Doctoral Studies no later than 24 hours after the final oral examination has been completed.

This form must be accompanied by a separate statement indicating the reasons for the fail outcome.

The candidate may request permission for a second final oral examination from the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs. If approved, the examination must be held with the same final oral commission  no sooner than six months from the first final oral examination . If the candidate fails the second final oral examination, matriculation is automatically and irrevocably terminated.

Rule Which Determines a Deferred Pass Outcome

Any combination of votes which does not result in a pass or fail as specified above must result in a deferred pass with conditions. This outcome implies that although the candidate's performance is acceptable in many respects, substantive revision of the dissertation and/or additional requirements of consequence are deemed necessary.

Procedures to Follow in the Event of a Deferred Pass Outcome

The Final Oral Examination Report is completed and returned to the Office of Doctoral Studies no later than 24 hours after the final oral examination has been completed.

Within three days after the final oral examination, the candidate and the Office of Doctoral Studies must receive from the final oral commission a written statement which indicates what further work the candidate must complete in order to secure a pass outcome. This statement should include both revisions of the dissertation requested by the final oral commission and also any other requirements which the commission feels the candidate must complete to secure a pass outcome. Furthermore, this written statement of necessary revisions and/or requirements must be agreed to by at least four members of the final oral commission, and this agreement must be indicated by the signatures of these members on the written statement. Finally, this written statement must also include a projected timetable which the candidate should follow in completing all revisions and/or requirements designated by the final oral commission.

The candidate must complete all designated revisions and requirements within one semester following that in which the final oral examination is held (exclusive of Summer semesters). When the candidate has completed all necessary revisions and requirements, the Deferred Pass with Conditions Final Report Form (obtained by the dissertation committee chairperson from the Office of Doctoral Studies) must be circulated among and signed by all original members of the final oral commission, and then returned to the Office of Doctoral Studies with a copy of the candidate's document to be reviewed for format. In order for the candidate's outcome to be recorded as pass, at least four out of the five (or three out of four if the final oral commission consisted of four members, or five out of six if the final oral commission consisted of six members) members of the final oral commission must indicate a pass vote on the above-mentioned form.

Voting in the Event of the Absence of a Commission Member

If any member of the five-member final oral commission is absent, the dissertation committee chairperson must secure permission from the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs to proceed with the final oral examination. Assuming permission to proceed is granted, the information below applies to the voting procedures.

If a dissertation committee member is absent, the following rules apply:

• If there are three or more pass votes, the outcome is recorded as a pass.
• If there are two or more fail votes, the outcome is recorded as a fail.
• Any combination of votes which does not result in a pass or fail must result in a deferred pass with conditions.

If an outside reader is absent, the following rules apply:

• In order for a pass outcome to be recorded, a unanimous pass vote is required.
• If there are one or more fail votes, the outcome is recorded as a fail.

Final Dissertation Approval

You are required to submit a copy of the dissertation to be reviewed by the Office of Doctoral Studies for format. You will receive a list of format changes shortly after your final oral examination. The format changes will be combined with the changes required by the final oral commission.  If the final oral examination results in a deferred pass outcome, you may submit the dissertation for format review only after the signed Deferred Pass with Conditions Final Report Form has been received by the Office of Doctoral Studies. Final approval of the dissertation will take place only after the edited dissertation has been reviewed by the Office of Doctoral Studies. The deadline for the filing of the final edited dissertation is approximately three weeks prior to your anticipated date of graduation (the exact date will be emailed to candidates and is posted each semester in the Office of Doctoral Studies). In order to be eligible for graduation, your final edited dissertation must be uploaded to ProQuest UMI and approved by the Office of Doctoral Studies by the designated deadline date. All candidates for the degrees of PhD and EdD are required to publish the dissertation through ProQuest UMI Dissertation Publishing and must upload a final dissertation electronically for this purpose. This upload will take place through the Office of Doctoral Studies only after the dissertation has been approved in its final form. A final copy of the dissertation will also be submitted to NYU Libraries for our institutional repository.

Guidelines for EdD Doctoral Committees and Culminating Projects 

Committee Composition

A doctoral committee will consist of at least three members. The chair should be a full-time tenured, tenure-track, or appropriate clinical faculty member in the candidate’s program of study. The committee should include a practice-active faculty member. A practicing professional from outside the University, who is a leader in the relevant field of practice, may be appointed as a third committee member either in place of or in addition to the practice-active faculty member.

Culminating Project

The culminating project should be an inquiry-based project of value for informing practice and contributing to the advancement of knowledge. Guidelines must be academically appropriate and reasonable to the medium of practice. Each program will have its own discipline-specific guidelines.

Prospectus or Culminating Project Proposal Reviews

The following procedures for submission of the prospectus or culminating project proposal apply to candidates for EdD degrees in NYU Steinhardt.

Please note that the doctoral committee must be officially appointed and on file with the Office of Doctoral Studies prior to submission of the prospectus or culminating project proposal to your department for review. After filing the EdD Request for Appointment of Doctoral Committee form with the Office of Doctoral Studies, you will receive a letter confirming that the doctoral committee has been officially approved.

Information on the scheduling of prospectus and culminating project reviews and deadlines should be obtained from the Department Administrator or the Doctoral Committee Chairperson.

The EdD prospectus and culminating project proposal review panel consists of the candidate’s officially appointed three-member Doctoral Committee. Two additional reviewers may be appointed to the review panel at the discretion of the program faculty.

After the review, the review panel coordinator (usually, the chair of your doctoral committee) will notify you of the outcome in writing using the EdD Proposal Review Outcome form with copies to the committee members and to the Office of Doctoral Studies. The review panel will recommend that you proceed in one of the following ways:

• If the panel vote results in a "pass," the panel will recommend that you carry out the project as proposed (there may be minor revisions suggested that are not officially noted).
• If the panel vote results in a "deferred pass" or "pass with conditions," the panel will recommend that you address the concerns of the panel in writing (with copies to the committee chairperson and members and to the Office of Doctoral Studies). In some cases the review panel or the doctoral committee may recommend that you submit a revised prospectus or culminating project proposal reflecting the revisions suggested by the panel. A copy of the revised proposal must also be submitted to the Office of Doctoral Studies.
• If the panel does not approve, you will be asked to rewrite the prospectus or culminating project proposal and submit it for a second review.

Prior to submission to NYU IRB, students must complete the  online training program through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative  (CITI).

In order to schedule your final oral examination, you must submit the following to the Office of Doctoral Studies in accordance with the filing deadlines on our website. See detailed deadline information for the current academic year .

1.   The Approval Form for Final Oral Examination  signed by the doctoral committee indicating a date and time for the final oral examination. The date must be agreed upon by the final oral commission and must be within the final oral examination period for your anticipated month of graduation (January, September or May). 

2.   An abstract  not more than 350 words in length which has been approved by the doctoral committee chairperson.  

3.  The following  Copyright Disclaimer Statement  typed in the first person, signed and dated:

"I hereby guarantee that no part of the document which I have submitted for publication has been heretofore published and/or copyrighted in the United States of America, except in the case of passages quoted from other published sources; that I am the sole author and proprietor of said dissertation; that the dissertation contains no matter which, if published, will be libelous or otherwise injurious, or infringe in any way the copyright of any other party; and that I will defend, indemnify and hold harmless New York University against all suits and proceedings which may be brought and against all claims which may be made against New York University by reason of the publication of said dissertation."

Note that if parts of your document have been published (for example, if your culminating project follows the scholarly paper format), please edit the above statement accordingly.

4.  The Culminating Project,  approved by your doctoral committee chairperson and members, will be submitted to the Office of Doctoral Studies no less than four weeks before the agreed upon final oral examination date indicated on the  Approval Form for Final Oral Examination . The document will then be distributed to the Final Oral Commission and the Final Oral Examination date and time will be confirmed. NOTE: In the event that the document is not prepared to the satisfaction of the doctoral committee within four weeks of the tentatively scheduled final oral examination date, it is understood that the committee will withdraw approval of your request for final oral exam. You may then resubmit the Approval Form for Final Oral Examination for a later deadline.

All forms referred to above can be found on the  Forms and Checklists page  or can be picked up in the Office of Doctoral Studies, Pless Hall, 2nd Floor.

The Final Oral Examination procedures outlined above for PhD candidates also apply to EdD candidates unless otherwise specified by your program.

Final Culminating Project Approval

After the final oral examination, the document will be reviewed by Office of Doctoral Studies for format. Format changes, along with changes required by the Final Oral Commission as a result of the Final Oral Examination will be combined and the final document will be uploaded to Proquest for publication.

If the final oral examination results in a deferred pass outcome, you will upload the final document only after the signed Deferred Pass with Conditions Final Report Form has been received by the Office of Doctoral Studies.

The deadline for the filing of the final edited document is approximately three weeks prior to your anticipated date of graduation (the exact date will be emailed to candidates and is posted each semester in the Office of Doctoral Studies). In order to be eligible for graduation, your final edited document must be uploaded to ProQuest by the designated deadline date.

All candidates for the degrees of PhD and EdD are required to publish the dissertation or culminating project through ProQuest Dissertation Publishing and must upload the final document electronically for this purpose. This electronic upload will take place through the Office of Doctoral Studies only after the document has been approved in its final form. A final copy of the document will also be submitted to NYU Libraries for our institutional repository.

Dissertation Formatting Guidelines

This section describes the dissertation format that all Steinhardt doctoral candidates are required to follow. Dissertations must adhere to these requirements in order to be accepted by the Office of Doctoral Studies for the scheduling of the final oral examination. Please read this section carefully and contact the Office of Doctoral Studies if you have any questions.

Choice of Style Manual

Faculty policy leaves the choice of a style manual to the doctoral candidate with the advice and consent of his or her committee. Generally, candidates are urged to learn and use the manual most often required for scholarly writing by journals within their disciplines. Typically, the following style manuals are used by NYU Steinhardt students:

• American Psychological Association,  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
• Gibaldi, J., & Achtert, W. S.,  MLA Handbook for writers of research papers
• Turabian, K.,  A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses and Dissertations
• The University of Chicago Press,  The Chicago Manual of Style

The most recent editions of the chosen style manuals should be used.

Print and Copy Quality

Your printer must produce consistently black letters and consistent margins. Sufficient darkness is also necessary for any supporting materials, such as tables, figures, drawings, pictures, etc., –  either as originals or as copies –  that you may need to append or insert in your manuscript. Your dissertation will be published by ProQuest UMI which requires clear, high-contrast characters and images. As a guide to the quality that will be obtained, you can photocopy a sample page at 75% reduction to evaluate the readability and clarity of the print.

The School and ProQuest UMI allow students to use typefaces that are between 10 and 12 points; however, because 10 point can appear too small in most typefaces, 12 point is generally preferred. A smaller or condensed typeface can be used for tables that otherwise might not fit across a page within the correct margins, however, mixing typefaces is otherwise not recommended.

Underlining or italics may be used for statistical symbols, book titles, or definitions (but use either one or the other consistently throughout your manuscript, including tables). Headings should be underlined when appropriate and not italicized. Bold type should not be used in the manuscript.

Do not justify the right margin of your text; keep it left aligned like the text shown here.

To assure proper binding and for ease of reading, the following margins are required:

• Left margin : one and one-half inches for  all pages .
• Right margin : one and one-half inches for  all pages , with  no intrusion  of letters or anything else into the right margin.
• Top margin : one-and-one-quarter inches for all pages  except the first page  of the Acknowledgments, Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, each chapter, Bibliography, and Appendices which should begin two inches from the top edge of the page.
• Bottom margin : one-and-one-quarter inches for all pages.
• Page numbers for all pages preceding page 1 of Chapter I (lower case roman numerals for Acknowledgments, Table of Contents, etc.) should be placed three-quarters of an inch from the bottom of the page, centered between the left and right margins.
• Page numbers from page 1 of Chapter I through the last page of the last appendix should be placed three-quarters of an inch from the top or bottom, centered between the left and right margins.

See the next section for sample dissertation pages.

White Space

Avoid leaving more than two inches of white space without type. This applies to tables and figures as well as to text. A table or figure should be inserted in the text as soon after it is first referred to where it will fit in its entirety on one page. Leave three blank lines between a table and text or text and a table; the same for figures. Continue your text if you can fit at least four lines after it. You may have more than one table on a page and you may have a table, discussion, and a table. The same procedure applies to all illustrative material.

Line Spacing

Double space the entire manuscript with these exceptions (which should be single-spaced):

• chapter titles, appendix titles, headings, and subheadings of more than one line
• block quotations
• column headings and lines that run on in tables
• bibliography or references entries – double space between entries
• figure captions
• explanatory material for figures, tables, and illustrations
• appendices – the spacing will vary depending on the source and content.

APA style requires writers to double space all typed material, including the exceptions noted above. If you are using APA, the above rules supersede APA rules in most cases. You have the option, however, of double spacing your references and block quotations; MLA style users also have this option.

The title page is counted as page one and the copyright page as page two, but numbers do not appear on them. Lower case roman numerals (iii, iv, v, vi, etc.) are used for all subsequent pages up to the first page of the text (page 1 of Chapter I) and should be placed three quarters of an inch from the bottom edge of the paper, centered between the margins.

Beginning with page 1 of Chapter I, Arabic numbers are used and are continuous through the last page including all appendices. Page numbers for all pages in the chapter, including the first page of each chapter or major section, should be placed three quarters of an inch from the top or bottom edge of the paper centered between the margins.

Order of Sections

The material of your manuscript should be ordered as follows:

• copyright page
• acknowledgments
• table of contents
• list(s) of tables, figures, charts, graphs, musical examples, illustrations, etc., if used
• preface or forward, if used
• bibliography
• appendices (if any)

Title Page of Dissertation

Please see the sample title page below. You are required to follow that format exactly.

Copyright Page

Your dissertation will be automatically copyrighted by UMI when it is published. You should include a copyright page with your name and copyright date in the middle of the page, centered left to right (between the margins) and top to bottom. Please note that the copyright date is the year of your degree conferral. Follow this format:

The copyright page is page ii of the pages preceding the text (the title page is understood to be page i), but no number should appear on either the title page or the copyright page.

Because a dissertation does not have an index, your Table of Contents should be as comprehensive as possible. Include all headings and subheadings, exactly as they appear in the text, up to and including Level 2. Including lower level headings is optional. (See sample Table of Contents in the next section.) Note that the indentation of a heading used in the Table of Contents corresponds to the level of the heading. The following illustrates this:

You should supply the reader with lists of tables, figures, and any other illustrative material used in your dissertation. See the sample lists in the next section. Lists of musical examples or reproductions of art, or information about films, follow the same form as that used for lists of tables and figures.

Chapter Titles and Headings

Chapter headings and titles appear centered between the margins as follows, beginning two inches from the top of the page:

Headings within the chapter should indicate the weight you assign to particular ideas by the form of headings suggested in the style manual you have selected or the form suggested below.

Leave three blank lines (i.e., begin typing after two double spaces) before each heading and after each major section and chapter title. If one heading immediately follows another, leave only one blank line (a double space) between the two. Leave one blank line (a double space) after each heading. Capitalize the first letter of each word of headings except for articles, conjunctions, and prepositions.

The following is one way in which to order headings and to type them. Students following APA style may use the format in the APA Style Guide, however, the format below is preferred for NYU Steinhardt dissertations.

See the sample page one in the below section for an example of heading placement.

Be sure that no heading appears at the bottom of a page without at least two lines of text beneath it. The Table of Contents will contain all Level 1 and Level 2 headings exactly as they appear in the text. It is not necessary to include Level 3 or lower-level headings in the Table of Contents, but you may if it provides the reader with more useful information.

Numbering Conventions

Chapter numbers are upper case roman numerals (with no period), e.g., CHAPTER IV, to differentiate them from any other numbers in the text. All other items requiring numbers should have Arabic numbers. Appendices, should be designated by capital letters, e.g., APPENDIX A, APPENDIX B, etc.

Use numbers or letters for other items only when necessary. Use 1) in the text and 1. in a set-off list; a) in the text and a. in a set-off list –  not (1) or 1). or a.), etc. If items in a numbered list run onto two or more lines, you may let the additional lines begin at the margin or indent the entire paragraph to the right of the numbers.

Numbers beginning a sentence, as well as numbers below 10 (or, if you prefer, 12) should be spelled out when they appear within the text.

Reduction of Tables and Other Materials

If a table, appendix, illustration, or graph is too wide or long, or both, to fit within the specified margins, have it reduced, or if textual material, type it using a smaller font. Whenever possible, avoid inserting tables which must be read by turning the book sideways. If such a table is necessary, be sure to insert it with the heading to the spine or binding. You may also use a condensed typeface.

Bibliographic Entries

For style guides other than APA, if you have more than one work by the same author, do not repeat his or her name over and over. Use 10 underscore characters, ending with a period if the author is exactly the same as the previous one, or with a comma if the author is the first of a series of new authors, as shown below. Single space the entry; double space between entries. Indent the second and subsequent lines one-half inch.

Note that authors with two initials have a space after the period between each initial, e.g., Smith, A. B., & Jones, M. J. Do not allow initials to break between lines; keep them together on one line or the other.

Regardless of the style guide you use, avoid having one or two lines of an entry on one page and the rest of the citation on the next page. The entry should be cited in its entirety on one page or the other.

Citations in Text

The way you cite an author in your manuscript is based on the context. If you are attributing an idea that you paraphrased to someone, use the name and date (according to APA style) such as (Jones, 2002), or as shown in the first sentence below. If you are using a direct quotation, use the same format, but you must include the page number where you found it, as shown in the second sentence below. Also, specific information or ideas need a page number even if paraphrased. For example, the following brief passage refers to the same publication by a hypothetical author:

Review the whole manuscript to be sure that every work referred to in the manuscript is cited in the text (or footnotes) and included in the bibliography.

Block (Indented) Quotations

Four or more lines of a quotation should be set off from the main text with a double space, typed single spaced with no quotation marks, and the entire block indented one-half inch. Quotations within these block (or indented) quotations may use double quotations. The first line of the quotation is not indented; however, the first lines of new paragraphs within the quotation should begin with an additional indent of one-half inch. Students using APA or MLA style may double space block quotations.

Each appendix should have the proper designation at the top of the first page. A title page does not need to be inserted before each one. Use the following format, centered between the left and right margins, beginning two inches from the top of the page: 

PARTICIPANT CONSENT FORMS

If you have material that, because of its format, needs to have a title page (because the title doesn't fit on the same page as the material), you need to consistently use title pages for all appendices. Avoid it if you can. Again, all material in an appendix must fit within the overall page margins.

Letters of Permission

It is necessary to obtain letters of permission for the reproduction of any copyrighted material which exceeds the Federal law pertaining to "Fair Use." Copies of those letters will be submitted to Proquest UMI when you upload your final dissertation. Copies of the letters do not need to be included in the dissertation.

The Abstract

The abstract is a brief summary of the contents of the dissertation. Begin typing the abstract two inches from the top of a blank page with no heading. The abstract should be typed double-spaced with the same typeface and margins as the dissertation. The length of the abstract should be limited to 350 words.

The abstract title page is identical to the dissertation title page with one exception: the abstract title page has the words An Abstract of directly above the title (see Sample Title Page in the next section). Each abstract is stapled in the upper left corner and kept separate from the dissertation. The chairperson of the dissertation committee should sign one copy of the abstract title page.

Sample Pages

The following section includes sample dissertation pages which should be followed carefully. Refer to the preceding section for more detailed information on format requirements. Students should follow the instructions on these sample pages rather than using a dissertation from the library (or elsewhere) as a guide. Format requirements differ from year to year and from school to school.

• Sample Title Page for Doctoral Dissertation (with Annotations)
• Sample Copyright Page for Doctoral Dissertation
• Sample Acknowledgement Section for Doctoral Dissertation
• Sample Table of Contents for Doctoral Dissertation (with Annotations)
• Sample List of Tables for Doctoral Dissertation
• Sample List of Figures for Doctoral Dissertation
• Sample First Page for Doctoral Dissertation

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Past Dissertations

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Doctoral Orientation, Events, and Deadlines

Information on Doctoral Studies orientation, upcoming events, and important filing deadlines.

Henley-Putnam's Dissertation or Thesis Committees

• Getting Started on Finding Your Research Committee
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Dissertation and Thesis Committees

Introduction to the dissertation committee.

• What is purpose of a committee and why do I need one?
• How do I recruit a committee?
• What if I encounter problems with my committee?
• Quick Answers

The committee members will be responsible for overseeing the research and writing, and eventually, test the student’s knowledge of the subject. Choosing committee members who are qualified, both in subject expertise and the ability to support research with sound guidance and timely feedback, is vital to success. 

With the exception of choosing the dissertation topic, there is no single decision more important to success than the individuals selected to serve on the dissertation committee.

Notice that these individuals serve on, rather than lead or run, the committee. This is an important distinction. They are recognized experts and leaders in their fields and have as their goal successful completion of the dissertation. Thus, their work is more of a consultation and mentorship, although quite a bit of teaching and instruction is included. Their consultation and mentorship suggestions and direction should be heeded; however, the work is the candidate’s, and the student has the final determination in what will and what will not be included.

Always remember, these professionals have been through the same efforts and are included in the number of the few who succeed. They will be making the determination of the fitness of the work and success of the defense, so select them wisely.

Draft an email or prepare a phone call script to formally request someone to serve on your committee.  

Each member of the dissertation committee needs to fill out a Dissertation Committee Member Signup Form, a copy of which is located in Appendix A of the DSS Doctoral Program Handbook and Dissertation Guide.  A copy of which is located below.  

Changes to the Committee. A change in a dissertation committee can occur due to general circumstances such as illness, death, job change, etc. of a committee member or due to differences within the committee or between the student and the committee member in question.

1. In the event of the loss of a committee member due to general circumstances, the student may nominate a replacement member. Remaining members of the committee may also nominate a replacement. Nominations must be submitted to the associate dean of the Doctorate in Strategic Security in writing no more than 30 days following the loss of the committee member.

2. A committee may elect to remove one of its members by majority vote. A letter describing the reasons for the removal must be submitted to the associate dean of the student's program and signed by a majority of the committee members. If the removal is approved by the associate dean, the member may be replaced using the process described in point number one above.

3. In cases where a student has difficulty with a particular committee member, the student is advised to attempt to work out the difficulty via the chair of the committee. If this is not possible, the student should use the Grievance Procedure outlined in the National American University Catalog as a means to find an appropriate solution, which may include replacing the committee member in question.

• Dissertation Committee Signup Form
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• Dissertation Committee Member Sign-Up Form This form is used for the dissertation committee members.

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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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How should I email dissertation to committee?

I have to send my doctoral dissertation to the members of my committee and I wonder how I should write the email. It is not a question of inviting them to be on the committee (they have already agreed with my advisor), but on how to tactfully send them the dissertation.

Besides, is there anything else I should send besides the dissertation and my CV?

• communication
• thesis-committee

• 35 You guys are overthinking these things. –  xLeitix Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 14:01
• 2 Is this seriously a question about how to write an email to a few people? Lordy... –  Lightness Races in Orbit Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 21:03

4 Answers 4

If you are obliged to send them the two documents, simply do so. Keep the cover letter as simple as possible. Just remember to address each of them separately, it looks better.

Dear Prof. Smith, I'm sending you, as you are a member of my PhD committee, the PDF version of my thesis together with my CV. In case you had any questions, feel free to contact me at any time. I'm looking forward to meeting you. Best Regards, capadocia

As Bill Barth points out, make sure the people know when the defence is. In most places, university staff sends the official invitation, but if you know the dates, you can include them:

I'm looking forward to meeting you on October 15 at the defence.

• 4 What, no "thank you"? –  Lightness Races in Orbit Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 21:03
• @LightnessRacesinOrbit Well, when sending to the opponents, I would probably add a thankie. When sending to the committee members, I would likely consider it over-polite, but remember I'm in (quite pure) maths. –  yo' Commented Aug 24, 2017 at 22:09

If they've already agreed to be on the committee and all that, you don't need to say anything fancy. "Here is my dissertation, please let me know if you have any questions" will do just fine.

• 1 you beat me by 2 minutes, I decided to include a sample letter, too :-) –  yo' Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 12:14

The other answers are good, but it might be better to also include some reminders about the timing. If you are sending them your dissertation today intending to defend and graduate this fall, you should say that. You might suggest that assuming everything is looking good that you'll be getting back to them soon to start looking for a time in December that everyone can get together for your defense.

• I would suppose that they receive this in the official invitation, which is sent here by the university stuff. I think I should make a remark about this in my answer. –  yo' Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 12:28
• 2 @yo', My university didn't use an official system to find a date. The student, supervisor, and the committee members agreed on a date around everyone's schedules, registered the date with the university, and then it happened. The committee might have gotten official notice at that point, but the date was set by the parties not the university. –  Bill Barth Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 14:05
• Ah ok. Well, still, they are aware of the date, so it's fine. –  yo' Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 14:20
• 2 In my department, in order for a Ph.D. degree to be awarded in a particular semester, all of the committee members must submit their (short) reports to the graduate school office by a certain date, and two of them (the adviser and the "second reader") must submit more extensive reports to the department by an earlier date. If the OP's university or department have such rules, this would be a good opportunity to remind (or inform) the committee members about the deadlines. –  Andreas Blass Commented Aug 8, 2015 at 1:17

I would keep it as short and simple as possible. These folks are going to be doing a lot of work for you (i.e. a lot of reading and reviewing) so the last thing they need at this point is a long flowery email.

You might want to throw in a link to a version of it in the cloud or something though. Giving extra file formats and ways to access the document from various devices would probably be well received.

• I am not sure throw in a link to a version of it in the cloud is a good idea. What if there is some discrepancy between the e-mail version and the linked version? Which one do you want the commitee members to read? –  Nobody Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 13:46
• 2 Why would there be a discrepancy? This doesn't seem to make sense... if we assume the author is capable of attaching a file to an email isn't it fair to think that he or she is equally capable of copying the same file to his or her Dropbox or Google Drive, etc? Documents don't randomly mutate when stored in a cloud as opposed to an email... –  y0gapants Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 13:55
• I like the multiple format idea. Some people like to read a PDF, some people like to read a Word file. –  aparente001 Commented Aug 8, 2015 at 3:22

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Capstone Documents: Capstone Committee Process

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Committee Formation Process: PhD Students

PhD students request the formation of their dissertation committee as part of an assignment during a course in their program.

Using information that students share about their dissertation interests, program leaders match them with an appropriate committee chair and second committee member. Students may request a specific faculty member to serve on their committee. While we do our very best to honor requests, faculty members are selected based on program and specialization, research method expertise, subject matter expertise, and workload.

Students will be notified about who is on their committee shortly before the term in which they start their dissertation courses. At that time, students are encouraged to introduce themselves to their committee members. However, committee members will not review research drafts prior to the beginning of the dissertation courses.

PhD Courses with Committee Formation Assignment

Committee Formation Process: Professional Doctorate Students

Students in professional doctorate programs at Walden should refer to their program leadership or Student Success Advisors regarding the committee formation process.

Professional doctorate programs include:

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• PsyD in Behavioral Health Leadership (PsyD, BHL)

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Trapped in dissertation revisions?

Selecting your dissertation committee members, published by steve tippins on april 12, 2019 april 12, 2019.

Last Updated on: 3rd June 2022, 04:36 am

You have finished all of your classwork and maybe even passed your comprehensive exams. The only thing that you have left to do is write your dissertation. In order to do this, you need to select your dissertation chair and the remainder of your committee members.

While a few institutions that I know of assign committees, even those often allow students to give preferences. What should you think about when choosing your dissertation committee members?

What Do Dissertation Committee Members Do?

Your dissertation committee members serve several roles. First, they are charged with helping you through the dissertation process. While this “help” may seem like hinderance when you receive endless comments and requests for revision, your committee members do this to help you come up with a stronger document.

The second major role your committee plays one can be thought of a gatekeeper. Schools have particular requirements and standards that committees must follow before they can accept a student’s dissertation. Many comments from your committee will pertain to adhering to university requirements.

Committee Chair

You will work most closely with your dissertation committee chair . Be sure to find someone that you can work with. There are stories out there about chairpeople who have bullied those under their charge and used their students as minions to help push the chair’s agenda. Avoid this type of chair.

I believe that you should be looking for someone who wants to serve as a chair and who exhibits real concern for his or her students. Choose someone who has filled the role before and has a track record of helping students finish in a reasonable time period. If your goal is to work in academia, I would also look for someone who has had success publishing and flourishing within an academic setting.

Finally, look for someone who is genuinely interested in your topic and who you get along with.

Other Dissertation Committee Members

Depending upon your institution, you will most likely need to add one to four more members of your committee. The number is not overly important, but the composition is. People usually think of committees being made up of people who bring strength in either the subject matter or the methodology.

If your committee chair is strong in your subject matter then at least one additional committee member should be strong in the methodology you plan to use. Putting your committee together in this way can give you a well-balanced support team.

Read also: Dissertation Committee Request: Sample Email and Guide

Avoid Becoming a Battleground

Just like in life, not everyone in academia likes each other. When dealing in the world of ideas, it seems that it is easy to find people who disagree with each other. Sometimes those disagreements are thoughtful and considerate and sometimes they are not.

Make sure that when you choose committee members that you find people who can work together. You do not want two (or more) committee members using your dissertation to fire barbs at each other. This will be very frustrating and slow you down. It is good to consult with your committee chair about the interpersonal relationships between committee members.

Thank Your Committee

When you finish your dissertation you should be very proud of what you have accomplished.  You have accomplished a great achievement. Remember, without your committee’s help and approval you wouldn’t have made it.

Some people look for and give gifts to their committee members to show their appreciation.  As long as the gifts aren’t too overboard, this is acceptable. At many institutions, there is a tradition of putting your chairperson’s name on your first publication that comes from your dissertation as a thank you. When appropriate, this is a great gesture.

Selecting Your Dissertation Committee Members: Conclusion

It is important to find a dissertation committee that is dedicated to helping you reach your goal. Make sure that you take the time to craft a committee that can provide you the support that you will need and not hinder you. Whatever time you take to create your perfect committee, it will be worth it in the long run.

If you need additional support beyond what your committee can offer you, check out my dissertation coaching and dissertation editing services.

Steve Tippins

Steve Tippins, PhD, has thrived in academia for over thirty years. He continues to love teaching in addition to coaching recent PhD graduates as well as students writing their dissertations. Learn more about his dissertation coaching and career coaching services. Book a Free Consultation with Steve Tippins

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How To Assemble Your Dissertation Committee

Graduate school is full of complicated assignments and difficult decisions, and most graduate students have developed a process they follow when faced with a daunting task. Since choosing your dissertation committee is one of your most consequential scholarly decisions, you might want to try something besides your standard operating procedure. If it's time to select your dissertation committee but you don't even know where to start, follow the following seven tips to select a stellar dissertation committee.

What is a dissertation committee?

A dissertation committee is a carefully selected group of people who will provide feedback and guidance as you research and compose your dissertation. It is important to pick a balanced group of people for your committee, because these people will help shape your research and ultimately, they will determine whether your dissertation is complete enough to earn you the coveted Ph.D. title.

What does a dissertation committee do?

Dissertation committee members will read sections of your dissertation and provide extensive feedback at various points in your process. They will identify weak arguments and challenge your assertions, with the understanding that you will use their feedback to craft a strong dissertation backed with exceptional research. Make sure to choose people capable of providing constructive feedback, because committee members will expect you to resolve their previous concerns by the next time they review your work.

Many graduate students cringe at the thought of asking faculty members to serve on their dissertation committees, because they erroneously think they're asking potential members for a favor. While serving on your dissertation committee will require members to invest time and effort, it is actually one of their professional responsibilities as faculty members. Keep this in mind as you create your list of possible committee members.

Now that you have a better understanding of the purpose of your dissertation committee, follow these seven essential steps to choose an effective dissertation committee.

1. Review your department's requirements

Consult your departments guidelines to determine how many people you need to select for your dissertation committee and identify any necessary qualifications for committee members. Requirements vary based on your department: Some departments and universities require faculty members to make up a certain portion of the committee while others might require a percentage of the committee to come from external institutions or from your specific industry.

2. Ask for recommendations

• Ask your advisor if he or she has any recommendations that you should consider for your committee. Your advisor is most likely already invested in you and your research topic, and aside from you, probably has the best understanding of your dissertation topic and your ultimate goals. Your advisor will hopefully have established strong relationships with other faculty members in your department, so he or she should have valuable suggestions for you to consider. Your advisor will probably also serve on your committee (and might even serve as the committee chair), so it will be worthwhile to consider people that you know will work well with your advisor.
• Ask your fellow graduate students if they can recommend any potential candidates for your dissertation committee. If you have friends who have already selected their dissertation committee, try to learn from their experiences. Ask how they selected their committee members and if they encountered anyone that might be a good fit for you. Friends can also give you tips if a favorite faculty member is going on sabbatical soon or is too busy to serve on any additional committees.

3. Make a list of your ideal committee members

• Professors and teachers you respect and value
• Faculty members who have shaped your understanding of your subject matter
• Industry experts in your field
• People who will broaden your networking circles: If you plan to seek a career in industry after earning your PhD, select at least one committee member with extensive contacts in your preferred industry (if your department's guidelines allow external members on your committee). Additionally, if you choose well-connected committee members, they might be able to introduce you to future collaborators or suggest research areas you have not yet considered.
• People with strong communication skills
• People who will challenge and inspire you

4. Present your list to your advisor and ask for feedback

As you research and write your dissertation, you will seek feedback from your advisor frequently, and you will get some good old-fashioned practice at this during the committee selection process. In Step 2, your advisor recommended a handful of candidates for your committee. Since then, you have added more names to your list, so ask your advisor for feedback on your complete choices. Here are some questions you might want to consider asking:

• Is there anyone on the list who is difficult to work with and might impede your dissertation progress?
• Does your list include someone who is already serving on multiple committees and won't be able to give you the time and attention you deserve?
• Are there any knowledge gaps in your list? In other words, have you included two or three people from the same specialty, which means you probably overlooked including a candidate from another important sector?
• Does your advisor possess personal or professional information that might lead you to exclude any candidates? Don't be nosy here—you don't need to know the reason, just trust your advisor if he or she tells you that someone you should probably remove someone from your list.

5. Ask your top candidates for a meeting

Email your preferred candidates a brief summary of your research topic and ask if you can schedule an appointment to discuss the possibility of them serving on your dissertation committee. If candidates don't reply to your email within a reasonable time frame, assume that they are too busy to serve on a dissertation committee and remove them from your candidate list. Similarly, if a candidate does not have any availability to meet with you during your selected time frame, that candidate is likely overbooked. You might want to take this as a sign and scratch this person off your list.

6. Meet with your top candidates

If a candidate responded promptly, agreed on a time to meet, and followed through on the meeting, chances are high that he or she is reliable and will be able to fit you into a busy schedule. Remember, you are interviewing this person for to serve on the committee that will have the final say in whether you complete your dissertation and earn your Ph.D. Approach the meeting as if you are interviewing them for a position on your payroll.

Create a list of questions to gauge candidates' knowledge about your topic and to get an idea of their communication styles. Asking the same questions in every meeting will highlight the candidates' similarities and differences, and you can use this information to assemble a compatible group of experts. Ideally, each member of your committee will contribute a different type of knowledge or expertise, so treat these meetings as if you are interviewing to fill a specific role on your team.

After each meeting, take a moment to write down your assessments of the candidate and anything that stands out from the meeting. If a candidate stimulated your mind and offered valuable suggestions during an initial meeting, write that down and make a mark to signify that you definitely want that person on your committee.

In contrast, if you feel an abundance of negativity while meeting with a candidate, it's probably best to eliminate that person from your list of potentials. Choosing who serves on your dissertation committee is one of the most important decisions of your academic career, and you have a better chance of success if you assemble a group of people who challenge and inspire you in positive ways.

7. Ask candidates to join your committee

After you've met with all of your possible candidates, use your post-meeting notes to evaluate your options and create a compatible team. Send a separate email to each potential member and highlight a few reasons that you think he or she will be an ideal choice for your dissertation committee. Explain that you are currently in the process of gathering your dissertation committee and ask candidates to give you an answer by a (reasonable) deadline.

If you decided after a meeting that a candidate was not a good fit for your committee, send a follow up email and thank the person for meeting with you. After expressing your appreciation, state that you have filled all positions on your dissertation committee at this time. If applicable, you might consider asking if you can consult him or her if you have questions while working on your dissertation.

Follow the seven steps above if you want to assemble a dissertation committee composed of experts who will guide you towards a successful dissertation. You're already off to a great start.

Header photo by Luckybusiness .

Feb. 27, 2023

Selecting your master’s thesis committee members, by karyssa courey: selecting a thesis committee is like completing a puzzle every piece of this process is very valuable to have the right fit for your committee.

First off, congratulations on advancing to this stage in your academic career! Meeting the requirements for your thesis is not an easy task but you did it! You deserve to celebrate your achievements, both big and small. 

After you have finish celebrating, it’s now time for you to select committee members for your thesis. A thesis committee is a group of faculty members who provides mentorship for your entire thesis experience.

Before you begin randomly selecting members of your committee, there are a few steps and strategies that will help you pick the right members!

Where do I start?

• Review the requirements for thesis committees in your department

Rice provides requirements for thesis committees online . For example, a thesis committee for a graduate student in the psychological sciences must have three members (your advisor and two others). At least two committee members must be within your department. Reviewing the requirements will help you understand who can and cannot be on your committee!

• Breaking down your topic

If you are considering committee members, you likely have a draft of your master’s proposal or at least an idea of what your project will be about. Consider the keywords of your project (i.e., what are five terms that can be used to categorize your proposal?). These keywords are the core of your project and can help you identify faculty that align with your interests and research goals.

• Connect your topic to faculty research

Now that you have identified your keywords, think about faculty that you know in your department that are knowledgeable in the topics you are studying. You can also search faculty/lab websites or Google Scholar if you are unfamiliar with a faculty member’s research expertise. 

If there are aspects of your master’s proposal that are interdisciplinary, don’t be afraid to search for faculty outside of your department that can provide you with a valuable perspective on your research topic.

Who should I be in communication with?

• Talk with your advisor

Often, your advisor will have suggestions for potential committee members. Your advisor is one of the few people that will understand both the scope of your research project and know the faculty expertise in your department. Listen to your advisor’s recommendations and suggestions, note any faculty that may be a good fit, and share any ideas that you have based on your search in steps 2 and 3. Don’t feel constricted the recommendations from your advisor either, your peers could also be a resource.

• Talk with your peers

Older peers in your program often have a great perspective on selecting thesis committee members. Your peers may also have first hand experience with the same faculty members you are considering. E.g., Professor X provides more substantive feedback than Professor Y, so if you want substantive feedback, this is extremely helpful information!

• Talk with other faculty

Don’t be afraid to schedule meetings with potential faculty members if you want to discuss your thesis. Meeting with faculty is a great way to explain your project, hear their feedback, and gauge their interest.

I’ve talked to everyone on the list; what's next?

• Email potential committee members

Once you have selected your committee members, it is now time to email them! This might be scary or feel like a daunting step, but remember that the faculty at Rice are here to support you and help cultivate your skills as a researcher. Committee members are your team members, and are here to ideally provide constructive feedback to make your project even better!

When emailing faculty, make sure to use an appropriate tone, provide the title of your thesis, explain your project in a few sentences (or add your abstract), and note any specific reasons that that faculty is a good fit.

For example, if a faculty member has expertise relating to a theory you are applying in your research, make sure to name the theory in your email! The goal is for your potential committee members to have a clear understanding of the scope of your project and connect their expertise to your project.

What should I be mindful of during this process?

• Handling rejection

If a prospective committee member declines your offer, it’s okay! Do not take it personally or be discouraged! There may be many reasons why a faculty member might decline (e.g., tight on time, perceived lack of fit, or think another faculty member might be a better fit). Do, however, consider other faculty members and consider scheduling a meeting to discuss your thesis project. Meeting with potential committee members can help you understand if they would be a good fit, plus it’s a great opportunity to meet faculty members outside of your courses!

• Sticking to your timeline

Lastly, keep in mind your deadlines. Different departments have different requirements for scheduling your proposal and declaring your master’s candidacy. For example, in the Psychological Sciences department, a student can propose their master’s without declaring a master's candidacy. However, it is required that committee members are notified at least ten days prior to scheduling your proposal meeting.

Dissertation Committee

The dissertation committee form affirms that a candidate has an approved  proposal or prospectus and that their  dissertation committee  is formed in accordance with program policies.  

DEADLINE: March 15 of the student’s fourth year or be placed on academic probation.

How to submit an approved dissertation committee form

The dissertation committee form is available in the Laney Connect Hub . Log in with your Emory credentials and follow the instructions to locate and submit the form.

Please note: if you have an external member of your committee, you will need to attach either a completed approval or a request for approval with a CV of the proposed member.

The Laney Graduate School team will review the form and confirm that the committee meets LGS policy requirements. You and your program administrator will receive a confirmation email when you submit the form and it is approved.

How to “Change” or add a “New” member of a committee*

The dissertation committee form is available in the Laney Connect Hub , in the "Milestones" section.  Log in with your Emory credentials and follow the instructions to locate and submit the form.

Please note:  If you have an external member of your committee, you will need to attach either a completed approval or a request for approval with a CV of the proposed member.

Note: If your committee changes, you MUST submit documentation as soon as the change occurs . If there is a discrepancy between the members listed on the committee form and other dissertation-related materials IT CAN delay your graduation.

Timing and Sanction

Student must obtain approval no later than March 15 of their fourth year. 

Students who do not meet this deadline will be placed on academic probation, will not be eligible for PDS funds, and may forfeit financial support.  These sanctions will be lifted when the student files a dissertation committee form.

Dissertation Committee Extension

If students cannot reach candidacy by March 15 th of their fourth year, they can request an Extension for the Dissertation Committee Form Deadline. If students need an extension to the deadline for the Dissertation Committee Form they must complete the following steps:

Step 1: Meet with your DGS and Advisor/PI to discuss a new timeline to complete the requirements for submitting your dissertation committee form. You will need their approval on the Extension for Dissertation Committee Deadline form. Please note: If your extension request is more than 30 days, a detailed academic plan on how you will meet the extension date is required.

Step 2: Submit the “Extension for Dissertation Committee Deadline” form in the LaneyConnect Hub , including the new timeline for submitting your dissertation committee form. Log in with your Emory credentials and follow the instructions to locate and submit the form.

After students submit the form, it will be routed to your Program DGS for approval, and then the LGS Student Affairs Team will oversee the final review process.

Membership and Request for External Committee Members

The Laney Graduate School policies for dissertation committee membership are in the LGS Handbook .  Below is an outline.  Programs may have additional policies, and dissertation committees must meet both program and Laney Graduate School requirements.

• At least three members of the dissertation committee must be Laney Graduate School faculty.
• Emory faculty who are not Laney Graduate School faculty may serve on the committee, but do not count towards the three LGS faculty requirement.
• Members of the Emory community who are not faculty may serve on the committee with the Dean's permission.  Instructions are below.
• Scholars at other institutions may serve on the committee with the Dean's permission.  Instructions are below. 
• When a dissertation committee member, co-chair/co-advisor, and chair/advisor who is an LGS faculty member either moves from Emory to another academic or research institution or retires, he or she can continue to serve as an LGS faculty member for a limited time.  See the Handbook for details.

External Committee Member Request

• This applies to proposed members in categories 3 and 4 above.
• The request should be made by the Director of Graduate Studies / Program Director, in the form of a memo addressed to the Dean of the Laney Graduate School.
• The request should explain how the proposed member will contribute to the candidate's committee, and describe the expertise the proposed member brings.
• The request should be accompanied by the proposed member's current CV.
• The request should list the LGS graduate faculty members who are currently participating on the dissertation committee.
• The request should be submitted with the LGS dissertation committee form.
• If the request was submitted independently, before the LGS dissertation committee form, then the email giving permission should be uploaded with the LGS dissertation committee form.

Requesting an Extension for Chair/Advisor of the Dissertation Committee

If the faculty member who serves as a the Chair or Co-Chair of your committee left Emory and has served for the full amount of time allowed under our policy in the LGS Handbook, it is possible to request an extension to allow the member to continue to serve for a limited additional period.  This request is made by the Director of Graduate Studies/Program Director on behalf of the former Laney Graduate School faculty member.

The form for requesting an extension is in the Laney Connect Hub . Log in with your Emory credentials and follow the instructions to locate and submit the form.

Effective Date and Previous Policy

This policy was effective starting fall semester 2017.   Students who started their programs before the fall of 2017 must meet the dissertation committee deadline in effect when they first enrolled, and must have an approved dissertation committee no later than August 1 before their fifth year of study.   Students who started their programs before the fall of 2017 will not be placed on probation if they fail to meet the dissertation proposal defense deadline.

For students who started their degree programs prior to fall 2017, please refer to the previous candidacy policy and associated requirements (found most recently in the  LGS Handbook ).

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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Speaker 1: Thank you for checking out this video. My name is Arielle and I'm the founder of Grad Life Grind. I am covering what is a dissertation committee today. That's an important question that you may have if you're a current or future graduate student. I know that I personally just asked my dissertation advisor a few weeks ago not just what's a dissertation committee but what does each person do and I'm really glad that you've checked out this video. I hope that you'll tune into the other videos that I have in my dissertation series and I also hope that you'll subscribe to my channel so that you can stay up to date not just on my dissertation journey but also on all other things grad school related and I have a ton of grad school application resources if you are someone who's applying. But let's get into the committee stuff. So I knew that I would have to have a dissertation committee because I've heard this before as I've navigated academia. Being a first generation student, I kind of just learn things by listening and I've been doing this for a while. I've been doing this for a while now. I've been doing this for a while now. I've been doing this for a while now. I've been doing this for a while now. I've been asking questions because it's not something that comes naturally to me or is common knowledge to me. So I've heard through friends and other faculty that I need to have a dissertation committee and usually it's three people. So part of my goals for this summer as I was preparing my dissertation proposal, I wanted to think about who I wanted on my dissertation committee and what the expected contributions would be. And that's a goal that I set because my dissertation advisor gave me a timeline for preparing your proposal and what you should do quarter by quarter since we're on a quarter system and not a semester system. And one of the things on there was brainstorm who you might want to have on your committee and what you expect them to contribute. So she and I met and I was like, what should I expect them to contribute? And that was a helpful question because I need to know that in order to pick the right faculty members, right? So it turns out that a dissertation committee consists of faculty members and faculty members. So I'm going to help you along your dissertation process and what they do really depends. So typically the people that you have on your committee include your advisor. So the person whose lab that you work in and two to three other faculty members who have some sort of expertise in what you're doing. And that may vary. So I'm interested in domestic violence within the Latinx community and I'm really passionate about working with Latinx women, especially mothers who have been exposed to intimate partner violence. So I'm going to help you along your dissertation process and domestic violence. My advisor has expertise in maternal mental health and she focuses on pregnancy and postpartum depression and things like that. So our overlap is that she works a lot with Latinx women. She works with mothers. So that's kind of how I ended up wanting to work with her. So she's definitely going to be on my dissertation committee. She'll probably be my dissertation chair because she's my advisor and she'll be the one who's doing the bulk of the editing and working through the ideas of my dissertation with me. So we're meeting right now on a bi-weekly basis to go over my dissertation proposal draft as I'm starting to prepare that. And she's going to be the one that's going to do the majority of edits, looking through not just what I've written, but how I'm thinking about my study, my methodology, the theory behind it, and hopefully pushing me to improve my study as much as possible. Now, that's the way that she and I work together, meeting regularly, you know, getting a lot of feedback. And not all dissertation chairs or dissertation advisors are like that. Some people are way more hands-off and hopefully you have an advisor if you're in this process. Hopefully you have an advisor that works in a way that is compatible with you. Aside from the dissertation chair or primary advisor, there's usually a couple other people who are involved. And you choose those faculty members based on what you think you might need. So when my advisor and I talked about, we were thinking about people who would have some expertise in the kind of study that I'm doing. So somebody who works with trauma would be good for my study since we're doing work related to domestic violence. Someone who has experience with domestic violence or working with traumatized women in some capacity. There's also a cultural element. So anyone who does cultural adaptations of interventions or has worked with BIPOC communities in some capacity and someone who understands what it means to adapt studies or replicate studies with different populations. So those are kind of the ideas you would be thinking of if you're running a study related to depression and you're working with kids and you're also working on a study that's going to test whether an assessment is useful. Then you might want to find a dissertation advisor who works with depression or one who works with children or a committee member who has experience with assessment studies. So obviously, you want them to have some kind of overlap. The other thing to consider when you're thinking about expected contribution, and this is just from the feedback that I've gotten recently, I don't know everything about this process, but how involved that committee member can or can be or you want them to be. So when you ask someone to be on your dissertation committee, you might want to already have an idea of, okay, I want to make sure that you read every edit or every draft. I want you to be on your dissertation committee. I want you to be on your dissertation committee. I want you to meet with me once a semester, things like that. And they may say yes or no, depending on what they're able to give or how they normally work with students. So you can expect for people on your committee to read your drafts, give you feedback on the methodology, basically push you to make your study better. At least that's what you would want. I think I'm hoping to find committee members who have expertise in what I'm hoping to do in some capacity, at least having expertise in a part of what I'm doing. I'm hoping that they'll be involved and hands-on and want to give me feedback because a lot of what you learn in graduate school related to research is during this process. So yes, I've sat through classes about statistics and I've sat through classes about research methods, but this is the time when I'm going to be learning how to really improve my writing, how to really improve my scientific thinking. And I prefer to have advisors who are going to be hands-on, committee members who are going to be hands-on. Not everyone is like that. And I know that some of you are going to be hands-on, but some of the people that I thought of asking, I was like, maybe I won't ask them because they might be more hands-off. And it really just depends on what suits you. So committee members are really there to give you feedback, to give advice or to push you in your thinking and to help with your writing, things like that. And I think that each committee member probably contributes something special and unique. It's kind of like recommendation letters. So I do a lot of content about grad school applications. And one of the things that I think is really important is that I'm going to have writers for your recommendations who are going to contribute something unique to your profile as an applicant. And I think that I'm going with the same line of thinking for my committee. I may want someone who's really going to push me in the methodology. I might want someone who's really going to help me hone in on the trauma aspect. And I might have another committee member who's really great with statistics and is going to help me make sure that it's strong in terms of my analysis. So serving a different function would be nice for me. And I'm still thinking through. I have a list of people who I am going to consider asking. But it's a process and I also have to have backups in the case any of these people say no. But that's basically what a dissertation committee looks like. It's people who are going to be there, hopefully, to give feedback throughout your process. But more importantly, they're going to be there at your defense. And they're going to be the people who are in the room when you become doctor, whatever. So that's super exciting. I'm not the expert on this. So if you know more about this topic, if you've already written a dissertation, and you're watching this video, let me know in the comments if there's more information that I didn't include here. I don't know everything because this channel is really about sharing what I learn as I'm learning it and putting information out there that I wish I would have had in the past or further along in my journey. So if there's anything that you know about the dissertation process, please share it in the comments. If there's anything also that you would like to learn or hear about related to the dissertation process as I'm going through it that I can cover in a future video, please also comment and let me know. In order to stay up to date with my dissertation process, please be sure to subscribe to my channel and also connect with me on other platforms. I'm on Instagram, on TikTok. I have a blog. I have a store where you can buy Grad Life Grind merch. I spend a lot of time making sure that I can provide mostly free content to you so that I can help you along your grad school journey, whether you're applying or you have a degree. So if you have any questions, please let me know in the comments. And I'll see you in the next video. Bye. I hope to apply in the future to graduate school or you're already a graduate student. I aim to help you as much as I can and also document my experience. So thank you so much for watching this video. I hope you'll be back soon. Take care.