Doctoral Committee

The student’s committee is appointed after the student has been admitted to study for the doctoral degree—usually during the first year of doctoral work. Until the committee has been appointed, the departmental program director will serve as the student’s program advisor.

Upon the recommendation of the departmental program director, the dean of the Graduate School will appoint the student’s committee and the at-large member. The committee will consist of either four or five voting members (approved for full graduate faculty status), depending on the student’s program of study. All committees will consist of two members from the student’s major area and an at-large member from a field or department not already represented on the committee. The rest of the committee will be structured as follows:

•  Program without Cognate(s)—a fourth voting member will be a representative appropriate to the individual student’s program of study.
•  Program with Cognate(s)—a voting member will be appointed for each cognate on the individual student’s program of study.

The committee chairperson will represent the student’s primary area of study and must meet the criteria for Dissertation Chairperson Endorsement in the department of the student’s major.

Please see specific degree program requirements for detailed policies concerning the appointment of doctoral committees.

In consultation with the student, the committee will determine the student’s plan of study and guide the student’s dissertation (at the department’s discretion, separate committees may be appointed for advising/comprehensive examinations and the dissertation stage). The plan of study will be filed in the departmental office of the student’s major area and the Graduate School as soon as possible after the committee has formed. Students who fail to do this in a timely fashion may have a registration hold at the recommendation of their departments.

The committee, in cooperation with the Graduate School, will determine whether the student is qualified to continue study during any of the three stages leading to the doctoral degree.