Committee selection guidelines

Each student must secure a Ph.D. dissertation committee. The role of the committee is to advise the student during his/her Ph.D. program career on matters including class selection and sequencing, research work, specialty exam, dissertation preparation, and defense. The students are encouraged to form their committee as early as possible, but not later than the end of their fourth semester. The Graduate School requires each student to form the committee by the end of their fourth semester.

The committee must consist of a minimum of five graduate faculty members; the advisor (who will chair the committee), at least two faculty members from the student’s major department/program, at least one faculty member from another department in a field related to the student’s major, and at least one Graduate School representative. Formal approval of the committee is made by the Graduate Dean.