PhD Steps to Success

The Major Professor serves as the student's advisor and mentor. Students should confer with their concentration to confirm the internal process and timeline for the selection and appointment of the Major Professor. The student must identify a major professor and receive that person's agreement to serve as major professor. The selection of the Major Professor must be approved and appointed as soon as possible, but no later than the time the student has completed 50% of the program. Students must have a major professor in order to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. If a Major Professor cannot be identified or in the event a Major Professor is unable or unwilling to continue serving on the student's committee, the student is responsible for finding another Major Professor. Students who are unable to find a replacement Major Professor should confer with the Program Director for available options. If no other options exist the student may be requested to voluntarily withdraw from the program or may be honorably withdrawn in good academic standing. The student and Major Professor should plan a program of study which, when completed, will satisfy the degree requirements specified. A copy of this program, signed by the student and professor, should be maintained in the student's academic file.

Major Professors must meet the following requirements:

• Be active in scholarly pursuits as evidenced by at least one refereed publication in the last three years.
• Be graduate faculty, as defined by the University, from the student's academic area. Faculty who do not meet this definition may serve as Co-Major Professor with faculty who do.
• Be graduate faculty, as defined by the University, from the student’s academic area. Faculty who do not meet this definition may serve as Co-Major Professor.
• Have been approved by the Program Chair (or equivalent) to serve as a Major Professor or Co-Major Professor.

The membership of graduate faculty will be based upon criteria developed within the appropriate program and approved at the college level. These criteria must be forwarded to the Dean of the Office of Graduate Studies.

In the event a Major Professor leaves the University (i.e. for an appointment at another university, due to retirement, etc.) and the Major Professor is willing to continue serving on the student's committee, the Major Professor then becomes a Co-Major Professor on the committee and another faculty is appointed as the other Co-Major Professor. It is important that one of the Co-Major Professors be accessible on the university campus for the student to make satisfactory progress on the dissertation. In the event a Major Professor is on temporary leave (e.g. sabbatical, research, etc.); the Major Professor shall coordinate with the Program Director to facilitate the needs of the student. In some instances a student may choose to have two professors serve as Major Professor. In this situation the faculty are approved as “Co-Major Professors” and jointly serve in that role. Consequently both faculty must sign approval on paperwork pertaining to the student's processing (i.e. committee form, change of committee form, admission to candidacy, etc.)

(Co-)Major Professor(s) of the Graduate Student Supervisory Committee Responsibilities
Available on the Office of Graduate Studies Academic Policies website

Some Colleges have a Program Committee comprised of graduate faculty, who advise the student from admission up to doctoral candidacy, when the formal Doctoral Dissertation Committee is formed.  As soon as an area of research is determined and a major professor is selected, a Doctoral Dissertation Committee will be appointed and approved for the student. The Major Professor will request approval of the Doctoral Committee from the Dean of the College and, as needed, the Dean of the Office of Graduate Studies. The Doctoral Committee will approve the student's course of study and plan for research, supervise the research, grade the written comprehensive qualifying examination, read and approve the dissertation for content and format, and conduct the dissertation defense.

Role of Doctoral Committee

The Doctoral Committee is responsible for:

• approving the student's course of study
• grading the written comprehensive qualifying examination

Doctoral Dissertation Committee

Doctoral Dissertation Committees will

• approve the plan for research
• supervise the research
• read and approve the dissertation, and
• conduct the dissertation defense.

 Composition
The Doctoral Dissertation Committee will consist of at least four members

• three must come from the academic area (i.e. discipline) of the student
• at least one external member (from outside the Department, School, or equivalent, hosting the doctoral program, but may be within the academic discipline)

Faculty holding joint or adjunct appointments in the degree-granting academic unit (i.e. Department or equivalent) cannot be external members on a student's committee.

Member Definition
All graduate faculty, as defined by the University and the College, and approved by their college, are assumed by the Office of Graduate Studies as qualified to be a member of and/or supervise a committee. Persons desiring to serve on a Doctoral committee who are not defined as Graduate Faculty (i.e. visiting faculty, professionals, etc.) by the University and the College must submit a curriculum vitae and be approved by the Concentration, College, and Office of Graduate Studies, for each committee.

Committee Members must meet the following requirements:

• be graduate or affiliate graduate faculty, as defined by the University
• have the background and expertise that contributes to the success of the student.

In addition to the requirements specified in the Graduate Faculty definition, committee membership will be based upon criteria developed within the appropriate program or department and approved at the college level.  These criteria must be forwarded to the Dean of Office of Graduate Studies.

Approval
Once a committee has been determined, a Doctoral Dissertation Committee Form needs to be completed by the student and submitted to the Committee Members for original signature. Check with the College for instructions and forms. To insure uniformity of excellence across the colleges, the (Co-)Major Professor(s) of Doctoral Dissertation Committees will need to submit a current curriculum vitae (equivalent to an NIH Bio, approximately two pages long with the last three (3) years of scholarly activity included) with the committee appointment form to the College Dean or designee. This approval is in addition to the approval from their concentration chairperson. (Colleges and concentrations may institute additional requirements for membership on Doctoral Dissertation Committees.) Once approved, the original form and the approved Curriculum Vitae (CV) are placed in the student’s file. An approved and current Form must be on file in the program/college before graduation may be certified. Doctoral Dissertation Committee Forms need to be processed as early in the program as possible, but no later than the semester prior to graduation.

Changes to Committee
Changes to a Doctoral Dissertation Committee must be submitted on a Change of Committee Form. Check with the College for instructions and forms. Original signatures of faculty being added to the Committee, along with the approval signature of the (Co-) Major Professor(s), must be on the form. Faxed signatures are acceptable.  Faculty who are removed from the Committee are not required to sign the form, provided that the (Co-) Major Professor(s) has signed. In such instances the signature of the (Co-) Major Professor(s) indicate(s) approval of the change, as well as acknowledgement and approval of the change by the removed member. Any non-faculty being added to a committee must submit a CV for approval. If a faculty member is being added as a Co-Major Professor, or if there is an appointment change to the Major Professor position, a CV must be included for the faculty member who is being added to that position. Change of Committee Forms should be submitted for approval as soon as the change takes place. Changes to a Committee are official only once approved and filed by the program and college. An approved and current Doctoral Dissertation Committee Form must be on file before graduation may be certified.

DISSERTATION COMMITTEE FORM:
To get your committee approved, you must submit the form located here: PhD Committee Form
If you change your committee after this form is submitted, you need to do that on this form: PhD Change of Committee Form