Policies Pertaining to Thesis/Dissertation and Comprehensive Exam Committee Membership

Effective at the beginning of the spring 2010 semester, all members of thesis/dissertation committees at the Â鶹ҹÊÐ shall be voting members of said committees with the privilege of signing the approval pages of theses/dissertations. Committee membership shall consist of: (1) at least three members of the graduate faculty at Â鶹ҹÊÐ and (2) Â鶹ҹÊÐ graduate faculty members shall always constitute a simple majority of the committee membership regardless of number of total committee members (e.g., in case of a seven member committee, four would have to be from Â鶹ҹÊÐ).

Effective at the beginning of the spring 2010 semester, committee members from outside the Â鶹ҹÊÐ faculty may serve as "outside members" of thesis/dissertation committees with the privileges of voting and signing theses and dissertations. These members shall be chosen based upon their qualifications by the thesis/dissertation committee.

Effective with the start of the spring 2010 semester, only graduate faculty at the Â鶹ҹÊÐ may serve as chair and /or co-chair of thesis/dissertation committees. This includes adjunct faculty who are members of the Â鶹ҹÊÐ Graduate Faculty.

Effective with the start of the fall 2009 semester, membership of any graduate comprehensive examination committee at the Â鶹ҹÊÐ shall consist of at least two members of the graduate faculty at Â鶹ҹÊÐ and these graduate faculty members shall constitute a simple majority of the committee. In all cases, the committee must be chaired by a member of the Â鶹ҹÊÐ Graduate Faculty.

Effective with the start of the fall 2009 semester, theses and dissertations must be approved by a minimum of three committee members.


Checklist for Thesis & Dissertation Writers