Advisory Committee

Upon admission, each new student is appointed a Faculty Advisor with expertise in the appropriate areas of scholarship. The Advisor provides guidance and support to the student. An Advisory Committee is comprised of the Advisor and at least two other faculty members with appropriate areas of expertise. The student works with the Advisory Committee to develop a complete Program of Study that is tailored to the student’s specific interests and meets all necessary requirements. The Advisory Committee must approve this Program of Study.

Candidacy Examination Committee

At or near completion of coursework, each student must take a candidacy examination that consists of two portions, Written and Oral. The purpose of the examination is for the doctoral student to demonstrate comprehension of her field of study and allied areas of scholarship. The responsibility for creating and evaluating both portions of the candidacy examination rests with a candidacy examination committee. This committee is composed of at least four authorized Graduate Faculty members and typically includes the student’s advisor.

Dissertation Committee

The dissertation is a scholarly contribution to knowledge in a student’s area of specialization. By researching and writing a dissertation, the student is expected to demonstrate a high level of knowledge and the capability to function as an independent scholar. The dissertation committee is composed of the Faculty Advisor and at least two other authorized Graduate Faculty members. One member of the committee, typically the Advisor, serves as chair of the committee. The dissertation committee provides guidance to the doctoral candidate throughout the research and writing process. The committee serves as the body that evaluates the written dissertation and the final oral examination. Typically, the Graduate School also appoints one external member, a faculty member from another unit in the University, to serve on the dissertation committee for the final oral examination