Form a Committee
Dissertation Defense Committee
Who can be on the committee (need at least four committee members):
1.The GSAS representative must be from a different department than the student. They may also be from any of the other graduate schools at the University. They must be tenured or tenure-track and hold a doctorate.
2. Faculty from outside the University may sit on the committee as one of the core members but may not be the GSAS representative. These need approval from the department and the GSAS. See below for approval process.
3. Professors Emeritus may serve as a dissertation advisor or committee member if they are within two years of having become Emeritus. After two years, the Emeritus faculty would need approval by the department and GSAS.
From the Graduate Record:
To fulfill the requirements for the doctoral degree, students must submit the completed dissertation to the department for examination by an approved dissertation committee. This committee, chaired by the primary advisor, will consist of a minimum of four tenured or tenure-track members of the faculty with at least three faculty from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Emeritus faculty can serve on committees, including as primary advisor, up to two years following the start of their emeritus status.
One member of the committee will serve as an external representative on the committee to ensure that the student has been evaluated fairly and with appropriate academic rigor. This external representative must be approved by the student’s director of graduate studies and must hold a primary appointment outside of the student’s department. With approval of the director of graduate studies, this external committee member may be drawn from the tenured or tenure-track faculty of other graduate schools at the University, but must hold a Ph.D. The start date of the external committee member’s appointment should be determined according to departmental standards.
A director of graduate studies may petition the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to allow a reader from outside the University who holds a Ph.D. to serve as one of the four core members of the committee. This outside reader may not serve as the external representative.
Once these minimum requirements have been met, additional committee members from within the University or other institutions may be added. Through its chair, the dissertation committee may invite other members of the departmental faculty to take part in the examination; the doctoral examination may be given before the entire faculty of the department if appropriate.
Process to Request a Non-standard Member of the Committee:
If a student and primary advisor identify a faculty member that they feel would be appropriate for committee participation, but who does not fulfill one or more of the standard requirements for being a committee member, the student should request approval of that committee member from the chairperson of their department. Once the chairperson of the department has given written approval, the director of graduate studies should petition the Graduate school on behalf of the department and student. To do so, the director of graduate studies should submit by email to the Senior Associate Director for Academic Operations, GSAS the Chair’s approval, the faculty member’s CV, and a statement regarding that faculty member’s particular suitability for the committee. The request will be considered by the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and the Senior Associate Director for Academic Operations, GSAS with input from the appropriate Divisional Associate Dean. This committee member may not serve as the external committee representative. There is a limit of one committee member that does not meet standard criteria.
Thesis Defense Committee
The thesis should be read by and/or defended in front of at least two graduate faculty members.