Policies

Examination Committees, Master's and Specialist Degrees

Effective Date Mar 22, 2012

Examination Committees, Master’s and Specialist Degrees

(Graduate Policy 1.5)

The examination committee will consist of a minimum of three graduate faculty members including two who are full-time. The appointment of additional committee members is strongly recommended for thesis committees if they have expertise in the area of the thesis. The additional member(s) may be either full-time or part-time member(s) of the graduate faculty, or, with the approval of the student’s major advisor, department head and dean of the appropriate college or school, a non-member(s) of the graduate faculty.

Committee Chair

(Graduate Policy 1.5.1) Updated by Graduate Council, March 22, 2012

• For non-thesis students: the student’s academic unit head or another full-time graduate faculty member of the student’s academic unit designated by the academic unit head.
• For thesis students: the student’s thesis advisor or a full-time member of the faculty in the student's academic department, selected by the student, with the concurrence of the individual selected and the student’s academic unit head.

Member(s) from the Student’s Academic Unit

(Graduate Policy 1.5.2)

At least one full-time graduate faculty member from the student’s home academic unit must be a part of the committee.

Outside Member

(Graduate Policy 1.5.3)

An additional committee participant is required who must be a full-time member of the graduate faculty and selected so as to be administratively independent of the student's and major advisor's academic unit from beyond the:

• Department
• Site director of the site a student attends in the Extended Studies Division

The primary functions of the outside member are to ensure uniformity of academic standards and fairness to the student, as well as serve as a representative of the director of graduate programs. The outside member need not have specific expertise in the area of the examination although it is desirable that this member have as much knowledge as feasible of the general subject matter.

The outside member cannot be:

• A relative or spouse of the student, advisor, or committee chair
• A dean of the school or college in which the student is enrolled
• A site director of the site a student attends in the Extended Studies Division (Exceptions must be approved by the student’s department head, dean of the Extended Studies Division and director of graduate programs)