Graduate Student Information

Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee consists of the Core Committee (the major advisor and two associate advisors) plus two examiners. The Core Committee members are responsible for regularly monitoring progress toward degree in coursework, professional development, and research. Once a major advisor and general research problem have been agreed upon, the student and major advisor should select the members of the Advisory Committee. The Core Committee is composed of members of the Graduate Faculty with expertise in the research area of the dissertation. Examiners may also be faculty, or appropriate external experts; many students include resident examiners in all aspects of advisory committee work. The Core Committee should convene for a brief meeting early in the second year to provide guidance on the student's plan of study (courses to be taken) and for a brief introduction to the research problem. The Advisory Committee must approve a formal plan of study, to be submitted to the Graduate School. The student must meet thereafter, at a minimum, annually, with the Core Committee and present an informal progress report. The Major Advisor, with approval by the other Core Advisory Committee members, may recommend termination from the doctoral program at any time, if the student fails to make satisfactory progress in the three areas of student responsibilities: coursework, professional development, and research.