Advisory Committee

Each Ph.D. student shall have an appointed Ph.D. Committee to guide their research training. The guiding principle for members of the Ph.D. Committee is the success of the student.

Ph.D. Committee Appointment

A student’s Ph.D. Committee shall be nominated to the Graduate School as soon as possible after the student has secured an adviser, but in no event later than one calendar year following the date of the student’s successful completion of the Qualifying Examination unless an alternative timing is approved.

Minimum Ph.D. Committee Membership

A student’s Ph.D. Committee shall consist at minimum of four members of the Graduate Faculty, each of whom shall be in a position to contribute substantially to the student’s education. At least two of these four members shall be from the student's major graduate program.

Ph.D. Committee Member Roles

Each Committee shall have a Ph.D. Committee Chair, Outside Field Member, Outside Unit Member, and include the student’s Dissertation Adviser. The Ph.D. Committee Chair and Dissertation Adviser may be one and the same. For students pursuing a graduate minor, the Ph.D. Committee shall include a Minor Field Program Member representing each graduate minor. Ph.D. Committees may also include other participants who are not members of the Graduate Faculty but are otherwise qualified and have particular expertise in the student’s research area. All Ph.D. Committee Members are expected to participate fully in the affairs of the Ph.D. Committee.

Ph.D. Committee Chair:

The Ph.D. Committee Chair shall be a member of the Graduate Faculty and the student’s major Graduate Program. The Ph.D. Committee Chair is responsible for arranging and conducting all Ph.D. Committee Meetings, ensuring that all Graduate Program, Graduate Council, and Graduate School standards and requirements relative to the doctoral degree are met, and that any conditions set by the Ph.D. Committee are fulfilled. For students pursuing dual-title degrees, either the Ph.D. Committee Chair or a co-Chair must be a Graduate Faculty member of the dual-title program.

Dissertation Adviser:

Each Committee shall include the student’s Dissertation Adviser. The Dissertation Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day guidance of the student’s dissertation research, and academic and professional development. Where day-to-day guidance is shared by two members of the Graduate Faculty, both may be appointed to the Ph.D. Committee as co-Advisers. Co-advisers are jointly and severally responsible for the day-to-day guidance of the student’s dissertation research, and academic and professional development. A Dissertation Advisor may also serve as the Ph.D. Committee Chair (or co-Chair).

Outside Field Member:

Each Ph.D. Committee shall have appointed at least one Outside Field Member. The Outside Field Member must have a disciplinary expertise different from the student’s primary field of study and is responsible for broadening the disciplinary perspective available to the student and the Ph.D. Committee. The Outside Field Member may be from student’s graduate program but may not also serve as a major program member. In cases where the candidate is also pursuing a dual-title program, any dual-title Graduate Faculty member of the Ph.D. Committee may serve as the Outside Field Member.

Outside Unit Member(s):

Each Ph.D. Committee shall have appointed at least one Outside Unit Member. The Outside Unit Member is responsible for bringing to the attention of the student and the Ph.D. Committee [non-academic] issues (including, for example, conflicts of interest) that may impact a student’s progress. Outside Unit Members must have their primary academic appointment in an administrative unit different than the Ph.D. Committee Chair(s) and Dissertation Adviser(s).

Minor Program Member(s):

Ph.D. Committees assigned to students pursuing graduate minors shall include at least one Minor Program Member for each graduate minor. Each graduate minor pursued by a student shall be represented by at least one Minor Program Member who is a member of the Graduate Faculty and a member of that minor graduate program. Minor Program Members are responsible for providing the student and the Ph.D. Committee with information, advice, and perspective on student progress in fulfilling the graduate minor requirements in the graduate program they represent.

Special Members:

Ph.D. Committees may include Special Members who are not members of the Graduate Faculty but are otherwise qualified and have particular expertise in the student’s research area. Special Members do not have to be affiliated with Penn State.

Responsibilities of the Committee

The primary responsibility of the Ph.D. Committee is to guide the broad scholarly development of the Ph.D. student, including direct responsibility for guidance and assessment of the student’s dissertation research and academic progress toward the Ph.D. degree.

• The Ph.D. Committee shall approve the educational program for each individual student beyond the program requirements.
• The Ph.D. Committee can require additional education, including course work, depending on the student’s background and research plans.
• The Ph.D. Committee shall approve a written assessment of the student’s progress on an annual basis. This assessment will:
• Include a review of any prior annual assessments.
• Address the quality of the student’s research and progress toward their degree, including:
• Recommendations, as appropriate, to improve the student’s research;
• Any concerns identified and recommended actions to address the concerns.
• Assess the student’s professional development and provide any recommendations as appropriate and that reflect, to the extent possible, the student’s career goals;
• Accurately reflect the assessment by all members of the committee, including any minority opinions.
• The Ph.D. Committee shall administer the student’s Comprehensive Examination and assess the student’s performance on the examination.
• The Ph.D. Committee shall assess the student’s dissertation and recommend (or not) its approval to the Graduate School.
• The Ph.D. Committee shall conduct the student’s Final Oral Examination and assess the student’s performance on the examination.

Annual Assessments

The goal of the annual assessment is to evaluate student progress toward the degree and in meeting the Graduate Council’s Scholarly and Professional Goals for All Graduate Degree Students.

The Ph.D. Committee will assess the student within one semester after its formation (excluding Summer Semester) including a review of the student’s dissertation research and the student’s understanding of the dissertation research goals, objectives, and methods. This is separate from evaluation of the student’s performance on the Comprehensive Exam unless additional time and focus are added, as needed, to allow a holistic review of the student’s progress.

If the student’s program has received approval through the Graduate Council’s curricular review process to establish the Ph.D. Committee, then the program head or designated academic adviser assumes Ph.D. Committee responsibilities as outlined in this policy. The first assessment will take place approximately one year after the Qualifying Examination is passed; the program head or designated academic adviser will provide an assessment of the student at least once annually after that until the student’s Ph.D. Committee is formed.

For subsequent assessments of the student, the Ph.D. Committee shall:

• Assess the quality and progress of the student’s research;
• Assess the student’s professional development;
• Decide whether any interim meetings should take place and, if so, when.