Student FAQs:
Thesis and Dissertation Supervisory Committees
When do I have to establish a supervisory committee?
At the University of Florida, the supervisory committee should be appointed as soon as possible, but no later than the second semester of graduate student or 12 earned course credits, whichever is earlier.
Who appoints the committee?
The student usually takes the initiative to find willing faculty members. Officially, the committee is nominated by the department chair, approved by the college dean, and appointed by the UF Graduate School dean. The UF Graduate School dean is an ex-officio member of all supervisory committees.
What should I consider when asking faculty to serve on my committee?
The UF Graduate Student Handbook, available online in the menu on the left of this webpage, has a section entitled "Selecting an Advisor" to reference before contacting potential committee members.
Who can serve on a committee?
Only those members of the faculty who have been appointed to the graduate faculty may serve on a supervisory committee. Criteria and categories of appointment are provided in the UF Graduate Policy Manual, available in online form on this website. A list of eligible faculty is found at the back of the UF Graduate Catalog, available in print form or online (see the menu on the left of this webpage).
How many graduate faculty do I need on my committee?
For a nonthesis master's degree, the supervisory committee consists of one advisor from the major department.
For a thesis master's degree, the committee must consist of at least two members, one of whom acts as chair.
For a PhD degree, the committee shall consist of no fewer than four members. At least two members, including the chair, will be from the department recommending the degree (major department), and at least one member will be drawn from a different educational discipline outside the major (external member).
If a minor is chosen, the supervisory committee will include at least one person from outside the discipline of the major for the purpose of representing the student's minor. In the event that the student elects more than one minor, each minor area must be represented on the supervisory committee.
I am pursuing another type of degree. What are those requirements?
For complete details on committee requirements and their variations, consult the UF Graduate Catalog, UF Graduate Student Handbook or UF Graduate Council Policy Manual, available in online form on this website.
How does changing my degree or major impact my committee?
The supervisory committee is appointed for a particular degree program. Therefore, if you change your program, you will need to constitute a new committee. Depending on the type of change, your committee may require some or all new members. A new committee should be appointed as soon as possible.
Can I make changes to my committee even if I'm not changing my program?
With departmental approval, the department may make changes to your committee until the thesis/dissertation defense or midpoint of the final term, whichever comes first.
What is the role of the external member?
The external member's primary responsibility is to represent the interests of the UF Graduate School and UF at doctoral committee activities. In the event that departmental committee activity conflicts with broader university policies or practices, the external member is responsible for bringing such conflicts to the attention of the appropriate governing body. The external member is therefore prohibited from holding any official interest in the doctoral candidate's major department. The external member must also be a regular member of the graduate faculty. Faculty holding joint, affiliate, courtesy, or adjunct graduate faculty appointments in the degree-granting department cannot be external members on a student's committee. Special appointments to supervisory committees may not serve as external committee members.
Is it possible to have a co-chair?
In unusual cases, the research may require the guidance of an expert from an area of study other than that of the chair. The co-chair must have a regular, affiliate or courtesy appointment to the UF graduate faculty. However, the co-chair may only substitute for the chair at any examination if the co-chair is from the major department. This should not be confused with the role of the special member.
What is a special member?
Appropriate candidates for special appointments include individuals from outside of UF with specific expertise which will contribute to a graduate student's program of study; tenure-track faculty who have not yet qualified for graduate faculty status; and non-tenure-track faculty or staff at UF who do not qualify for graduate faculty status.
How is a special member appointed?
People without graduate faculty status may be made official members of a student's supervisory committee through the special appointment process. The chair of the student's supervisory committee fills out a Special Appointment Form with all information for the student and the special appointment, as well as a brief explanation of what the member will contribute to the supervisory committee. A curriculum vitae must be attached to the form if this is the member's first special appointment.
Can the special member serve if I change my intended degree or major?
A special appointment is made for a specific supervisory committee. If a student changes to a new degree or major and the committee chair wishes to include the special member on the new supervisory committee, a second Special Appointment Form must be submitted to the Graduate School for the second committee.
Can the special member serve as the external member or co-chair?
No. Special appointments have several limitations because they are not full graduate faculty. A special appointment may only serve as a regular member of a committee. A special appointment cannot serve as a supervisory committee chair, co-chair, or external member. A special appointment may not be counted toward minimum committee graduate faculty requirements; for instance a master's thesis committee with a special appointment will still require the inclusion of two full members of the graduate faculty. A special appointment may not be the minor representative for a student with a minor.
Can my minor representative also serve as the external member?
The faculty member who represents a minor on a student's committee may be appointed as the external member if s/he does not have a courtesy graduate appointment in the student's major department.
All of my committee members are appointed and the qualifying examination or final defense has been scheduled. I've just been notified that one member can't attend. What are my options?
With the approval of all members of the supervisory committee, one committee member — except for the chair or external member — may be off-site at a qualifying oral examination or at the final oral defense of the dissertation or thesis, using modern communication technology to be present, rather than being physically present.
If a supervisory committee member cannot be present at the student's final defense, a graduate faculty member in the same academic area may substitute for the absent committee member. No substitutions may be made for the committee chair or the external member of the committee. Changes to the supervisory committee may be entered online prior to the qualifying examination.
Should the substitute sign the form?
The substitute should sign the Final Examination form on the left side, in the space provided for committee members, noting the name of the absent member. In addition, the student's major department chair must indicate on the form (or by accompanying correspondence) the reason for the missing member's absence and that the missing original committee member has agreed to this substitution at the final examination.
The substitute committee member should not sign the signature page of the thesis or dissertation. The original committee member must sign. This would be an exception to the rule that the signature page and the Final Examination form are signed simultaneously at the conclusion of the defense.
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