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Master’s Plan A & Plan B ONLY
- When a student is accepted to a master’s degree program, the department head appoints a temporary advisor.
- During the first semester following matriculation, the student should meet with the temporary advisor to discuss the appointment of a supervisory committee.
- A completed Supervisory Committee Approval form should be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies for final approval by the end of the student’s second semester.
- A master’s degree supervisory committee must include at least three faculty members who hold a master’s degree or higher and are members of the Graduate Faculty.
- At least one member must represent the student’s area of specialization, and at least one must be from outside the specialization area.
- Within School of Graduate Studies and departmental requirements, the supervisory committee does the following:
- Determines courses for the student’s Program of Study;
- Conducts any required departmental qualifying examinations;
- Supervises the student’s thesis research, Plan B paper or project;
- and conducts the defense or final examination.
- The defense or final examination must be scheduled through the School of Graduate Studies.
- The major professor, who serves as the chairperson of the committee, usually directs the thesis, paper, or other degree project.
- A faculty member should not serve on a supervisory committee if, for any reason, they will not be available for committee meetings.
- All committee members must attend the defense at the date and time registered with the School of Graduate Studies.
- While in-person defense is preferred and recommended, members of the committee may participate remotely with both audio and video interaction.
- Students should work with their committee members to arrange defense participation and details prior to submitting an Appointment for Examination.
- Changes in the membership of a supervisory committee cannot be made during the six weeks prior to the defense without a written request from the department head and approval of the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies.
- No committee member should agree to proceed with a defense until they have carefully read and approved the thesis or plan B paper.
- Co-Advisors can be from any department but cannot also serve as the committee member from outside the department.
Doctoral Degree
- When a doctoral student is admitted, the department head appoints a temporary advisor to work with the student until a supervisory committee is formally established.
- A completed Supervisory Committee Approval form should be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies for approval by the end of the student’s third semester.
- Changes to a supervisory committee must be documented and approved by submitting a Supervisory Committee Revision form and cannot be made six weeks prior to the final defense.
- A doctoral supervisory committee must include at least five faculty who hold doctoral degrees and are current members of Graduate Faculty.
- The committee must consist of three members from within the student’s department and at least one member who is outside either the department or interdepartmental degree-granting program in which the student is enrolled.
- Within School of Graduate Studies and departmental requirements, the supervisory committee
- Determines courses for the student’s Program of Study;
- Oversees any qualifying examinations and comprehensive examination, unless another departmental or program procedure is in place*;
- Approves the dissertation proposal;
- Supervises the student’s research and preparation of the dissertation;
- Participates in or conducts departmental annual reviews*;
- Conducts the final oral examination.
- The major professor is the chairperson of the committee and usually directs the student’s research.
- Continuation in a doctoral program is contingent upon the availability of a major professor.
- *Some departments or interdepartmental programs administer qualifying examinations. Each department or program has the responsibility of administering comprehensive examinations.
- Supervisory committee members should hold a degree equivalent to or higher than the one the graduate student is seeking and have completed a dissertation or thesis requirement similar to that which the graduate student is completing.
- A faculty member should not serve on a supervisory committee if, for any reason, they will not be available for committee meetings.
- All committee members must attend the defense at the date and time registered with the School of Graduate Studies.
- While in-person defense is preferred and recommended, members of the committee may participate remotely with both audio and video interaction.
- Students should work with their committee members to arrange defense participation and details prior to submitting an Appointment for Examination.
- Changes in the membership of a supervisory committee cannot be made during the six weeks prior to the defense without a written request from the department head and approval of the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies.
- No committee member should agree to proceed with a defense until they have carefully read and approved the dissertation.
- After the final defense, the student should submit their finalization paperwork and finished manuscript to the School of Graduate Studies for review.
- Once approved, the manuscript will either be uploaded to DigitalCommons, or physically submitted to the library if the student wishes to embargo their work. Library personnel will notify the student and the School of Graduate Studies once the manuscript is accepted.
Committee Members from Outside of the Department
- While it is the expectation that all members of a thesis/dissertation committee would uphold these values, the specific role of the outside member of a thesis or dissertation committee is to ensure the success of the dissertation/thesis process for the student with regard to three primary goals:
- A fair, ethical, and humane process for the student;
- A rigorous academic, and intellectual experience that yields meaningful insights accessible to the disciplinary and broader communities; and
- Safeguarding against “group think” or tacit expectations that may not be intuitive or evident to the student.
- All committee members, including members outside the department, must be approved by the Dean of the College, Department Head, and the Vice Provost of the School of Graduate Studies.
Committee Members from Outside the University
- Committee Members from outside the university may serve as a member at large of the committee.
- All committee members, including members outside the university, must be approved by the Dean of the College, Department Head, and the Vice Provost of the School of Graduate Studies.
- Committee Members from outside the University may not fill the role of “Outside Committee Member.”
- NOTE: Departments are responsible for setting up these committee members with an A#.
- The Department’s Business Services Team can submit a request for an A#.
- The committee member from outside the university can also be set up with IT Opt-In, which can also be obtained with the assistance of the department’s Business Services Team.
Emeritus/Emerita Faculty
- Emeritus faculty may continue to serve as committee members or major professors on any committee they are on at the time they become emeritus.
- They may serve as committee members on committees formed after they become emeritus, but not as major professor.
- NOTE: The Department is responsible for ensuring that Emeritus/Emerita faculty retain an A# and IT access.
Faculty Who Leave USU for Another Academic Institution or Job
- Faculty who leave USU for another institution may continue to serve as committee members on graduate student committees upon the request of the department and with approval from the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies.
- On graduate student committees where the departing member is major professor, there must be a new major professor or a co-major professor who is a faculty member at USU.
- NOTE: Departments are responsible for ensuring that these committee members retain an A# and IT Access.
- The Department’s Business Services can submit a request for an A# for the committee member if necessary.
- The committee member can also be set up with IT Opt-In, which can also be obtained with the assistance of the department’s Business Services Team.
- NOTE: Departments are responsible for ensuring that these committee members retain an A# and IT Access.
Policies on this page can be referenced in the School of Graduate Studies Catalog.