Doctoral Committees

Doctoral Committees are tasked with guiding Ph.D. students in conducting their dissertation research and writing. Starting in the second year, the Doctoral Supervisory Committee (Supervisory Committee) is primarily responsible for guiding students toward their preliminary exams, general exams, and the final exam and dissertation, with the greatest burden placed on the Supervisory Committee Chair. A subset of the Supervisory Committee, called the Doctoral Reading Committee (Reading Committee), approves the dissertation itself.