Program areas may further specify additional committee membership. The Office of Graduate Studies reserves the right to review appointments to advisory committees, place a representative on any advisory committee, or appoint a co-adviser. In unusual cases, with approval from the department Chair, two professors may chair the committee jointly. Joint faculty members may serve as committee chairs, but off-campus experts and adjunct faculty may not serve as committee chairs. Particular programs may have more stringent requirements.
All members vote on acceptance or rejection of the thesis proposal and the final thesis.
The thesis proposal and final thesis must be approved by a majority of the advisory committee. The program requirements are the same as for the thesis option except that the thesis requirement is replaced by 12 credit hours of course work. A minimum of 81 semester hours beyond the baccalaureate degree, including 24 semester hours of dissertation credits, are required. Up to 36 semester hours of credit, including a maximum of 6 credits of thesis, may be transferred into the doctoral program. The Dean, through the Chairs, is responsible for committee formation, additions, and deletions.