The chemistry graduate program relies on Laney Graduate School guidelines to define who may serve on a graduate committee.
- Of note: LGS refers to the committee as the “dissertation committee” – in chemistry, the dissertation committee also serves as the committee for all academic progress reports and milestones.
The primary research mentor serves as the committee chair. If a student has engaged a co-mentor, they must also be a member of the committee. The other committee members can be any Laney Graduate School faculty member, in accordance with LGS guidelines.
When: Scholars must submit your committee selections to the graduate program coordinator no later than September 30 of the second year.
The DGS will review and finalize committee requests and may make adjustments to ensure distribution of responsibility across the faculty. Scholars will then receive a formal letter finalizing their committee no later than October 15.
- LGS requires a dissertation committee form that must be submitted no later than September 15 of the fourth year. Scholars are strongly encouraged to submit this form as soon as your committee is finalized; LGS will place scholars on probation if they do not meet the LGS deadline.
The committee is expected to serve as a resource throughout the PhD, which includes:
- reviewing required reports and milestones
- serving as the scholar’s dissertation committee
Scholars are expected to take an active role in managing their relationship with committee members. This includes:
- Providing regular research progress reports, including the annual report (if required) and milestone requirements;
- Responding to email from the committee in a timely manner—within one business day;
- Taking responsibility for scheduling activities that require the committee to collaborate, including reserving rooms and providing at least one week’s notice when the committee needs to meet.
If a scholar wishes to change their committee, they must submit a petition to the graduate program – and also submit a new LGS dissertation committee form.
If the graduate program requires a scholar to change their committee due to some operational need, such as a change in the availability of a faculty member, the scholar will be provided with written notice and asked to submit a petition once they identify a new committee member. In these cases, committee membership must be updated within one semester of the notification.