Texas A&M University Graduate Catalog

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Degree Information

The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Student's Advisory Committee

After receiving admission to graduate studies and enrolling, the student will consult with the head of his or her major or administrative department (or chair of the intercollegiate faculty) concerning appointment of the chair of the advisory committee. The student's advisory committee will consist of no fewer than four members of the graduate faculty representative of the student's several fields of study and research, where the chair or co-chair must be from the student's department (or intercollegiate faculty, if applicable), and at least one or more of the members must be from a department other than the student's major department. The outside member for students in interdisciplinary degree programs must be from a department different from the chair of the student's committee.

The chair, in consultation with the student, will select the remainder of the advisory committee. Only graduate faculty members located on the campuses at College Station, Galveston, Texas A&M University-Temple Campus or Institute of Biosciences and Technology-Houston may serve as chair of a student's advisory committee. Other Texas A&M University graduate faculty members, including the Texas A&M University System graduate faculty, may serve as co-chair with an individual located at College Station or Galveston.

The committee members' signatures on the degree plan indicate their willingness to accept the responsibility for guiding and directing the entire academic program of the student and for initiating all academic actions concerning the student. Although individual committee members may be replaced by petition for valid reasons, a committee cannot resign en masse. The chair of the committee, who usually has immediate supervision of the student's research and dissertation or record of study, has the responsibility for calling all meetings of the committee. The duties of the committee include responsibility for the proposed degree plan, the research proposal, the preliminary examination, the dissertation or record of study and the final examination. In addition, the committee, as a group and as individual members, is responsible for counseling the student on academic matters, and, in the case of academic deficiency, initiating recommendations to the Office of Graduate Studies.