Thesis and Dissertation Committee Formation Guidelines

Thesis and Dissertation Committee Formation Guidelines

Thesis and Dissertation Committee Formation Guidelines

These guidelines are meant to explain the university’s expectations for graduate thesis and dissertation committees in order to ensure the high quality of graduate student research. It outlines the requirements for committee composition, the duties and responsibilities of committee members, the duties and responsibilities of the student, and expectations regarding conflicts of interest and conflict resolution. 


Important Definitions: 

  • Committee Chair - Refers to the individual who leads a student’s thesis or dissertation committee (“chair”). A committee may utilize co-chairs, in which both chairs have equal roles and responsibilities. The committee chair may or may not also serve as the student’s research advisor.
  • Research Advisor – Refers to the individual who primarily supervises a student’s academic activities related to their thesis or dissertation research. The research advisor may or may not also serve as the student’s committee chair.
  • Committee Member – Refers to an individual who serves on a student’s thesis or dissertation committee. 
  • Academic Program – Refers to the program of study in which a student is enrolled.

Committee Composition: 

Every thesis or dissertation committee must have a minimum of three individuals: a chair or co-chairs plus two additional committee members. Eligible committee members may include part-time and adjunct faculty, administrators, retired faculty, and/or community professionals, however, the actual makeup and composition of the committee is established by the academic program. Programs may: require more than three individuals, restrict committee participation based on specific criteria, require different committees for a student’s master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation, or require individuals external to Rowan to serve on committees. 

  1. The process for formalizing a thesis or dissertation committee is completion of (i.e. obtaining all signatures on) the Thesis/Dissertation Committee Appointment Form.
  2. To change members on a thesis or dissertation committee, the student must submit a Thesis/Dissertation Committee Appointment Form indicating the change and obtain the required signatures.

Committee Member Absences: 

  1. If a committee member anticipates an extended but temporary absence during the time the student is working on the thesis/dissertation, they should arrange for a means of communication as necessary or designate an appropriate temporary substitute.
  2. If the chair is unexpectedly absent at the time the student is completing the thesis/dissertation, the department chair or their delegate may act as chair.
  3. Under extenuating circumstances, a student in the final stages of the thesis/dissertation may be approved to have fewer than three members (i.e. member’s death or sudden departure from the university). In this case, the student’s committee chair (or Program Coordinator, if the committee chair is the absentee) should e-mail the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies for approval.

Committee Resignations and Dissolutions: 

Any committee member, including the chair, may resign at any time from a thesis/dissertation committee. The entire committee may also be dissolved in two ways:

  1. The student’s final thesis/dissertation has been approved by the School of Graduate Studies.
  2. The student does not register for continued thesis/dissertation credits, takes a leave of absence of more than two consecutive semesters, or fails to progress after a thesis/dissertation remediation plan has been implemented. In this case, the committee chair has the option of dissolving the committee by sending an e-mail with the reason of dissolution to the student at the time of committee dissolution and copy the committee members, the department chair, and graduate program coordinator. The student must complete a new Committee Appointment Form to form a new committee

 

Research Advisor Duties and Responsibilities: 

It is the responsibility of the research advisor to:

  1. Serve as a mentor to the student, provide guidance and technical expertise during the conduct of the research, and provide the student with regular feedback on the progress of the research.
  2. Assume the role of Principal Investigator (PI) for student research involving human subjects or animal subjects and ensure university policies are observed.
  3. Ensure the student is aware of university thesis/dissertation deadlines and research protocols including required forms; manuscript formatting requirements; laboratory and fieldwork safety; and research compliance requirements including human subjects, animal subjects, and use of biohazards.
  4. Advise the student on university requirements for continuous enrollment and/or credit requirements while working on a thesis/dissertation.
  5. Review the proposal and final product for potential academic integrity violations and report violations to the university as necessary.
  6. Report violations of university, state, or federal policies to the appropriate Rowan office.

Committee Chair Duties and Responsibilities: 

It is the responsibility of the chair to: 

  1. Discuss approximate time schedule with the student, including any required committee meetings, for the accomplishment of thesis/dissertation work.
  2. Sign the student’s Thesis/Dissertation Committee Appointment Form.
  3. Provide additional mentorship and technical assistance with the student’s research and ensure the proposal and final product consists of sound methodology and rigorous academic quality.
  4. Facilitate the defense process, ensuring the structure of the defense follows the pre-determined, published program standards. 
  5. Sign and ensure all committee members sign the Thesis/Dissertation Approval Form immediately upon the student’s successful defense for documentation purposes. Signatures should be obtained in the room immediately after successful defense, when feasible.
  6. Communicate required post-defense revisions to the student and ensure thesis/dissertation revisions are satisfactory prior to final thesis/dissertation approval via the Thesis/Dissertation Approval Form.
  7. Notify the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies if a student did not successfully defend and may no longer participate in upcoming commencement ceremonies as anticipated.
  8. Report violations of university, state, or federal policies to the appropriate Rowan office.

 

Committee Member Duties and Responsibilities: 

It is the responsibility of committee members to:

  1. Sign the student’s Thesis/Dissertation Committee Appointment Form.
  2. Provide the student with another conduit for gathering information and expressing concerns about the thesis/dissertation process.
  3. Provide additional mentorship and technical assistance with the student’s research and ensure the proposal and final product consists of sound methodology and rigorous academic quality.
  4. Sign the Thesis/Dissertation Approval Form immediately upon the student’s successful defense.
  5. Communicate required revisions to the student and committee chair and ensure revisions are satisfactory prior to final thesis/dissertation approval.
  6. Report violations of university, state, or federal policies to the appropriate Rowan office.

Student Duties and Responsibilities: 

It is the responsibility of the student to:

  1. Review and comply with university thesis/dissertation research protocols including required forms; manuscript formatting requirements; laboratory and fieldwork safety; and research compliance requirements including human subjects, animal subjects, and use of biohazards.
  2. Provide written materials, data, or presentations requested by the committee by the stated deadline.
  3. Communicate with their committee to establish a reasonable amount of time required for review of thesis/proposal drafts and final revisions.
  4. Observe program and university deadlines for submission of revisions and final manuscript for publication in the ProQuest thesis and dissertation database.

Real or Perceived Conflicts of Interest

  1. Committee members (both internal and external to Rowan) must disclose agreements or arrangements in which an actual or perceived conflict of interest (COI) may arise. Potential conflicts may arise between the student and committee members or between committee members. Examples of potential conflicts include, but are not limited to:
    1. familial or legal ties; 
    2. employment relationship with the student that falls outside the scope of student employment related to their graduate degree program; 
    3. committee member having a financial relationship/arrangement with the research sponsor/funding source (such as, but not limited to, salaried employee, consultant, or contractor); 
    4. personal or social relationships that may give the perception that an individual may not feel free to raise objective concerns; 
    5. joint commercial or business relationships; 
    6. direct commercial interests in the outcomes of the student’s research; 
    7. access to or use of private data not authorized for use in research or academia;
    8. sponsor restrictions on the use of data or results for future research or academic purposes; 
    9. publication restrictions imposed upon the student by their research sponsor/funding source;
    10. publication restrictions imposed upon the student by committee members.
  2. Students must identify conflicts of interest and/or complete a significant financial interest form related to any human subjects research or other research activities requiring disclosure of conflicts and significant financial interests.
  3. Committee members must disclose a perceived or actual COI in writing to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and cc: to the Dean of the college/school overseeing the academic program. Disclosure must occur at the time of signing the Thesis/Dissertation Committee Appointment Form or immediately upon the emergence of a new actual or perceived COI.
  4. Upon receipt of a disclosure, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies will convene an ad hoc committee to review the information and determine whether an actual or perceived COI exists and if so, how the COI shall be managed. The committee may include members from the university Conflict of Interest Committee, the Research Compliance Office, the Faculty Senate Professional Ethics and Welfare committee, Office of General Counsel, the School of Graduate Studies, or additional members deemed relevant to the specific disclosure.
    1. If a COI exists, a written COI management plan will be shared with the student, the student’s committee chair, academic program coordinator, and college/school dean.

Disputes and Resolutions: 

In the event that a dispute or disagreement arises between a student and their committee or between committee members, the following procedures should be followed. Sufficient documentation should be kept by relevant parties at each step in this process:

  1. First and foremost, the dispute should be handled among the student and committee itself.
  2. If the committee and student are unable to come to a resolution; the committee chair or student should seek assistance from the department chair, who will work with the academic program coordinator on dispute resolution. Programs should follow their published dispute resolution procedures.
  3. If no resolution can be achieved at the program/department level, the committee chair or student should seek assistance from the Dean’s Office in their respective academic college or school.
    1. In cases when the parties in conflict are affiliated with programs based in different colleges or schools, or when the most appropriate home unit is not clear, the matter should be brought directly to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies (SGS).
  4. If the College/School Dean’s office is unable to find a resolution, they should contact the Dean of SGS. All written documentation and materials must be provided to the Dean of SGS by e-mail, including documentation of all prior attempts at conflict resolution. Potential courses of action by the Dean of SGS include:
    1. Referral back to the program/department or college/school: If the documentation provided does not demonstrate sufficient attempt at conflict resolution, the Dean of SGS will refer the matter back for an attempt at resolution.
    2. Referral to other Rowan offices: If the conflict falls under the jurisdiction of another Rowan office (examples are, but not including to, academic integrity, harassment, or discrimination), the documentation will be sent to that office for further dispute resolution.
    3. Resolution by SGS: If it is determined that prior attempts at resolution were robust but have failed and all relevant policies and procedures were followed, the Dean of the SGS will convene the standing Disputes and Resolutions Committee to review the documentation and provide a resolution. The Disputes and Resolution Committee may call upon relevant expertise to assist in assessing the issue.
  5. All parties are expected to conduct their review as expeditiously as is reasonable. Rowan University’s Office of Student Equity & Compliance enforces a strict no tolerance policy regarding retaliation. This is in effect during all stages of committee dispute and conflict resolution.