Dissertation Committee

This situation should normally not arise. However, these guidelines are stated in the event of such an unlikely situation.

A student who wants to change his/her project/thesis advisor and/or the composition of his/her committee should follow the following guidelines:

1. Changes in Committee:

Once established, the committee, shall be responsible for recommending changes in its composition. A student may petition the committee providing reasons and justification for any desired changes in its composition. When necessary, the student may be required to appear in person before the committee to make arguments in favor of their position. The committee shall do everything necessary to ensure that the student’s concern is heard fairly; when necessary, individual committee (faculty) members may be excused from the proceedings to avoid possible conflict of interest. The Advisor will communicate the committee’s decision to the student in a timely manner. If the change of committee members is permitted, the student can seek a replacement member. In the event the Advisor is involved in the dispute, a member of the committee will be appointed to make this decision, to avert any conflict of interest.

2. Solicitation of individual faculty members as replacements in the Committee:

It shall be the duty of all IE faculty members prior to committing to a solicitation by student to serve as either the Advisor or committee member, to ensure that the solicitation is for the formation of a new committee. In cases where the solicitations are for replacement of committee personnel, the faculty member should verify and ensure that the case has been properly channeled through student's Advisor and other committee members, and a decision has been made for replacement before engaging in any significant dialogue with the student.

If a replacement is sought for the Advisor, a new research topic which is in line with the new advisor's research interests and expertise may be required. In the event that the student desires to maintain the same topic, it shall be his/her responsibility to convince the committee that a change of Advisor is justifiable.

3. Requirements for the student in the event of a change:

If a change is approved by the student’s committee, and replacement is made, the student will be required to present his/her project/thesis proposal for the approval of the new committee (even if a proposal defense has been done before).

For the sake of professional courtesy and to ensure a smooth transition, each faculty member who is contacted by a student to serve as a replacement in the committee should confer with the student’s current Advisor and/or colleague to be replaced and ensure that there are no conflicts of interest issues.

Appendix G: List Of Required Forms

The following forms are available in the ISE Department. These forms should be completed, signed and dated by the student and the appropriate faculty member(s) in a timely manner. Not completing these forms will result in delay of completing requirements for the MSIE program.

1. INITIAL FORMS

DATA SHEET
SPECIALIZATION FORM
GRADUATE PLAN OF STUDY
APPLICATION FOR CHANGE OF STATUS

2. CONTINUING STUDENT FORMS

PROJECT/THESIS PROPOSAL REVIEW NOTIFICATION
PROJECT/THESIS DEFENSE NOTIFICATION

3. GRADUATION FORMS

APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION
REPORT ON THESIS/DISSERTATON EXAMINATION
FINAL CLEARANCE CHECKLIST

4. COURSE WAIVERS (For Ph.D. Students Only)