How to Select Your Thesis Committee

Completing a thesis or a dissertation requires dedication, perseverance, and motivation. Effective guidance is a beneficial tool in completing a successful, scholarly product. As a graduate student, you are responsible for selecting your thesis committee and for asking each member to be a member of the committee. Your committee will affect your experience as a student as well as the thesis you produce, so it is important to be thoughtful and strategic as you choose members. 

Review Your Department's Requirements for Thesis Committees

Your university and department likely have a document that outlines requirements for your thesis or dissertation committee. Ohio State University, for example, has a Graduate School Handbook. If you don't have this document and can't find it on the university website, ask your advisor for it. The guidelines may require, for example, the committee for a graduate student to have three members (an advisor and two other members). There may also be requirements for the rank faculty members must hold in order to serve on a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation committee. Some programs require a certain number of members from within the department versus from outside the department. All of this information will help you understand how many faculty members you need to find. It also helps you understand which faculty members you can choose from. 

Keep in mind the deadlines your program has for forming committees, scheduling proposals, and other steps in the process to earning your degree. Generally, there are rules on when things are done, the order in which they are done, and how much notice you must give committee members regarding certain steps. For example, there may be a guideline stating that you are required to provide your proposal draft to committee members at least 2 weeks before scheduling your proposal meeting. 

Alignment with Faculty Research Interests

Committee members’ expertise and experience in a specific research area (qualitative or quantitative) should be a primary factor in selecting your committee. When considering potential committee members, you likely have an idea about the focus of your dissertation research. Consider the key terms related to your research topic or question to help you identify faculty members whose research interests are aligned with yours. An individual with expertise in the area of your research topic can guide you toward specific literature to develop your argument. If you're unfamiliar with a faculty member's research expertise, visit their profile on Google Scholar.

If you choose a member without content knowledge in your field, you may gain guidance in developing the general areas of the dissertation or thesis. However, this member may lack the content knowledge to offer direction towards specific developments in the field. On the other hand, if a faculty member has certain research methodology skills and experience, their content knowledge may not be as important. For example, if most research studies in your field utilize regression models, you want to make sure you have someone with expertise on regression models on your committee. The most important thing to consider is what each committee member contributes to the development of your dissertation or thesis research.

Faculty Personalities and Communication Style

Receiving feedback that you can use to effectively revise your thesis or dissertation is paramount to completing the work. Therefore, it’s important to choose committee members who offer useful feedback. Useful feedback includes specific comments about necessary changes, literature to consider, and details about how to change a particular section; however, feedback may also offer ideas about major changes without describing the various paragraphs that need modification. Consider the type of feedback that is most helpful to you as you work on revisions.  Do you prefer specific details of how to change each section or bigger picture ideas? In either case, you will want to consider hiring an editor to check the syntax, verb tense, word choice, punctuation, clarity, and flow of the document prior to final submission. Copy editing and proofreading are not the responsibilities of your committee members.

When selecting your thesis or dissertation committee, you should also consider factors such as relationship, communication, feedback style, and the expertise of the committee member you are considering. Time is an additional concern because most faculty members have many other responsibilities and have limited time to devote to guiding students through the process of writing a thesis or dissertation. As faculty members contemplate your request to become a committee member, their other obligations, subject matter knowledge, and relationship with you may be factors that influence whether they accept this role. Overall, it is important to find committee members who are accessible, offer effective criticism, and support you as you engage in all parts of the process, from the development of your research idea to the analysis of your findings, so that you can complete a polished, scholarly product.

It is useful to choose supportive, helpful, and nurturing individuals if you seek kind and gentle encouragement from potential committee members, but it is also helpful to find individuals who offer blunt, but clear, constructive criticism. Think about professors whose courses satiated a deeper understanding of the topics studied in class. Consider professors who inspired you to delve deeper into your research passions and with whom you had conversations that provoked further pursuit of the topic. In essence, choose members with whom you have built a strong connection during your coursework.

Talk With Your Advisor

Your advisor will likely give suggestions for possible committee members you should meet with. Your advisor should understand both your research topic and other faculty members' expertise, so you can ask for recommendations. Listen to your advisor's suggestions and share any thoughts you have. Don't feel limited to the suggestions of your advisor. However, pay close attention because there may be faculty who don't work well together and and this could be clear in your advisor's unspoken communication.

Talk With Other Graduate Students

Current and previous students in your program are a good source of information. They have had experiences with faculty that can help inform your decision-making process. Others in your program can give unique insights on selecting committee members, but keep in mind that every person has their own intentions and experiences. Current and former students can share information on which faculty members are more accessible and which ones have slower communication or are more difficult.

Set up Meetings with Potential Committee Members

Asking to set up a meeting with possible committee members can give more information than what you gain during the meeting. This process helps you understand who is reliable and has time in their schedule for meetings. You can also gauge a faculty mmember's interest in your research topic and in serving on your committee. During your discussion with the faculty member you can get a better idea of whether they seem able to provide the guidance you need.

How to Ask Faculty to Serve on Your Thesis Committee

As stated above, your graduate program likely has its own guidelines for thesis and dissertation committees. You need to review your department's handbook for this information. For example, the handbook generally states how many committee members are required and the responsibilities of the committee chair.  When you're ready to form your committee, reach out to your list of potential committee members via email.

Be sure to write your email professionally and respectfully, explain your project in a few sentences, and provide a few reasons why the committee member would be a good fit. This can be an intimidating step, but faculty should support you and help you develop as a researcher. Your committee members should be faculty members who provide constructive feedback, help you improve your research, and help you get through graduate school with your desired degree.

Overall, your committee will guide you through the process, so that you can achieve the final steps in attaining a graduate degree. It’s critical to select a committee that will offer guidance, constructive feedback, knowledge, and expertise of your subject as a whole group. The members should be accessible and have time to support your endeavor. The committee, which may be comprised of two to five members, should be a good fit for your research goals and support you as you cross the finish line towards obtaining your graduate degree.

FAQs

Who should I talk to about selecting my dissertation or thesis committee?

Before selecting your dissertation or thesis committee, you should first talk to your advisor and get their advice. You can also talk to other students in your program, especially those who are a few years ahead of you. Talking to the faculty members in your department will be helpful. If there are faculty members outside your department who you think would be a good addition to your committee, also talk to them.

How do I ask someone to be on my thesis or dissertation committee?

If you have a meeting set up with a faculty member who you want to ask to be on your committee, you could ask them in person. However, in most cases graduate students send an email to potential committee members. This is a good way to clearly explain your research topic and why you think they would be a good fit. It also gives that person the time and space to make a decision and respond.

What if a faculty member turns me down?

There will be times in your career when a prospective mentor, committee member, or co-investigator will decline your offer. It's perfectly normal! The feeling of rejection can be hard at first, but don't take it personally or stay down too long. A faculty member may have a variety of reasons why they're unable at that moment to be part of your committee. Consider other faculty members who could be a good addition to your committee and set up a meeting. This gives you a chance to get to know more faculty members.

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