The Dissertation Committee
The Dissertation Committee is composed of at least four members, three of whom are members of the Environmental Sciences Graduate Faculty. One member must be an Outside Member, who is expected to be a recognized authority on the subject of the dissertation. The Committee is appointed by the Graduate Program Director in consultation with the student's advisor. The Committee should meet with the student as soon as possible after a research topic is formulated to discuss the candidate's written research proposal. This may be before or after the qualifying examination. However, it is important to be clear that the student is not a Ph.D. candidate until after the qualifying examination has been passed. Subsequent meetings of the Dissertation Committee are at the discretion of the student's advisor. The candidate defends his/her dissertation before this Committee, at least three of whom must approve it.