1 GRADUATE COUNCIL MEETING 9 May 2012 102 Kern Graduate ...

B4
A person not affiliated with Penn State who has particular expertise in the candidate's research
area may be added as a “Special Member,” upon recommendation by the head of the program
and approval of the graduate dean (via the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services). A Special
Member is expected to participate fully in the functions of the doctoral committee. If the Special
Member is asked only to read and approve the doctoral dissertation, that person is designated a
special signatory. Occasionally, special signatories may be drawn from within the Penn State
faculty in particular situations.
The membership of doctoral committees should be periodically reviewed by the program chair to
ensure that its members continue to qualify for service on the committee in their designated
roles. For example, if appointments, employment at the University, etc., have changed since
initial appointment to the committee, changes to the committee membership may be necessary. If
changes are warranted, they should be made as soon as possible to prevent future problems that
may delay academic progress for the student (e.g., ability to conduct the comprehensive or final
examinations).
Chair--The chair or at least one co-chair must be a member of the graduate faculty of the
specific doctoral program in which the candidate is enrolled. A retired or emeritus faculty
member may chair a doctoral committee if he/she began chairing the committee prior to
retirement and has the continuing approval of the department head or program chair. The
primary duties of the chair are: (1) to maintain the academic standards of the doctoral program
and Tthe Graduate School and assure that all procedures are carried out fairly, (2) to ensure that
the comprehensive and final examinations are conducted in a timely fashion, (3) to arrange and
conduct all meetings, and (4) to ensure that requirements set forth by the committee are
implemented in the final version of the thesis.
Responsibilities of Doctoral Committees--The doctoral committee is responsible for approving
the broad outline of the student’s program and should review the program as soon as possible
after the student’s admission to candidacy. Moreover, continuing communication among the
student, the committee chair, the research supervisor, and the members of the committee is
strongly recommended, to preclude misunderstandings and to develop a collegial relation
between the candidate and the committee.
Doctoral Examination--The (entire) committee will prepare and administer the examination,
and evaluate the candidate’s performance on the examination. If a committee member is unable
to attend the final oral defense, the member may sign as a special signatory. A revised committee
appointment form will need to be sent to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services, 114 Kern
Graduate Building, removing the faculty member as a regular committee member and if it is
desired to designate that individual as a special signatory, a memo must accompany the revised
committee form, requesting that the faculty member be moved to a special signatory. If there are
then not enough members serving on the committee (i.e., four or more active members of the
Graduate Faculty), another Penn State faculty member will need to replace that member to
constitute a legitimate doctoral committee. (Substitutes are not permitted.) These changes and
approvals shall occur before the actual examination takes place. The department or program head
will notify the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services, providing two weeks' notice, when the