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Supervisory Committee Requirements (TL:DR Version):
Supervisory Committee Requirements (TL:DR Version):
Committee Members
The Research Advisor is the chair of the supervisory committee
Research Advisor must be a member of the MSE Graduate Program Faculty
For PhD candidates, the committee may consist of 4-5 members including the chair.
50% or more of the committee must be "MSE Graduate Program Faculty"
In addition to your committee, you must identify a Graduate Faculty Representative (GFR). The GFR is a faculty member not affiliated with the MSE graduate program who attends your dissertation defense as an impartial observer.
Process/timing: Submit the Appointment of Supervisory Committee form prior to enrollment in MSE 691 Comprehensive Exam.
See below for definition of "MSE Graduate Program Faculty"
Materials Science and Engineering Program Committee Requirements
Materials Science and Engineering Program Committee Requirements
Committee Composition
Committee Composition
You should work with your Research Advisor+ to form your Supervisory Committee and submit an Appointment of Supervisory Committee form, available on the Graduate College forms website, to the Graduate College (with a copy to the Academic Programs Manager) once research toward your thesis/dissertation has commenced.
+other terms for Research Advisor include: Major Advisor, Mentor, PI, Supervisory Committee Chair
The Research Advisor is your primary mentor and must be a member of the "MSE Graduate Program Faculty" within the MSE Ph.D. program. The MSE Graduate Program Faculty includes graduate faculty from the Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering and participating faculty from Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering, and Electrical & Computer Engineering. At least 50% of the Supervisory Committee must be from the MSE Graduate Faculty Body, including at least one from within the School.
*Note: To be a member of the MSE Graduate Program Faculty, an individual must be a Boise State faculty member (Tenure-Track, Tenured, Research, or Clinical). Boise State research and technical staff may hold graduate faculty adjunct or affiliate status and serve as committee members but are not "MSE Graduate Program Faculty". Affiliate and adjunct faculty who can serve on committees are listed on the graduate college website.
Interacting with Committee
Interacting with Committee
Students are encouraged to consider committee members that provide expertise that compliments the committee chair and to help provide support to improve the dissertation/thesis research. We encourage students to meet regularly with all committee members throughout their degree.
Changing Committee Members
Changing Committee Members
A change in the membership of the Supervisory Committee can be made after initial appointment by submitting an updated Appointment of Supervisory Committee form. There are many reasons a Supervisory Committee may need to have changes. If this occurs, you will submit an updated Appointment of Supervisory Committee form.
External Committee Member
(note, this changed from a requirement to an option in December 2023)External Committee Member
PhD candidates may have an external committee member on their Supervisory Committee. This individual must be able to be approved as adjunct or affiliate graduate faculty and generally has Ph.D. level credentials. For most students, this individual is a collaborator or partner at another university, a national lab, or in industry. Once this individual has been identified, contact the Academic Programs Manager to have the graduate-faculty approval process completed.
Procedural Advisor
Procedural Advisor
A procedural advisor is a member of the graduate program who does not hold membership in the graduate faculty. This individual advises students on procedural issues paperwork, course sequencing, and other matters related to academic planning. For the MSE Graduate Programs, this is Jessica Economy, the Academic Programs Manager.
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