Advising & Doctoral Committee

The student is responsible for: 

1. Communicating regularly with his/her doctoral advising committee regarding programs, goals and plans. 

2. Communicating with doctoral advising committee on a regular basis regarding progresses, scheduling meetings, including comprehensive proposal exam presentation, and final oral presentation. Students are responsible to share committee feedback with course faculty. 

3. Scheduling meetings with doctoral advising committee including a Zoom link and calendar link via email.  The program will provide a timeline of expectations (milestones, annual evaluation due dates, etc.) at the start of the semester.  It is the student’s responsibility to schedule meetings, provide an agenda 5-7 days prior, and send any deliverables that need to be reviewed 14 days prior to the meeting.

4. Ensuring deliverables are proof-read prior to sending to faculty. When re-submitting deliverables, students must include editing tables and/or track changes with notations of deliverable improvements.  

5. Communicating to the doctoral advising committee and the Assistant Dean of Graduate Professional Programs a desire to change advisers. 

6. Becoming familiar with and complying with all relevant policies and procedures as set forth by the Graduate School and Graduate Program of the College of Nursing.  

7. Reporting problems that delay progress in completing the degree requirements to the Assistant Dean of Graduate Professional Programs who will report to the Associate Dean for Graduate Education, and when appropriate, the Dean of the Graduate School. 

Typical Advisers: 

1. Make themselves familiar with the curriculum and courses necessary to meet the program requirements within the college. 

2. Become acquainted with the various resources available under Student Services and elsewhere within University organizations. 

3. Maintain reasonable office hours during which students may meet with them via interactive online technology as and when required, discussing any aspect of their scholastic career, especially issues related to the student’s progress and plans for subsequent work. 

4. Familiarize themselves with administrative, University, and departmental regulations, procedures, and scheduled activities relating to the advising process. 

Responsibilities of the adviser include:  

1. Interpret the D.N.P. program design, requirements and policies for the student. 

2. Assist the student in planning objectives for D.N.P. study and clarifying career goals. 

3. Assist the student with registration procedures by referring them to the College of Nursing, Graduate Coordinator for Academic Studies.  

4. Approve and sign all registration materials, drop-add forms and other records. 

5. Monitor the student’s academic progress through communication and discussion with faculty teaching doctoral courses, checking grades and meeting with the student when necessary. 

6. Assist student in meeting deadline for qualifying examination. 

7. Evaluation of the student’s academic progress by completing the annual Individual Development Plan in collaboration with the student. 

8. Maintain student record to include: 

1. Program plan of study  

2. Annual evaluation of student progress (IDP) 

3. Notation of special advisement consultations, phone calls, etc. 

9. Assist the student in selecting a topic for the DNP project. 

10. Assume primary responsibility for guiding the student throughout the process and completion of the final oral presentation, to include assistance with: 

1. Selecting and delimiting a project topic; 

2. Developing a written proposal for the project; 

3. Carrying out the project as proposed (and approved); and 

4. Developing the written and oral presentation of the project. 

11. Review the Qualifying Examination Portfolio, Comprehensive Proposal Examination presentation materials, Final Presentation materials, and reading drafts of the project paper following the course faculty. 

The Doctoral Committee will consist of the student’s adviser and two additional members from the graduate program in Nursing, as assigned by the Assistant Dean of Graduate Professional Programs.  The committee serves in an advisory capacity to the student and assures that the project is feasible in scope and of sufficiently high quality to demonstrate the student’s competence as a leader in the health care system. The D.N.P. faculty will work with the student in developing the initial plan for the project, which will be approved by the full committee. The Graduate Student Committee Procedures & D.N.P. Committee Appointment Signature Form is obtained from the College of Nursing Graduate Program office. 

General guidance of a D.N.P. student is the responsibility of the doctoral committee. A person not affiliated with Penn State who has particular expertise in the project area may be added as a “Special Member,” upon recommendation by the doctoral committee 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. 

Chair—The primary duties of the chair are: (1) to maintain the academic standards of the D.N.P. program and the Graduate School, (2) to ensure that the comprehensive/ proposal hearing, and final oral presentation 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 project. 

GCAC-702-Professional Doctoral Committee Composition - Professional Doctorate

To advise and ultimately approve the written proposal (Comprehensive Examination).  

1. To be available to the student for consultation regarding the project. 

2. To serve on the student’s comprehensive committee/proposal hearing, (written and oral component). 

3. To read the written component of the project and, when appropriate, to designate the written component as complete and acceptable must be based on two-thirds positive vote. 

4. To communicate all committee decisions in writing to the student and the  Assistant Dean of Professional Programs (Chairperson is responsible for this activity). 

5. The written project must approved by the doctoral committee prior to the final presentation. The entire committee must participate in the final oral presentation. If a member is unable to attend, a replacement must be appointed. The student may participate via distance using video-conference technology. 

Comprehensive Examination and Final Oral Presentation— The committee will prepare the student, be present at presentation, and evaluate the D.N.P. student’s performance at the presentation. If there are not enough members serving on the committee present, another Penn State faculty member will need to replace that member to constitute a legitimate D.N.P. committee (substitutes are not permitted). These changes and approvals shall occur before the actual presentation takes place. The department or program head will notify the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services when the D.N.P. student is ready to have the comprehensive/ proposal hearing, and also when the final oral presentation scheduled. Following the final oral presentation, the department or program head will report the results of these presentations to Office of Graduate Enrollment Services. 

A favorable vote of the members of the committee is required for passing a comprehensive examination/proposal presentation or a final oral presentation. If a candidate fails an examination, it is the responsibility of the doctoral committee to determine whether another examination may be taken. 

The doctoral committee and the Assitant Dean of Professional Programs must approve the final project. 

GCAC-702-Professional Doctoral Committee Composition - Professional Doctorate

As Chair of the student’s doctoral committee the responsibilities include:

1. Serve as Chairperson of the student’s DNP Committee. 

2. Notify the Assistant Dean of Professional Programs in writing when the student has successfully passed the comprehensive examination. 

3. Forward a copy of the comprehensive examination form to the Assistant Dean of Professional Programs. 

4. In conjunction with the student, determine their readiness to take the comprehensive examination, subject to approval by the Assistant Dean of Professional Programs.  

5. Once the project has been approved for final oral presentation by the student’s Doctoral Committee, send the appropriate forms to the Assistant Dean of Professional Programs for signature and forwarding to the Graduate School. A minimum of three weeks is required for Graduate School scheduling. 

6. Complete and forward to the Graduate School via the Assistant Dean of Professional Programs, the results of the final oral presentation. 

GCAC-702-Professional Doctoral Committee Composition - Professional Doctorate