Following development of the prospectus, the student and advisor/committee chair will identify additional doctoral thesis committee (committee) members. Committees are comprised of the student’s advisor/committee chair and at least two other faculty members, one of whom must be from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences. Students and their advisor/committee chair may request an outside (non-OUHSC) committee member who by reason of professional expertise or special qualifications can be a contributor to the doctoral thesis committee. The student should contact the Program Director, including their advisor in the correspondence, requesting approval for the external committee member. The external committee member may be considered as one of the two required additional faculty members, besides the advisor, or may be considered an additional non-faculty member in excess of the required committee member makeup. The request should include a brief description of the requested external member, including their credentials, current employment, previous experiences with the student thesis topic (if applicable), and the reason for the request.
The student will submit (email) the prospectus to potential faculty committee members for review. Potential committee members will review the prospectus and determine whether or not they agree to become a member of the student’s doctoral thesis committee.
The committee in collaboration with the advisor/committee chair will inform the student about the process and timelines the committee requires for submission of work to committee members. Usually, the advisor/committee chair reviews and approves drafts of a student’s work before the student gives it to the rest of the committee for review and discussion. Advisor/committee chairs and committees typically require at least two weeks to review student work and provide student feedback.
