School of Psychology

Industrial and Organizational Psychology Program

Dissertation

Other Resources

Dissertation Questions

Committees

The dissertation committee you choose will be comprised of four Graduate faculty members. Three committee members must be chosen within the I/O psychology faculty. A fourth member must be a faculty member from an outside department. Each committee member must be approved, and appear on the list of Graduate Faculty members. A list of approved dissertation committee members is available at the Office of Graduate Faculty web page.

The role of the committee is to aid you in the development, direction, and structure of the dissertation. These members preside over the proposal meeting and the dissertation defense. They are responsible for suggesting improvements and for final approval of the dissertation.

The dissertation advisor will support and direct the student in the development of the research ideas, methodology, and the dissertation document. Therefore it is advisable to begin your dissertation in your advisor's research area, or choose an advisor that shares your research interests.

Your other committee members are useful sources of information as well. They tend to be more objective, and can spot potential problems and provide external viewpoints. The role of the outside committee member is to serve as an external check on the project. This member makes sure that the process runs smoothly and in accordance with the college regulations and procedures.