Choosing a dissertation committee is one of the most important decisions of a doctoral student’s doctoral career. Although it may seem like an easy and straight forward task, there are often complications and issues that may arise as a result of dissertation committee choices.
Early in doctoral studies, try to become involved in research. Finding out about faculty members’ interests and research pursuits is a way to ensure that you line yourself up with a committee that not only understands your research interests, but is interested in putting the time into seeing you through your dissertation. Read department bulletins, publications and announcements to find out more about faculty activities. However, while collaborating with faculty is an excellent thing to do and can result in good opportunities for you, do not let this deter you from exploring other options. If you stay focused on one faculty member you could be doing yourself a disservice in the long run.
Explore all your options and consider interviewing potential faculty for your dissertation committee, letting them know that you would like to better understand how they work as part of a dissertation committee. Inquire as to type of research they have worked with, how many dissertations they have been a part of in the past (and most importantly, how many they are involved with now-as too many committees means less time for you), what their working style is, how much time they expect doctoral students to spend in meeting with committee members, and what their availability is like.
Be straight forward and honest with potential dissertation committee members-be prepared with a line of research you are interested in exploring so that you can let them know your interests and ask them if this would be of interest to them. Inquire as to potential sabbaticals or other plans they may have which could interfere with your dissertation. Remember, the most important thing about selecting a dissertation committee is that you come first. If you do not watch out for yourself and ensure you are able to complete your dissertation, you can not expect faculty to do this for you even though they may appear to be looking out for your best interests. They are also looking out for themselves and their careers.
Inquire as to which faculty members are tenured and which are getting ready to go up for tenure. Faculty are typically extremely busy, especially those who are not yet tenured. They are in the process of trying to complete their own research, write articles for publication and make themselves as indispensable to the department as they can. While these faculty members may be more willing to become a dissertation committee member, they may also be busier and less able to put in the time when it comes down to the wire for you completing your dissertation.
If possible, join a research team or two. Attend meetings; assist with data collection, running experiments, literature searches….anything you can to get involved. Oftentimes students who get involved in faculty research may find a dissertation opportunity available or a potential committee member. Find out also what faculty career plans are. It is very difficult to start research with a committee member who is planning on leaving the department, whether it is by retirement, another position or because they did not get tenure. In my own experience, my research was delayed as a result of an untenured faculty member leaving the department and then the country as a result of not getting tenure.
While most schools may allow you to have a committee member outside of the department, and in some cases this may be helpful, you also want to be sure that this person is going to be accessible and has the necessary background for you to be able to complete scholarly work. While this person may be eager to assist you and become a member of your dissertation committee, if they are extremely busy or you do not have easy access to them, you may find you spend more time trying to track them down or waiting for them to return work to you. They are also not accountable to the department chair or dean at your school.
During courses, if you enjoy the professor’s style, their feedback on your work and their willingness to work with students, inquire as to whether they are looking for a Teaching or Graduate Assistant, or help with a research project. This is a great way to get to know them better and may turn into a possible research or dissertation opportunity for you.
Sit in on courses of professors who you may be interested in working with on your dissertation. Observe their teaching style, and most importantly, their interactions with other students. This can tell you a lot about how they may interact with you during the intimate working process of a dissertation. Read their research in published journals, and if possible read their own dissertations. This will give you an idea of their working style, writing style, attention to detail and research methods preferred. You also want to inquire about professor’s willingness and ability to do qualitative versus quantitative research. If for example you are planning on doing a qualitative research study for your dissertation, you do not want a dissertation committee member who has never done qualitative research and does not value this type of research.
Get to know the politics of the department. One of the biggest challenges in choosing a dissertation committee is the member’s ability to “play well in the sandbox” together. You do not need or want the stress of dealing with faculty conflict during your dissertation. You want your dissertation members to not only respect one another, but to also respect the other members’ ability to do research, to teach and to critique work.
The most important person on your dissertation committee is your dissertation chair. This is the person who can make the difference on whether your ride is a smooth or rocky one. They are the person who will be the first to read and critique your work, who will distribute your work when ready to the other committee members and who you will turn to for support and encouragement if you should find your motivation is low. You should be able to trust this person, respect and value their feedback and want to spend some time with them as the dissertation process is not only time consuming, but it can be energy draining. Most importantly, be sure of this person’s agenda. Do they really want you to succeed and finish in a timely manner? Are they more interested in their own work or research? This can be especially tricky if your dissertation is using this person’s data, or is a spin off on a project they initiated. What is this person’s management style? Are they going to micromanage you or are they pretty much hands off and are willing to let you pursue your interests? You may want or need a person who is going to be constantly looking over your shoulder. Only you can truly answer this question. Your work styles should match and your chair should be able to give you the direction and help you need when you need it. Another indication of who to select for your chair especially is their ability and quickness to respond to emails, phone calls and the like. If weeks go by and emails and phone calls are not responded to, this is not the person you want as chair or perhaps even on your committee. This is a reflection of how difficult it will be to get them to read and respond to your work.
Your dissertation chair may also be able to help you select the rest of your committee. This can be both good and bad. While it may make the selection process easier, if something goes wrong with your chair (such as them leaving the department), the rest of the committee may no longer be as on board with your research, or your chair may be unwilling to work with other faculty who you would like to. Do not allow your chair to dictate who you select or to limit you as to whom you select. While this is the person you want to please the most, you also do not want to be subject to their own personal nuances. In my experience, my chair who ended up not getting tenure and leaving the department, “suggested” who I should select on the committee and let me know who she felt was not appropriate. The result was she became inaccessible once she left the department, and I had committee members I did not necessarily want to work with.
You want your committee to have strengths in different areas. While it may be easier to have a committee who always work together, they may also not be willing to confront or critique one another’s work. You should have one member who is very good at statistics, while another is excellent in editing. While dissertation members do not have to be familiar with every aspect of your research, and depending on the program, you may not have a faculty person who is, they should at least be interested and able to understand materials you present them with, as well as possess the ability to critique the literature and your research methods. You also want your committee to have a balance of being able to be both supportive and critical. While perhaps it would make your life easier, you do not want all the dissertation members to push everything you send them through with few comments, editing or criticisms. This could result in a disaster when you go to defend your dissertation and are unable to answer audience questions or when publishing your work and unable to answer editorial questions.
Finally, the most important person next to the dissertation chair on the dissertation committee is you. You have to spend some time doing self-exploration. What do you think are the most important qualities to have in the dissertation committee members? What do you want the process to be like for you? How much involvement and management do you feel you need and want? How much space, support, guidance, encouragement, freedom or security do you honestly need (and want) from your committee members. What is your timeline? What do you want to do after your dissertation? (this can help guide you as to who to select on your committee for interests). Do you need someone who is going to be able to be there for you to talk to when you have difficulties? How rigorous do you want your dissertation to be? Do you want it to be a scholarly work that contributes something to the field or are you doing this to just do it and get through your program? How much of a self-starter are you and do you need someone on your committee to be able to push you and provide you with deadlines and time management?
Choosing a dissertation committee is not a process to be taken lightly as it can mean the difference between you graduating when you want to, or much later than expected. It can mean the difference between having numerous headaches as a result of other people’s personality, demands and expectations, or having a pleasant and academically rigorous and rewarding dissertation process.
