Temporary Advisor
Incoming graduate students are assigned to a temporary academic advisor who consults with the
new student to identify deficiencies, design a proposed program of study, and provide assistance
in initial scheduling of courses. This process is to be completed before registering for the first
semester. The temporary advisor also assists the student in the selection of a permanent academic
advisor.
Academic Advisor and Graduate Committee
A student's academic advisor serves as the chairperson of the M.S. or Doctoral committee. It is
the responsibility of the committee to assist students in planning a course of study consistent
with their interests, EEFE and Graduate School policies, supervise research required for the
degree, and administer certain examinations. It is ultimately the responsibility of the student to
ensure that all the requirements for his/her degree have been met.
EEFE students are required to obtain an academic advisor by the end of their first year in the
program. Students who fail to obtain an academic advisor by the end of the first year could be
making insufficient progress toward completion of degree. Students are permitted to switch
academic advisors at any time during their graduate program.
M.S. Committee
M.S. graduate committees are required to have at least three Penn State Graduate School Faculty
members. The chairperson and at least two members of the committee must be active EEFE
Graduate Faculty members. The committee may include an outside member.
Doctoral Committee
A doctoral committee consists of at least 4 members of the Graduate School Faculty (see list
here: https://secure.gradsch.psu.edu/gpms/). A majority members must be from the EEFE
Program. The committee will include:
- A chair (typically the advisor)
- Two or more additional members of the EEFE faculty
- An Outside FIELD member. This person may or may not be a member of the EEFE faculty but must represent a field outside the student's major field of study.
- An Outside UNIT member. This person must have a primary appointment in a different administrative unit than the advisor (and co-advisor, if applicable). Please contact the Program Office for advice on selecting an outside unit member. The Outside Unit and Outside Field members may be the same person.
In some cases, an individual may have a primary appointment outside the administrative home of
the student's dissertation adviser and represent a field outside the student’s major field of study.
In such cases, the same individual may serve as both the Outside Field Member and the Outside
Unit Member. In cases where the student is also pursuing a dual-title field of study, the dual-title
representative to the committee may also serve as the Outside Field Member and as the Outside
Unit Member if eligible. Doctoral committees are formally listed with the Graduate School at the
time of the candidacy examination.
Further guidelines regarding doctoral committees and the form that must be signed by all
committee members and the Director of Graduate Studies and submitted to the Graduate
Coordinator to be filled with the Graduate School can be found in here:
https://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-education-policies/gcac/gcac-600/gcac-602-phd-committeeformation/.
