8.1 – Faculty Methodological Expertise
Faculty members in the School of Education span various, diverse methodological areas. Please review our research page to become familiar with which professors specialize in specific methods.
8.2 – Faculty Subject Expertise
Faculty members in the School of Education cover a wide variety of research subjects. Please review our research page to become familiar with which professors specialize in varying subjects.
8.3 – Major Professor (Chair) Responsibilities
Procedural Matters
- Review and sign forms requiring the major professor’s approval.
- Preside at meetings of the Program of Study (POS) committee.
- Recommend to the dean of the Graduate College in writing that:
- Provisional admission be changed to full admission after background deficiencies have been corrected with a B-grade average or better. If the student is a nonnative English speaker, the graduate English requirement must also be met.
- Student be removed from probation or request to be allowed to register for satisfactory academic performance.
- Significant changes in the program of study are necessary (must be approved by the student, committee members, and the program’s DOGE before submission to the Graduate College).
- Waiver of six-month requirement between the preliminary oral and final oral examinations requested (must be approved by student, major professor, and program’s DOGE before submission to the Graduate College).
- All conditions placed on a preliminary oral or final oral examination may be removed. If the report form is checked that all committee members must sign to remove a condition, then all signatures will be required to remove the condition.
- Time extension to complete the degree requested be granted (must also be signed and approved by the program’s DOGE before submission to the Graduate College).
- Graduation with less than the 3.00 GPA for extenuating circumstances (must also be approved by the program’s DOGE before submitting to the Graduate College).
- Changes in committee are made and approved by the Graduate College prior to a preliminary or final oral examination (also signed by all members involved in the change and the program’s DOGE).
- Present doctoral candidates at graduation ceremonies.
- Write letters of recommendation for students as appropriate.
Research and Thesis/Dissertation Responsibilities
- Guide the graduate student doing research by conferring regularly to review and evaluate progress.
- Guide the student in development of communication skills through assistance in preparing manuscripts for presentation or publication.
- Criticize constructively the written draft(s) of a thesis or dissertation before it is circulated to other members of the POS committee.
- Work with the student in editing the written draft(s) of the thesis or dissertation.
The Major Professor’s Relationship with the Student
- Provide needed guidance without hampering creativity.
- Be accessible within a reasonable schedule for discussions with the student.
- Accept a student only if he or she has sufficient time to direct the student’s program and can reasonably expect to have available facilities and sufficient funding to support the student to the completion of the degree.
- Write letters of recommendation for the student and aid with job or position placement as appropriate.
- Inform the student of any special leave that may cause inconvenience or delay in the student’s research progress or in the arrangement of the preliminary oral or final oral examinations.
Resolution of Major Professor-Student Relationship Problems
- When irreconcilable problems occur between the major professor and student, it may be advisable to dissolve the relationship. The DOGE is responsible for recommending to the Graduate College that the original POS committee be dissolved and that a new POS committee be formed.