F4.8 Role of the Committee Members
Updated: August 24th, 2011
The chair. The chair of any graduate degree committee must be a member of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate in the student’s major department. A chair of a student’s Qualifying Examination committee, however, cannot be the chair of that student’s dissertation committee. (However, a Qualifying Examination committee chair may serve as a co-chair on a student’s dissertation committee if the other co-chair is from the same department.)
If an individual in another instructional unit seems more appropriate as chair in a particular instance, appointment as co-chair can be approved. If there is a compelling academic reason why an individual from another instructional unit should be the sole chair, the Head Graduate Adviser must write an explanatory memo to the cognizant Associate Dean, in care of Graduate Services Degrees, 318 Sproul Hall, #5900. (In such a case, there is still need for a member outside the student’s discipline, to serve as the outside member or Dean’s representative, and for the student’s major to constitute the majority of committee membership. A fourth member is sometimes added.)
Co-chair. There may be two co-chairs instead of one chair. One co-chair must be a member of the Berkeley Academic Senate in the student’s major. The second co-chair may be a Berkeley Academic Senate member in the student’s major, a Berkeley Academic Senate member outside the student’s major, or an approved non-Academic Senate member. As stated above, a Qualifying Examination committee chair may serve as a co-chair on a student’s dissertation committee if the other co-chair is from the same department. Please see the “Non-Senate members as inside members and co-chairs” in section F4.9 below for information about exceptions.
Second inside member. This role must be filled by a Berkeley Academic Senate member in the student’s major, since the majority of the committee is required to be from the student’s department. Please see the “Non-Senate members as inside members and co-chairs” in section F4.9 below for information about exceptions.
Additional member (if requested). Faculty serving in this capacity may be a Berkeley Academic Senate member (in the student’s major or other major), or an approved non-Academic Senate member (in the student’s major, other major, or in exceptional cases, from outside UC Berkeley).
The outside member. One member on all qualifying and dissertation committees (and preferably on master’s thesis committees) must be chosen from outside the student’s major discipline. The importance of the outside member cannot be stressed enough in lending the necessary balance and independence needed to ensure that the student’s mastery of the subject matter is broad and comprehensive. Since the outside member serves as the Dean’s representative, he or she must be a member of the Berkeley Academic Senate. No exceptions will be made.
Graduate group faculty. For students in graduate groups, the Graduate Dean has asked graduate groups to identify those professors who are core members as opposed to those who are affiliated members of the Group and so inform the Graduate Services Degrees Unit. Professors designated as core members, no matter where their home base is located, may serve as chair or inside members on student committees but not as outside members. Those listed as affiliated members of the particular group may serve as outside members. A core member of a graduate group cannot serve as an outside member for any student committee in the same graduate group and a faculty member who serves as an outside member for a graduate group student committee cannot simultaneously serve as an inside member on another student’s committee. A faculty member must be either in one category or another. An individual may change to core membership if not currently serving as an outside member on any student committee for that graduate group and vice versa.
Joint or affiliated appointments. Faculty members who become associated with other departments through joint or affiliated appointments may serve on graduate student Qualifying Examination or dissertation committees.
Joint appointments: Berkeley Academic Senate members with joint appointments (above-the-line) without regard to the percent time of the appointment (including 0 percent FTE), may serve in the capacity of chair or inside member on committees of students enrolled in that major. They may not serve as designated outside members on committees in that major. Such appointments require Budget Committee review.
Affiliated appointments: Berkeley Academic Senate members may hold temporary (below-the-line) appointments in other departments. They do not participate in or vote on departmental affairs. Budget Committee review is not required. They may serve as outside members for students in that department. As for all Senate members who do not hold FTE in the department, they may be permitted to serve as chair, co-chair, or inside members by exception. Below-the-line affiliates who are not Berkeley Academic Senate members cannot serve as outside members or chairs of a committee, but they may be considered for appointment as a co-chair or inside member on a committee if recommended by the department. Each case will be reviewed on an individual basis by Associate Dean .
Service by Professors Emeriti or Professors of the Graduate School. These individuals are members of the Academic Senate and, as such, may serve on committees as appropriate.
See All Topics in the Category: F. Degrees, Guide to Graduate Policy
