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Checklist for Dissertation Chairs

The dissertation committee chair, working with department administrative staff, helps steer the student through the intellectual stages and institutional requirements of doctoral degree work. Advising practices vary from discipline to discipline. However, the outline that follows provides widely applicable guidelines to a chair’s key responsibilities.

The Student-Advisor Relationship

• Coach the student about your working style and what the student can do to contribute to a good working relationship. (See and refer the student to, How to Get the Mentoring You Want , especially “How to Be a Good Protege,” in Chapter VIII.)
• If you become aware of significant problems or weaknesses (e.g., in the student’s writing, research-related skills, or personal life), refer the student to appropriate resources .
• Be aware of students’ individual situations and working style. Occasionally assess how they are doing (e.g., whether they are working well with you and seeking appropriate mentoring from others). See Part Two of Rackham’s, How to Mentor Graduate Students: A Guide for Faculty in a Diverse University .

The Dissertation

• Help the student to select and refine the dissertation topic, avoiding overly ambitious goals and expectations.
• Help the student formulate a long-term plan for the research and writing of the dissertation, including a timetable and tentative completion date. Ask the student to revise the plan, if needed.
• Reach agreement with the student as to how often they will consult with you and submit work for you to critique.
• Seek a progress report from the student at least once a term.

The Dissertation Committee

• Assist the student with selecting faculty members to serve on the dissertation committee ( membership guidelines ).
• (For Co-Chairs) Consult with each other to divide up your supervisory responsibilities, and then inform the student.
• Make sure everyone on the committee is familiar with the roles of Chair or Co-Chair, cognate, and the other members. How closely and frequently members other than the Chair(s) engage with the student’s work varies, all should be in regular contact.
• Work with the student to schedule and plan for committee meetings, taking into account the norms of the department or program.
• If a member of the committee is not responding to the student’s communication or failing to review the draft sections of the dissertation in a reasonable amount of time, coach the student about how to proceed, or intervene directly if the problem is severe. If all efforts fail, encourage the student to consider finding a replacement.
• Take responsibility for dealing with conflicts among committee members. (e.g., personal conflict and intellectual disputes that create a roadblock for the student).

Supervising Research

• Emphasize data collection and record keeping.
• Go over ethical issues, including human subject and animal care protections.
• Build backup ideas into any research project.
• Follow the student’s development and make adjustments in assignments.
• Be aware of conflicts in a research group, and when they arise, take steps to mediate.

Administrative Matters

• Tell the student to work with the department or program administrative staff to meet Rackham requirements such as filing an up to date Dissertation Committee Form .
• Where feasible, assist the student in securing funds, such as fellowships, GSIs, GSRAs, research and travel funds.
• If the Candidate needs to petition Rackham for an extension to the seven-year time limit, provide the necessary support but require the student to develop a plan for completing the degree.

The Oral Defense

• Tell the student to seek help from the department or program administrative staff about fulfilling Rackham requirements in the final stages of earning the degree.
• Be sure the student and the committee know that Rackham policy requires that the oral defense must be conducted as a public event, (except for the Committee’s private deliberations either before or after the defense), open to all interested persons.
• Before the student schedules the oral defense date, be sure the student knows the date in the term of final registration by which the defense must be held. Also, the student must be able to give the entire dissertation to the committee sufficiently in advance of the meeting. This must be at least two weeks before the defense but can be as much as three or four weeks, depending on the Committee.
• If the student is unable to meet the aforementioned deadline for distributing the dissertation, ask the student to postpone the defense unless you are certain all committee members have critiqued earlier drafts and, therefore, should be able to submit the oral defense evaluation forms on time. It is devastating when a student learns about major concerns shortly before the oral defense because the faculty member hadn’t read the student’s work previously .
• Prepare the student for the oral defense, in accordance with the traditions of the department and/or the wishes of the committee. (Note: The committee will need to decide how long the defense itself will last; there are no prescribed guidelines.)
• If you learn that one or more members of the committee have not submitted the Oral Defense Evaluation Form by the Rackham deadline, contact the committee member(s) immediately.
• If there appear to be serious concerns about the student’s work, advocate for a delay in the oral defense. Dissertations should be approved based on the quality of the work, not because of other pressures (e.g., a job offer contingent upon completion; the expense of registering for a further term, etc.).
• Before the defense begins, the committee must review all the members’ written evaluations and identify the topics they will raise and their sequence. If any of these activities has not been done in advance, excuse the student and others from the room to do so.
• At the defense, make sure it’s clear which committee member(s) will sign off on the required revisions.
• After the defense, submit the completed Oral Defense Examination Form, and, if no revisions or corrections are needed, the Dissertation Completion Form.
• If revisions and/or corrections are required, make sure the Dissertation Completion Form is submitted as soon as possible after the dissertation has been completed and approved.

Launching the Student’s Career

• Ask students to do tasks they will need to do after they get into the field.
• Encourage students to attend professional meetings, and when the two of you attend the same meeting, actively help them to network.
• Speak honestly to students about their strengths and weaknesses (e.g., not everyone can succeed as a faculty member).
• If appropriate to your field, call people to help students seek positions and be deliberate and careful about treating them fairly in this regard.
• Prepare students to consider the full range of career possibilities appropriate to their field.
• If the student’s dissertation is outstanding, consider nominating it for the ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award .

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Forming an Interdisciplinary Dissertation Committee

Doctoral students in interdisciplinary programs face unique challenges in forming dissertation committees. Based on our experience as directors of three such programs (Public Health Genetics, Urban Design and Planning, and Astrobiology), we offer the following suggestions.

Your first challenge

Find the optimal set of members — especially the right chair (or two co-chairs) for your committee. Committee members need to:

• be the best match for your intellectual interests
• have the expertise to help you succeed in designing and completing your dissertation
• be able to help you prepare for your career

In planning for a dissertation, you should consult extensively with faculty members in your program for guidance about:

• potential research questions
• planning/timing methodology
• potential committee members

The role of the committee

The final decision about the appropriate content of your project rests with the dissertation supervisory committee. You should work closely with the committee (especially the chair) to determine your project’s scope and content. The committee will guide your research and should meet regularly with you. Being sure you and your committee agree on what is meant by “regular” meetings is also a good idea. You may find it useful to meet individually with the members and obtain their feedback at several stages of your dissertation process. The interdisciplinary nature of your work may require that feedback at an advanced stage of your dissertation will be provided by the committee in an integrated form. You may want to discuss with your chair how the committee could produce a collective memo integrating their shared feedback.

The composition of dissertation committees

The dissertation supervisory committee must have at least four members, including the chair and the Graduate School representative (GSR). At least three committee members (including the chair and the GSR) must be UW graduate faculty members with an endorsement to chair doctoral committees; a majority of your committee members must be graduate faculty members, identifiable through the  Graduate Faculty Locator .

Committee members should include faculty expertise in your dissertation’s core fields. You might consider having five members, especially if your project involves different disciplines requiring advice and guidance in all areas. Four committee members must attend general and final exams — so having five on your committee provides flexibility if one member cannot attend. However, having more than four committee members may make it more difficult for them to find time to work together.

Selecting a Graduate School representative

You must select the Graduate School representative for your committee by consulting with your chair, other committee members, and/or program directors. The GSR votes and represents the interests of the Graduate School. GSR requirements:

• be a graduate faculty member
• have an endorsement to chair doctoral committees
• no conflict of interest with you or your committee chair

Also, the GSR may not have an official faculty appointment within your committee chair’s department(s) or the department in which your program is housed. This can be challenging for students in interdisciplinary programs. Exceptions to this rule can be made, with appropriate justification, by petition to the dean of the Graduate School.

by Professor Emeritus Melissa Austin, Public Health Genetics; Marina Alberti, professor, Urban Design and Planning; and Woody Sullivan, professor, Astrobiology

What is a Dissertation Chair? Understanding Their Crucial Role in Your Doctoral Journey

When I first embarked on my doctoral journey, the term “dissertation chair” seemed like just another academic jargon. Little did I know, this role would become pivotal in guiding me through the labyrinth of my research and writing process. The dissertation chair isn’t just a figurehead; they are the cornerstone of a successful dissertation.

A dissertation chair is more than a mentor—they are your academic compass. They offer invaluable feedback, ensure you stay on track, and help navigate the complex requirements of your program. Understanding their role can make or break your doctoral experience, transforming a daunting task into an achievable goal.

Key Takeaways

• Pivotal Role: A dissertation chair is crucial in guiding doctoral candidates, ensuring they meet academic standards and successfully complete their dissertation.
• Key Responsibilities: Chairs review proposals, offer critical feedback, manage timelines, and facilitate the formal approval process from proposal to final defense.
• Support System: They provide continuous support and mentorship, helping students navigate bureaucratic requirements and representing their interests within the institution.
• Choosing the Right Chair: Selecting a chair with the right expertise, availability, mentorship style, and compatibility is essential for a productive doctoral journey.
• Challenges: Dissertation chairs must balance providing guidance while fostering student independence and manage committee dynamics effectively.
• Career Impact: A good dissertation chair influences career prospects through valuable professional advice, networking opportunities, and strong endorsements.

Understanding the Role of a Dissertation Chair

Key responsibilities.

A dissertation chair’s primary responsibility is to steer the doctoral candidate towards successful dissertation completion. They provide expert guidance, ensuring alignment with academic standards. They oversee project timelines, helping students manage deadlines effectively. Chairs provide substantive feedback on drafts, making sure the research quality meets institutional requirements. They also facilitate the formal approval process, from proposal to final defense.

Key tasks include:

• Reviewing and approving research proposals
• Offering critical feedback on dissertation drafts
• Supervising project timelines and milestone achievements
• Ensuring adherence to institutional guidelines
• Preparing students for defense presentations

How They Support PhD Students

Dissertation chairs offer continuous support throughout the doctoral journey. They mentor, providing academic and emotional assistance. Regular meetings help address research challenges and keep the study on track. Chairs also aid in navigating bureaucratic requirements, such as committee reviews and ethical clearances. They serve as advocates, defending students’ research interests within the academic community.

Support activities involve:

• Conducting regular check-ins to monitor progress
• Offering solutions to research-related problems
• Providing encouragement and motivation
• Assisting with administrative and procedural requirements
• Representing student interests within the institution

Understanding these facets underscores the dissertation chair’s crucial role in the doctoral process, ensuring academic integrity and student success.

Selecting the Right Dissertation Chair

Choosing the right dissertation chair impacts your academic journey. An ideal chair provides guidance, feedback, and support, which are essential for successful completion. Here’s how to identify and approach potential chairs.

Qualities to Look For

Identifying the right qualities helps you choose an effective dissertation chair.

• Expertise : Seek someone with extensive knowledge in your research area. Their expertise ensures they provide valuable insights and support for your dissertation.
• Availability : Confirm their availability to meet regularly. A chair with a manageable workload commits more time to your project.
• Mentorship Style : Evaluate their mentorship style and communication methods. A chair with a supportive yet critical approach facilitates your growth as a researcher.
• Reputation : Consider their academic standing and past track record. Chairs with high success rates contribute to your project’s credibility .
• Compatibility : Assess if your personalities and working styles align. A compatible chair-student relationship fosters a collaborative and productive environment.

How to Approach a Potential Chair

Approaching a potential chair requires preparation and professionalism.

• Research : Investigate their publications and ongoing research projects. Understanding their work helps tailor your proposal and show genuine interest.
• Prepare : Draft a concise proposal outlining your research topic and goals. A clear proposal demonstrates your commitment and readiness.
• Schedule a Meeting : Reach out via email to request a meeting. Keep your request polite and mention why you believe they’re a good fit based on their expertise and interests.
• Discuss Expectations : During the meeting, discuss mutual expectations, timelines, and communication preferences. Clarity on these aspects ensures a smooth working relationship.
• Follow Up : Send a follow-up email thanking them for their time. Reiterate your interest and confirm any agreed-upon next steps.

Selecting the right dissertation chair involves careful consideration and proactive engagement. By focusing on the right qualities and making a well-informed approach, you set a strong foundation for your doctoral journey.

Challenges Faced by Dissertation Chairs

Balancing guidance and independence.

Dissertation chairs play a pivotal role in guiding students while encouraging their independence. Striking a balance is one of the biggest challenges they face. Chairs must provide direction without stifling a student’s creativity. Over-reliance on the chair can hinder a student’s growth, while insufficient guidance can lead to confusion and lack of progress. Chairs need to gauge each student’s level of expertise and adjust their feedback accordingly to foster self-reliance and critical thinking.

Managing Group Dynamics

During the dissertation process, managing group dynamics among committee members can be challenging. Dissertation chairs need to ensure that committee members adhere to timelines and collaborate effectively. Differences in opinions among members can create conflicts, and chairs must navigate these diplomatically to maintain harmony and make progress. By facilitating open communication and mediating disputes, chairs contribute to a productive and supportive environment for the doctoral student.

The Impact of a Dissertation Chair on Your Academic Success

Influence on Career Prospects

A dissertation chair directly affects one’s career prospects. They guide not just research but also professional development. Their advice on publications, conferences, and networking sets a career’s foundation. Effective chairs provide constructive feedback on research work. This feedback refines the dissertation, which is vital for academic job applications, postdoctoral positions, and other professional roles.

Chairs can open doors to job opportunities. They often recommend students to colleagues and industry contacts. Their endorsements hold significant weight, especially within academic and specific industry sectors. A notable example would be securing a teaching position based on a chair’s recommendation.

Role in Academic Networking

A dissertation chair plays a crucial role in academic networking. They introduce students to key figures in the field. This includes attending conferences, participating in academic committees, and co-authoring research papers. These interactions build a robust professional network, much like how a coach connects players in football to scouts and teams.

Chairs often invite students to collaborate on projects. This collaboration boosts a student’s visibility in the academic community. It also helps in establishing a strong research portfolio. For instance, presenting a paper at a major conference in Italy or France can significantly impact future collaborative opportunities, opening doors to global academic circles.

The dissertation chair’s influence extends beyond research guidance to career development and academic networking. These factors combine to enhance a student’s academic success, providing a strong foundation for future endeavors. Just as a seasoned baseball player mentors rookies, a dissertation chair guides students through the complex world of academia. Their mentorship can be as impactful as riding a motorcycle through the scenic routes of one’s academic journey.

Choosing the right dissertation chair is a pivotal decision that can shape your academic journey and career trajectory. Their guidance extends far beyond research, impacting your professional development and networking opportunities. A good chair not only helps you navigate the complexities of your dissertation but also opens doors to future success. By selecting someone whose expertise and approach align with your goals, you set the stage for a fruitful and enriching doctoral experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the role of a dissertation chair.

A dissertation chair guides doctoral students through their research process, providing expertise and support, ensuring the research is on track, and facilitating students’ professional development.

Why is selecting the right dissertation chair important?

Choosing the right dissertation chair is crucial as they provide essential guidance, support, and mentorship, impacting your research quality and career prospects.

What factors should be considered when selecting a dissertation chair?

Consider the chair’s expertise, compatibility, mentoring style, and their ability to balance guidance with your independence when selecting a dissertation chair.

What challenges do dissertation chairs face?

Dissertation chairs face challenges like balancing student guidance and independence, managing committee dynamics, and ensuring the student’s research meets academic standards.

How does a dissertation chair impact a student’s career prospects?

A dissertation chair impacts career prospects by guiding professional development, advising on publications, offering networking opportunities, and opening doors to job opportunities.

What role does a dissertation chair play in academic networking?

A dissertation chair introduces students to key figures in their field, facilitates collaborations, and enhances their visibility within the academic community, helping with networking.

How can a dissertation chair assist with publications?

A dissertation chair can offer advice on selecting appropriate journals, structuring papers, and navigating the publication process, increasing the chances of successful publication.

How does a dissertation chair balance guidance and student independence?

A good dissertation chair provides enough support to ensure progress while encouraging students to develop their independent research skills and critical thinking.

What are the benefits of having a well-connected dissertation chair?

A well-connected dissertation chair can provide valuable introductions, facilitate academic collaborations, and enhance a student’s professional network and career opportunities.

How can a dissertation chair contribute to a student’s academic success?

By guiding research, offering career advice, aiding in networking, and ensuring high academic standards, a dissertation chair plays a pivotal role in a student’s academic success.

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Applying EQ on Dissertation Committees

By  Tom Butkiewicz

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A productive dissertation committee requires members who have emotional intelligence, or EQ, and positive leadership qualities, such as being authentic and communicating honestly. Those qualities can be empowering components of mentoring doctoral students, especially those in online programs.

Students who embark on a doctoral program often face the daunting tasks of navigating through content courses, learning research methods and designs, and establishing a purposeful working relationship with a dissertation committee. Although universities offer a plethora of resources for those students, the challenges become more intense through the iterative process of preparing a dissertation that meets each institution’s academic standards.

The dissertation committee in most universities often consists of a dissertation chair, second committee member and a university research reviewer. The dissertation chair serves as the faculty mentor, directly supporting the student throughout the doctoral program, while the second committee member usually has a shared responsibility in offering guidance to the student. The university research reviewer works with the dissertation chair to provide direct support to the committee. They also provide indirect support to the student by ensuring a high level of integrity, ethics and quality in the research, along with consistency in the application of university research standards. Committee members should communicate and collaborate with each other, as well as the student, to support the student’s progress and help enhance the quality of their work.

Dissertation chairs are instrumental in guiding students through each milestone of the process. In their efforts to develop sustainable relationships with students, they should tailor their mentoring approaches to each student to meet their individual needs and create positive social change.

Perhaps paradoxically, most mentors have learned to think critically. While critical thinking allows faculty mentors to improve the status quo, increase quality and otherwise drive excellence, too much critical thinking can sometimes block the path to feeling grateful for students’ distinct contributions, gifts and current skills.

The mentor advantage consists of demonstrating emotional intelligence and supporting student well-being by showing empathy, employing good listening skills and making connections by identifying with and relating to students. Internationally known psychologist Daniel Goleman has identified five domains to define the emotional intelligence theory: 1) self-awareness, 2) self-regulation, 3) motivation, 4) empathy and 5) social skills. Students’ engagement often depends on how well dissertation chairs capitalize on those domains to inspire, show compassion and create a sense of purpose that intrinsically motivates them.

In Silent Messages , Albert Mehrabian, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, cited research findings on communication effectiveness related to visual cues, tone and words. In one study, “ A Wealth of Information About Nonverbal Communication ,” Mehrabian found that when people interpret messages about feelings and attitudes, they base 55 percent of that interpretation on visual cues like facial expressions, 38 percent on tone and 7 percent on words. Thus, Mehrabian concluded, as much as 93 percent of communication about feelings and attitudes is nonverbal.

The study strongly suggests that faculty mentors with high emotional intelligence can better recognize students’ feelings, even if they are subtle, through nonverbal communication. And, in fact, faculty mentors with high emotional intelligence tend to have better, more productive relationships with students than those who do not emotionally connect with their students. They understand and support their students’ needs, values and beliefs instead of expecting students to conform to their own. They are also aware of the common negative attitudes they may need to overcome to be effective guides to graduate students, including assumption, arrogance, indifference and the need to control students’ knowledge, feelings and desires.

Positive emotion is a powerful force in influencing and developing students. A faculty mentor with high emotional intelligence can blend critical thinking and a grateful heart to achieve the perfect balance. Successfully connecting with students by focusing on their well-being is an important skill to have. To develop positive relationships with doctoral students, I recommend dissertation chairs take the following steps.

• Make time for students. Be flexible and responsive to meet the varied and changing needs of students across different time zones.
• Listen for ways to establish common ground. This can support congruent communications with students. Faculty mentors who openly listen to a student’s point of view ultimately foster inclusion and build community.
• Show interest in students by asking questions. Gathering information about the lives of students helps facilitate productive mentoring relationships.
• Look for creative ways to help students. This increases students’ motivation to complete assignment milestones throughout the dissertation process. Student motivation increases when faculty mentors give praise for accomplishments.
• Let students into your life. Authentic dissertation chairs show appropriate vulnerability and relatability, which fosters positive relationships. Faculty mentors often establish trust when they share relevant strengths and weaknesses with students.
• Show students you care. Students will have an increased respect for a faculty mentor’s knowledge when they feel supported.
• Think more of your students than yourself. This mind-set enables faculty mentors to practice servant leadership, which enhances student engagement and motivation. Faculty mentors who focus on students before themselves can encourage students to exceed course learning outcomes.
• Adapt to your students’ worlds. Mentoring is more effective when lessons are relevant to students. In doing so, faculty mentors can solicit course discussion responses to understand their students’ world interests.

Creating a sense of purpose and improving student well-being includes assessing students’ situations with gratitude, shifting from critical to grateful thinking, building on students’ success toward goals, bolstering students’ sense of significance and encouraging a focus on positive social change.

Faculty mentors can enhance a student’s dissertation experience by applying emotional intelligence. To support this initiative, universities should develop emotional intelligence training programs for dissertation chairs that teach strategies for applying such knowledge throughout the doctoral mentoring process. One way Walden University addresses this is by including emotional intelligence training for dissertation chairs in the research mentoring proseminar and positive leadership course. Universities that recognize the impact of emotional intelligence on dissertation committees are changing the higher education landscape for the greater good.

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How to Manage Your Dissertation Chair and Committee Members

Updated: Jan 15, 2021

When you think about writing a dissertation and all it entails, you think predominantly of planning your project, finding literature relevant to your theory, determining the best approach to conduct your research, and how to best portray your findings once the study is over. Each part of a dissertation presents their own unique challenges, but the comforting thing about them all is you are in control.

Dissertation Chair and Committee Roadblocks

What happens when you do all you can on your end but do not get a timely response from your advisor? Or, a committee member is dragging their feet because they do not agree with one piece of your approach and will not budge until your study has been modified. What about when your advisor or committee wants you to add additional components to your topic, thus generating a greater mountain of work?

Problems that arise due to your advisor and committee are not often discussed, but they do occur. The truth of the matter is that the dissertation is your responsibility and priority, but it may not be theirs. Professors are often sidetracked by their personal priorities, such as applying for research grants, teaching, or preparing research paper submissions for publication.

Some of the most common difficulties when working with your dissertation advisor and committee are:

Lack of communication and feedback

Unreachable committee members

Disagreement on course of action to complete the dissertation

Unreasonable requests for revisions to the dissertation

Ensuring everyone is on the same page

Best Approach to Manage your Dissertation Advisor and Committee

I have encountered my fair share of issues when working with my advisor and committee on my dissertation, all of which could have been alleviated by adopting a collaborative mindset, determining expectations up front, open communication, and setting boundaries. These actions may not be the remedy for every problem, but they will be helpful in managing your dissertation advisor and committee.

Adopt a Collaborative Mindset

You are the owner of your dissertation, though working with experts in their relative field presents a unique challenge, as you have to ensure everyone’s recommendations are taken into consideration and applied when possible. Adopting the mindset that you are collaborating with your advisor and committee to develop the best dissertation possible will ultimately please everyone and set you up for a successful dissertation defense.

Determine Expectations Up Front

I have heard countless stories from students that in the oral proposal defense or oral dissertation defense, a committee member was disappointed that something was not included, an analysis wasn’t performed, or the level of quality was not up to par. Sitting down with your advisor and committee members to discuss their expectations for your project at the beginning will minimize the likelihood that something comes up later that forces you to scramble to meet deadlines or expand your timeline. Determining expectations in the beginning also helps your advisor and committee members know specific deadlines you need to meet (i.e., a signature is needed on a formal document for your school or the dissertation submission deadline) and your expectations for communication, feedback, and involvement in the project.

Open Communication

An open communication policy between you and your advisor while writing your dissertation will ease any frustrations or issues you encounter and help the process move along more smoothly. With this type of policy, you will feel more comfortable expressing your needs and concerns with your advisor, and in turn, he/she will be able to help and advocate for you.

Set Boundaries

Boundaries are a safeguard from receiving unreasonable requests and suggestions from your advisor and committee. By setting boundaries for your study up front, through discussions at the development stage and through formal sign-off at the proposal defense, you are confirming that everyone is aware of the parameters of the study and what can reasonably be accomplished for the dissertation.

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Choosing a dissertation chair, published by steve tippins on september 5, 2022 september 5, 2022.

Last Updated on: 7th September 2022, 05:44 am

Choosing your dissertation chair is one of the most important decisions that you’ll make in graduate school. Your dissertation chair will in many ways shape your experience as you undergo the most rigorous intellectual challenge you’ve had up to this point, and guide you as you navigate the murky waters of a major original research project. When the stakes are this high, you’ll want to make sure you’re working with the right person. 

But what should you be looking for in a dissertation chair? It’s a question that nags at many Ph.D. students when they’re on the precipice of this decision. Have no fear, we’re here to help. These are frequently asked questions that graduate students have about choosing their dissertation chair:

• What type of faculty member makes a good dissertation chair?
• How do I ask a faculty member to chair my dissertation?

What Makes a Good Dissertation Chair?

When it’s time to think about a dissertation chair, many graduate students are tempted to ask the most well-known professor on their program’s faculty to serve in the role. On the surface, this seems like a sound decision. After all, a scholar who has made a name for themselves in their discipline clearly knows what they’re doing, right? And it certainly wouldn’t hurt to have a bit of their stardust on your CV, of course. 

Not so fast. While a very successful scholar definitely excels at research, they might not be what you’re looking for, and they might not have the time to dedicate themselves to your project. An ideal chair is a faculty member that you have good existing rapport with, and one who is excited to work with you. An ideal chair is someone who will be a good mentor and advocate for you and your research, and someone who you know will be by your side for the long haul. 

The Big Ask

For something that is a very common practice in academia, many graduate students have anxiety about approaching a faculty member to be their dissertation chair. While it may feel to you like a lot to ask, keep in mind that chairing dissertations is part of a full-time faculty member’s job. They signed up for this, and they expect these kinds of requests. 

Meet with the faculty member you’re hoping to work with and be clear about your intentions. Ask them about their experiences chairing dissertations, what their expectations are, and be prepared to pitch your project idea to them, or at least the general topic or problem you want to work on. They might say yes immediately, or they may know of another scholar in the department whose research is right in your wheelhouse. 

Either way, you’ll leave the meeting having made progress. Do not take it personally if the first faculty member you ask to chair your dissertation says no. Chances are, if they decline, it’s because they know they don’t have the time to work with you right now and they don’t want you to be at a disadvantage with a neglectful chair. Thank them, and move on to the next candidate. You’ve got this! 

Steve Tippins

Steve Tippins, PhD, has thrived in academia for over thirty years. He continues to love teaching in addition to coaching recent PhD graduates as well as students writing their dissertations. Learn more about his dissertation coaching and career coaching services. Book a Free Consultation with Steve Tippins

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Dissertation Committee Chairs’ Current Practices to Support Doctoral Students in an Online Doctoral Program

The purpose of this research study was to explore dissertation chair experiences and current practices for meeting with and providing feedback to doctoral students pursuing a scholar-practitioner terminal degree in an online doctoral program. A qualitative methodology using an exploratory design was employed to interview 11 participants using semi-structured interviews. The findings included the importance of providing frequent feedback through various modes of communication, emphasizing a tailored approach to the students’ needs. Timely, thorough feedback was supported, stressing effectiveness and relevancy, which was most commonly achieved through one-on-one communication. Additional considerations focused on trust building and caring behaviors; individualized coaching and guidance; and balancing institutional requirements and student needs.

Introduction and Background The purpose of this research was to explore dissertation chair experiences and current practices for meeting with and providing feedback to doctoral students pursuing a scholar-practitioner terminal degree in an online doctoral program. For the purpose of this study, the term dissertation chair was chosen because it resonates with definitional components that include tasks such as mentoring, advising, and supervising in the context of the dissertation process. Although these terms are often used interchangeably in evidence-based literature, the authors chose the label dissertation chair since it denotes a role that is encompasses being there through and at the end of the dissertation journey. Studies dating back to the 1970s have suggested the element of doctoral education that has the greatest impact on the outcome for the doctoral student is the relationship that develops with the dissertation chair (Heinrich, 1991, 1995; Heiss 1970; Spillett & Moisiewicz, 2004; and Zhao, Golde, & McCormick, 2007). Bair and Haworth (1999) report that completion rates for scholar-practitioner doctorates are in the same range as for Ph.D. completion rates – around 40% - 60% -- a ballpark that is consistent with a more recent report published by the Council of Graduate Schools (2008) that examined this phenomenon primarily with respect to more traditional doctorates such as the Ph.D. and the Ed.D. In another study focused on virtual (online) doctoral programs, Muirhead and Blum (2006) stressed that the high rate of attrition in doctoral programs remains a significant concern in higher education and it has been argued that most of the blame for this can be placed on the failure of universities to provide appropriate support to enable students to meet the many challenges of completing a doctoral degree. While Bair and Haworth (1999) mention support in the financial sense, student involvement in professional activities, and student satisfaction with the program itself, in their meta-synthesis of 118 studies on doctoral student attrition and persistence, they concluded that the biggest factor in completing the doctorate rests on the quality of the relationship between the student and the dissertation chair. This notion of quality support from faculty members who play an advising/mentoring/supervising role is the concept that rests at the heart of the present study. It is argued that appropriate support from people occupying these roles in an institution of higher learning is essential in any type of doctoral program (e.g., research degree, professional degree, scholar-practitioner degree) and regardless of mode or mechanism of learning delivery (e.g. in the physical classroom, in the virtual learning space), but Muirhead and Blum (2006) also assert that virtual learning environments necessitate a finessing of what this support looks like when people are working together at a distance. Thus, the question this study asked is: what are the current practices for meeting with and providing feedback to doctoral candidates pursuing a scholar-practitioner terminal degree in an online doctoral program? The starting point for this study is related directly to a recently published study by Roberts, Tinari, and Bandlow (2019), who suggest the need for research to determine how often effective dissertation chairs are holding meetings with their doctoral students, how rapidly feedback is provided on the work their doctoral students are producing, and how feedback is delivered in a way that demonstrates caring for the student’s success. The term effective mentor was defined in qualitative terms by Roberts et al. (2019), with some anecdotal metrics obtained through participant screening. Roberts et al. (2019) emphasized there are many hats worn by the mentors of doctoral students (e.g. teaching, advising, subject matter expertise, methods expertise), and Sugimoto (2012) suggested mentoring of doctoral students involves activities carried out by many individuals (the dissertation advisor, dissertation committee members, and fellow doctoral students). Furthermore, depending upon the university, support for doctoral students can also be provided by institutional resources, such as a writing center or service, residential sessions with faculty, as well as by non-teaching advising staff who partner with faculty to provide support services to students (Burrus, Fiore & Shaw, 2019). This study, however, focused solely on the activities doctoral students engage in with the dissertation chair who has been assigned to support doctoral student success through some or all of the processes specific to the dissertation journey. The justification for this focus is that regardless of the various skills and reputations brought into the experience of being part of a doctoral committee or non-teaching support staff, it is typically the dissertation chair upon whom the greatest burden is placed with respect to student outcome expectations, and typically it is the dissertation chair who carries the largest advising burden as well as a significant proportion of the decision-making authority at various stages of a student’s dissertation process. The dissertation chair is instrumental in the doctoral student’s learning process as this evolves over time. Situated learning theory was introduced by Lave (1991) and Lave and Wenger (1991), suggesting that learning occurs within a specific context, through particular activities intended to promote learner growth and development, and inside of a culture (e.g., that of an institutional setting such as a doctoral program). As doctoral students situated within a specific learning context continue to engage in experiences designed to advance their knowledge, accompanied by achieving specific milestones related to their dissertation projects, situated learning theory posits that these learners move along a continuum of accumulated successes (Throne & Oddi, 2019). In this manner their confidence to persist develops; however, the skill of the dissertation chair in working with doctoral students must evolve as well to support the student’s transformation as the dissertation process moves from its earliest stages, where the student is more of a novice researcher, to a successful final defense of the dissertation, where the student has evolved into a scholar-practitioner. The authors of this study believe it is important to position ourselves in relation to this study topic in order to make our interests and motivations clear. The authors are adjunct faculty members at a university that offers fully online scholar-practitioner doctorate programs. At the time of this writing the authors currently function in the roles of dissertation chair and committee member. Our work has led to discussions about how to enhance student success in the dissertation journey. Methods Because this study sought the perspectives, impressions, and experiences of dissertation chairs in scholar-practitioner doctoral programs on their current practices in working with doctoral candidates, the researchers chose a qualitative approach to the research. Study participants needed to have a minimum of 1 year of experience as a dissertation chair working in the online environment with students pursuing a scholar-practitioner terminal degree. Once Institutional Review Board approval was obtained, potential participants teaching in online practitioner doctorate programs were identified for participation in the study through social media. Semi-structured interviews were used to obtain data from 11 study participants. The interview questions were designed to provide both the container that held concepts such as meetings and feedback as well as an opportunity through which those being interviewed could conversationally share their experiences and practices in working with their doctoral students. Participant information was de-identified and results were reported in aggregated form; however, in some cases participant sentiments are shared in the study findings either as nondescript quotations or as careful paraphrases so as not to compromise anyone’s identity or institutional affiliations. The interviews were digitally recorded and then reflexively explored by the authors for the emergence of patterns in the data to enable the construction of themes for more extensive analysis by the researchers (Braun, & Clarke, 2006; Braun & Clarke, 2013; Saldaña, 2016). One of the three study authors conducted the interviews while the other two authors analyzed the data, and then all authors participated in various ways with drafting of findings and conclusions. The data were also revisited several times and massaged again retrospectively as part of synthesizing learnings that resulted from the fieldwork (interviewing), deskwork (analysis), and textwork (writing) components of the research process (Schwartz-Shea & Yanow, 2012). Participant Demographics and Baseline Characterizes While acknowledging there are many locations from which support for student success must emanate (Muirhead & Blum, 2006), this study was designed to consider the doctoral student-mentor relationship from the perspective of 11 faculty members teaching in online scholar-practitioner doctoral programs who are currently serving in dissertation chair roles and who were interviewed for their perspectives on a variety of topics related to the doctoral mentor-mentee relationship. The gender of participants was balanced, with 6 females and 5 males participating in interviews. The participants in this study were university faculty members for an average of 11 years, with the range being 2 to 21 years. In the role of dissertation chair, the years of service ranged from 1.5 to 16 years with the average being 5.5 years. Nine of the 11 participants indicated they were matched to students based on subject matter expertise somewhat consistently, with 7 participants responding that this occurs 50% (1 respondent), 75% (2 respondents) and 100% (4 respondents) of the time. Two participants indicated an expertise match seldom happens and two indicated it happens often or consistently but did not elaborate numerically. The expectations for regular contact between the faculty member and the student varied considerably, from a low of twice in an eight-week session (1 participant), once per week (5 participants) to a high of 4-5 times per week (2 participants), and with one participant indicating their current university does not specify a minimum requirement. One participant indicated the frequency of contact depends on where the student is in the dissertation process and one stated it is dependent upon student need.

All participants noted that a compliance checklist was used for the proposal or dissertation, although one participant stated that this was not an expectation with one of two employers. Even though dissertation chairs had students they supervised through various stages or portions of the dissertation process, at the time of the interviews several participants had students in various stages short of completion, and this made it difficult for them to specify a success rate. In addition, due to variations in institutional processes, some participants took their students to the proposal stage and handed them off to other dissertation chairs to complete the remaining chapters of the dissertation. In these cases, the participants did not always know whether the students were awarded a degree. Table 1 below summarizes key elements related to participant demographics and an explanatory narrative follows.

Results and Discussion As noted in the introduction to this study, research dating to the 1970s (Heiss, 1970), continuing into the 1990s (Heinrich, 1991, 1995) and the early 2000s (Spillett & Moisiewicz, 2004; and Zhao, et al., 2007) has laid considerable blame for high rates of doctoral student attrition at the feet of universities that fail to provide enough of the right kind of support for these students, and there is general agreement that the dissertation chair-dissertation student relationship is the one element that can have the greatest impact on doctoral student completion. Much more recently, Roberts, et al. (2019) suggested that research is needed to determine the effectiveness of mentors (i.e., dissertation chairs) with respect to the meetings they hold with their mentees, the rapidity with which they provide substantive feedback, and the degree to which this feedback demonstrates that the dissertation chair cares about the student’s success. This study attempts to respond to Roberts, et al.’s (2019) call by placing the emphasis on how dissertation chairs contribute to doctoral student success, with a focus on themes that emerged in the data related to weekly contact with doctoral students (its regularity and effectiveness), giving of feedback to doctoral students (its timeliness and relevance), and experiences of dissertation chairs engaging in trust building and caring behaviors with their advisees. Conclusions follow with considerations relative to what respondents reported are the high priority best practices, in their experience, for facilitating student success through the dissertation chair-doctoral student dyad. Dissertation Chair-Dissertation Student Contact: Regularity and Modes Frequency of feedback . All participants in this study agreed that one of the highest priorities in the dissertation chair-doctoral student relationship is regular communication, and two of the respondents said “constant communication” is what is necessary to keep students focused and on track. The participants differed somewhat in how they defined “frequent” or “constant.” Most of the interview participants spoke of the importance of having voice contact with their doctoral students at least once per week, but there were three outliers. One respondent indicated that she typically has voice contact with each of her students five days a week. A second participant indicated having told students he would talk to them any time of day or night, saying, “as long as I am awake I am willing to talk to them.” On the other end of the continuum, a third respondent said at his university, it is expected that faculty make voice or audio/visual contact twice per eight-week session with each of their doctoral students. Dissertation chairs spoke of working with their students in different ways based on student needs and communication preferences. A sentiment expressed by several respondents was that they would meet with their students as often as each individual student has a need. Feedback modes. The way feedback to students is facilitated is at least partially dependent upon tools made available for faculty members through their institution’s website or learning platform. One commonality in responses was that the tools individual universities provide to faculty members for communicating with students or accepting their work electronically can at times be less than ideal. Thus, electronic modes of communication between dissertation chairs and their students facilitated through university online learning platforms were often supplemented by other Web-based or digital tools by the participants in this study. A few participants mentioned the use of online chat rooms associated with their institution’s virtual campus, as well as electronic instant messenger systems accessible through the virtual classroom; however, most of the participants revealed a preference for working with their students using Web-based meeting spaces not associated with their institutional resources, with Zoom being the runaway favorite, followed by Skype and Webex. Three participants reported they use any Web-based meeting space that the student prefers. Outside of the institutional learning platform environment and stand-alone Web-based applications, all participants discussed the use of other electronic/digital tools for providing feedback and enabling conversation. Regular email and voice-to-voice phone contact were mentioned by all participants, and many of them interacted on a regular basis with their students via cellphone. Texting was also used by several of the participants. Feedback embedded in the proposal or dissertation manuscript was provided to students on a regular basis by most participants, with the majority using margin comments to provide students with feedback and some incorporating track changes in manuscript drafts. Thus, the theme of the preference for individualized responses to student needs and practices mentioned in relation to feedback frequency was echoed in comments about feedback modalities as well. The consensus among the study participants was to do whatever works best for the student, as long as useful feedback can be provided. Timeliness, Effectiveness, and Relevance of Feedback Timeliness of feedback . Participants noted that during the dissertation process there are many occasions where time is at a premium and feedback must be given to students quickly and yet thoroughly. Many different approaches were mentioned by participants as tools used to expeditiously provide feedback. The use of some type of rubric was mentioned by several participants, which included official rubrics supplied by the institution, as well as instructor-created rubrics. Another common approach is to employ text highlighting, margin comments inserted in the manuscript, and/or track changes that draw a student’s attention quickly to problem areas in a draft. Several participants also mentioned the use of Web-based meeting sites in which they can screen share a manuscript draft with a student and go through comments line-by-line so there is an opportunity for dialogue about necessary modifications. One thing that was reinforced by many of the participants is that it does not work for them to utilize a one-size-fits-all approach and expect it to work equally well with every student. In the dissertation journey, particularly in many practitioner doctorate contexts, timeframes for making revisions and corrections of a research proposal and later of the full dissertation manuscript are often short. In this process dissertation chairs fulfill a vital role that requires them to be highly available to their students, conscientious with respect to the timely return of reviewed manuscript chapters, and willing to manage committee members who are also participating in this process. As the research project moves forward, the chair also ensures it clears the institutional review hurdle and at appropriate points is shared with other committee members for their input. Typically, the dissertation chair oversees revisions and corrections of the complete dissertation manuscript, leads the dissertation defense, and ensures post-defense modifications are completed to the committee’s satisfaction. The participants in this study indicated that throughout this process one of their highest priorities in working with their doctoral students is simply to be available to them and to work with them frequently. This generalized availability also extends to other aspects of feedback such as content (what is said) and style (how it is said), and is associated with the need for feedback to be effective and relevant. Effectiveness and relevance of feedback . Participants frequently offered the observation that to be effective, feedback related to the dissertation process needs to be tailored to each student’s needs, and therefore the emphasis on one-on-one communication designed for each specific individual is required to promote doctoral student success. Effective feedback is also relevant feedback; however, relevance is not confined solely to the dissertation process. For all participants, this extended to having conversations with students that go beyond the dissertation itself to matters related to how well they are coping emotionally with the dissertation process, and the degree to which it has taken over their lives. One participant remarked that if a dissertation chair is in tune with a student she will sense when there are times that the student does not want to “talk about the research” and just needs to feel a connection to the dissertation chair. The ability of the chair to offer a certain degree of coaching and guidance to the doctoral student at a more personal level also affects whether the communication between the members of the dyad will be effective. Participants in this study pointed to the notion of effectiveness when discussing the importance of trust in the dissertation chair-doctoral student dyad. If there is no trust present in the student’s assessment of the dissertation chair’s competency or level of care, it is perhaps less likely the feedback will be heard in a way that makes it actionable by the student. Thus, the effectiveness of the relationship is central and must have at least some depth to promote student success. It was also clear that an effective dissertation chair-doctoral student relationship is not a hierarchical one. While it is not necessarily a true partnership, it is not the role of the dissertation chair to control and/or limit the dialogue to fit her own preferences for how the dissertation should be crafted or to be “in charge of” the result. Yet, at the same time the dissertation chair must facilitate the development of the doctoral student’s ownership of the dissertation outcome while simultaneously ensuring university requirements are satisfied. Respondents spoke of feedback relevance as being like a companion to feedback effectiveness when they commented on the need for the doctoral student to be able to trust the chair for guidance in relation to the study topic, the research methodology, research design, and/or writing and formatting requirements. Participants noted that in their institutional environments they may sometimes serve as a dissertation chair because they are a subject matter expert in the student’s discipline or topic area, and at other times they may be placed in this role because of a specific methodological expertise. In these circumstances, the dissertation chair must know when to reach out to her colleagues as a kind of broker to get the correct, necessary assistance for their doctoral student from a different faculty member, whether that is regarding topical content or research methodology/design. The bottom line is to get each individual student what he or she needs when it is needed. Two participants said one of the areas they do not tend to provide a lot of feedback is related to writing, because they do not feel this is their job or their area of expertise. Both suggested writing centers and/or editors were more appropriate sources for assistance with writing. On the other hand, two respondents took the opposite view, indicating they felt feedback on writing is something they can and should provide to enhance the overall quality of the doctoral student’s work. Scholarly Expectations Part of the dissertation chair role is to help a doctoral student evolve from being overly dependent on faculty advice to having their own ideas and being able to articulate and defend those ideas. Although the dissertation chair serves in a gatekeeper capacity for their university (ensuring students produce work that meets their university’s requirements) the chair must balance this institutional role with their role in supporting the student’s growth and development from non-researcher, to novice researcher, to independent scholar-practitioner. Resiliency and persistence were mentioned by several participants in this study. Companion concepts were identified as consistency, constancy, and camaraderie. An important component of the dissertation chair role is to act as a partner with the doctoral student. The dissertation chair brings their scholarly experience as well as their student support experience into the role of working with a doctoral student through the dissertation process and journey. Despite the gatekeeper responsibilities, the dissertation chair helps the student transition into a new level of largely student-driven but dissertation chair-guided work. It is vitally important for the dissertation chair to understand that while their guidance and expertise plays an important role, the study belongs to the student. It is their topic, their dream, and their mission to advance. The dissertation chair must facilitate movement of the student into the center of the process, and participants in this study pointed to the necessity for the dissertation chair to make their expectations clear (which also represent the expectations of the university) while at the same time helping the doctoral student to see that it is not the dissertation chair’s study to own . The dissertation belongs to the student and supporting doctoral student agency is a crucial piece of the doctoral student success puzzle, but student agency cannot be achieved in the dissertation chair-doctoral student relationship without establishing high levels of mutual trust and rapport. One participant added that in environments where the dissertation chair-student relationship is primarily or wholly virtual, this relationship building requires extra vigilance. The expectation to become a scholar-practitioner involves learning to represent oneself in a scholarly voice, learning to conduct original research, and learning to tell the story of that research in a way that is consistent with a field of scholarship and practice, as well as with the research methodology chosen for the study. The dissertation chair might be thought of, in these processes, as a transformer, one who enables the two-way flow of energy that moves back and forth as this relationship evolves. Participants in this study spoke of this relationship as more than a professional one. There are many times when the student does not want to interact only in relation to the dissertation study but rather on a more personal level. Conclusion: Best Practices for Doctoral Student Success in the Dissertation Process It takes a village to mint a new doctor. Support from many corners of the individual’s world must be brought to bear over a period of several years to increase the chances that this person will eventually walk down the aisle to don the doctoral hood. Looking in from the outside, this support can range from spouses to children to extended family to coworkers and beyond. Peering at the doctoral journey from inside the university, the support comes from the faculty members who teach academic subject courses, student advisors, library staff, and support services staff (e.g., the writing center), but it has been argued that ultimately the individuals who have the most wide-ranging impact on the likelihood of a doctoral student’s success are the student him- or herself (Bagaka’s, Badillo, Bransteter & Rispinto, 2015) and the dissertation chair (Rigler, Bowlin, Sweat, Watts, Throne, 2017; Roberts, et al, 2019; Sugimoto, 2012). A growing body of literature on the dissertation chair-doctoral student relationship has noted the connection between the efficacy and strength of this relationship and student persistence to completion of the doctoral degree (Black, 2017; Gray & Crosta, 2018; Rigler et al., 2017; Roberts et al., 2019; Throne & Oddi, 2019; Throne, Shaw, Fore, O’Connor Duffy, & Clowes, 2015). Factors framed as being supportive; demonstrating a willingness to commit to providing a high level of mentoring; and fostering an interactive, connected, collaborative rather than a hierarchical relationship are recognized as being key elements of doctoral student success (Baghurst, 2013; Roberts, et al., 2019; Throne & Duffy, 2016; Throne et al., 2015; Throne & Oddi, 2019). These conclusions from relevant literature are consistent with what was reported by the participants in this study, though the specific focus of this research was limited to the role of various types of behavior as it relates to ensuring regular contact and providing feedback to doctoral students to strengthen their resilience and enhance the likelihood of their persistence to the successful completion of the doctoral journey. Trust Building and Caring Behaviors The dissertation chairs interviewed for this study agreed that trust building is one of the most important aspects of the dissertation chair role, and that without taking time to build trust the dissertation chair-doctoral student dyad is less effective. Participants called trust “imperative,” “crucial,” and “number one, at the head of the list most important thing a chair must do.” It is as though this intentionally built relationship must function as a ‘safe container’ within which these two individuals interact, and while it is a dyad that exists primarily to guide a doctoral student through the completion of the dissertation, it is also a location in which an important relationship is built. One participant pointed out, that the relationship can be long-term and noted that she sometimes publishes work with former students. Another participant spoke of how easily the relationship can flounder, or perhaps not even get off the ground successfully, in circumstances where the doctoral student does not appear interested in establishing the relationship and/or it is difficult to build and sustain a positive, trusting relationship between student and dissertation chair. A third noted that the trusting relationship cuts both ways, e.g. the chair must be able to trust the student will follow through on necessary modifications to a manuscript and the student must be able to trust that she or he will be provided with trustworthy and timely feedback. One respondent spoke of the friendship component of the dissertation chair-doctoral student relationship that can develop and yet this individual and others also reflected upon the reality that the relationship must be grounded in the understanding that the chair, while being there to offer support, must also ensure that focus remains on getting the doctoral student successfully to the completion of the doctoral journey. This very often means having to give feedback that is difficult for the student to hear. However, there was a consensus that if students experience the dissertation chair as knowledgeable enough, while they may not like getting negative feedback, they are nevertheless aware that being held to specific expectations is ultimately for their benefit. Participants seemed to be sensitive to the reality that there needs to be a fine balance in terms of how the dissertation chair behaves in relation to the student and that the environment must make mutual trust possible. The dissertation chair-doctoral student dyads that seem to work the best, according to these respondents, are those in which if a student sometimes feels the chair is being “hard” on them they can also recognize that this “hardness” is justified in the interest of facilitating the student’s success. Respondents mentioned the importance of setting expectations clearly in the early days of the dyad’s inception and reinforcing these expectations as necessary. Individualized Coaching and Guidance Study participants repeatedly returned to the notion that the dissertation chair, to be successful, must approach each student as an individual where coaching and guidance are concerned as opposed to having a one-size-fits-all approach. The relationship evolves over time and the doctoral student becomes more confident over time as they grow in knowledge. While all doctoral students must be guided in relation to their specific university’s expectations, each of those students have unique needs, working styles, problems, and goals with respect to their studies. In supervising the dissertation process for each of their students, the dissertation chair must cultivate the capability of being able to discern how to work with each student as the process proceeds and the dissertation chair and doctoral student get to know each other and become more comfortable with one another. At times this means the chair must know when she needs to bring in some extra help; not every chair is a subject matter expert in a specific student’s research topic and not every chair can be a methods expert for all her students. In another vein, responding to the individual needs of each doctoral student also means the dissertation chair must be adept at knowing when and how to apply different mentoring styles, where one end of a continuum might be expressed in terms of being more directive with a student to ensure dissertation quality expectations are achieved, while at the opposite end of the continuum one might employ a mentoring style that is more laid back or flexible . Furthermore, participants noted that throughout the lifecycle of the dissertation journey each student is going to have different needs related to various steps in the process. For example, while one student may need more hand holding in relation to understanding data analysis, another student may run into difficulty where participant recruitment is concerned. Each case is different, and the dissertation chair must be prescient with respect to both intuiting and inquiring to determine how best to support their doctoral students as individuals. In addition, while several participants in this study agreed that the writing capabilities of a student play an important role in the crafting of a quality dissertation, not everyone expressed that they felt especially competent to act as a writing tutor. One context in which writing proficiency was addressed in this study resulted from an interview question about the online education environment becoming more diverse and whether the participants had given thought to supporting students from diverse backgrounds. Several participants interpreted diversity as being about the kind of individual need for support that arises in the context of working with doctoral students who come from different cultures and are not native English speakers/writers. While these respondents noted that their institutions either currently have or are working to create programs designed to support a more culturally diverse student body, as dissertation chairs their emphasis when asked this ‘diversity question’ was primarily about the need to be nimble enough in their work with individual students to support them effectively in relation to writing challenges that arise from language differences. For several of the dissertation chairs who participated in this study, working with students from different cultural backgrounds provided them with opportunities to expand their own horizons. One participant pointed out, that cultural differences sometimes mean people approach problems in different ways or perceive working together differently, and understanding these differences aids the dissertation chair in learning about additional ways to provide feedback to students. In the end, it seems being faced with cultural differences opens a window onto a view from which working with students as individuals, rather than in a rote manner, is a key to helping a doctoral student achieve a completed and successfully defended dissertation. Balancing Institutional Requirements and Student Needs One thread that ran through this study, expressed by participants in relation to several of the interview questions, was how they work to mentor students with individual needs against the backdrop of institutional requirements. As pointed out by one participant, “chairs need to have the latitude to be more organic with each student,” rather than working with each student in the exact same way. Several noted that the leadership of doctoral programs where they are employed as dissertation chairs require them to meet with students “X” number of times a week or per session, and yet some students may need to meet with them more often whereas others generally require less contact, or their needs to meet with their chair shift along with where the student is situated along the various steps of the dissertation process. What is termed “research supervisor agency” in some of the literature suggests that this concept is a partner to the concept of doctoral student agency (Rigler et al., 2017; Throne & Walters, 2019). It was also noted that some institutions have policies, or stated preferences, that dissertation chair-doctoral student contact occur through specific tools/mechanisms and/or that feedback be provided using specific approaches (e.g., embedded feedback on manuscripts using margin comments or track changes). Most of the participants in this study suggested that what is a best practice for supporting and communicating with one student may need to be different for another student. As put by one respondent, institutions need to “give chairs and students the opportunity to decide what works best for them on a case-by-case basis.” Participants in this study spoke in varying ways about the importance of building rapport and relationship with each of their doctoral students. This was asserted as crucial to ensure that the way feedback from the chair is received by the student promotes growth and development as opposed to discouraging progress. For feedback on manuscript components to be regarded as constructive there must first be put into place the understanding that the study being completed belongs to the student, not to the dissertation chair. One respondent pointed out that while he makes his expectations clear about what constitutes a quality product, he balances this with the clear communication that the study is theirs: the student must meet the institution’s stated requirements, but at the same time they need to travel down their own path and defend their own ideas. Another participant pointed out the importance of “teaching through engagement” and that the dissertation chair is there to support their efforts, not “to beat them up.” Feedback on a dissertation a student has been working on for a considerable amount of time may be “hard to swallow” and therefore should be delivered in a way that is encouraging and results from a relationship in which solid rapport has been built. This is consistent with recent research (Throne & Oddi, 2019; Throne & Walters, 2019) that suggests doctoral student success owes a great deal to the building of dissertation chair-doctoral student relationships grounded in regular, ongoing communication and feedback processes that are diverse, so students’ unique needs can be met; empathetic, so students know they will have emotional as well as academic support through the inevitable rough spots along the dissertation journey; collaborative and trusting rather than hierarchical and distant, thereby acknowledging the study belongs to the student, not the chair; and mentoring oriented, so that doctoral student agency is an outgrowth of the dissertation chair’s agency. Recommendations for Future Research There are several avenues for pursuit of robust understanding of best practices in the dissertation chair-doctoral student relationship. The present study findings could be expanded through a quantitative project that invites a larger number of dissertation chairs from the target population to evaluate the best practices identified through this current study. In addition, the authors of this research noted that while there is a growing body of literature that explores the dissertation chair-doctoral student relationship from the viewpoint of the dissertation chair, there is comparatively little literature that examines this dyad from the point of view of the doctoral student. One approach to this effort would be to invite graduates of online scholar-practitioner doctoral programs to offer their reflections and suggestions in their relationship with their dissertation chair as an important piece in the puzzle of understanding how to enhance the effectiveness of the dissertation chair-doctoral student relationship. Finally, doctoral students certainly differ in their specific needs for support overall and at varying moments in the dissertation journey, and dissertation chairs differ in their mentoring styles. Given this, the authors suggest there is a need for in-depth investigation into best mentoring practices for improving the online doctoral student engagement along the various steps in the dissertation journey to improve their persistence to completion of degree.

Bagaka’s, J.G., Badillo, N., Bransteter, I. & Rispinto, S. (2015). Exploring student success in a doctoral program: The power of mentorship and research engagement. International Journal of Doctoral Studies , (10): 323-342. doi: http://ijds.org/Volume10/IJDSv10p323-342Bagaka1713.pdf

Baghurst, T. (2013). Demographic and attitudinal factors influencing doctoral student satisfaction. Canadian Social Science , 9 (6), 47–56. doi:10.3968/j.css.1923669720130906.3040

Bair, C.R. & Haworth, J.G. (1999) Doctoral student attrition and persistence: A meta-synthesis of research . Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education San Antonio, Texas. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED437008.pdf

Black, R. (2017) E-Mentoring the online doctoral student from the dissertation prospectus through dissertation completion. The Journal of Learning in Higher Education 13 (1), 1-8.

Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners . London, England: SAGE Publications, Ltd

Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology , (3): 77-101. doi: 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Burrus, S. W. M., Fiore, T. D., & Shaw, M. E. (2019). Predictors of online doctoral student success: A quantitative study. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 22 (4), 1-7.

Council of Graduate Schools. (2008). Ph.D. completion and attrition: Analysis of baseline program data from the Ph.D. completion project . Washington, DC: Council of Graduate Schools. Retrieved from https://cgsnet.org/phd-completion-project

Gray, M. A. & Crosta, L. (2018): New perspectives in online doctoral supervision: A systematic literature review. Studies in Continuing Education , 1-18. doi:10.1080/0158037X.2018.1532405

Heinrich, K.T. (1991). Loving partnerships: Dealing with sexual attraction and power in doctoral advisement relationships. Journal of Higher Education , 62(5), 514-538.

Henrich, K.T. (1995). Doctoral advisement relationships between women: On friendship and betrayal. Journal of Higher Education , 66(4), 447-469. doi.org/10.1080/00221546.1991.11774150

Heiss, A.M. (1970). Challenges to graduate schools . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Lave, J. (1991). Situating learning in communities of practice. In L. B. Resnick, J. Levine, & S. Teasley (Eds.), Perspectives on socially shared cognition (pp. 63–82). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/10096-003

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation . New York: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511815355

Muirhead, B., & Blum, K. D. (2006). Advising online dissertation students. Educational Technology & Society , 9 (1), 1-8. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/je...

Rigler, K., Bowlin, L., Sweat, K., Watts, S., & Throne, R. (2017). Agency, socialization, and support: A critical review of doctoral student attrition. 3rd International Conference on Doctoral Education . Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?q=ED580853&id=ED580853

Roberts, L. R., Tinari, C. M., & Bandlow, R. (2019). An effective doctoral student mentor wears many hats and asks many questions. International Journal of Doctoral Studies , 14 (1), 133–159. doi.org/10.28945/4195

Saldaña, J. (2016). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Schwartz-Shea, P. & Yanow, D. (2012). Interpretive research design: Concepts and processes . New York, NY: Routledge.

Spillett, M.A., Moisiewicz, K.A. (2004). Cheerleader, coach, counselor, critic: Support and challenge roles of the dissertation advisor. College Student Journal , (38)2, 246-256. Retrieved from https://www.questia.com/library/p1917/college-student-journal

Sugimoto. C. R. (2012). Are you my mentor? Identifying mentors and their roles in LIS doctoral education. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science . (54)1, 2-19. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/23249093

Throne, R., & Duffy, J. (2016). Situated EdD dissertation advising in an online doctoral community of practice . WSCUC Academic Resource Conference, Garden Grove, CA. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.31563.28963

Throne, R., Shaw, M., Fore, C., O’Connor Duffy, J., & Clowes, M. (2015). Doctoral candidate milestone achievement: A philosophy for situated dissertation advising. Eighth International Conference on e-Learning and Innovative Pedagogies, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA.

Throne, R. & Oddi, B.T. (2019). Dissertation research supervisor agency for U.S. online doctoral research supervision. Handbook of research on faculty development for digital teaching and learning . IGI Global. doi: 10.4018/978-1-5225-8476-6.ch010

Throne, R. & Walters, K. (2019). Doctoral research supervisor agency: Fostering engagement in guiding U.S. online practitioner doctorates. 15th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Zhao, C.M., Golde, C.M. & McCormick, A.C. (2007). More than a signature: How advisor choice and advisor behavior affect doctoral student satisfaction. Journal of Further and Higher Education . 31(3), 263-281. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/030987...

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2 Chapter 2 The Candidate, the Chair, and the Committee

• Published: December 2009
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This chapter examines the three parties in the management of a dissertation: the doctoral candidate, the dissertation supervisor or chair, and the members of the dissertation committee. In addition, issues in selecting and working with the dissertation chair and committee as well as the role and tasks of all three parties are discussed. The objectives for Chapter 2 include evaluating candidate strengths and needs in relation to the dissertation project, the qualities required in the chair and the committee and how they fit with the candidate’s educational needs, developing a strategy for selecting and working with the chairperson and committee, and how to avoid common mistakes in selecting and working with the dissertation committee.

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What's the difference in responsibilities between a committee member, a co-advisor and an advisor in an PhD committee?

What are the differences in responsibilities among them? Can anybody give me an example to elucidate that. Also why are non-tenured faculty more interested in a co-adviser role than a committee member role?

• research-process

2 Answers 2

The advisor is the person who is formally recognized as the person most responsible for supervising the student's thesis research. A co-advisor is a person who also works with the doctoral candidate, but often in a secondary role (perhaps providing scientific but not financial support, for instance).

In my own case, for instance, I had two advisors who were fully equal in both supervising the research and supporting it financially. However, formally one of them had to be in charge of the thesis research—I believe they decided it by a coin flip.

The thesis committee is a body that convenes only sporadically (although sometimes on a regular schedule) to ensure that a doctoral candidate is progressing according to expectations. The committee—which usually includes the advisor and several other faculty members (or other advisors)—is also usually responsible for deciding when a candidate is ready to schedule a defense of the thesis and graduate.

As you can see, this is a very different role than a co-advisor, who takes on a much more active role in supervising and guiding the doctoral candidate's work. While a thesis committee member rarely is a co-author on a paper with the candidate, a co-advisor often will be. Consequently, it's much more useful for a faculty member to be a co-advisor than simply a committee member. (The latter role will not carry anywhere near as much "credit" toward a tenure case as being an advisor or a co-advisor.)

• @aeiesmail ,i am just afraid my PhD advisor might think i am trying to promote my MS advisor by bringing her in as an co-adviser. –  user14285 Commented Apr 18, 2014 at 21:23
• My experience was similar, in that I had two supervisors who were equal in terms of input. Rather than forcing one of them to be a co-supervisor, the institution allows them to share the role, and share the credit, equally. Incidentally, my chair (our word for committee member) also occasionally acted as a third supervisor as his area of expertise was also helpful to my thesis. –  Jangari Commented Apr 19, 2014 at 2:36
• @user14285: If you're only going to consult with your MS advisor sporadically, he need only be a thesis committee member. If he's going to be a co-author, then he should probably be a co-advisor as well. –  aeismail Commented Apr 19, 2014 at 12:32

This breakdown of the different roles comes from the University of Melbourne:

Principal supervisor (i.e. advisor) An appropriately qualified person who takes primary responsibility for the academic supervision of a candidate’s research and candidature

Co-supervisor (co-advisor) An appropriately qualified person designated to assist in the academic supervision of a candidate's research and candidature

Advisory committee chair (committee member) A registered principal supervisor in the administrative department of the candidate who is neither a supervisor of the candidate nor associated with the research project and who is appointed to oversee the advisory committee

In committee meetings (12 month confirmation, 2 year review, etc.) the chair organises the paperwork, basically. They are also there if the candidate needs to confide about their supervisors and potentially make a complaint if one of the supervisors' actions is unethical, or if there is some kind of professional or personal issue between them and the candidate.

As to your second question, I would suggest that non-tenured staff/faculty would push to be a co-adviser rather than committee member, because it raises their supervisory profile whereas being a committee member is really just a bureaucratic position. When applying for tenure-track positions, employers will look at the theses that the person has supervised or co-supervised, in addition to a range of other things, obviously.

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Q. What is the role of the Chair in the Dissertation Committee?

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Last Updated: Nov 02, 2023     Views: 60

The Faculty - Dissertation Chair Training presents this information in greater depth. 

The Dissertation Committee works together to direct, support, and guide the doctoral student through the dissertation process from start to finish.  The Committee must be able to work well together and also work well with the student. As the Chair, it is your job to facilitate that work and ensure everyone understands their role and fulfills their responsibilities. Three members comprise the Committee: the Chair, the Committee Member, and the Methodological Reader. The Dissertation Chair Training in Workday (available for self-enrollment) is an excellent resource to complete before you serve as a Dissertation Chair and to reference throughout the process.

Link(s) to Document(s):

• Doctoral Research Chair Expectations
• PhD Program General Course of Study
• Guide to Faculty and Staff who Support Doctoral Students
• Glossary of Terms
• Dissertation Handbook (for Students)

Link(s) to Video(s):

Related FAQ: 

• Where can I find resources for chairing a Dissertation Committee?

Links & Files

• Faculty - Dissertation Chair Training

Contact Information

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Title Page formatting and spacing must exactly match that of the Title Page sample (PDF).  For an annotated version of the title page example, click here (PDF) .

• If it is long enough, the title should fill the entire first line, before assuming an inverted pyramid format: after the title’s first line, each line should be centered and shorter than the line above it, so that the title resembles an upside-down pyramid shape. If the title has multiple lines, these lines should be single-spaced.
• Capitalize the first letter of all important words in your title.
• Your degree should read “Master of…” or “Doctor of…” rather than “Master’s of…” or “Doctorate in…”.
• The year listed should be the year in which you will graduate.

Signature Lines

On the left-hand side of your ETD system page, you will see the official names and titles of your committee members. This information must appear on your title page in exactly the same form, for record-keeping purposes. See below some specific guidelines:

• Indicate your chair with “Chair of Advisory Committee” or “Committee Chair”  below their signature line and name. If you have co-chairs, include “Co-Chair of Advisory Committee” or “Committee Co-Chair” below the names of both co-chairs.
• If you have an External Committee Member, include “External Member” below their name.
• Do not include signature lines or names of Graduate School Representatives or Technical Consultants.
• All names and titles should be either centered or left-aligned under their associated signature lines. Whatever alignment you choose, be sure to be consistent. The group of signature lines, as a whole, should be centered on the page.
• Do not include actual signatures from your committee. Approval is now entered electronically, via MyPack portal.

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Pansy Lin (Ph.D. '00) First academic placement: Emory University Dissertation Title: Equity Pricing in International Markets: Three Empirical Essays Dissertation Chair: Professor Roll

Yihong Xia (Ph.D. '00) First academic placement: University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School Dissertation Title: Three Essays on the Effect of Learning and Predictability on Optimal Dynamic Portfolio Strategies and Asset Prices Dissertation Chair: Professor Brennan

Mikhail Galashin (Ph.D. '23) Placement: Postdoc - UCLA Dissertation Title: Essays on Economics of Beliefs Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Wasserman and Professor Perez-Truglia

Matias Giaccobasso (Ph.D. '23) Placement: VATT Institute for Economic Research (Helsinki, Finland) Dissertation Title: Essays in Public Economics Dissertation Chair: Professor Giuliano

Sebastian Ottinger (Ph.D. '21) Placement: Bates White Dissertation Title: Essays in Urban and Public Economics Dissertation Chair: Professor Sauers

Thomas Groesbeck (Ph.D. '21) Placement: The MITRE Corporation (Lead Economist) Dissertation Title: Essays on the Market for Prototypes Dissertation Chair: Professor Voigtlaender

Juan Matamala (Ph.D. '21) Placement: Mercado Libre Dissertation Title: Essays on People's Operations Dissertation Chair: Professor Voigtlaender

Sebastian Ottinger (Ph.D. '21) First academic placement: CERGE-EI (Prague) Dissertation Title: Essays in Political Economy and Economic Geography Dissertation Chair: Professor Voigtlaender

Vasily Korovkin (Ph.D. '18) Placement: CERGE-EI (Prague) Dissertation Title: Essays on Firms and Institutions Dissertation Chair: Professor Wacziarg

Shekhar Mittal (Ph.D. '18) Placement: Amazon Dissertation Title: Essays on Taxation in Emerging Economies Dissertation C0-Chairs: Professor Wacziarg and Professor Mahajan (UC Berkely)  

Mikhail Poyker (Ph.D. '18) First academic placement: University of Nottingham Dissertation Title: Essays on the Economic Effects of Convict Labor in Modern U.S. History Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Giuliano and Professor Wacziarg  

Youngjin Song (Ph.D. '18) First academic placement: Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade Dissertation Title: Essays on Regional Economic Developement in the United States Dissertation Chair: Professor Giuliano

Stefano Fiorin (Ph.D. '17) First academic placement: Bocconi University Dissertation Title: Essays in Behavioral Economics Dissertation Chair: Professor Bursztyn

Andrea Di Miceli (Ph.D. '17) Placement: Analysis Group Dissertation Title: Essays on Development and Political Economics Dissertation Chair: Professor Wacziarg

Yang Yang (Ph.D. '17) First academic placement: IMF Dissertation Title: Essays on Economic Growth and International Trade Dissertation Chair: Professor Wacziarg

Alvaro Garcia (Ph.D. '14) First academic placement: Post Doc - UCLA Economics Department Dissertation Title: Essays on Firms and International Trade Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Leamer and Professor Voigtlaender

Juan Marcos Wlasiuk (Ph.D. '13) First academic placement: Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Chile Dissertation Title: Essays on International Development Dissertation Chair: Professor Edwards

Mitsuru Igami (Ph.D. '12) First academic placement: Yale University Dissertation Title: Three Essays on Creative Destruction Dissertation Chair: Professor Leamer

Bernardo Morais (Ph.D. '11) First academic placement: Federal Reserve Board Dissertation Title: Uncertainty and the Relative Price of Investment Goods Dissertation Chair: Professor Wacziarg

Daniel A. Dias (Ph.D. '10) First academic placement: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Dissertation Title: Essays in International Trade and Globalization Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Leamer and Professor Wacziarg

Christine Richmond (Ph.D. '10) Placement: IMF Dissertation Title: Essays on Firm Performance and Dynamics in Developing Countries Dissertation Chair: Professor Edwards

Brian Kelleher Richter (Ph.D. '10) First academic placement: University of Western Ontario, Canada Dissertation Title: Essays in Political Economy and Finance Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Leamer and Professor Wacziarg

Roberto Jaime Alvaraez Espinoza (Ph.D. '06) First academic placement: Universidad de Chile Dissertation Title: Three Essays on Export Transitions Dissertation Chair: Professor Edwards

Marc Junkunc (Ph.D. '04) First academic placement: The University of Miami Dissertation Title: Toward a Greater Economic Understanding of Entrepreneurial Activity: Examining the Nature and Importance of Specialized Knowledge Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Osborne and Professor Leamer

Wenjin Kang (Ph.D. '04) First academic placement: National University of Singapore Dissertation Title: Towards a Better Understanding of Liquidity, Trading Behavior, and Stock Returns: Three Essays in Market Microstructure Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Subrahmanyam

Anusha Chari (Ph.D. '00) First academic placement: University of Chicago Dissertation Title: Essays on the Microstructure of Foreign Exchange Markets Dissertation Chair: Professor Darby

Rajesh Chakrabarti (Ph.D. '99) First academic placement: University of Alberta, Canada Dissertation Title: Essays on Information and Linkages in Financial Markets Dissertation Chair: Professor Roll

Peter Schott (Ph.D. '99) Placement: Yale University Dissertation Title: Three Essays on Factor Endowments, the Distribution of Production and Trade Dissertation Chair: Professor Leamer

Josh Coval (Ph.D. '97) Placement: Harvard University Dissertation Title: Essays in International Finance Dissertation Chair: Professor Chowdhry

William Tracy (Ph.D. '08) First academic placement: Rensselaer Polytechnic University Dissertation Title: Three Essays on Firm Learning Dissertation Chair: Professor McKelvey

Sahn-Wook Huh (Ph.D. '04) First academic placement: Brock University, Canada Dissertation Title: Essays on Financial Markets and Trading Behavior Dissertation Chair: Professor Subrahmanyam

Tatsuo Ushijima (Ph.D. '03) First academic placement: Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan, Graduate School of International Management Dissertation TItle: Evolution of Multinationality and the Value of the Firm Dissertation Chair: Professor Lieberman

Heather Berry (Ph.D. '01) First academic placement: Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Dissertation Title: The Exploitation and Development of Intangible Assets by Multinational Enterprises (MNEs): An Empirical Analysis of the Foreign Direct Investment of US and Japanese MNEs, 1974-1997 Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor de la Torre and Professor Sakakibara

Javier Gomez Biscarri (Ph.D. '00) First academic placement: University of Navarra, Spain Dissertation Title: Interest Rates and the Transition to a Monetary Union Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Edwards and Professor Leamer

Ping Wang (Ph.D. '05) First academic placement: University of Maryland, College Park Dissertation Title: Fashion in Information Technology Dissertation Chair: Professor Swanson and Zucker

David R. Firth (Ph.D. '03) First academic placement: University of Montana, School of Business Administration Dissertation Title: Supply of Information into, Search of Information within, and use of Information from Information Technology-Based Organizational Memory Systems Dissertation Chair: Professor Swanson

Enrique Dans (Ph.D. '00) First academic placement: Instituto de Empressa, Spain Dissertation TItle: Three Essays on IT Innovation and Productivity Dissertation Chair: Professor Swanson

Samantha Kellar (Ph.D. '24) First placement: MMR Strategy Group Dissertation Chair: Professor Hershfield-->

Alice Lee-Yoon (Ph.D. '24) First academic placement: University of Missouri-St. Louis Dissertation Chair: Professor Hershfield-->

Danqiao Cheng (Ph.D. '23) First academic placement: Postdoc - UCLA Dissertation Title: A License to Obliviousness: Positive Stereotypes Reduce Acknowledgement of Racial Discrimination Dissertation Chair: Professor Whitson

Lyangela Gutierrez (Ph.D. '21) First academic placement: University of Virginia Dissertation Title:  Minorities’ Perceptions of Majority Members’ Involvement in Affinity Groups: A Critical Examination of Ally Behavior Dissertation Chair: Professor Unzueta

Linda Nguyen (Ph.D. '21) First academic placement: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Dissertation Title:  Exploring the Ignored: How Diversity Blind Spots Undermine Support for Organizational Diversity Initiatives Dissertation Chair: Professor Unzueta

Colin West (Ph.D. '21) First academic placement: University of Toronto Dissertation Title:  Windfalls of Time and Money: Effects on Well-Being and Decision Making Dissertation Chair: Professor DeVoe

Safiya Castel (Ph.D. '18) Placement: Paradigm Strategy, Inc Dissertation Title:  Do-Gooders or Rabble-Rousers: The Politicization of Black Volunteer Work and its Effects on the Hireability of Black Job Candidates Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Unzueta and Professor Shapiro

Ashley Angulo (Ph.D. '17) First academic placement: postdoc at Disney Research  Dissertation Title:  The Role of Feelings of Endowment in Charitable Giving Decisions   Dissertation Chair: Professor Goldstein

Daniel Walters (Ph.D. '17) First academic placement: INSEAD  Dissertation Title:  Known Unknowns in Judgment and Choice  Dissertation Chair: Professor Fox

Thomas Altura (Ph.D. '15) First academic placement: Rensselaer San Jose State University  Dissertation Title: The Social Facticity of Partner-Status: The Case of Local Governments and Investment Banks Dissertation Chair: Professor Jacoby

Peter Norlander (Ph.D. '14) First academic placement: Loyola- Chicago Dissertation Title: Organizing Migrations: People and Knowledge Flows in the Global Economy Dissertation Chair: Professor Erickson

Benjamin Everly (Ph.D. '13) First academic placement: University of Sussex Dissertation TItle: The Fear of Femininity: How Men's Motivation to Maintain Manhood Status Influences Performance Dissertation Chair: Professor Shih

Angélica Gutiérrez (Ph.D. '12) First academic placement: Post Doc-University of Michigan Dissertation Title: The Effect of Social Dominance Orientation on Reactions to University and Employment Recruitment and Selection Policies Dissertation Chair: Professor Unzueta

Nicholas Hays (Ph.D. '12) First academic placement: Post Doc-New York University Dissertation Title: Social Climbing: A Contextual Approach to Understanding the Effects of Social Hierarchy on Individual Cognition and Behavior Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Bendersky and Professor Goldstein

Ming-Hong Tsai (Ph.D. '12) First academic placement: Singapore Management University Dissertation Title: Information Sharing Within Groups Dissertation Chair: Professor Shih

Alice Wieland (Ph.D. '12) First academic placement: University of Nevada, Reno Dissertation Title: Gender and Decision-Making: Competitive, Risky and Entrepreneurial Decisions: Three Essays Related to How Sex and Gender Influence Decisions in Different Contexts Dissertation Chair: Professor McKelvey

Rangapriya Narasimhan (Ph.D. '11) First academic placement: University of San Diego Dissertation Title: Understanding Intrapreneurs and the Mechanics of Opportunity Exploitation Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Lawrence and Professor Flamholtz

Neha Parikh Shah (Ph.D. '10) First academic placement: Rutgers University Dissertation Title: The Individual Performance Effects of Multiplex Relationships in Workplace Social Networks Dissertation Chair: Professor Lawrence

Vicki Scherwin (Ph.D. '09) First academic placement: Long Beach State University  Dissertation Title:  The Overlooked Dimension of Leadership: Follower Self-Interest   Dissertation Chair: Professor Culbert

Emily Mung-Lam Nason (Ph.D. '08) First academic placement: Hong Kong University of Science & Technology  Dissertation Title:  Uncertainty and Fairness Judgments: The Role of Information Ambiguity   Dissertation Chair: Professor Jacoby

David Bardolet Urgelles (Ph.D. '08) First academic placement: SDA Bocconi School of Management Dissertation Title: New Perspectives on Capital Allocation Dissertation Chair: Professor Fox

Hilla Dotan (Ph.D. '07) First academic placement: Tel-Aviv University, Israel  Dissertation Title:  Friendship Ties at Work: Origins, Evolution and Consequences for Managerial Effectiveness   Dissertation Chair: Professor Lewin

Roberto Alvarez Espinoza (Ph.D. '06) First academic placement: University of Chile Dissertation Title:  Three Essays in Export Transitions Dissertation Chair: Professor Edwards

Elissa Grossman (Ph.D. '05) Academic placement: USC Marshall School Dissertation TItle: New Venture Creation and Network Tie Formation: A Longitudinal Study of Nascent Entrepreneurs' Efforts in Business-Building Dissertation Chair: David Lewin

Wei Hua (Ph.D. '05) First academic placement: Singapore Management University  Dissertation Title:  The Role of Social Context: Putting Similarity Effects on Organizational Attachment in Perspective   Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Lawrence and Professor Lewin

Jean-Francois Axel Hugues Coget (Ph.D. '04) First academic placement: HEC School of Management, Paris  Dissertation Title:  Leadership in Motion: An Investigation into the Psychological Processes that Drive Behavior when Leaders Respond to Real-Time Operational Challenges   Dissertation Chair: Professor Culbert  

Zeynep Aksehirli (Ph.D. '03) First academic placement: Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth  Dissertation Title:  Transfer of Organizational Norms through Electronic Communication   Dissertation Chair: Professor Lawrence

David Dolifka (Ph.D. '24) First academic placement: University of Utah Dissertation Chair: Professor Hershfield-->

Xiuyi (Sherry) He (Ph.D. ’23) First academic placement: Michigan State University - Broad College of Business Dissertation Title:  Essays on Platform Policies, Ratings and Innovation Dissertation Chair: Professor Hollenbeck

Julia Levine (Ph.D. ’23) First academic placement: Johns Hopkins University Dissertation Title:  State Dependence in Brand, Category, and Store Choice Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Bucklin and Professor Seiler

Daniel J. Mirny (Ph.D. ’23) First academic placement: IESE Business School, Spain Dissertation Title:  Antecedents to and Consequences of Claim Objectivity Dissertation Chair: Professor Spiller

Kalyan Rallabandi (Ph.D. ’22) First academic placement: Tulane University Dissertation Title:  Consumer Perceptions of Sponsored Listing and their Impact on Online Marketplaces Dissertation Chair: Professor Hollenbeck

Bilge Ipek Demirdag (Ph.D. ’22) First placement: Meta (Quantitative User Experience Researcher) Dissertation Title:  Consumer Responses to Algorithmic Decisions Dissertation Chair: Professor Shu

Kate Christensen (Ph.D. ’21) First academic placement: Kelley School of Business, Indiana University Dissertation Title:  Moving Through Time: How Past and Future Connections Impact Consumer Decisions Dissertation Chair: Professor Hershfield

Elicia John (Ph.D. '20) First academic placement: The RAND Corporation Dissertation Title: A Theory of Goal Maintenance: A Distinct and Vivid Pre-Goal Self Predicts Post-Goal Maintenance Behavior Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Hershfield and Professor Shu

Daniel Yavorsky (Ph.D. '20) First academic placement: Bain's Advanced Analytics Group Dissertation Title: Consumer Search in the U.S. Auto Industry Dissertation Chair: Professor Honka

Keunwoo Kim (Ph.D. '18) First academic placement: Solbridge International School of Business Dissertation Title: Two Essays on Large-Scale Data Applications in Marketing Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Misra and Professor Rossi

Jonathan Lim (Ph.D. '18) First academic placement: UC Riverside Dissertation Title:  Easy Explanations or Elaborate Elucidations?: Explanatory Preferences for Complexity Matching Dissertation Chair: Professor Oppenheimer

Charlene Chu (Ph.D. '17) First academic placement: Chapman University Dissertation Title: Of Photographs, Souvenirs, and Ticket Stubs: Understanding Mementos Dissertation Chair: Professor Shu

Marissa Sharif (Ph.D. '17) First academic placement: Wharton School of Business Dissertation Title: The Benefits of Emergency Reserves in Goal Preference and Persistence Dissertation Chair: Professor Shu

Wayne Taylor (Ph.D. '17) First academic placement: SMU Cox Dissertation Title: Modeling Customer Behavior in Loyalty Programs Dissertation Chair: Professor Bodapati

Li Jiang (Ph.D. '16) First academic placement: Post Doc- Carnegie Mellon Dissertation Title: How Consumers React to the Negative Emotions of Loss, Embarrassment, and Stress Dissertation Chair: Professor Drolet Rossi

Mirei Takashima (Ph.D. '16) Placement: Mirei TC Consulting Dissertation Title: Self-Expression Through Brand and Consumption Choices: Examining Cross-Cultural Differences Dissertation Chair: Professor Sood

Paul Hoban (Ph.D. '14) First academic placement: University of Wisconsin Dissertation Title: Advertising, Promotion, and Reviews: Three Models to Better Understand Internet Marketing Dissertation Chair: Professor Bucklin

Elizabeth Webb (Ph.D. '14) First academic placement: Columbia Business School Dissertation Title: Understanding Risk Preference and Perception in Sequential Choice Dissertation Chair: Professor Shu

Rafael Becerril Arreola (Ph.D. '13) First academic placement: University of South Carolina Dissertation TItle: Modeling Consumer Preferences for Status-signaling Brands: Branding, Pricing and Product-line Decisions Dissertation Chair: Professor Hanssens

Inigo Gallo (Ph.D. '13) First academic placement: IESE Business School, Spain Dissertation Title: The Processing and Evaluation of Experiences Dissertation Chair: Professor Sood

Ho Kim (Ph.D. '13) First academic placement: Azusa Pacific University Dissertation Title: Consumer Online Search and New-Product Marketing Dissertation Chair: Professors Hanssens

Hyewook Jeong (Ph.D. '11) First academic placement: Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea Dissertation Title: The Indecisive Consumer: Coping with Negative Emotion by Seeking Variety Dissertation Chair: Professor Drolet Rossi

Min Ha Hwang (Ph.D. '10) First academic placement: McGill University, Canada Dissertation Title: Three Essays on Food and Grocery Retailing Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Bronnenberg and Professor Thomadsen

Claudia Townsend (Ph.D. '10) First academic placement: University of Miami Dissertation Title: The Impact of Product Aesthetics in Consumer Choice Dissertation Chair: Professor Sood

Hyun Sang Shin (Ph.D. '08) First academic placement: Long Island University Dissertation Title: Strategic and Financial Implications of New Product Quality in High-Tech Industries Dissertation Chair: Professor Hanssens

Oliver Rutz (Ph.D. '07) First academic placement: Yale University Dissertation Title: Three Essays on Paid Search Advertising Dissertation Chair: Professor Bucklin

Michael Trusov (Ph.D. '07) First academic placement: University of Maryland Dissertation Title: Three Essays on Internet Marketing Dissertation Chair: Professor Bucklin

Paulo Albuquerque (Ph.D. '06) First academic placement: University of Rochester Dissertation Title: Using Multi-Market Information to Improve Understanding of Firm and Consumer Behavior Dissertation Chair: Professor Bronnenberg

Garrett Sonnier (Ph.D. '06) First academic placement: University of Texas, Austin Dissertation Title: Bayesian Analysis of Consumer Willingness-to-Pay Dissertation Chair: Professor Ainslie

Amit Joshi (Ph.D. '05) First academic placement: University of Central Florida Dissertation Title: The Direct, Indirect and Feedback Effects of Marketing Actions Dissertation Chair: Professor Hanssens

Yi Cathy Chen (Ph.D. '04) First academic placement: Singapore Management University Dissertation Title: Understanding the Impact of Certain and Uncertain Store Promotions on the Decision-Making Process in Product Choices Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Scott and Professor Zhang

Andres Terech (Ph.D. '04) First academic placement: IAE/Universidad Austral, Argentina Dissertation Title: Three Essays on Consideration Sets Dissertation Chair: Professor Bucklin

Shijin Yoo (Ph.D. '04) First academic placement: Singapore Management University Dissertation Title: Essays on Customer Equity and Product Marketing Dissertation Chair: Professor Hanssens

Julian Villanueva (Ph.D. '03)  First academic placement: IESE Business School, Spain  Dissertation Title:  Acquisition Channels and Price Discrimination in a Customer Equity Framework   Dissertation Chair: Professor Hannsens

Caterina Sismeiro Ribeiro (Ph.D. '02)  First academic placement: University of Southern California  Dissertation Title:  Modeling and Browsing and Purchase on the Internet Using Clicstream Data   Dissertation Chair: Professor Bucklin

Loraine Lau (Ph.D. '01)  First academic placement: University of Minnesota  Dissertation Title:  Understanding Consumers' Evaluations of Mixed Affective Experiences   Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Aaker and Professor Scott

Koen Pauwels (Ph.D. '01)  First academic placement: Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College  Dissertation Title:  Long-Term Marketing Effectiveness in Mature, Emerging and Changing Markets   Dissertation Chair: Professor Hanssens

Tingyu Du (Ph.D. '24) First academic placement: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Dissertation Chair: Professor Hershfield-->

Pedro Makhoul (Ph.D. '22) First academic placement: Insper Dissertation Title: Cross-Border Acquisitions and Ownership Dissertation Chair: Professor Sorenson and Professor Poliquin

Kira Stearns (Ph.D. '20) First academic placement: Intensity, LLC Dissertation Title: Investing in Innovation: Evidence from the Pharmaceutical Industry Dissertation Chair: Professor Lieberman and Professor Chen

Marco Testoni (Ph.D. '19) First academic placement: Tilburg University Dissertation Title:  Essays on the Geographical, Product, and Technological Dimensions of the Market for Corporate Control  Dissertation Chair: Professor Lieberman

Bennett Chiles (Ph.D. '17) First academic placement: Columbia University Dissertation Title: Shrouded Information and Strategic Transparency: Three Essays on Price Obfuscation Dissertation Chair: Professor Lieberman

Cristian Ramirez (Ph.D. '17) First academic placement: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Dissertation Title: Three Essays on Non-Monetary Incentives and Employee Compensation Dissertation Chair: Professor Larkin

Vanessa Burbano (Ph.D. '15) First academic placement: Columbia University Dissertation Title:  Three Essays on Corporate Social Responsibility Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Lieberman and Profesor Snyder

Bo Kyung Kim (Ph.D. '13) First academic placement: SMU Dissertation Title: Essays on the Effect of Financial Crises on Corporate Management Dissertation Chair: Professor Lieberman

James Owen Ostler (Ph.D. '13) First academic placement: University of Michigan Dissertation TItle: Strategic Risk Taking Under Competition Dissertation Chair: Professor Lieberman

Sara Elizabeth Parker (Ph.D. '13) First academic placement: Rutgers University Dissertation Title: Conflict of Interest and Incentives in Health Care Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Lieberman and Professor Ramanarayanan

Marco Huesch (Ph.D. '08) First academic placement: Duke University Dissertation Title: Three Essays in Healthcare Economics Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor McKelvey and Professor Zame

Hyok-Jon Dharma Kwon (Ph.D. '08) First academic placement: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Dissertation Title: The Impact of Uncertainty on Operational Decisions Dissertation Chair: Professor Lippman

Gabriel Natividad (Ph.D. '08) First academic placement: NYU, Stern School Dissertation Title: Essays in Corporate Finance and Strategy Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor Bernardo and Professor Lieberman

Natarajan Balasubramanian (Ph.D. '07) First academic placement: Florida International University Dissertation Title: Essays on Learning and Innovation Dissertation Chair: Professor Lieberman

Jeongsik Lee (Ph.D. '07) First academic placement: Georgia Institute of Technology Dissertation Title: Essays on the Economics of Exchange Networks Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor de Figueiredo and Professor Sorenson

Rongrong Ren (Ph.D. '05) First academic placement: Purdue University Dissertation Title: Learning by Firms and Technological Innovation Dissertation Chair: Professor Sorenson

Jina Kang (Ph.D. '02) First academic placement: California State University, Fullerton Dissertation Title: The Knowledge Advantage: Tracing and Testing the Impact of Knowledge Characteristics and Relationship Ties on Project Performance Dissertation Chair: Professor Goodman

Belen Villalonga (Ph.D. '01) First academic placement: Harvard Business School Dissertation Title: 'Chop Shop' Valuation Models and the Diversification Discount: Issues of Causality, Selectivity and Aggregation Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professors Roll and Rumelt

Panayiota Konstantina Kiousis (Ph.D. '00) First academic placement: Ohio State University Dissertation Title: Knowledge, Incentives, and Growth Dissertation Co-Chairs: Professor McKelvey and Professor Zame

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