2.1.2 Academic Committee
The Academic Committee will support and evaluate the student’s progress through the transition to candidacy.
The Academic Committee will be comprised of:
- A Chair (Associate Director of the PhD RS program or another member of the Executive Committee)
- The student’s primary research mentor and co-mentor (when applicable)
- The program Director or a University faculty member who is either a mentor/instructor in the PhD RS program or a member of the Executive Committee
- The Academic Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving early program milestones and has the following responsibilities:
- Supporting the student and Research Mentor in developing the Supplemental Coursework Plan (see 3.1.2 Supplemental Coursework).
- Ensuring that expectations for rigor, scope, and depth are applied in the written qualifying components. For each written milestone, the Academic Committee reviews the proposed plan and scope and final submitted products and may request modifications to align the work with PhD-level expectations, including adjustments to scope, depth, or focus.
- Collaborating with the Research Mentor to monitor student performance in coursework and progress toward developing a viable research direction that will lead to a dissertation (see 3.1.6 Dissertation).
- Collaborating with the Research Mentor to assess the student’s progress toward achieving program-related goals and milestones. Communicating concerns directly to the Executive Committee.