Supervisory Committee

By their third quarter or the 25th credit of program course work, students must choose a supervisory committee char and committee. Students usually choose the chair first, and then consult with the char to choose the rest of the supervisory committee. For students in the coursework option, the supervisory committee should include two HCDE faculty members, who are also members of the graduate school faculty. For students in the Project Report or Thesis option, the supervisory committee should consist of three HCDE faculty members, two who are also graduate school faculty.

The supervisory committee members should have the expertise required to advise students in their courses and research. In cases where the research is tied closely to a problem with a non-university agency, some students choose a third committee member from that agency. Review the HCDE faculty areas of research when choosing your supervisory chair and committee.

Once the supervisory chair and committee have been selected, the student should provide the academic adviser with the details, so that the appointments form can be created and distributed.

The committee chair will work with the student, in consultation with the other members, to plan and approve the student's Course of Study, and if applicable to supervise the student's thesis or internship and project report.

The approved Course of Study is a contract in which the student affirms that he or she will complete the specified work to receive the MS in HCDE degree; any changes in the study plan must be approved by the supervisory committee.