Once a student has achieved candidacy, the next step is to select and seek approval for the Dissertation Committee, which will be responsible for the direction of the dissertation research. The matter of dissertation committee appointing is one of great importance to the student and to the University – it should therefore be approached with care and thought.
A number of guidelines are suggested below to assist students in approaching this task.
1. It is important that the Dissertation Committee be appointed at the earliest opportunity following attainment of candidacy. If the student is not ready to appoint the full committee, but knows who the committee chair will be, the student should write a memo to the chairman of the Doctoral Program requesting approval for the appointment of the chair. In selecting a committee chair, students should bear in mind the following dissertation chair qualifications: earned doctoral degree, publication in refereed journals, expertise in the substantive area of the student’s research, prior experience as member of dissertation committees, and research involvement.
2. Faculty of Graduate Studies, Ramathibodi School of Nursing and Faculty of Nursing guidelines require the following Dissertation Committee membership: The Dissertation Committee will be chaired by a regular member of either Ramathibodi School of Nursing or Faculty of Nursing graduate faculty, and will consist of at least three members:
a) At least two doctoral faculties from both School of Nursing. (including chair)
b) One other member within, or outside both School of Nursing.
3. The full dissertation committee should be appointed and approved sufficiently early to allow members the opportunity to contribute to the shaping and direction of the dissertation.
4. The qualifying examination committee may not be the dissertation committee, and members should not be appointed automatically to serve on the dissertation committee.
5. It is important that intellectual diversity be represented in the composition of the dissertation committee. Members should be chosen because they are expected to bring a specific strength and unique perspective to the study of the problem.
Different students may encounter unique issues that must be resolved; no set of broad guidelines can adequately anticipate every situation that may arise. For special cases, it is suggested that students consult the chairman of the Doctoral Program.
Once the student has identified committee members, he or she should obtain official approval of committee membership from the chairman of the Doctoral Program by submitting in writing a summary of the dissertation plan and information on the composition of the committee. The student may consult informally with potential committee members in preparing the dissertation plan summary.
When the chairman has approved the Dissertation Committee membership, a nomination form will be submitted to The Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Once approval of the committee is achieved, the student works closely with Committee members to clarify procedures, methodology, and timetable for the Dissertation. The guidelines in the Thesis guideline Handbook regarding the procedures for oral defense and evaluation should be followed. When the oral defense is scheduled, students should inform the Office of the Doctoral Program so that an announcement of the date, time and topic can be made in both the Schools of Nursing Bulletin.
