Quick Reference Chart for Membership on Dissertation Committees
| Role | Sole Chair | Co-chair | Cognate * | Member |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full, Associate, or Assistant Professor with earned Doctorate and Rackham affiliation. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Research Professors or Research Associate Professors with earned Doctorate and Rackham affiliation. | With Special Membership & Supporting Information | Yes | No | Yes |
| Full, Associate, or Assistant Professor without earned Doctorate but with Rackham affiliation. Must be approved on a case by case basis by the Director of OARD or designee. | With Special Membership & Supporting Information | With Special Membership & Supporting Information | With Special Membership & Supporting Information | With Special Membership & Supporting Information |
| Clinical Professor with earned Doctorate | No | With Regular Member | No | Yes |
| Instructor or Lecturer with earned Doctorate. No Rackham affiliation required. | No | With Regular Member | No | Yes |
| Adjunct Professor with earned Doctorate | No | With Special Membership & Supporting Information | No | With Special Membership & Supporting Information |
| Research Scientists, Associate Research Scientists, Assistant Research Scientists, Research Assistant Professors or Research Investigators, all with earned Doctorate | No | With Special Membership & Supporting Information | No | With Special Membership & Supporting Information |
| Retired/Emeritus Professor | With Special Membership & Supporting Information | Yes | With Special Membership & Supporting Information | Yes |
| Non-University of Michigan with or without earned Doctorate | No | With Special Membership & Supporting Information | No | With Special Membership & Supporting Information |
| University of Michigan Non-Regular Faculty with or without earned Doctorate | No | With Special Membership & Supporting Information | No | With Special Membership & Supporting Information |
| Committee Member no longer employed at University of Michigan | No | With Regular Member | No | Yes |
In cases where the Chair is not employed by the University of Michigan, it is necessary to have a Co-Chair that is at University of Michigan.
* Professors with less than a 50% appointment must have special approval from the Director of OARD or designee to serve as cognate.
- A committee must have a minimum of four members.
- Of the four, three members must be from a Rackham Doctoral Program.
- Of the four, two members must be from the student’s home department or program.
- Of the four, one member must have a 50% appointment in a Rackham doctoral program, other than the student’s home department/program (except IDP programs).
- Three members must have an appointment as professor, associate professor, or assistant professor with an earned Doctorate.
University faculty who were approved to serve as sole Chair or Cognate member but who are no longer affiliated with the University may not continue to serve as the sole Chair or Cognate member. The faculty member may serve as a Co-Chair or as a regular member based upon the eligibility guidelines for dissertation committee service.