Thesis Committee Members: Choosing the Right People

Thesis Committee Members: Choosing the Right People

What is the role of a thesis committee? This group of people not only evaluates your project during the defense and decides whether to give you a degree or not.

A thesis committee also supervises your work and progress throughout the writing and research processes. It means that you can ask one of the thesis committee members for help if necessary, consult on some issues, etc.

In other words, a thesis committee will play a significant role for you and your project.

If you have not decided on your thesis committee yet, let us explain you how to choose the right people to rely on.

  • Talk to your advisor

First, talk to your advisor and simply find out how the thesis committee is formed.

Then, ask your advisor to recommend you some people for your thesis committee. Keep in mind one important aspect. Your advisor should get on well with all thesis committee members. Some issues between your advisor and one of the committee members might have negative effects on your project and graduation.

  • Talk to other students

Talk to students who already have a thesis committee. Ask how they selected committee members, what criteria they used to make a decision. Ask senior students whether they had negative experiences with some of the faculty members.

  • Trust yourself

You have definitely worked with some professors closer than with others. We are sure you have some preferences as to your thesis committee members, because you like some professors more than the others. Needless to say, your preferences should guide you when choosing people for the committee.

In our free thesis writing guide, you can read about thesis printing and binding.