LibGuides: Henley-Putnam's Doctor of Strategic Security Subject Guide: Roles and Responsibilities of Dissertation Committee

Committee Chair

The chair schedules the comprehensive exams, delivers feedback and results of the comprehensive exams, acts as an instructor, oversees the production of the thesis/dissertation, communicates feedback from the subject matter expert and committee member, schedules the dissertation defense, meets monthly via Zoom with the student/candidate throughout the research courses, and reviews work for publication quality. The chair deals directly with the student on the quality of the paper, the presentation, the flow, the sequence, and the conclusions.

The role of the committee chair includes the following responsibilities:

scheduling the comprehensive exams,
communicating the grades and feedback from the doctoral comprehensive exam,
overseeing the production of the dissertation,
managing the timeline and schedule for completion of each phase of the dissertation in the courses.
acting as an instructor in the courses,
contacting the student/candidate regarding setting and meeting deadlines in the dissertation process,
directing the timely and successful completion of each assignment,
working directly with the SME and committee member to garner added perspective, feedback, and constructive criticism to strengthen the dissertation,
communicating with the student/candidate to convey feedback, insights, added perspective, and constructive commentary provided by the committee member and SME,
confirming with the SME that the content of the dissertation is factual and accurate,
advising the student on formatting, sequencing, and organizing the thesis/dissertation,
ensuring the academic quality of the thesis/dissertation, including each of the assignments in courses.
facilitating final approval of the thesis/dissertation by making sure that all committee members sign the approval form, and
scheduling and leading the thesis/dissertation oral defense and publication.

Subject Matter Expert (SME)

All members of the committee are subject matter experts (SMEs). The title of this particular member of the committee emphasizes and highlights specific responsibilities within the committee dynamic. The SME should be in constant contact with the student regarding content of the dissertation. This is the person the student turns to in order to test ideas and conclusions and to ensure the appropriateness, relevance, significance, and accuracy of the dissertation’s content in order to meet university and academic standards.

The SME also certifies the accurate reporting of that material to the chair and determines the factual nature of the work. The SME knows the subject closely and acts as the student’s sounding board. The SME does not establish timelines, length of the thesis/dissertation, etc. The role of SME includes the following responsibilities:

consistently consulting with the student/candidate regarding the relevance and significance of the research content,
regularly discussing content with the student/candidate to test ideas and conclusions,
updating the committee chair about discussions with the student/candidate and about any suggestions or recommendations resulting from those discussions, and
confirming the accuracy, appropriateness, relevance, and significance of the research focus and content with the committee chair.

Committee Member

One additional committee member works for the committee chair. The committee member advises and assists the committee chair in every aspect of the project. The committee member interacts directly with the chair, not the student. This prevents conflicting information from being sent to the student and presents a unified stance during the process. The chair and the committee member work out all responses presented to the student and resolve any conflicting guidance before the student is contacted. If conflicts cannot be resolved, the chair makes the ultimate decision. The chair and the committee member work together constantly, but the chair is the face of the university to the student. The role of the committee member includes the following responsibilities:

interacting with the chair to provide added insight, perspective, and feedback to be shared with the student, and
determining responses, suggestions, and constructive criticism that will be shared with the student through the chair.