When a student's program includes a thesis, the supervision of the course of study, the research for the thesis, and the conduct of the final examination are entrusted to a committee whose members are selected in consultation with the director of the graduate program. Each committee consists of at least three members or associate members of the graduate faculty in the student's graduate program. One nonprogram member is permitted, but this selection must be approved by the director of the graduate program. If the student's program does not include a thesis, the committee is appointed shortly before the final examination. A nonthesis committee consists of at least three members or associate members of the graduate faculty in the student's graduate program. No substitutes are permitted. In either case, the student is encouraged to seek advice during the course of study from the graduate director, committee chair, and professor supervising his or her courses. No graduate student should regard a program of study as the mere accumulation of numerical credits and meeting of formal requirements. Progress toward mastery of a discipline depends largely upon the guidance of the professors in charge of the effort and upon the student's initiative.
