Advising and Supervisory Committee



The departmental Graduate Committee, led by the Graduate Coordinator, along with the Program Assistant, help students with procedures and provide initial advising. The graduate committee currently consists of four faculty members: Liz Screaton (Graduate Coordinator), Phil Neuhoff, John Jaeger, and Ray Russo.
In addition, each student will have a Supervisory Committee, led by their advisor (the supervisory committee chair), that will provide mentoring and research advice. While faculty in Geological Sciences are here to mentor and advise, the primary responsibility for success in graduate school lies with the student.

Initial Evaluation: Prior to actual enrollment, each student will meet with their prospective advisor, members of the Graduate Committee, and any other faculty requested by the Chair, to discuss his/her preparation, interests, and goals for graduate education.  Advice will be given on curriculum and general procedures.  The Graduate Committee will also be available as needed during the semester for advice.

SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE

Forming a Supervisory Committee

The Graduate School requires all students to have a thesis/dissertation committee by the end of their second semester. To achieve this deadline, each student should identify a potential research project and thesis/dissertation adviser during their first  semester.  A month prior to the end of their first semester (i.e., by November 15th for students entering in the Fall), each student should provide to the graduate committee a tentative title for their research and a list of potential supervisory committee members. 

The student will write a prospectus outlining the hypothesis, goals and research plans for their thesis/dissertation. This prospectus must be approved by the adviser and submitted to the Graduate Committee April 1, ~ one month before the end of the second semester, or April 1 for students that started the preceding August. This allows the first summer to be used for research.

The prospectus length should not exceed 5 pages (including figures but excluding references) for Masters students, and 10 pages (including figures but excluding references) for PhD students.  PhD candidates entering with a BS degree (rather than an MS) have the option to write a shorter prospectus (up to 5 pages) in their second semester; the prospectus would then be expanded prior to qualifying exams.  More detail on the prospectus can be found at: http://web.geology.ufl.edu/Prospectus1_06.pdf

After a prospectus has been approved by the student’s advisor and the Graduate Committee:
- the student provides copies to  potential committee members and submits a copy signed by the graduate committee to the program assistant for the student file
- the student provides degree and committee member information to the program assistant for online submittal.

Students beyond their 2nd semester must have an approved prospectus and supervisory committee to be eligible for any departmental funds.

The first meeting of the committee should occur as soon as possible after the approval of the prospectus. Ideally, the committee should meet prior to the end of the second semester, so the student has committee input prior to summer research. At the latest, the meeting should be completed by  September (for an student that started the preceding August), or approximately one year from the student’s start date.


Supervisory Committee Composition

 
M.S.
 
Before the student’s third semester in residency, a supervisory committee must be formed, and the proper paperwork documenting the committee must be submitted to the graduate school.  The committee will be appointed by the Chair of the department in consultation with the student’s chosen committee chair (advisor).  The committee must consist of at least three members of the graduate faculty, two of whom are regular faculty members of the Department of Geological Sciences.  Adjunct faculty (e.g. Museum) may serve as members or chairs of committees, but are not considered regular faculty members.  If the student has a minor, a member of the faculty from that department/specialty must serve on the committee in addition to the two regular members from the Department.

M.S.T.
 
Before the student’s third semester in residency a supervisory committee must be formed and the proper paperwork documenting the committee must be submitted to the graduate school.  The committee will be appointed by the Chair of the department in consultation with the student’s chosen committee chair (advisor).  The committee must consist of two members of the graduate faculty who are regular members of the Department of Geological Science and one faculty member from the Department of Education.  Affiliate faculty (e.g. Museum) may serve as members or chairs of committees, but are not considered regular faculty members.
 
Ph.D.
 
Before the student’s third semester in the Ph.D. program, a supervisory committee must be formed and the proper paperwork documenting the committee must be submitted to the graduate school.  The committee will be formally appointed by the Chair of the department in consultation with the student’s chosen chair for the committee.  The committee must consist of at least five members of the graduate faculty, including at least three regular members of the department.  Adjunct faculty (e.g. Museum) may serve as members or chairs of committees, but are not considered regular faculty members.  The committee must also include one person selected from the graduate faculty from outside the department in order to bring University-wide standards to bear upon the degree.  That member may not be an affiliate of the Department of Geological Sciences, or anyone else who is eligible to supervise theses within the department.  If the student has a minor, a member of the faculty from the department/specialty must also be on the committee.  Each member of the faculty solicited for membership on the supervisory committee must agree to serve on that committee and so signify by signing and dating a research prospectus prepared by the student.  Once established, this committee may not be changed without the consent of the Chair and the Graduate Coordinator.
 

SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS


There are two main purposes to supervisory committee meetings. The first is for the supervisory committee to provide insight and advice to the student on their research and overall development. The second is for the supervisory committee to provide feedback to the department concerning the student's progress in graduate studies.

The departmental form for the supervisory committee meeting can be found online at: http://web.geology.ufl.edu/Supervisory_Committee_Form.pdf.

Prior to each committee meeting, the student should prepare a progress report for the committee, including research activities and class work, and should, with their advisor, identify any issues that need to be addressed at the meeting (e.g., signing of credit transfer forms, timelines for Qualifying Exams, etc).

At the meeting, the student should give a presentation of their research progress and their plan for the upcoming year. The supervisory committee assesses the student's progress, makes recommendations for the next year's progress, and signs the form, which is submitted to the department office.

It is the collective responsibility of the student and their advisor to ensure that meetings of the student and their supervisory committee occur annually, and that the completed report is submitted to the Program Assistant.    It will be the Chair’s responsibility to monitor the convening and reporting of these committee meetings and to utilize this monitoring in completing each faculty member’s annual evaluation.

Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the expertise of their committee members beyond the minimum once-a-year meeting through consultation with committee members when needed.