VIII. DISSERTATION REQUIREMENTS

THE PsyD DISSERTATION COMMITTEE

The Committee consists of a minimum of two members of the GSAPP faculty selected by the candidate with the concurrence of the Program Director. A third member of the committee is optional. (In clinical psychology, the two faculty members must be other than those on the student's Oral Specialty Comprehensive Committee.) Students are required to complete the Dissertation Committee Approval form. The Dissertation Committee approval form is obtained from the Program Administrator, and returned to the program administrator who will submit to the Program Director for approval.

It is the student's responsibility to complete the top portion of the form and have each committee member sign the form. The Committee Approval form should then be given to the Program Administrator for processing. This should be done as soon as your committee has agreed upon a topic and title. The Department Chair must sign the form, which signifies approval to proceed with the dissertation proposal and dissertation. If one of your proposed committee members has not previously served on a GSAPP dissertation committee, attach their resume, in that GSAPP's Appointments & Promotions Committee (A&P) must approve them.

Policy on Dissertation Chair & Committee Member Credentials Dissertation Chair

1. The chairperson may be any core or joint faculty member OR the director of the Center for Applied Psychology and the director of the Psychological Clinic.

2. Any visiting faculty member who has the appropriate scholarly credentials and who has served on two or more dissertation committees as a second member may also serve as chairperson of a dissertation committee.

3. If for reasons determined by a student';s choice of dissertation topic and the faculty member's scholarly credentials, a faculty member outside of GSAPP or outside of Rutgers University is proposed as a chairperson, the proposed appointment must be approved by both the student's program director and the GSAPP A&P committee.

Second Member

1. Any core, joint or visiting faculty member (OR the director of the Center for Applied Psychology and the director of the Psychological Clinic) may serve as a second member of a student's dissertation committee.

2. Any GSAPP contributing faculty member, non-GSAPP Rutgers university faculty member, or person who is a faculty member at another university may serve as a second or third dissertation committee member providing the student's program director and the A&P committee approve the person's scholarly credentials.

3. Any person who has appropriate scholarly credentials consistent with the needs of the dissertation may serve as a second member upon approval by the dissertation committee chair and the A&P committee.In the event of a discrepancy in these decisions, the training director of the student's program will have the final decision.

Third Member

1. Any core, joint or visiting faculty member (OR the director of the Center for Applied Psychology and the director of the Psychological Clinic) may serve as a second or third member of a student's dissertation committee.

2. Any GSAPP contributing faculty member, non-GSAPP Rutgers university faculty member, or person who is a faculty member at another university may serve as a second or third dissertation committee member providing the student’s program director and the A&P committee approve of the person's scholarly credentials.

3. Any person with special skills that are consistent with the needs of the dissertation may service as a third member upon approval by the dissertation committee chair and the director of training. The person need not have a history of publications, but must have a special professional skill that will contribute to the study. (Faculty Council - 2/1/99)

Emeriti faculty (Drs. Franks, Harris, Lazarus, Peterson, Schneider & Schwebel) may be available for students or faculty who may wish to consult with them in planning or executing the dissertation.