Having found your Chairperson to work with, now it is time to fill you committee. Regardless of the number of additional committee members that you need, it is important to go about this process strategically. As with the beginning of any relationship, how you begin is important.
In this article, I cover:
Talking to your chair is a good place to start in looking for additional dissertation committee members. Who do they recommend for your specific project? You can ask who they don’t work well with, but most people won’t answer this question for obvious reasons.
You probably have a network of fellow students. Ask for their input on potential committee members. I suggest you do this through private emails or in conversation rather than on group message boards so that people can speak freely about their experiences.
Once you get a list of names either from your Chair, a university list, or from fellow students do some research. Find the CV of each person (most schools have this type of information available). See what types of research they have done.
Where have they published? How recently have they published? What types of methodology have they used? You may also find people with whom you share an interest which helps when making a connection.
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Look at previous dissertations that they have worked on. What were the topics? What methodologies were used? Were they acknowledged by previous students?
Once you have come up with a final list of potential candidates, email them to gauge their interest. Many students wonder how to ask someone to be on their dissertation committee. I have included a sample email for a dissertation committee request below.
Please let me introduce myself. My name is ___ ___ and I am a doctoral student at ___ University working on my dissertation. My topic is ___. I am searching for an additional committee member for my dissertation committee.
I know that you are busy but I have looked at the committees that you have worked on and your research [it is flattering to include a specific example] and think that your membership on my committee could be very beneficial for me.
If you have an interest in filling this position please let me know so that we can set up a time to talk and get to know each other.
After you get responses you should write to set up phone calls with interested potential committee members. I suggest that you prepare a list of questions to ask each person. Example questions include:
Students often forget that they can interview potential committee members. Doing so tends to impress faculty, as it indicates your seriousness and commitment. I can say that very few people have interviewed me to be a member of their committee, and those that have have been especially successful in navigating the challenges of writing a dissertation.
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If you’ve followed all of the above steps, the rest should be pretty simple. The professor knows that you’ve taken the time to see if they’re a good fit, and that you are conscientious enough to do your research and respect their time. A simple email telling them that you would be honored if they would serve as your committee member is just fine. Remember, though, it’s still an ask–you’re not telling them they’re on your committee.
Choosing committee members is important. You want a committee where everyone is pulling for you to reach your goal. It doesn’t take a lot of time to explore potential committee members, and in the long run that small time investment can pay off.
For additional support, you can also consider a dissertation coach. They can help guide you through the process and even finish more quickly, as you will avoid unnecessary pitfalls and delays. Read more about how to choose a dissertation coach here.
