The role of the dissertation committee is to supervise a doctoral candidate’s dissertation activity. The Dean of Graduate Studies must approve each member for committee service.  The committee must consist of a minimum of four members; 2 of the 4 must have Category 1 approval.

1. Chair must have approval as a Category 1, 5 or 3 if his/her appointment is within the student’s major
2. The second member must have approval as Category 1 or 3 if his/her appointment is within the student’s major
3. The third member (external/outside) must have approval as Category 2 if selected from the faculty of an institution other than UNM, or Category 1 if a UNM faculty member outside the student’s discipline
4. The fourth member can have approval as Category 1-6
5. Co-Chair (optional) must have approval as a Category 1-6

No more than one voting member may be in Category 4.  Departments can impose a more restrictive structure for exam committees.

A dissertation committee may consist of more than four members, if the Dean of Graduate Studies approves them for committee service.