Academic Advisory Committees & Associated Forms
Academic Advisory Committees are constituted to enable students to meet their academic and research goals. The composition requirements of the different types of committees are described below.
Type of Committee or Topic
Role of the Advisor/Change of Advisor
MPH Committee
MPH Thesis Supervisor
MS Committee
MS Thesis Supervisor
DrPH Qualifying Committee
DrPH Dissertation Committee
PhD Qualifying Committee
PhD Dissertation Committee
Academic advisors are typically faculty members who have a primary, full-time appointment in the UT School of Public Health. Adjunct faculty and most faculty members with cross-appointments will serve as the second, third or optional member on the student"s advisory committee. In exceptional cases, a cross-appointed or adjoint faculty member may be granted extended privileges, including that of academic advisor.
If you would like to change your advisor, identify another professor from your division to consider being your advisor. You will then need to speak with that person to verify his/her interests and availability to serve as your advisor. If you do not know all of the professors in your division, select the appropriate link below to view the list for your division. You must select a fully appointed SPH faculty member from your division.
Change of Advisor Form
Please submit the completed form to the Office of Student Affairs for final approval. Students will receive notification of approval via email.
The MPH advisory committee typically consists of the student, a faculty advisor (i.e. academic advisor and chair) from the academic unit to which the student was admitted, and a second committee member from a different division to provide breadth of perspective. The second committee member is assigned during the first semester an MPH student is enrolled. A student, in collaboration with his/her committee faculty, has the option of appointing a third faculty member or a qualified practitioner. Any member of the MPH Advisory Committee, including the optional member, may serve as the thesis supervisor.
Optional Member Appointment - MPH Committee Form
Submit the completed form to the Office of Student Affairs for final approval. Students will receive notification of approval via email.
You can appoint someone other than your academic advisor as your MPH Thesis Supervisor. This supervisor may already be on your committee or can be someone that is on the SPH adjunct faculty list or is at another academic or public health-related organization. A thesis supervisor from outside the school must be approved by your Student Advisory Committee.
If the Thesis Supervisor is not affiliated with the SPH, your Student Advisory Committee should review his/her credentials and suitability for serving your academic needs. Please provide a resume or vita for our database. Note that SPH adjunct faculty have been previously reviewed by the Disciplines and require no further documentation.
MPH Thesis Supervisor Form
Please submit the completed form to the Office of Student Affairs for final approval. Students will receive notification of approval via email.
The MS Advisory Committee typically consists of three full-time SPH faculty members. A faculty advisor representing the student"s major field of study is appointed during the admissions process. During the first semester of enrollment, the student and faculty advisor select two additional regular faculty members from major and minor areas, respectively. These two members along with the faculty advisor constitute the student"s advisory committee. The committee assists in the selection of a course of study and related academic matters and evaluates the student"s academic progress. A fourth optional member of the committee may be selected to contribute special expertise to the student"s research, provided that the committee is in agreement. The optional committee member may belong to the SPH or another academic institution. If the optional member is from another academic institution and does not hold an adjunct appointment in the SPH, the SPH faculty members on the MS Advisory Committee are responsible for collecting and reviewing his/her credentials. These credentials usually consist of a current CV containing the person"s present appointment and evidence of his/her research expertise. Any member of the MS Advisory Committee, including the optional member, may serve as the thesis supervisor.
MS Committee Appointment
Please submit the completed form to the Office of Student Affairs for final approval. Students will receive notification of approval via email.
You can appoint someone other than your academic advisor as your MS Thesis Supervisor. This supervisor may already be on your committee or can be someone that is on the SPH adjunct faculty list or is at another academic or public health-related organization. A thesis supervisor from outside the school must be approved by your Student Advisory Committee. If the Thesis Supervisor is not affiliated with the SPH, your Student Advisory Committee should review his/her credentials and suitability for serving your academic needs. Please provide a resume or vita for our database. Note that SPH adjunct faculty have been previously reviewed by the Disciplines and require no further documentation.
MS Thesis Supervisor Form
Please submit the completed form to the Office of Student Affairs for final approval. Students will receive notification of approval via email.
The DrPH Qualifying Committee assists the student in the academic preparation for the qualifying examination, constructs and administers the exam to test for competency in public health disciplines, oversees its grading, and communicates the results to the student. This committee typically consists of at least three regular (i.e. full-time) faculty members, including an academic advisor, who is selected during the admissions process, and two faculty representing different public health disciplines. The two additional members of the committee are identified by the academic advisor and the student and serve on the committee by choice. These two faculty members represent the breadth of the DrPH degree program and come from different disciplines.
However, in some cases two faculty members may come from the same Division. For example, an epidemiologist in a Division other than Epidemiology and Disease Control may serve as an epidemiologist on a committee for a student in Management, Policy and Community Health. Further, it should be noted that the Division of Epidemiology houses two disciplines (Epidemiology and Biological Sciences). Faculty from each of these disciplines may serve on the same Qualifying Committee. In any case, at least one member of the committee must be from another discipline (and Division).
The Qualifying Committee should be appointed by the end of the first semester of the student"s enrollment in the DrPH program or shortly thereafter. The student is tested on the breadth of public health disciplines, and successful completion of the qualifying examination converts the doctoral student to doctoral candidate. Once the student has been admitted to candidacy, the Qualifying Committee is automatically dissolved. The Qualifying Committee is replaced by the Dissertation Committee.
Please note: faculty representing the Epidemiology Division on a Qualifying Committee need to have a primary appointment in the Epidemiology Division.
Committee make-up
- Advisor/Chair (same discipline)
- 2nd member (second discipline)
- 3rd member (third different discipline)
- 4th optional
DrPH Qualifying Committee Appointment
Please submit the completed form to the Office of Student Affairs for final approval. Students will receive notification of approval via email.
The Dissertation committee, which typically consists of at least three members of the regular (i.e. full-time) faculty guides the candidate"s research and reviews and approves the dissertation. During the first semester of enrollment following the admission to candidacy, the student selects an academic advisor, and together, the advisor and student identify at least two additional members of the SPH faculty (from any Division) who are willing to serve on the Dissertation Committee. A fourth optional member of the committee may be selected to contribute special expertise to the candidate"s research, provided that the committee is in agreement. The optional committee member may belong to the SPH or another academic institution. If the optional member is from another academic institution and does not hold an adjunct appointment in the SPH, the SPH faculty members on the Dissertation Committee are responsible for collecting and reviewing his/her credentials. These credentials usually consist of a current CV containing the person"s present appointment and evidence of his/her research expertise. Any member of the Dissertation Committee, including the optional member, may serve as the dissertation supervisor. The dissertation requirement will be fulfilled when the document describing the research and its findings has been approved and signed by all members of the Dissertation Committee, a copy has been filed in the Dean"s office, and an oral presentation has taken place.
Committee make-up
- Advisor/Chair (same discipline)
- 2nd member (any discipline)
- 3rd member (any discipline)
- 4th optional (may be from an outside academic or public health-related organization)
DrPH Dissertation Committee Appointment
Please submit the completed form to the Office of Student Affairs for final approval. Students will receive notification of approval via email.
The PhD Qualifying Committee assists the student in the academic preparation for the qualifying examination, constructs and administers the exam, oversees the grading, and communicates the results to the student. This committee typically consists of at least three regular (i.e. full-time) faculty members, including an academic advisor, who is selected during the admissions process, and two faculty members representing the student"s minor areas of study. Minors may be selected from the disciplines represented among the School"s Divisions. Thus, these faculty members typically come from different Divisions. However, the Division of Management, Policy and Community Health has three defined tracks that students may choose from: economics, policy, and management. For students majoring in one of the MPACH tracks, one minor may be chosen from a different track. In this case, the second minor must be from a different Division. The Qualifying Committee should be appointed by the end of the first semester of the student"s enrollment in the PhD program or shortly thereafter. Successful completion of the qualifying examination converts the doctoral student to doctoral candidate, and the Qualifying Committee is automatically dissolved. After the student"s admission to candidacy, the Qualifying Committee is replaced by the Dissertation Committee.
Please note: faculty representing the Epidemiology Division on a Qualifying Committee need to have a primary appointment in the Epidemiology Division.
Committee make-up
- Advisor/Chair same discipline)
- 2nd member (minor discipline)
- 3rd member (Minor discipline)
- 4th optional (may be from a outside academic institution)
PhD Qualifying Committee Appointment
Please submit the completed form to the Office of Student Affairs for final approval. Students will receive notification of approval via email.
The Dissertation committee, which typically consists of at least three members of the regular (i.e. full-time) faculty, guides the candidate's research and reviews and approves the dissertation. During the first semester of enrollment following the admission to candidacy, the student selects an academic advisor, and together, the advisor and student identify at least two additional members of the SPH faculty who are willing to serve on the Dissertation Committee. The second member of the committee belongs to the student"s major discipline, while the third member represents a different discipline, oftentimes one of the student"s minor areas of study. A fourth optional member of the committee may be selected to contribute special expertise to the candidate"s research, provided that the committee is in agreement. The optional committee member may belong to the SPH or another academic institution. If the optional member is from another academic institution and does not hold an adjunct appointment in the SPH, the SPH faculty members on the Dissertation Committee are responsible for collecting and reviewing his/her credentials. These credentials usually consist of a current CV containing the person"s present appointment and evidence of his/her research expertise. Any member of the Dissertation Committee, including the optional member, may serve as the dissertation supervisor. The dissertation requirement will be fulfilled when the manuscript describing the research and its findings has been approved and signed by all members of the Dissertation Committee, a copy has been filed in the Dean"s office, and an oral presentation has taken place.
Committee make-up
- Advisor/Chair (major discipline)
- 2nd member (major discipline)
- 3rd member (different minor discipline)
- 4th optional (may be from an outside academic institution)
Ph.D. Dissertation Committee Appointment
Please submit the completed form to the Office of Student Affairs for final approval. Students will receive notification of approval via email.
