Guidance (Academic Requirements) – Graduate School Representative (GSR) Eligibility

In order to serve as a Graduate School Representative (GSR), the proposed candidate:

Must be a Graduate Faculty member with an endorsement to chair (check Graduate Faculty Locator).
Must be clear of any conflicts of interest (see below). The GSR is responsible for ensuring that no such conflicts of interest, or appearance of conflicts of interest, exist, and must attest to this upon request.

	Primary Appt.	Joint Appt.	Affiliate Appt.	Adjunct Appt.
Proposed GSR has appt in student’s/committee chair’s dept	No	No	No	Yes
Proposed GSR does not have appt in student’s/committee chair’s dept	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Proposed GSR has conflict of interest*	No	No	No	No

Yes = eligible to serve
No = not eligible to serve

Budgetary relationships, personal relationships, or research and/or publication relationships between the GSR and either the student or the committee chair are examples of possible conflicts of interest.

Policy 4.4: Interdisciplinary Committees and Degree-Offering Groups

Certain fields of knowledge or inquiry may be of interest to members of the graduate faculty associated with two or more academic units across different schools, colleges, or campuses. To facilitate collaboration, the Dean of the Graduate School may establish two types of faculty organizations under the Graduate School’s administrative structure: non-degree-offering interdisciplinary committees or degree-offering interdisciplinary groups.

Deans of colleges or schools other than the Graduate School may support interdisciplinary activities within those units according to local policies and established faculty governance. Policy 4.4 applies exclusively to interdisciplinary committee and degree-offering groups within the Graduate School.

The Dean of the Graduate School appoints Graduate School interdisciplinary committees and Graduate School interdisciplinary groups at the request of a group of graduate faculty. Interdisciplinary committees and groups may be established when the interests of participating faculty cannot easily be represented by a single chair, dean, or chancellor, and when a single college, school, or campus cannot provide the administrative structure required to support related educational activities. Interdisciplinary committee and group membership is limited to members of the graduate faculty. These faculty serve as committee or group members, nominate a chair who is appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School, and identify additional members. Faculty members active in these committees and groups retain primary association and faculty appointment in the home academic unit.

Graduate School interdisciplinary committees do not offer graduate degrees or certificates, while Graduate School interdisciplinary groups serve as qualified academic units that have been authorized to offer a graduate degree and/or graduate certificate. The Graduate School serves as the college-level administrative location for any resulting academic programs.

4.4.1 Interdisciplinary Committees

Graduate faculty members from more than one school, college, or campus who wish to establish an interdisciplinary committee concerned substantially with research or graduate education may ask to be designated as a Graduate School interdisciplinary committee.

Among the purposes of such committees may be to formalize coordination across institutional boundaries of research projects, proposal submissions, graduate student recruitment, consulting, seminars, or graduate curricula.
An interdisciplinary committee does not offer its own graduate degree, certificate, coursework, or independent curriculum; graduate students associated with such a committee must be enrolled in and meet all requirements of an authorized degree program.
Interdisciplinary committees may initiate development of a new graduate degree or graduate certificate program.

4.4.1.1 Establishing an Interdisciplinary Committee

A request to establish an interdisciplinary committee is made by letter from participating graduate faculty to the Dean of the Graduate School.

The letter should describe the purpose of the committee and list the proposed members along with faculty ranks and units of primary appointment. General faculty engagement in interdisciplinary committee activities is open to any appropriate faculty, and the interdisciplinary committee may include non-voting participants. In order to maintain appropriate university faculty oversight, the voting members of the governing interdisciplinary committee may include a maximum of 40% faculty with affiliate appointments.
The letter should also identify the committee chair or co-chairs who will serve for the duration of the committee’s activities or until the committee formally elects another chair.
The committee chair leads the committee and reports to the Dean of the Graduate School regarding committee activities.

Committees are initially appointed for up to three years, coinciding with the academic calendar.

The Graduate School normally does not offer financial support for committee activities.

4.4.1.2 Committee Administration

At the end of the appointment period, the committee chair must inform the Graduate School as to whether reappointment of the committee is desired.
Changes to either committee membership or the committee chair are by the following process: (1) nomination by a committee member or chair; (2) quorum majority vote endorsing the new chair or committee member (in person, electronic, or paper); (3) submission of vote results from the committee chair to the Dean of the Graduate School via the Office of Academic Affairs and Planning; and (4) confirmation from the Graduate School.
Members are removed from the committee when: (1) the faculty member resigns from the committee; (2) the faculty member’s graduate faculty appointment ends; (3) the defined appointment term on the committee ends; or (4) the committee members vote to remove the member according to the voting process described above.

4.4.2 Interdisciplinary Groups

If faculty wish to create an interdisciplinary graduate degree or certificate program under the Graduate School Dean’s Office, the first step is formation of an interdisciplinary committee. Following approval of the interdisciplinary committee, its faculty may propose a graduate degree or certificate program following the same process as a new degree or certificate proposal from any department, school, college, or campus.

If the Board of Regents grants authority to offer the new degree, the interdisciplinary committee is designated as a qualified degree-offering interdisciplinary “group” and is administered through the Graduate School. The chair of the interdisciplinary committee becomes chair of the newly formed interdisciplinary group on an interim basis. The chair’s appointment must be re-confirmed by vote of the faculty group according to the procedures below and be submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School for formal appointment.

4.4.2.1 Authority of the Interdisciplinary Group

A Graduate School interdisciplinary group functions as the degree-offering academic unit authorized to offer a graduate curriculum and to supervise graduate students associated with its graduate degree program.

The interdisciplinary group recommends admission to and graduation from its degree program.
It may administer an operating budget and space when these are available from cooperating schools and colleges; normally the Graduate School does not allocate such funds or facilities.
A group may administer research grants and contracts associated with the graduate program.
A group does not maintain primary appointments of its faculty; these are held in departments, schools, colleges, or campuses.

4.4.2.2 Interdisciplinary Group Membership

Members of an interdisciplinary group must be members of the University graduate faculty (see Policy 4.1). General faculty engagement in an interdisciplinary program, including teaching, mentoring, and other activities, is open to any appropriate faculty as defined in the program’s governance documents. Non-voting participants may join interdisciplinary group meetings and activities, as defined in the group’s governance document. In order to maintain appropriate university faculty oversight, the voting members of the governing interdisciplinary group may include a maximum of 40% faculty with affiliate appointments.
Changes to group membership, group chair, or academic program director are by the following process: (1) nomination by a group member or group chair; (2) quorum majority vote by the faculty group regarding endorsement of the new member, chair, or director (in person, electronic, or paper); (3) submission of vote results from the group chair to the Dean of the Graduate School via the Office of Academic Affairs and Planning; and (4) confirmation by the Graduate School of new group members or formal appointment by the Dean of the Graduate School for a new chair or director.
Members are removed from the group when: (1) the faculty member resigns from the group; (2) the faculty member’s graduate faculty appointment ends; (3) the defined appointment term on the group ends; or (4) the group votes to remove the member according to the voting process described above.

4.4.2.3 Interdisciplinary Group Chair

The interdisciplinary group chair reports to the Dean of the Graduate School in the same manner that the chair of a department reports to the dean of a departmentalized school or college with regard to the academic program offered by the interdisciplinary group (Executive Order I.4). The chair is selected by the interdisciplinary faculty group as described under 4.4.2.2.

The chair has the additional responsibility of furnishing information regarding program details and coordinating support for the program with other chairs, directors, and deans who are directly concerned with the operation of the program.
The interdisciplinary group chair is responsible for monitoring the program’s budget and resources in coordination with program staff and the Graduate School.
The interdisciplinary group chair normally serves as the academic program director and Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC). In some cases, the role of the interdisciplinary group chair may be separate from the role of the academic program director. When these roles are distinct, either the chair or the program director may serve as the GPC. The academic program director must be a member of the graduate faculty and a member of the interdisciplinary group.

4.4.2.4 Group Administration

An interdisciplinary group may be continued indefinitely in the Graduate School, subject to periodic review by the Graduate School in the same manner as all graduate degree programs and at least once every ten years, or the degree program may be moved to another degree-offering unit following the appropriate university-level process. If the degree program is moved to another academic unit, the graduate faculty of that unit will have oversight of the degree program and the Graduate School interdisciplinary group will be dissolved.

Policy 4.4 revised: December, 1985; Updated: June 2010, October 2014; Revised: September 2017; Revised: October 2024.

Policy 4.3: The Graduate Program Coordinator and the Graduate Program Advisor

Each academic unit offering a graduate program must designate at least one Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) and one Graduate Program Advisor (GPA). GPCs and GPAs are knowledgeable of UW Graduate School policies and internal unit and program-related policies and procedures. In general, GPC and GPA responsibilities include but are not limited to communicating and facilitating Graduate School policies for prospective and current graduate students, faculty, and staff, and serving as an intermediary between the student, graduate program, and the Graduate School.

4.3.1 The Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC)

The Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) is appointed from the Graduate Faculty and must hold the rank of Professor, Associate Professor, Teaching Professor, or Associate Teaching Professor. Eligibility includes faculty in Research appointments and faculty in Without Tenure (WOT) appointments. The GPC serves as an official representative of an academic unit which offers a graduate degree program or graduate certificate program. One or more alternate GPCs may serve as deputy. An academic unit may define additional qualifications for the GPC beyond the Graduate School minimum requirements.

Individual units are responsible for assigning specific roles and responsibilities to the GPC. At minimum, the GPC role must encompass the oversight responsibility described under “Graduate Program Coordinator and Graduate Program Advisor Roles and Responsibilities” below.

The Chair/Director of each unit submits to the Graduate School the name(s) of graduate faculty member(s) recommended to serve as GPC and alternate GPC(s). Appointment to these positions is made by the Dean of the Graduate School.

4.3.2 The Graduate Program Advisor (GPA)

The Graduate Program Advisor (GPA) role is normally appointed to staff. The GPC may also serve as the GPA at the discretion of the academic unit. The GPA serves as an official liaison between the academic unit and the Graduate School. A unit may have one or more Graduate Program Advisors.

Individual units are responsible for assigning specific roles and responsibilities to the GPA. The GPA must participate in training provided by Graduate Enrollment Management Services regarding relevant Graduate School policies and procedures in order to support graduate education in the academic unit. Recommended practices for the GPA are available on the Graduate School website.

The Chairperson/Director or GPC of each academic unit appoints the GPA(s) and submits the GPA name(s) to the Graduate School.

4.3.3 Graduate Program Coordinator and Graduate Program Advisor Roles and Responsibilities

At minimum, GPC responsibilities include acting on behalf of the Graduate Faculty to assure appropriate oversight and implementation of the items below. The GPA works in coordination with the GPC who may delegate specific duties to the GPA, other graduate faculty, or other members of the academic unit.

To advise, counsel and assist graduate students, or to arrange and verify that this service is rendered by another member of the Graduate Faculty or program staff, as appropriate. To ensure that special attention is given to newly admitted students and others with particular needs.
In accordance with Policy 3.1, to act for the unit in admitting students into Graduate School, i.e.,:
- to receive documentation for graduate student admission applications;
- to review applications with the faculty in the unit; and
- to submit to the Dean of the Graduate School the recommendations of the unit respecting admissions of new students.
As soon as practicable to transmit to the Dean of the Graduate School the names of those to serve as Chairperson and Members of the Supervisory Committee for the student. (See Policy 4.2)
To acquire and maintain familiarity with policies and procedures of the Graduate School.
To serve as the liaison between the academic unit and the Graduate School in other appropriate ways.

Policy 4.3 revised: November 2020

Policy 4.3.2 revised April 2024

Policy 4.2: Supervisory Committee for Graduate Students

The Graduate School, per EO VII, has jurisdiction over the membership of committees charged with supervising advanced course programs and dissertations of students in the various fields of graduate study.

The supervisory committee serves important evaluative and mentoring functions for the student throughout the student’s graduate career. Programs may specify additional requirements of the supervisory committee as described in their program handbook.

Each committee must have a Committee Chair (or Co-Chairs) who is able and willing to assume principal responsibility for advising the student and should have adequate time available for this work and be accessible to the student.

[Note: Questions about the timeline and process for appointing a supervisory committee for master’s or doctoral students should be directed to the Graduate School’s Graduate Enrollment Management Services (GEMS) office. All other questions about supervisory committee appointment or function, as well as concerns about the proceedings of an exam, should be directed to the Graduate School’s Office of Academic Affairs.]

4.2.1 The Master’s Supervisory Committee

Appointment of a supervisory committee for students pursuing the master’s degree is made by the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC), acting on behalf of the Graduate Faculty of the degree‑offering unit. The GPC approves and appoints the committee in consultation with the student and appropriate Graduate Faculty members.

4.2.1.1 Committee Composition

A master’s supervisory committee must:

include at least two members.
have at least one‑half of its members drawn from the Graduate Faculty.
have a Committee Chair who is a member of the Graduate Faculty.
- A program can petition to the Office of Academic Affairs to have a non-Graduate Faculty member serve as Committee Chair if: 1) the student’s area of specialization is uniquely supported by the proposed Committee Chair, and 2) one-half of the total committee members are Graduate Faculty.

4.2.2 The Doctoral Supervisory Committee other than Practice Doctorates

The appointment of a doctoral supervisory committee indicates that the Graduate Faculty in the student’s field find the student has developed the skills and knowledge necessary to prepare for their general examination and doctoral research. It is approved according to the rules and published norms of the program by the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) after consultation with appropriate Graduate Faculty members in the student’s field and with the student.

4.2.2.1 Doctoral Committee Responsibilities

Doctoral supervisory committee member responsibilities include the approval of a course of study which will fulfill the general course requirements of the student’s major and supporting fields, conducting the student’s General Examination and, when appropriate, recommending advancement to candidacy.

The doctoral supervisory committee approves the candidate’s dissertation proposal and provides intellectual mentorship supporting the development of the dissertation. The Graduate School does not stipulate the content of the dissertation; guidance on the dissertation is the responsibility of the supervisory committee.

[For doctoral committee responsibilities for the General Exam and Final Exam, see Policy 1.1.4. See also: Guidance (Academic Requirements) – Final Examination: Dissertation Defense, Guidance (Academic Requirements) – Instructions for Virtual Doctoral Examinations, and Guidance (Academic Requirements) – If a Committee Member is Missing]

4.2.2.2 Committee Composition

The doctoral supervisory committee must:

include a minimum of four members.
include at least three Graduate Faculty members with Doctoral Endorsement, including the Committee Chair and the Graduate School Representative (GSR).
have a majority of members who are Graduate Faculty.
include members—except the GSR—who are identified by the student’s appointing department or program as productive scholars in the student’s major field and/or subfields

4.2.2.3 The Committee Chair

A program can petition to the Office of Academic Affairs to have Graduate Faculty member without Doctoral Endorsement serve as chair if: 1) the student’s area of specialization is uniquely supported by the proposed chair, and 2) one-half of the total committee members have a Doctoral Endorsement.
Emeritus and affiliate faculty may serve as Chair(s) if the above conditions are met.
If a committee has Co-Chairs, both serve with equal importance on a student’s supervisory committee and equally share the responsibility for the student’s progress. In the case of Co-Chairs, one Co-Chair must have a Graduate Faculty appointment with a Doctoral Endorsement. The other Co-Chair may be appointed without Graduate Faculty status if the individual has a qualified UW faculty appointment. Qualified faculty appointments in this context are those titles eligible for continuous or five-year Graduate Faculty roles (see this document for the list of eligible titles). A Co-Chair without qualified UW faculty appointment may be appointed only by petition through the Office of Academic Affairs to the Dean of the Graduate School or the Dean’s designee.

4.2.2.4 The Graduate School Representative (GSR)

The GSR represents the broad interests of the Graduate School with respect to high standards of scholarly performance. The GSR is a voting member of the dissertation supervisory committee, and as such provides an important service function to the Graduate School and the University.

4.2.2.4.1 GSR Eligibility

The GSR:

must be a member of the Graduate Faculty with a Doctoral Endorsement.
may have a scholarly area that differs from that of the student’s dissertation project.
must not have any actual or perceived conflicts of interest with the student or graduate program. The GSR is responsible for ensuring that no such conflict exists. Budgetary relationships, personal relationships, research and/or publication relationships between the GSR and either the student or the Committee Chair are examples of possible conflicts of interest. Faculty members with a primary, joint, or affiliate appointment in the student’s degree-offering unit or the Committee Chair’s department are not eligible to serve as the GSR.

4.2.2.4.2 GSR Responsibilities

The GSR must meet the following Graduate School requirements:

attest to the validity of examinations and indicate approval of the process by which examinations are conducted;
ensure that the student is treated in an unbiased manner; and
represent the Graduate School in ensuring university-wide standards of scholarly performance.

In addition, any graduate program may choose to further define the role of the GSR to include one or both of the following:

ensure that the student’s mastery of the subject matter is broad and comprehensive.
serve as a neutral resource to support clarity and fairness as the student navigates the exam and dissertation process.

Any additional expectations for the GSR beyond the Graduate School requirements must be clearly articulated and communicated in writing by the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) or designee to all parties (student, chair, committee members, GSR) upon appointment of the GSR. The minimum role of the GSR must be defined consistently across all committees in the graduate program.

The GSR’s signature on the committee signature form affirming the decision of the committee communicates to the Dean of the Graduate School that the Graduate School and program-level responsibilities have been met.

4.2.2.5 The Reading Committee

After the General Examination, the GPC or their delegate informs the Dean of The Graduate School of at least three members of the supervisory committee who will serve on the reading committee. At least one of the members of the reading committee must hold a Doctoral Endorsement.

It is the responsibility of the reading committee to:

ensure that the dissertation is a significant contribution to knowledge and is an acceptable piece of scholarly writing.
determine the appropriateness of a candidate’s dissertation as a basis for issuing the Committee Signature Form for a Final Examination.

4.2.3 The Practice Doctorate Supervisory Committee

The appointment of a practice doctoral supervisory committee indicates that the Graduate Faculty in the student’s field finds the student has developed the skills and knowledge necessary to complete the requirements of the doctoral program. The GPC initiates the appointment of the committee after consultation with appropriate Graduate Faculty members in the student’s field and with the student.

4.2.3.1 Committee Responsibilities

Responsibilities of the practice doctoral supervisory committee include: approval of the student’s program of study; criteria for progression, which may include a general examination, certification, or other requirements set by the graduate program; approval and oversight of the student’s project proposal; and approval of the completed project.

4.2.3.2 Committee Composition

The practice doctoral committee must:

include a minimum of three members.
be chaired by a Graduate Faculty member with a Doctoral Endorsement (unless petitioned under the conditions described in 4.2.4.3).
include at least one‑half Graduate Faculty members with primary, joint, emeritus, or adjunct appointments in the degree program’s academic unit
include at least one‑half Graduate Faculty members with primary, joint, emeritus, or adjunct appointments in the degree program’s academic unit (or in a corresponding academic unit on another UW campus that offers substantially similar programs) and holding one of the following titles at any rank: Professor, Professor (WOT), Teaching Professor, Research Professor, Professor of Clinical Practice or Clinical Professor (Salaried).”
and holding one of the following titles at any rank: Professor, Professor (WOT), Teaching Professor, Research Professor, Professor of Clinical Practice or Clinical Professor (Salaried).
- A program can petition to the Office of Academic Affairs to have more than half of their committee be non-Graduate Faculty if 1) the student’s area of specialization is uniquely supported by the expertise of the non-graduate faculty, and 2) the committee is chaired by a Graduate Faculty member with Doctoral Endorsement.
have any non-Graduate Faculty members identified by the program as productive scholars or practitioners in the student’s major field and/or subfields.

4.2.3.3 Committee Chair

Emeritus faculty may serve as a Chair if they can meet the time and access expectations of the role.
A program can petition to the Office of Academic Affairs to have a Graduate Faculty member without Doctoral Endorsement serve as chair if: 1) the student’s area of specialization is uniquely supported by the proposed chair, and 2) at least one committee member is endorsed to chair.
Co-chairs may be appointed when both serve with equal importance on a student’s supervisory committee and equally share the responsibility for the student’s progress. One Co-Chair must have a Graduate Faculty appointment with Doctoral Endorsement. The other Co-Chair may be appointed without Graduate Faculty status if the individual has a qualified UW faculty appointment. Qualified faculty appointments in this case are those appointments eligible for continuous or five-year graduate faculty roles. A Co-Chair without qualified UW faculty appointment may be appointed only by petition through the Office of Academic Affairs to the Dean of the Graduate School or the Dean’s designee.

4.2.4 Program Responsibilities in Committee Formation and Maintenance

While students hold primary responsibility for forming and maintaining their supervisory committee, programs are accountable for meeting their own obligations as outlined in the sections below—including providing clear written expectations, proactive advising, and timely documentation—so that students are adequately supported in fulfilling this responsibility.

Programs should strive to admit only the number of students who can be well supported by available faculty who are qualified to serve as supervisory committee chairs and members. Programs are not required to guarantee that a student will be able to work with a specific faculty committee chair or supervisory committee member.

[Note: This policy does not address student funding. Funding offers that are contingent on a student working with specific faculty should clearly state the conditions on which the offer depends.]

4.2.4.1 Interim Faculty Point of Contact

Students must have a faculty point of contact at all times. Once a committee is established, the Committee Chair is the faculty point of contact.

If a student does not yet have a Committee Chair, or if they lose their Committee Chair, they must be assigned an Interim Faculty Point of Contact. While it is the student’s responsibility to find a Committee Chair, the Interim Faculty Point of Contact plays an essential support role during these periods.

The Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) must either serve in this role or delegate this responsibility to another faculty member (for example, another member of the committee) who agrees to serve.

The Interim Faculty Point of Contact:

is responsible for assisting the student in registering for research, thesis, or dissertation credits.
is responsible for providing good‑faith academic guidance, as needed, to help the student determine whether and how a viable graduate committee can be formed (or re-formed), based on the student’s scholarly objectives, available faculty expertise, and applicable Graduate School and program policies; the Faculty Point of Contact is not responsible for securing a Committee Chair or resolving the absence of one.
is not a replacement for a Committee Chair and therefore cannot be required to provide the student with content-specific expertise, review of their scholarly work, or funding.
does not fulfill the expectation that students have a complete supervisory committee.

4.2.4.2 Program Responsibilities related to committee formation and maintenance.

As the representatives of their degree programs per Policy 4.3, GPCs, assisted as appropriate by GPAs and/or additional delegates, must:

ensure students and committee members receive clear communication about relevant Graduate School policies, including this policy (Policy 4.2: Supervisory Committees) and Policy 4.1 (Membership in Graduate Faculty).
provide guidance, including clear written information, about committee formation timelines and any committee composition requirements beyond those in this policy. This includes any expectations related to department membership or the disciplinary expertise of chairs and/or members.
ensure committee members, especially those outside of the program (e.g., GSRs) are aware of program-specific committee member responsibilities and expectations.
ensure students receive timely communication (e.g., required annual review, quarterly letters as needed) of expectations and available options for progress towards the degree.
monitor student progress toward committee formation or re-formation by conducting periodic check- When progress falls behind expected timelines, the program should provide written guidance to the student and identify next steps in a Notification or Academic Alert (per GSP 3.7.3).
document when students report difficulties such as patterns of miscommunication, unavailability of faculty with the appropriate scholarly expertise, or personality conflicts that may impede formation or maintenance of a viable committee.
consult with their department chair, appropriate school, college, or campus administrator and/or the Graduate School’s Associate Dean of Student Success. The Civil Rights Compliance Office should be consulted in circumstances where harassment, bullying or other types of unprofessional behavior are claimed as issues preventing the formation or maintenance of supervisory committee or appointment of the chair.

4.2.4.3 Unsatisfactory Progress in Supervisory Committee formation.

Failure to establish or maintain a supervisory committee by the program’s required deadline must be documented with clear expectations for committee composition and due dates and an opportunity for the student to resolve the issue through the processes described in Policy 3.7.3: Unsatisfactory Performance and Progress Documentation. This includes at least two quarters of documentation and communication with the student, consisting of an Academic Alert followed by a Final Academic Alert, before the Graduate School will consider an Academic Drop. After Autumn 2026, expedited procedures under GSP 3.7.5 cannot be applied when the only documented issue is the lack of a complete supervisory committee, except in the following circumstance:

Programs with lab rotations or similar models in which students are expected to find a chair or supervisory committee by the end of a specified milestone quarter may place students who have not met this expectation directly on Final Academic Alert in the following quarter (the final compliance quarter), provided that students received an Academic Notification, Academic Alert, or other individualized notice of this expectation in a previous quarter. These notifications and other student-facing materials must clearly state that: (a) Students are expected to identify a chair by the end of the milestone quarter; and (b) Students who enter the subsequent quarter without a chair will be placed on Final Academic Alert and will be Academically Dropped if a chair is not identified by the end of that final compliance quarter.

4.2.5 Responsibility of the supervisory committee chair in research involving human or animal subjects

For any thesis or dissertation project that may include human or animal subjects, the GPC or GPA must advise the student of the need to comply with the University of Washington Human Subjects Division and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee’s requirements, as appropriate. The program should maintain documentation that the committee chair and students have been so advised.

Policy 4.2 revised: October 2021, March 2022; May 2022; December 2022, October 2023, January 2025, May 2026

Policy 4.2.3.1 revised February 2025

Policy 4.2.1 and 4.2.3 revised March 2023

Policy 4.2.3.6 and 4.2.4 revised March 2023

Policy 4.2.3.7 and 4.2.3.9 were deleted March 2023, with content moved to Policy 1.1

Policy 4.2.4 added May 2026

Policy 4.1: Membership in the Graduate Faculty and Doctoral Endorsement

The Graduate Faculty consists of those members of the University faculty who have been designated by the Dean of the Graduate School as actively participating in graduate education. Powers and Duties of the Graduate Faculty are given in Chapter 23; section 23-42 and 23-44 of the Faculty Code.

For purposes of Policy 4.1, “academic unit” refers to department, division, program, school, college, or interdisciplinary group offering a graduate degree or a graduate certificate.

A “graduate program” is one that offers a graduate degree or a graduate certificate.

4.1.1 Graduate Faculty Appointment

Graduate Faculty are granted either continuous appointments or 5-year renewable appointments, as described below under “Eligibility for Graduate Faculty Status.” New Graduate Faculty members are nominated to general membership by a quorum majority vote of Graduate Faculty from the academic unit where the faculty hold the primary faculty appointment. The nominated faculty are subsequently appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School (Faculty Code Section 23-42). In cases where the faculty member’s primary academic unit does not offer a graduate degree or graduate certificate, the faculty member may be nominated to the Graduate Faculty by a graduate degree-offering or graduate certificate-offering unit where that faculty member holds an adjunct appointment.

The academic unit is responsible for assessing whether a faculty member meets the following required qualifications for a Graduate Faculty appointment based on the faculty member’s academic background and the nature of scholarship and research in that unit.

Active involvement in (or, for an initial appointment, qualification for) graduate student teaching, mentoring, and/or research and scholarship supervision.
Research-based scholarship as demonstrated by peer-reviewed publications, equivalent creative work, or equivalent teaching-, clinical-, or practice-based scholarship, as defined by the academic unit.

4.1.2 Doctoral Endorsement

Graduate Faculty members who substantively engage in doctoral education must also have a specific “doctoral endorsement.” A doctoral endorsement is required to chair a doctoral supervisory committee or to serve as a Graduate School Representative (GSR) to doctoral supervisory committees.

The academic unit is responsible for assessing whether a faculty member meets the following required qualifications for doctoral endorsement based on the faculty member’s academic background and the nature of scholarship and research in that unit.

Recent evidence of the ability to (or, for an initial appointment, qualification to) chair a doctoral supervisory committee, including supervising doctoral research and scholarship and overseeing the doctoral dissertation or final project/capstone.
The ability to serve as the Graduate School Representative (GSR) for doctoral supervisory committees.

4.1.3 Eligibility for Graduate Faculty status

Graduate Faculty status can either be continuous or for a 5-year renewable term. The requirement for each category of Graduate Faculty status follows. The accompanying document contains a complete list of faculty appointments by eligibility.

4.1.3.1 Continuous status

Faculty must hold a title of assistant professor, associate professor, or professor (tenure-track, tenured, or WOT).

4.1.3.2 5-year renewable term

Faculty with the title of assistant professor, associate professor, or professor who are appointed with emeritus, retired, affiliate, research, or clinical status may be nominated for a 5-year, renewable term and may be endorsed to chair doctoral supervisory committees if deemed appropriate by the academic unit.
Faculty with the following titles and ranks (including those with emeritus, retired, affiliate, research, or clinical status) may be nominated for a 5-year, renewable term and may be endorsed to chair doctoral supervisory committees if deemed appropriate by the academic unit:
- Professor of Practice
- Artist in Residence
- Senior Artist in Residence
- Lecturer
- Assistant Teaching Professor
- Associate Teaching Professor
- Teaching Professor
Instructors and those in temporary, acting, or visiting appointments are not eligible for Graduate Faculty status.
Graduate Faculty status is automatically continued for the first five years of an otherwise eligible emeritus or retired faculty appointment. After that, retired and emeritus faculty are treated as all other renewable 5-year appointments.

4.1.4 Procedures for Graduate Faculty Membership

It is the responsibility of each graduate program-offering academic unit across all three university of Washington campuses to create a written policy for Graduate Faculty membership and for the doctoral endorsement. This policy and the specific criteria must be articulated to the faculty in the unit.

Faculty are nominated by vote to either general membership or to membership with doctoral endorsement. An individual first appointed as a general member can subsequently receive doctoral endorsement.

4.1.4.1 Voting Requirements:

All members of the Graduate Faculty with a primary appointment in the academic unit vote on proposed nominations to the Graduate Faculty.
For the doctoral endorsement, voting is restricted to Graduate Faculty members within the academic unit who hold that endorsement.
Faculty with joint appointments may vote in multiple units.
Renewal of a Graduate Faculty 5-year term requires a vote of the academic unit’s Graduate Faculty.

4.1.4.2 Nomination Requirements

Eligible faculty members from all three campuses of the university may be nominated for graduate faculty membership, including membership with doctoral endorsement. Nominations for Graduate Faculty status across all three University of Washington campuses should be made by a faculty member’s primary graduate degree-offering or graduate certificate-offering academic unit.

If a faculty member holds a joint appointment either academic unit can make the nomination.
If a faculty member holds an adjunct appointment, only the primary academic unit can nominate, unless the primary academic unit does not offer a graduate program.
If the faculty member’s primary appointment is in a unit that does not offer a graduate program, the Graduate School will accept a nomination to appoint the faculty member to the Graduate Faculty from (1) a unit where the faculty member holds an adjunct appointment or (2) the faculty of a Graduate School Interdisciplinary Group where the nominated faculty is active in the interdisciplinary field.

4.1.4.3 Process Requirements

Authorized administrative personnel in each academic unit will have access to process new Graduate Faculty nominations and renewals through the online MyGradProgram.
E-mail notification to the newly nominated or renewed faculty member and the chair/director of the faculty’s academic unit is automatically sent from MyGradProgram.
It is suggested that members of the faculty who are not members of the Graduate Faculty be considered annually for possible nomination.
Rarely, an otherwise qualified faculty member will temporarily be in a title that is ineligible for graduate faculty status. In those cases, with the voting approval of the academic unit’s graduate faculty, the program may petition the Graduate School Office of Academic Affairs to establish a 5-year term.

4.1.5 Expectations of Graduate Faculty Members

The academic unit is responsible for assuring members of the Graduate Faculty show ongoing evidence of the following, based on the faculty member’s academic background and the nature of scholarship and research in that unit:

Active involvement in graduate student teaching, mentoring, and/or research and scholarship supervision.
Continued research-based scholarship as demonstrated by peer-reviewed publications, equivalent creative work, or equivalent teaching-, clinical-, or practice-based scholarship, as defined by the academic unit.

Also see Faculty Code Chapter 23, Sections 23-42, 23-44. Executive Orders IV and VII.

4.1.6 Terminating Graduate Faculty Status

A vote of the Graduate Faculty of a faculty member’s appointing academic unit is required to terminate Graduate Faculty status. The unit informs the Graduate School of the decision and the Graduate School then updates faculty status online through MyGradProgram.

Policy 4.1 revised: October 2021, November 2024, January 2025