Thesis and Dissertation Committees

The process for setting up or changing your thesis/dissertation committee is an electronic process. This paperless process will generate emails to each committee member so that they can accept or reject the invitation to serve on your committee.

Instructions on Thesis/Dissertation Advisory Committee Formation

1. Know your requirements 
   Make sure that you know your department’s or program’s policies regarding how many members, how many external members, etc. You may also consult the Graduate Catalog:
   • For thesis committees, visit Master’s Degree Requirements and click on the “Thesis” header.
   • For dissertation committees, visit Doctoral Degree Requirements and click on the “Dissertation Committee” header.
     
     
2. Login
   Go to the UA Grad Student Portal and select login with myBama.
   
   
3. Committee Formation
   Select the Form a Committee tab. Be sure to carefully read and follow all the instructions.
   
   

   IMPORTANT: If a committee member does not appear in the listing, it may be that they do not have active Graduate Faculty status. Please consult your program director, or the faculty member, in order to find out. Do not submit the form until the committee member appears in the listing. Members not selected from the dropdown will not receive an invitation to your committee.

4. Committee Member Acceptance
   Once you have indicated the members you wish to invite to serve on your committee, they will each receive an invitation, which they will “Accept” or “Decline.” If the “Pending” status remains for too long, you may need to contact a committee member to remind them to indicate their decision.
   
   

5. Committee Appointment Review
   Once the committee members have responded, the committee will be reviewed by your department and the Graduate School. You will receive a notification when the committee has been approved.

You will receive email notifications throughout the process. Additionally, you may check the status of your committee in the UA Grad Student Portal under the Form a Committee tab, under Committee Status.

NOTE: If you have already formed your committee, via Graduate Academic Activities, it will be migrated to the new system (Slate). For future updates to the committee, you should submit a Committee Change Request, using the UA Grad Student Portal, since the Graduate Academic Activities portal will be retired.