Upon entering the program, a student will consult with the Ph.D. Program Director, who will serve as academic adviser until the student has selected a major professor. No later than the end of the second semester of doctoral work, in consultation with the Ph.D. Program Director and other members of the faculty, students should select a major professor from among the public administration faculty with doctoral directive status. Faculty with doctoral directive status are listed in the annual Florida State University Bulletin, but students should consult the School for recent appointments. Students going through the mid program review will be required to report their major professor and members of their supervisory committee.
Together, the student and the major professor select other members of the supervisory committee which must include a second professor for the area of specialization, an outside representative-at-large from the University graduate faculty and one additional member from the graduate faculty. If they cannot obtain this additional member, they shall ask the Ph.D. Director to assign a faculty member to the supervisory committee. The Ph.D. Director will make a random assignment from among those public administration faculty with doctoral directive status who fall in the bottom quartile when ranked according to the number of students for whom they are then serving as major professor. At least three members of the supervisory committee must have doctoral directive status.
The committee is formalized by their signatures on the Doctoral Supervisory Committee form which is available from the Ph.D. Program secretary. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain the required signatures and to return it to the Ph.D. Program secretary. Upon the approval of the composition of the supervisory committee by the Director of the School of Public Administration and Policy, the major professor will serve as the student’s principal academic adviser, and together with the other professors, will supervise the work of the student until all requirements for the degree have been completed.
Filing the Doctoral Program of Studies
All doctoral students must submit a “Doctoral Program of Studies” on the required forms as soon as possible after appointment of the supervisory committee, but at least six months before the comprehensive examination. The “Doctoral Program of Studies” is a form available from the Program secretary and prepared by the student with the major professor. It consists of a complete list of courses and must be signed by the student’s supervisory committee, the Ph.D. Program Director, and the Director of the School of Public Administration and Policy.