Supervisory Committee
The Graduate Council wants each supervisory committee to function as a University committee (not a departmental committee), applying University-wide standards to the various doctoral degrees.

Supervisory committees are nominated by the academic unit chair, approved by the dean of the college concerned, and appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School. The committee should be appointed as soon as possible after the student starts doctoral work and no later than the end of the second term of equivalent full-time study. The Dean of the Graduate School is an ex-officio member of all supervisory committees.

The supervisory committee for a doctoral candidate comprises at least four members selected from the Graduate Faculty. At least two members, including the chair, must be from the academic unit recommending the degree. At least one member serves as external member and should be from a different educational discipline, with no ties to the home academic unit. One regular member may be from the home academic unit or another unit.
If a minor is chosen, the supervisory committee includes at least one Graduate Faculty member representing the student's minor. If the student elects more than one minor, each minor area must be represented on the supervisory committee.

Special appointments: People without Graduate Faculty status may be made official members of a student's supervisory committee through the special appointment process. The student's supervisory committee chair requests the special appointment, briefly explaining what the special appointment contributes to the supervisory committee. A special appointment is made for a specific supervisory committee. If a student changes to a new degree or major and the committee chair wishes to include the special member on the new supervisory committee, another request must be submitted to the Graduate School for the new committee.
*Special appointments may not serve as a supervisory committee chair, co-chair, external member, or minor representative.*

External member: The external member represents the interests of the Graduate School and the University of Florida, knows Graduate Council policies, and serves as an advocate for the student at doctoral committee activities.
If the academic unit's committee activity conflicts with broader University policies or practices, the external member is responsible for bringing such conflicts to the attention of the appropriate governing body. Therefore, the external member is prohibited from holding any official interest in the doctoral candidate's major academic unit. Faculty holding joint, affiliate, courtesy, or adjunct appointments in the degree-granting academic unit cannot be external members on a student's committee.

Minor member: The Graduate Faculty member who represents a minor on a student's committee may be appointed as the external member if he/she does not have a courtesy graduate appointment in the student's major academic unit.

*NO SUBSTITUTES ARE ALLOWED FOR THE CHAIR OR EXTERNAL MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE*