All M.A. students in the Department of History should form a committee by the end of your first year in the program. Your committee consists of at least three people: your advisor, another history faculty member of your choice, and a faculty member from outside the history department. Ideally, all members of your committee should be people with whom you’ve had graduate-level courses. All members of your committee must be Graduate Faculty.
• The advisor is generally someone you’re already working with, perhaps the person who was the faculty advisor for your internship.
• A second history faculty member of your choice. It’s generally best if that person is particularly knowledgeable about your subject and (preferably) someone you’ve taken a graduate-level class from
• For your outside member, it’s again best to pick someone knowledgeable about your subject and, preferably, someone from whom you’ve taken a graduate-level class. If you haven’t taken a class outside the department and don’t know anyone, you can ask your advisor for a recommendation, or you can ask the Graduate College to appoint someone. (This person acts as the Graduate Dean’s representative in the oral exam, someone who ensures that the exam is neither too easy nor unfair to you.)
