About Assessment Committees for Defenses and Ph.D. Qualifier
Prerequisites and certain criteria are followed by the Graduate Program in order to appoint Assessment Committees for Defenses (Master’s and Ph.D.) and Ph.D. Qualifiers. Criteria are also established to invite external assessment of Ph.D. dissertations before defense.
According to UFSC’s General Guidelines for Graduate Programs (Resolution Res. 5/Cun/2010, Art. 61), the prerequisites are the following:
- Master’s Assessment Committees should be composed of at least three members, all holding Ph.D. degrees, with at least one member from a graduate program other than Automation and Systems Engineering; and
- Ph.D. Assessment Committees should have at least five members, at least one of whom should be external to UFSC.
Besides the committee members established according with the guidelines above, the main advisor can preside the public defense however does not take part in the assessment committee.
Furthermore, PPGEAS/008 Resolution establishes the guidelines for the Qualifying Examination of Ph.D. degrees:
- Ph.D. Qualifying Committee should be composed of at least three members, with at least one member from Automation and Systems Engineering and one member who is not affiliated to the graduate program.
- One of the members of the Qualifying Committee will preside the examination and coordinate that procedures thereof.
- The advisor and any co-advisor cannot take part in the Qualifying Committee.
The guidelines below aim to clarify some points that must be taken into account in order to establish Assessment and Qualifying Committees. Assessment Committees for Master’s Dissertation should have at least three Ph.D. holding members with one being external to the graduate program, and for Ph.D. Dissertations at least five Ph.D. holding members with at least two members external to UFSC. As estipulated by the guidelines, only in exceptional cases the Graduate Program will accept committee members who do not hold Ph.D., in which case their expertise should be widely recognized.
Besides the resolutions, the Graduate Program will take into account the following guidelines to designate assessment committees.
1) External Reviewer for Ph.D. Dissertation
a) Experience in Ph.D. advisement;
b) Recent scientific production (last five years) in the given area of knowledge;
c) Not have produced any published work with the advisor or student, not have co-advised the candidate recently (in the last five years), not advised the candidate in previous works, much less have been advised by the candidate.
2) Ph.D. Assessment Committee
The majority of the committee members should meet the criteria established above in 1a, 1b, and 1c.
3) Ph.D. Qualifying Committee
The majority of the committee members should meet the conditions established in 1a and 1b. Besides, there must not be majority (same number allowed)) of members close to the advisor or candidate. The notion of proximity is the same of item 1c.
4) Master’s Assessment Committee
The majority of the committee members should have experience in advising Master’s dissertations and meet the condition 1b. Further, there cannot be majority (same number allowed) of members related to the advisor or candidate. The notion of relationship is established by item 1c.
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