Advising and Thesis Committees

First year

The CMB Advisory Committee, chaired by the Director of Graduate Studies, advises first-year CMB students. Students meet the committee three times during the year, and are always welcome to set up additional meetings as the need arises. During the advisory committee meetings, CMB students receive advice on course selection, research rotations, and other issues about their graduate careers.

Second year and beyond

Each CMB student formulates their thesis advisory committee during the second year. The student's thesis committee acts in an advisory capacity during the student's tenure with the University. Thesis committee meetings are critical for ensuring the timely and effective progress of all students towards a PhD thesis. The CMB Program and Duke Graduate School require thesis committee meetings at least once per academic year. The thesis committee will take this opportunity to discuss the student's progress with the student and mentor, and to offer advice and suggestions about the best way to proceed toward an acceptable PhD thesis. This committee conducts the final PhD defense examination, and in many departments, also conducts the preliminary examination. Requirements regarding the exact composition of the committee are determined by the department which will eventually grant the degree, but the committee is typically composed of about five faculty, some of whom are in the student's primary affiliated department, and at least one of whom is not. The thesis committee must include at least 2 CMB members including the mentor (preferably more than 2).

Documentation of thesis committee meetings are generally collected by the degree-granting unit, but CMB students should send a copy of the meeting report to the CMB Program Office. This document should include the date of the meeting, a list of faculty present, citations for any published or submitted papers, and a summary of the discussion at the meeting.