Serving as the Outside Examiner

An "outside examiner" representing and appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School is required at all Ph.D. oral examinations (except the placement examination). The examiner must be from a different department than the candidate and chair of the advisory committee. The function of the outside examiner is to determine that a stringent, unbiased examination is given and that it is fairly administered and evaluated. The outside examiner will be asked by the Graduate School to complete a Report of Outside Examiner form (67K PDF) to provide comments on the exam.

It is the student's responsibility to request that an outside examiner be appointed to serve at the oral examination. The student should turn in the Request for Outside Examiner form (see below) AT LEAST TWO WEEKS prior to the oral comprehensive exam or dissertation defense. The Office of the Graduate School will inform the student of the faculty member appointed to serve at the student's examination, and in the case of a dissertation defense, the student must supply the examiner with a copy of the thesis at least one week prior to the examination.

The outside examiner should fill and sign the Report on Examination Form, but not the signature page of the thesis.

ONLINE FORM
Request for Outside Examiner - (Ph.D. only)

(Submit Form TWO WEEKS in Advance of Exam Date)

Due to unavailability of tenure-track faculty members to serve certain functions for the Graduate School, the following blackout period becomes necessary: Oral examinations for Ph.D. students cannot be scheduled less than two weeks prior to the last day of instruction in the Fall or Spring semester.

Fields marked with " * " are required fields

1. Date:

2. Student Name*:

3. Contact Name:

4. Phone:

5. E-mail*:

6. Date of Exam*:
   Time of Exam*:

7. Location of Exam*:

8. Major:

9. Type of Exam (check one)*:

   Oral Comprehensive
   Dissertation Defense
   Oral Comprehensive and Dissertation Defense Combined

10. Title of Dissertation:

11. Committee Chair:

12. Phone:

13. E-mail:

14. Committee Chair Department: