DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS
The graduate faculty in the Department of Mathematics agrees with the principles in the newly adopted Graduate School-New Brunswick’s GUIDELINES ON TIME FOR REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT OF QUALIFYING PAPERS, THESES AND DISSERTATIONS”: to maintain a culture of mutual respect between students and faculty members and that this include excellent communication among them. In particular, students must allow sufficient time for faculty members to review and assess their work and faculty members must be as prompt as circumstances allow in responding to their students with such assessments.
Further, it is the responsibility of advisors and students to keep committees informed and engaged throughout the process of the student’s research and to ensure that the committee is given adequate time to assess the final product before it is defended. Faculty members on examination committees should indicate their expectations for the timing of their responses.
More specifically, (i) the final examination committee of a candidate’s thesis or dissertation should be formed at least three months in advance of the final examination; (ii) members of the examination committee should then be provided with partial drafts of the thesis or dissertation, and a full draft of the thesis or dissertation should be provided at least four weeks before its final examination is scheduled to happen; (iii) members of the examination committee should inform the candidate of their assessment and begin to provide suggestions for revisions at least two weeks before the scheduled final examination; and (iv) the revised thesis or dissertation for the final examination should be submitted by the student to the examination committee at least one week before the scheduled examination. The final examination must be completed at least two weeks before the Graduate School’s deadline for submitting Candidacy Forms to the Graduate School. Advisors should take an active role in making sure that their advisees adhere to the guidelines set above.
Exceptions may occur. When a degree candidate finds himself or herself in exceptional circumstances, and can not adhere to the guidelines set above, he or she should immediately provide a written appeal for exceptional consideration to the Graduate Program Director, as well as to the advisor and committee members. The Graduate Program Director, in consultation with the advisor and committee members, as well as the Graduate Committee, if needed, will make a determination on whether to grant an exception. When a committee member finds or anticipates himself or herself in exceptional circumstances, and can not adhere to the guidelines set above, he or she should immediately inform the candidate, the Graduate Program Director, the advisor as well as other committee members, and propose alternate arrangements that can help the candidate to complete the final examination within the time frame set by the Program and the Graduate School.
The guidelines will be posted on the Graduate Program’s websites, will be provided to the candidate and the advisor when the candidate enters into candidacy, and will be distributed to the graduate faculty at its annual meeting for reviewing student progress.
