Students should submit their request through the Graduate College Student Portal. View our online video tutorials for how to use the portal.
Students should submit their committee appointment request at least three weeks before the date of the intended exam. This is essential so that the committee can be reviewed and approved by all relevant units before the exam. If the committee is not appointed before the day of the exam, it could mean that the exam will need to be rescheduled.
Doctoral examinations can take place in-person, virtually or in a hybrid format, as agreed upon by the committee.
Entering Faculty Members into Your Request Form
All preliminary exam committees require at least four voting members, three of whom must be University of Illinois Graduate Faculty and two of whom must be tenured University of Illinois Graduate Faculty. You can read more about doctoral committee policies on the Exams & Committees page.
When filling out the committee section of your form, a good first step is to check the Graduate Faculty Database to see which of your committee members fit these requirements.
The Graduate Faculty is comprised of all current tenured and tenure-track faculty members at Illinois, as well as others upon department request. Faculty members who have retired or moved to another institution may also be members of the Graduate Faculty at department request.
You can search the database by committee member name, NetID, or by department. Keep in mind that the database lists faculty members by their name of record in the university’s system. This means that if they go by a different name, it will likely not be reflected in the database or in the committee section of the Graduate Student Portal.
Non-Graduate Faculty Members
You may wish to include Illinois specialized faculty or staff who are not members of the Graduate Faculty or someone from another institution or organization on your committee.
If you cannot find one of your committee members in the Graduate Faculty Database, then you will need to list them as a “Non-Graduate Faculty Member” on the committee request form.
Checking Tenure in the Graduate Faculty Database
For most faculty members, the "Tenured" column in the Graduate Faculty Database will say YES or NO. However, if a faculty member had tenure at the time that they retired or resigned from the Graduate Faculty, the "Tenured" column will say NO, and there will be a date in the "Tenure Status Through" column. For the purposes of doctoral committees, this faculty member will count as a tenured faculty member through the date listed in that column.
Exam Request FAQ
The time and/or location of my exam has changed. Do I need to submit a new request?
No, if the time or location of your exam has changed from what you indicated, you do not need to submit a new request form. Make sure that your committee and department are aware of the change.
The date of my exam has changed. Do I need to submit a new request?
It depends. Each committee has a 90-day committee appointment period, which is indicated at the top of your exam form. The 90 days starts at the time your committee is approved by the Graduate College. If the new date of your exam falls within the 90-day window, then you do not need to submit a new committee appointment request. If the new date of your exam falls before or after this committee appointment window, then you will need to submit a new committee appointment request.
I need to change a committee member or make a change to the committee roles. Do I need to submit a new request?
Yes. Any changes to the committee membership (including changing roles such as Chair and Director of Research) require a new committee appointment request. At the top of the form, you will be able to check the box "Requesting Change" to detail your request. Then, proceed to filling out the form with the changes reflected.
I can’t find one of my committee members in the Graduate Student Portal and/or the Graduate Faculty Database. What should I do?
Reach out to your department to discuss next steps. If the individual should be added to your committee as an External Member, department staff can walk you through this process. If the individual is listed in the database under a different name, they can help you find them and add them to your exam request. If there is another action that should be taken, your department can work with the Graduate College to navigate this.
My Final Exam committee is exactly the same as my preliminary exam committee. Do I need to submit another request form?
Yes, preliminary exam requests and final exam requests are reviewed independently.
My exam has already taken place, but I forgot to submit my committee appointment request. What should I do?
First, reach out to your department to let them know. Then, you will need to submit a petition to request that your committee be retroactively appointed. At the same time, you should also submit your committee appointment request as these two forms will be reviewed in tandem.
How often is the database updated?
The Graduate Faculty Database is updated on a continuous basis. There is a large update done in mid-August when faculty contracts start. This is when new Illinois faculty members will be added and changes to tenure status will be reflected.