The MA committee supervises and approves your master’s thesis. The committee consists of at least two (and no more than four) faculty members. The chair must hold an appointment in sociology. The second member – the reader – may be an adjunct member of the faculty. Both must be members of the graduate faculty.
The Chair
The MA chair serves as the primary academic advisor during the MA phase of the program. Your chair will discuss research topic and design, assist with analyses, and read & provide feedback on drafts. We encourage you to appoint an MA chair in the spring quarter of the first year.
Procedures for appointing the MA chair:
- ask the faculty member to serve as MA thesis committee chair
- complete the Appoint the MA Chair form
The Committee
Faculty member(s) serving on the committee provide additional guidance on your thesis. When you are ready to form your committee, you should fill out the Appoint the MA committee form.
It's fine to collect email confirmations. Here is one way to gather signatures when you email committee members: "In order to make this official, can you please reply to this email (our GPA) with your agreement to serve on my committee. Attached is the form that you are, in essence, signing."
Changes
If your committee changes, let us know by submitting a Change of MA committee form.
Non-UW Sociology Faculty Members
In rare instances, students want to appoint a non-UW Faculty member to their committee. Before pursuing this option, you should familiarize yourself with the Graduate School policies and consult with your chair.