My Dissertation or Thesis Chair Died: What to Do

I am sorry. The death of your chair is a personal loss before it is a problem for your degree, and you are allowed to take time. Nothing in this guide has to be done this week. Most of it can wait until you are ready, and what cannot wait is short.

Your degree has not ended. Programs lose chairs to illness, retirement and death, and every graduate school has a procedure for replacing one. Your job is to find that procedure, choose a new chair, and hand over a clear picture of where your project stands.

1. Tell your program in writing

Your department will probably know already. Send a short email to your graduate program director or department chair anyway, so that your situation is on record. Say that you are a doctoral candidate (or master's student) working with [name], that you are sorry for the loss, and that you would like to know who your point of contact is now and what the process is for assigning a new chair. Keep a copy.

2. Ask who is acting for you now

Ask whether a co-chair or a committee member is covering the role in the meantime. Someone must sign forms and answer questions until a new chair is approved, and it is better to know who that person is than to wait.

3. Find the written rule for replacing a chair

Look in your program handbook and on your graduate school website for "change of committee," "committee chair," or "advisor change." The usual pieces are:

the faculty status a chair must hold, which is often limited to graduate faculty
a change-of-committee form, signed by the new chair and the program head
a sign-off from the graduate school or dean's office
any rule about whether the new chair must approve your proposal again

Rules differ between universities and between programs, so rely on your own documents and on what your program director tells you in writing.

4. Choose a new chair

Begin with the people who already know your work. A current committee member is often the easiest transition, because they have read your drafts and know your study. If that is not possible, look for someone who:

has experience with your method, or with your topic
is eligible to chair under your program's rules
has the time to take on a student at your stage
you can work with on a regular basis

Talk to two or three people before you decide. Ask each of them how they work with students and how quickly they return drafts, then ask your program director which of them has capacity.

5. Give the new chair a one-page status summary

A new chair needs to understand your project quickly. Write one page that covers:

your research problem, purpose and questions, each in one sentence
the stage you are at: proposal approved, data collection, analysis, or writing
the date of proposal approval and the names of your committee members
IRB status and the approval number
what your former chair had approved and what feedback is still open
the date by which you need to defend

Attach your latest draft and any written feedback your chair gave you. Comments saved in email and tracked changes are still useful, so keep every one.

6. Check your deadlines, funding and IRB

Three things may need action:

Time limits. Many programs set a maximum time to degree. If you lost weeks, ask your program director whether an extension is available and how to request one.
Funding. If a grant or assistantship was tied to your chair, ask the department what happens next.
IRB. Your approval may list your chair as the faculty sponsor. Ask your IRB office whether an amendment is needed to name the new chair.

7. Ask what still stands

Ask your new chair to confirm in writing which earlier decisions they accept: the approved proposal, the method, the sample, the framework. If they ask for changes, ask for the reason, and record it. You are entitled to understand why work that was already approved is being reopened, and a calm written question usually settles it.

8. Look after yourself

Many students feel guilty about thinking of the degree while grieving the person. That is normal and does not make you callous. If your university offers counseling or a graduate student support office, use it. Ask for time if you need it, and put the request in writing.

Where we can help

We cannot act as your chair or replace your committee. We can read your document while your program finds a new chair. A manuscript review gives you written feedback on structure, alignment and argument, so your new chair receives a clearer document, and a chapter review covers one chapter. Your ideas and your work stay yours.

For other problems with chairs, read dissertation chair problems and what to do.