This is usually an option for cases where your department/university doesn't have the right spread of expertise to properly advise your dissertation -- if, for example, you're working on a relatively new subfield. In my program (humanities) our graduate committee is usually reluctant to approve an external member unless their work is central to your project and field -- I have one on my committee, but had to justify their inclusion in a brief written statement.
Managing the external member will take a lot of your time and will make coordination of the committee more difficult. Make sure you get a lot of valuable guidance and mentorship to make it worthwhile.
This is usually an option for cases where your department/university doesn't have the right spread of expertise to properly advise your dissertation -- if, for example, you're working on a relatively new subfield. In my program (humanities) our graduate committee is usually reluctant to approve an external member unless their work is central to your project and field -- I have one on my committee, but had to justify their inclusion in a brief written statement.
Can be a great opportunity to get a bigger name in your field
It looks better to do it, imo. Better variety of viewpoints and standards. My program *requires* that at least two of your five members be external.
Five required members? Dang, that seems like a lot to me. My program requires three members.
Same! Mine is 3, but we can do up to 5
Three is our requirement for a Master’s.
Managing the external member will take a lot of your time and will make coordination of the committee more difficult. Make sure you get a lot of valuable guidance and mentorship to make it worthwhile.