Through the UM cooperative doctoral program, graduate faculty members who hold membership in the doctoral faculty of the University of Missouri are eligible to serve as directors of doctoral dissertations on their resident campus, as well as on any of the other three campuses offering a doctoral degree in the doctoral-faculty member's academic field. Students who want to pursue doctoral degree programs in conjunction with one of the other three campuses of the University of Missouri may do so in accordance with the guidelines listed below. The registrars at University of Missouri-Columbia (MU), Missouri University of Science and Technology S&T, or University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) can provide information on admission procedures for the doctoral programs on their respective campuses.

In the following guidelines, the terms primary campus, graduate school or dean refer to that granting the degree.

• Students must be accepted by the department or area granting the degree and must comply with all the rules of the primary graduate school and discipline/area regulations.
• The dissertation advisor must be a member of the doctoral faculty of the University.
• Advisory/supervisory committees, comprehensive committees and oral committees, as required, will be appointed by the primary graduate dean in consultation with the graduate dean on the participating campus, drawing on faculty on both the cooperating and primary campus:
  1. The makeup of each committee normally will be recommended by the major advisor with the approval of the appropriate director of graduate studies/department chair/divisional dean as per normal campus procedures.
  2. In cases where students are on a cooperating campus:
     1. The advisor/supervisory committee chair may or may not be on the same campus. If that person is on the cooperating campus, at least three of the five members of the committee will be from the primary campus.
     2. Students must complete the residency requirement on the primary campus. Exceptions to this ruling must be justified fully with emphasis on quality and cost considerations and must have the approval of the primary graduate dean.
• Selection of the cooperating departments and preparation of a program must be completed at the earliest possible moment and communicated via the primary graduate dean to the participants involved. Both graduate deans will maintain program files relative to students. Respective graduate deans are responsible for the quality of that portion of the cooperative program that is performed on their campus and under the jurisdiction of their faculty.
• Reporting of the degree shall be the responsibility of the primary campus. The cooperating campus shall be given credit in terms of student credit hours and/or dissertation credits for the work completed on that campus and shall provide suitable recognition of dissertation advisors and the committee members.