Cognate advisor

A doctoral cognate advisor is a professor who supervises the backdrop (or secondary context) of a doctoral student's dissertation if it is different from the major area of concentration. For example, a doctoral student majoring in biology may have a minor course of study in biochemistry. The plan of work may contain a substantial subspecialty in biochemistry (typically as much as 1/2 or more of a Master's course of study).
The doctoral qualifying committee would consist of the major professor, in some cases a co-advisor or second advisor, a cognate advisor, and in some cases additional committee members, and the student must write on the cognate area as well as the major area of study. Subsequently, the dissertation written by the doctoral candidate may have as the backdrop to the thesis topic the cognate area of study. Hence, the cognate advisor supervises the dissertation backdrop, which in this example would be in biochemistry. Thus, the cognate advisor has a closer commitment to the doctoral student, typically, than might a co-advisor or 2nd advisor.
Examples at various universities in the United States are: Ball State University, University of Hawaii, Regent University , and Wayne State University.

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