Immediately following the seminar, students will undergo an oral examination, the defense of his or her thesis or dissertation, by the student's advisory committee. The defense will be chaired and administered by a moderator who is not a member of the student's committee. SMS policy prohibits audio or video recording of exams and defenses, although exceptions may be made for students with documented disabilities.
Additional guidelines for the defense can be found .
One week prior to the defense date, the SMS Registrar will send an email to the moderator, advisor(s), and student with the DocuSign links to the forms needing signed at the defense. Following the defense, in order for CAS authentication to pre-populate some of the form fields. The form will then route automatically to the moderator, advisor(s), and to the committee for approval. Once all signatures have been obtained, the completed form will route automatically to the SMS Registrar for processing. The student and all approvers will also receive a copy of the completed form for their records. The SMS Registrar will send a follow-up confirmation to the student after the defense milestone has been recorded in Banner.
Defense and submission.
Below is an overview of the main steps in preparing, defending, and submitting your thesis or dissertation. For detailed instructions on each step, see The Graduate School's Guide for Electronic Submission of Thesis and Dissertation (PDF) , in addition to this video recording from a workshop given on the subject.
Guide for Electronic Submission of Thesis and Dissertation (PDF)
We provide the following templates for your convenience and to help you eliminate common formatting errors. However, all submitted theses and dissertations must meet the specifications listed in the ETD guide . The manuscript must be a completed document, formatted correctly, with no sections left blank.
Notes about the LaTeX Template
Ph.D. and master’s students are required to apply for graduation in DukeHub by the established application deadline for the semester in which they plan to graduate.
Review the full graduation guidelines on the Graduation Information and Deadlines page.
When you submit your thesis or dissertation electronically, you will also permit Duke University to make it available online through DukeSpace at Duke Libraries. See the pages below for more information about ETDs:
Check out the writing support offered by The Graduate School, such as writing spaces, consultations, and access to online writing workshops, communities, and resources.
Written by Luke Wink-Moran | Photo by insta_photos
Dissertation defenses are daunting, and no wonder; it’s not a “dissertation discussion,” or a “dissertation dialogue.” The name alone implies that the dissertation you’ve spent the last x number of years working on is subject to attack. And if you don’t feel trepidation for semantic reasons, you might be nervous because you don’t know what to expect. Our imaginations are great at making The Unknown scarier than reality. The good news is that you’ll find in this newsletter article experts who can shed light on what dissertations defenses are really like, and what you can do to prepare for them.
The first thing you should know is that your defense has already begun. It started the minute you began working on your dissertation— maybe even in some of the classes you took beforehand that helped you formulate your ideas. This, according to Dr. Celeste Atkins, is why it’s so important to identify a good mentor early in graduate school.
“To me,” noted Dr. Atkins, who wrote her dissertation on how sociology faculty from traditionally marginalized backgrounds teach about privilege and inequality, “the most important part of the doctoral journey was finding an advisor who understood and supported what I wanted from my education and who was willing to challenge me and push me, while not delaying me. I would encourage future PhDs to really take the time to get to know the faculty before choosing an advisor and to make sure that the members of their committee work well together.”
Your advisor will be the one who helps you refine arguments and strengthen your work so that by the time it reaches your dissertation committee, it’s ready. Next comes the writing process, which many students have said was the hardest part of their PhD. I’ve included this section on the writing process because this is where you’ll create all the material you’ll present during your defense, so it’s important to navigate it successfully. The writing process is intellectually grueling, it eats time and energy, and it’s where many students find themselves paddling frantically to avoid languishing in the “All-But-Dissertation” doldrums. The writing process is also likely to encroach on other parts of your life. For instance, Dr. Cynthia Trejo wrote her dissertation on college preparation for Latin American students while caring for a twelve-year-old, two adult children, and her aging parents—in the middle of a pandemic. When I asked Dr. Trejo how she did this, she replied:
“I don’t take the privilege of education for granted. My son knew I got up at 4:00 a.m. every morning, even on weekends, even on holidays; and it’s a blessing that he’s seen that work ethic and that dedication and the end result.”
Importantly, Dr. Trejo also exercised regularly and joined several online writing groups at UArizona. She mobilized her support network— her partner, parents, and even friends from high school to help care for her son.
The challenges you face during the writing process can vary by discipline. Jessika Iwanski is an MD/PhD student who in 2022 defended her dissertation on genetic mutations in sarcomeric proteins that lead to severe, neonatal dilated cardiomyopathy. She described her writing experience as “an intricate process of balancing many things at once with a deadline (defense day) that seems to be creeping up faster and faster— finishing up experiments, drafting the dissertation, preparing your presentation, filling out all the necessary documents for your defense and also, for MD/PhD students, beginning to reintegrate into the clinical world (reviewing your clinical knowledge and skill sets)!”
But no matter what your unique challenges are, writing a dissertation can take a toll on your mental health. Almost every student I spoke with said they saw a therapist and found their sessions enormously helpful. They also looked to the people in their lives for support. Dr. Betsy Labiner, who wrote her dissertation on Interiority, Truth, and Violence in Early Modern Drama, recommended, “Keep your loved ones close! This is so hard – the dissertation lends itself to isolation, especially in the final stages. Plus, a huge number of your family and friends simply won’t understand what you’re going through. But they love you and want to help and are great for getting you out of your head and into a space where you can enjoy life even when you feel like your dissertation is a flaming heap of trash.”
While you might sometimes feel like your dissertation is a flaming heap of trash, remember: a) no it’s not, you brilliant scholar, and b) the best dissertations aren’t necessarily perfect dissertations. According to Dr. Trejo, “The best dissertation is a done dissertation.” So don’t get hung up on perfecting every detail of your work. Think of your dissertation as a long-form assignment that you need to finish in order to move onto the next stage of your career. Many students continue revising after graduation and submit their work for publication or other professional objectives.
When you do finish writing your dissertation, it’s time to schedule your defense and invite friends and family to the part of the exam that’s open to the public. When that moment comes, how do you prepare to present your work and field questions about it?
“I reread my dissertation in full in one sitting,” said Dr. Labiner. “During all my time writing it, I’d never read more than one complete chapter at a time! It was a huge confidence boost to read my work in full and realize that I had produced a compelling, engaging, original argument.”
There are many other ways to prepare: create presentation slides and practice presenting them to friends or alone; think of questions you might be asked and answer them; think about what you want to wear or where you might want to sit (if you’re presenting on Zoom) that might give you a confidence boost. Iwanksi practiced presenting with her mentor and reviewed current papers to anticipate what questions her committee might ask. If you want to really get in the zone, you can emulate Dr. Labiner and do a full dress rehearsal on Zoom the day before your defense.
But no matter what you do, you’ll still be nervous:
“I had a sense of the logistics, the timing, and so on, but I didn’t really have clear expectations outside of the structure. It was a sort of nebulous three hours in which I expected to be nauseatingly terrified,” recalled Dr. Labiner.
“I expected it to be terrifying, with lots of difficult questions and constructive criticism/comments given,” agreed Iwanski.
“I expected it to be very scary,” said Dr. Trejo.
“I expected it to be like I was on trial, and I’d have to defend myself and prove I deserved a PhD,” said Dr Atkins.
And, eventually, inexorably, it will be time to present.
“It was actually very enjoyable” said Iwanski. “It was more of a celebration of years of work put into this project—not only by me but by my mentor, colleagues, lab members and collaborators! I felt very supported by all my committee members and, rather than it being a rapid fire of questions, it was more of a scientific discussion amongst colleagues who are passionate about heart disease and muscle biology.”
“I was anxious right when I logged on to the Zoom call for it,” said Dr. Labiner, “but I was blown away by the number of family and friends that showed up to support me. I had invited a lot of people who I didn’t at all think would come, but every single person I invited was there! Having about 40 guests – many of them joining from different states and several from different countries! – made me feel so loved and celebrated that my nerves were steadied very quickly. It also helped me go into ‘teaching mode’ about my work, so it felt like getting to lead a seminar on my most favorite literature.”
“In reality, my dissertation defense was similar to presenting at an academic conference,” said Dr. Atkins. “I went over my research in a practiced and organized way, and I fielded questions from the audience.
“It was a celebration and an important benchmark for me,” said Dr. Trejo. “It was a pretty happy day. Like the punctuation at the end of your sentence: this sentence is done; this journey is done. You can start the next sentence.”
If you want to learn more about dissertations in your own discipline, don’t hesitate to reach out to graduates from your program and ask them about their experiences. If you’d like to avail yourself of some of the resources that helped students in this article while they wrote and defended their dissertations, check out these links:
The Graduate Writing Lab
https://thinktank.arizona.edu/writing-center/graduate-writing-lab
The Writing Skills Improvement Program
https://wsip.arizona.edu
Campus Health Counseling and Psych Services
https://caps.arizona.edu
https://www.scribbr.com/
Permission to Write Meeting:
A penultimate Thesis Committee meeting should be scheduled approximately 3 months prior to the intended thesis defense date, in which the committee grants “permission to write” and discusses an appropriate timeline for thesis completion. Alternatively, students may obtain formal permission to write from each of their Thesis Committee members following one-on-one meetings in which the timeline to completion is discussed. Documentation of Permission to Write either by indicating such in a Thesis Committee Meeting Report , or by email from each committee member must be sent to the NUIN program.
Dissertation and Thesis Defense:
The dissertation and thesis defense is the culmination of a student’s work at Northwestern University.
Dissertation:
Students are required to write a dissertation, which should conform to the University Guidelines on content and formatting and also include:
NUIN allows text and figures from published papers to be included (original or modified) as part of a data chapter under the following conditions:
At the end of the introductory chapter of the dissertation, the student must provide an overview of the data chapters, indicating whether the work is published or unpublished. For published work, the full citation should be included and it should be stated whether the chapter is the published or an edited version. The contributions of the student and other authors to the scientific (design, experiments, analysis) and written work must be clearly stated. If edits have been made, the nature of the modifications (e.g. incorporation of published supplemental figures into the body of the narrative, inclusion of additional relevant data acquired after publication, expansion of intro or discussion, etc.) should be stated. For unpublished work, the contributions of the student and any other individuals to the scientific work (design, experiments, analysis) must be stated.
The dissertation is expected to include details and scholarly discussions that go above and beyond what one might find in typical journal articles (e.g. related experiments that were beyond the scope of the paper, or additional experimental details that were omitted due to space constraints). It is the responsibility of the student and the Thesis Committee to ensure that the dissertation meets NUIN standards and properly attributes authorship.
Thesis Defense, PhD Final Exam Form:
A draft of the dissertation should be submitted to the Thesis Advisor with sufficient time for the Thesis Advisor to evaluate it and approve distribution to the Thesis Committee. The dissertation document must be submitted to the Thesis Committee members at least 2 weeks before the private defense date. Committee members with objections to any aspect of the written dissertation will make their concerns known to the Thesis Advisor, student, and NUIN, and the defense may be rescheduled.
All members of the committee must digitally approve the PhD Final Exam Form following a successful thesis defense. If major revisions are required, the committee can opt to have a revised dissertation reviewed by each member of the committee, a single member, or the Thesis Advisor, as they see best fit. The PhD Final Exam Form should only be signed after the revised document has been approved. In the rare circumstance that a consensus cannot be reached regarding necessary revisions, a student or Thesis Advisor may appeal a Thesis Committee’s recommendations to NUIN.
Public Seminar:
Students present a public seminar after successful completion of the private thesis defense. Students should notify NUIN once the public seminar is scheduled so that it can be advertised to the NUIN community. The public seminar should not be advertised until the private defense has been passed.
Follow NUIN on
Once a student’s box is checked, the BPH student should set up a one-on-one “Defense Packet Meeting” with the BPH Associate Director to review the Defense and Dissertation Process, which includes reviewing all required materials, logistics, timing, FAS/Harvard Griffin GSAS Form of the Dissertation, sample forms, and to answer student questions related to these processes.
DEFENSE TIMING AND FORMAT
STIPEND GUIDELINES
If a student successfully defends the dissertation before the 15th of the month, the stipend will be terminated at the end of that month. If the student successfully defends on or after the 15th, the next month’s stipend will be the final month the student is paid, at the discretion of their advisor.
Students are encouraged to speak to their advisors directly about how they should be paid as they complete their graduate work. If an advisor wishes to pay the student for one additional month, beyond what has been explained above, the advisor must notify the department’s financial administrator. For administrative reasons, a stipend cannot be issued to a student after their graduation/degree conferral date.
ORAL DEFENSE PROCEDURES
Part 1: Public Seminar As part of the exam, the PhD candidate will present a public seminar followed by a private oral examination. The public presentation lasts no longer than 1 hour, which includes time for the advisor’s introduction, the student’s oral presentation and acknowledgements, and time for audience questions and answers. The Defense Committee is required to attend the public seminar; however, it is customary for members of the defense committee to hold their questions until the private oral exam.
Part 2: Private Oral Examination A private oral examination follows the public seminar. Initially, the student will be asked to leave the room for several minutes, along with the dissertation advisor if the dissertation advisor has decided to remain for the private exam. During this time, the committee will discuss the merits of the dissertation, any issues with the dissertation, and areas they may want to focus on during the oral exam. The student (and advisor if present) is then asked back into the room for the exam.
Each member of the defense committee will direct questions to the candidate based on their review of the dissertation and presentation of the seminar. The Defense Chair will moderate the discussion between the panel and the student. The closed defense takes up to two hours and involves detailed technical questions as well as broader questions on the conclusions, impact, and limitations of the research. Dissertation advisors may be present, but they must not participate in the exam (e.g., answer questions posed by the committee).
At the end of the examination, the student (and advisor if present) is once again asked to step out of the room for several minutes. The Committee will discuss any revisions needed for the thesis and whether these revisions need to be reviewed and by whom. Once the committee determines the outcomes, the student will be asked back into the room and the Committee provides the student with any [minor] changes needed to the dissertation. While it is extremely rare for the student to fail at this stage, the committee will provide recommendations to the student on their research, communication skills, and development as a scientist, as well as delineating the required changes to the dissertation.
PREPARING FOR THE DEFENSE/WRITING THE DISSERTATION
Students preparing to write and defend their dissertation must review University requirements as outlined in “ Dissertations ” with guidelines published at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Students are also welcome to visit the BPH Student Lounge (Building 2, Room 113) to look at copies of previous BPH bound dissertations.
Writing the Dissertation Each student must write a comprehensive PhD dissertation on their research topic and the original results of their research. There are a variety of ways a dissertation can be composed, but the core elements described below must be included. The dissertation must show original treatment of the subject, contain a scholarly review of the pertinent literature, provide evidence of independent research of publishable quality, and be clearly, logically, and carefully written. In addition to a compendium of the student’s research, including detailed methods and results, the dissertation must contain a thoughtful discussion of the conclusions, impact, and limitations of the research. The completed work should be critically reviewed by the dissertation advisor before being submitted to the Dissertation Defense Committee.
In some cases, the student has done all of the work in the dissertation; more often portions of the dissertation result from collaborative research. In all dissertations containing collaborative results, the dissertation should indicate concisely who contributed to the work and how. For example, a chapter containing multi-authored, published work must include a complete reference of the publication and a brief description of the candidate’s and the colleagues’ contributions. For work that is not published but which resulted from multiple researchers, the contributors must be named and respective attributions made clear. This policy allows stylistic flexibility; depending on the amount of collaborative work in the dissertation and the status of publication(s), the attributions can be, preferably, on or accompanying the cover page for each chapter or within an extended acknowledgements section at the end of each chapter. It is recommended that if figures or figure panels are included that are the work of others that the figure panels be clearly identified and the work properly attributed. It is permissible for more than one student to include work from the same collaboration or publication as long as the required attributions are clear, justified, and complete.
Individual chapters can be that of published articles as long as there are also comprehensive Introduction and Conclusion chapters written by the student. While the text can be the same, use of journal reprints as a chapter is not permissible. A word document of the published article must be used, and the pages in the dissertation must be consecutively numbered. Furthermore, the figures and accompanying figure legends must be integrated into the main body of each chapter, preferably following the first mention of the given figure, not clustered at the end of the chapter. Any dissertation that varies significantly from the Graduate School or FAS guidelines, or is not neat and readable, is subject to required stylistic revision before acceptance by the University. (For further information, please visit https://gsas.harvard.edu/academics/dissertations ).
DEFENSE FORMS AND PAPERWORK
Dissertation Acceptance Certificate Before the examination, the BPH Program Office will provide the Defense Committee Chair with a copy of the official Dissertation Acceptance Certificate. This certificate must be signed by all readers of the dissertation at the end of the examination and returned to the BPH Program Office. This certificate will be scanned and sent to the student so it can be inserted as page one of the dissertation prior to the online submission. The student must submit the one original, official copy to the Registrar’s in Cambridge by the appropriate deadline.
If extensive corrections are to be made, the BPH Program Office will hold the certificate until the Defense Committee Chair, and/or assigned reviewer(s) provide a written notification to the BPH Program to confirm that the corrected work has been reviewed and approved.
Dissertation Defense Exam Report The Dissertation Defense Exam Report is completed by the members of the Dissertation Defense Committee to provide a record of any comments or recommendations they may have. The report must be signed by all members immediately after the private exam. The completed report must be submitted to the BPH Program Office at the same time as the Dissertation Acceptance Certificate.
Sample Dissertation Title Page Please click here to see a sample BPH Dissertation Title Page. Again, please refer to the Dissertation website for guidelines about how to format your dissertation.
Thank all ph.d.s for sharing their presentations. if you are interested in sharing your slides, please contact julie chen ([email protected])., civil and environmental engineering.
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This is a comprehensive guide, written specifically for SMD graduate students. The guide covers everything from before the defense, to the defense itself, to after the defense, providing information about the process, outlining requirements and offering useful tips. Please refer to the Timeline for PhD Defense
Get permission to start writing.
After completing all course, seminar, TA, publication and research requirements for your program of study, there are many things that must be done before a thesis defense can occur. Most importantly, you must meet with your advisory committee at least 6 months before you intend to defend your thesis. Your advisor and committee need to agree to your intentions to conclude experiments and data collection and begin writing. Once you get the go-ahead to start writing your thesis, you will need to decide on a date by which the defense should occur. You will also need to inform your program director and graduate program coordinator that you have started the process to defend.
A Chair is appointed for each PhD oral defense exam to monitor and promote fairness and rigor in the conduct of the defense. The Chair’s status as a nonmember of the advisor’s and student’s working group, program, or department enables distance from previously established judgments on the candidate’s work.
At least 4 months prior to your defense, your program director (with input from you and your advisor) will identify 3 individuals to serve as Chair for your defense. These individuals must be current full-time tenure-track faculty members at assistant professor rank or higher from outside the department offering the degree program or not a core member of the interdisciplinary degree program faculty.
The suggested faculty are submitted to the Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs via a Request for PhD Defense Chairperson Form along with an abstract of your work and your Program of Study form ( Biomedical or Health Sciences ), which your graduate program coordinators will prepare for you. The Senior Associate Dean reviews and selects the chair from the list of nominees. Notice of the appointment is provided via email to the Chair, the student, the advisor, the program director and the graduate program coordinator. You must include the appointed Chair in planning for specific dates and times for your defense.
If all goes as planned and you have made sufficient progress in your writing, schedule the actual defense date at least three months in advance to ensure that your advisor, all committee members and your appointed Chair are able to be present at your defense and that rooms are available on the date and time selected.
The academic calendar includes important dates for defense for each semester of the academic year. When you begin thinking about defending, check the academic calendar for deadlines and blackout dates (periods of time when defenses are not permitted). This will make identifying possible dates for defense a lot easier for you, your committee members and your Chair.
When all members of your committee and your Chair agree to a specific date and time for defense, inform your graduate program coordinator of the scheduled defense date as soon as you possibly can but no later than 8 weeks prior to your defense date. They will advise you of any program-specific requirements for the defense as well as prepare your Program Statement on Completion of PhD Requirements . This form requires your program director’s signature. Check with your graduate program coordinator to determine if you or they will obtain the signature for your form. Once approved and signed, this form along with others will be scanned and submitted via an online thesis registration system along with a pdf of your thesis and an Exit Interview Form and your CV/Resume.
It is strongly recommend that international students meet with an International Services Office rep as soon as permission to start writing is granted. The ISO will provide information on visa options, documentation and timelines for applying for a visa for employment in the US.
In your final semester (the semester in which you defend), you will register for a placeholder registration category rather than PhD Research. The categories are:
“Dissertation” non-credit bearing registration category that indicates the PhD student has completed all of the requirements for the degree except the dissertation and is in residence as a full-time student.
"Continuation of Enrollment” non-credit bearing registration category that indicates the PhD student has completed all of the requirements for the degree except the dissertation and is not in residence as a full-time student. When registered for Continuation of Enrollment, your time status is less than half time.
The preparation of doctoral theses–a manual for graduate students.
The University of Rochester offers this manual to graduate students and it is meant to help you to bring your thesis up to the required standard of organization, appearance, and format for the University of Rochester. Before preparing the defense copy of your thesis, check the contents of the manual systematically. In so doing, you may avoid mistakes that can be time-consuming and costly to correct. The manual does not deal with the art of scholarship. There are numerous guidebooks and style manuals available for dissertation writers. However, before beginning the writing of your dissertation, you should consult with your department regarding preferred styles.
Thesis Writing Timeline | Make an appointment with our Life Sciences Writing Specialist for help writing your thesis.
Including material produced by other authors in your dissertation or thesis can serve a legitimate research purpose, but you want to avoid copyright infringement in the process. Republishing someone else's work, even in abbreviated form, requires permission from the author or copyright owner. You must receive permission from the author(s) and include it with your submission before it can be published in your dissertation.
For detailed guidance on avoiding copyright infringement, please see ProQuest’s Copyright Guide.
The School of Medicine and Dentistry offers this manual to graduate students in the basic sciences , Epidemiology , Health Services Research and Policy , and Statistics programs. These guides focus on how a thesis should be structured for writing and for the content that comprises a well-written thesis. They are meant to be a supplement to the general guidelines of the University of Rochester for preparation of a thesis (The Preparation of Doctoral Theses: A Manual for Graduate Students).
Statistics students should consult their program director for thesis requirements specific to the discipline. In the event you need assistance in writing your thesis, a Life Sciences Writing Specialist is available to work with you.
Two rooms must be reserved: the first for your oral presentation and the second for your closed exam. Most often, the oral presentation is held in an auditorium and the closed exam is held in a departmental conference room. Check with your graduate program coordinator to determine if you or she will schedule rooms for your thesis defense.
You, your graduate program coordinator, or both of you together, will create your record in the University of Rochester Graduate Studies PhD Completion website . This record will include your degree information, past degrees, important contact information, and attachments including the defense version of your thesis in pdf format, and other relevant documents. The version of your thesis submitted to your online record is considered the registration copy. “Registering” simply means that you have presented a thesis, which you intend to defend, to the Dean of your School and to the University Dean that governs all doctoral candidates.
When the PhD Completion record is finalized (submitted) by your graduate program coordinator, your advisor and committee members will receive emails with links to access your record and to approve your thesis to progress to defense. Well before the online record is submitted, you must provide copies of the thesis identical to the registration copy to all members of your committee, as well as to your appointed Chair. Please consult with them for their preferred format. Some will accept a pdf and others will request a hard copy. Each of these individuals must have possession of your thesis for a minimum of two weeks before they are asked to sign off on the readiness of the work for defense. There may be deadlines for registering your thesis specific to your graduate program. Consult with your graduate program coordinator to ascertain those deadlines and follow them carefully. Please plan the completion of your degree by following your program’s deadlines in tandem with the academic calendar.
After all committee members have given approval, your program director, and the Registrar, will approve the thesis for registration using the same online system. Then, requests for review and approval will go to the Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs and then to the office of the University Dean of Graduate Studies. When all of these officials have approved your committee and thesis for defense, it is considered registered. You will be able to track these approvals in your online record and will receive a confirmation email when approvals are complete.
Comments indicating required corrections to your thesis may be made by your advisor, committee members and the Deans along the way of the approval process. This annotated copy of the thesis, along with the original version, will be stored in the PhD Completion website for you to reference at the conclusion of your defense. You are not permitted to distribute updated versions prior to the defense, but be sure to incorporate any corrections in the final copy after the defense before uploading it to ProQuest®.
After the defense, if the committee required major revisions to be approved by one or more of its members, it is your responsibility to provide the corrected final version for their approval. They will be asked to submit written confirmation of that approval to University Graduate Studies. Failure to do so could delay conferral of your degree.
After the defense, you will receive additional instructions by email for completion of all PhD degree requirements.
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It is important to walk into the defense knowing that your Committee really WANTS you to pass. Even if criticism is harsh, it is meant to be constructive. After all, the defense is not solely an opportunity for the Committee to compliment and congratulate you for the work you have done. It is also meant to challenge you and force you to consider tough questions.
Below you will find suggestions to help you get ready for the defense and information to give you a sense of what to expect:
What happens at a thesis defense? The best way to know what happens and the best way for you to prepare for your defense is to regularly attend the defenses of your colleagues—those internal and external to your field of expertise. You should be doing this throughout your graduate program, not just several weeks prior to your own defense.
Talk to people from your lab and in your department who already defended to find out what their defense was like. They know well what occurs in the closed exam and will likely want to share their experiences with you. You should also speak with your advisor to get a sense of his/her specific expectations of a defense. Don’t be afraid to ask!
Use powerpoint.
PowerPoint is a professional approach to presenting the research that comprises the thesis. Your slides should encapsulate the study and focus on its most salient findings. In preparing, ask yourself these questions: “What do I want people to know about my thesis? What is the most important information that I can present and talk about?” Keep in mind the rules of chartsmanship and create a goal-oriented presentation that navigates attendees through a logical, point-by-point sequence of information that builds to the conclusion in a clear and focused direction.
It is recommended that you do a trial run of your presentation a day or two before your defense in the auditorium or room that has been booked for your public lecture. This will allow you to familiarize yourself with the space and the equipment and to address any problems that arise during the trial run.
Plan your public lecture to allow a 50 minute talk with 10 minutes for questions. Present enough information so that the audience understands what you did, why you did it, what the implications are and what your suggestions are for future research.
The date/time/location of your defense and thesis topic are published on the school’s website to invite the larger community to attend. Departmental/program announcements are sent by your Graduate program coordinator to invite faculty and students. Friends and family are welcome to attend the public lecture. Faculty and students in the audience are given the opportunity to ask questions when committee members conclude their questions.
Friendly Advice: Just before your talk, chat with friends and mingle with the crowd. This may reduce your anxiety and nervousness.
Prior to the defense, plan to provide friends and family with a map and directions to visitor parking lots at the Medical Center or Saunders Building as well as the name, room number and directions to the auditorium or room booked for your defense. You may also want to ask another student or postdoc to assist your friends and family on the day of your defense to get to your public lecture and to gather somewhere while you are engaged in the closed exam.
Plan to dress professionally for the defense in the same way you would if presenting a paper at a conference or for a job interview. Suits, ties, dresses, and skirts are the norm. You will be standing for a long time on the day of your defense. You might want to keep this in mind when selecting the shoes you’ll wear for your defense.
Your presentation, a laser pointer, a copy of your thesis, a pen or pencil, a note pad and a bottle of water are essentials that you should bring to the public lecture. Other things you feel you need (e.g. Kleenex tissues, a lucky charm, etc.) are acceptable to bring with you as well.
You will be asked to leave the room while your Committee reviews your program of study, grades and decides whether the thesis is acceptable/not acceptable. The Committee decides whether members will ask sequential questions or whether each member will be allotted a specific time period for questioning.
The person to start the questioning is designated. You will be called back into the examining room and questioning will begin. After all questions have been addressed you will be asked to leave the room. Your Committee decides the outcome of the exam. You will be asked to return to the room to be informed of the outcome by the Chair of your exam committee.
You will receive annotated copies of your thesis from the members of your examination committee. The Chair will give you a packet of paperwork that includes:
The survey and UR publishing agreement are expected to be submitted to the University Dean by the date the final copy of the thesis is submitted to ProQuest. Students have 60 calendar days after the defense to complete all final requirements (revisions and upload to ProQuest) except when defenses are scheduled late in the semester and are subject to a deadline date that is shorter than 60 calendar days. Review the School’s academic calendar to be aware of deadline dates.
After your defense, and most likely after the final thesis is submitted to ProQuest, you will meet with the Dean for an exit interview. The meeting is intended as an opportunity for you to share your graduate school experiences with the Dean. This is a confidential meeting at which you may express your comments and discuss your concerns openly and honestly.
Each program has its own process for students who are ending their student status. Be sure to check with your Graduate program coordinator to determine if there is additional paperwork that you’ll need to complete before your student status is terminated.
The University of Rochester requires all doctoral candidates to deposit their theses for publication with ProQuest Dissertation Publishing and with the University libraries. Hard copies of the thesis are not required by the Dean’s Office or the Miner Library. Miner Library receives an electronic copy of the thesis from ProQuest but students must give the University their permission in writing to obtain it.
SMD graduate students are given 60 calendar days following the defense to submit the final copy of the thesis to ProQuest (except when a semester deadline does not allow 60 days for revisions).
Your department may want a bound copy of your thesis. Please check with your Graduate program coordinator to determine this and how the cost of binding is covered. You may also want a bound copy for yourself and others. Printed and bound color copies are available for purchase through ProQuest.
Degree requirements are met on the day your final thesis is submitted online to ProQuest.
Conferral is the act of officially awarding a degree. The University of Rochester Board of Trustees confers degrees 5 times each year (August, October, December, February/March and May). Your conferral date will be determined by the date in which all degree requirements are completed and your final thesis is submitted to ProQuest.
PhD students can reference their specific conferral dates here .
The graduation ceremony for all University of Rochester doctoral candidates is held in May of each year. Only the students that have completed degree requirements including the submission of the final thesis to ProQuest are eligible to participate in the ceremony. Diplomas are distributed at Commencement or mailed to those that do not attend.
Information on the Commencement Ceremony and graduation regalia can be viewed on the University Website or SMD GEPA website .
Many employers want “proof” of the degree earned. The Registrar can provide you with a letter indicating the date degree requirements were satisfied and the date the Board of Trustees will confer/conferred the degree. This is your best option for proof of degree immediately following graduate school.
You may also supply employers with your official transcript, which will be notated to include the date of degree conferral after conferral occurs. Your diploma can also be used as proof of the degree if you wish to copy it for an employer.
Some employers work with agencies that search for, screen and hire employees. They often submit forms to the academic institution that request enrollment information as well as degree verification. The Registrar will provide this information to an agency if your signature is provided with the forms indicating approval of the release of information.
If your student loans have been in deferment, you’ll need to notify your loan servicer of a completion date. Some loan servicers accept the completion date via your phone call while other servicers require that you submit a final loan deferment request form or letter from your Registrar before the repayment process can begin. Once a completion date is reported, your loan servicer will provide you with the information needed to start repayment or to continue deferred status, when applicable.
Student URMC email addresses will remain active for a short time after completion of the degree if the email address is hosted by the Miner Library. You can determine this by contacting the Miner Library email support or University IT . If you remain at the URMC after your defense, your email address will be transferred to a non-student server by the hiring department.
You will be asked for a non-URMC email address when you submit your Exit Interview form. Correspondence from the Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs Office will be directed to your non-URMC email address after your student status terminates. You will provide us with this email address on the Exit Interview Form.
We ask that you provide a forwarding address so that we may mail Commencement and other correspondence to you. If you move again, please remember to update us. We want to keep in touch with you as you move ahead in your career. You will provide us with this address on the Exit Interview Form.
To ensure you receive end-of-year tax-related documentation, please update your mailing address in HRMS . Questions about updating your address in HRMS may be addressed to [email protected] .
Please provide us with your whereabouts so we can keep in touch, cheer you on your way up the career ladder, and provide you with useful, up-to-date information about professional development and about the School. Back to Top
Graduate Studies Bulletin
Dissertation Manual
Graduate Student Regulations and Policies
Ithaca, new york, thesis defense seminar: kaitlyn manzer, fromme lab.
Kaitlyn Manzer
Thesis Defense Seminar
BMCB PhD Defense – Kaitlyn Manzer – June 27, 2023
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A thesis defense gives you the chance to show off your thesis work and demonstrate your expertise in your field of study. During this one- to two-hour discussion with the members of your thesis committee, you'll have some control over how you present your research, but your committee will ask you some prodding questions to test your knowledge and preparedness. They will all have read your thesis beforehand, so their questions will relate to your study, topic, methods, data sample, and other aspects.
A good defense requires mastery of the thesis itself, so before you consider the questions you might face,
Give a quick summary in just a few sentences on what you've researched. You could certainly go on for hours about your work, but make sure you prepare a way to give a very brief overview of your thesis. Then, give a quick background on your process for choosing this topic.
Many researchers identify a need in the field and choose a topic to bridge the gaps that previous literature has failed to cover. For example, previous studies might not have included a certain population, region, or circumstance. Talk about how your thesis enhances the general understanding of the topic to extend the reach beyond what others have found, and then give examples of why the world needs that increased understanding. For instance, a thesis on romaine lettuce crops in desert climates might bring much-needed knowledge to a region that might not have been represented in previous work.
When reporting your main results, make sure you have a handle on how detailed your committee wants you to be. Give yourself several options by preparing 1) a very general, quick summary of your findings that takes a minute or less, 2) a more detailed rundown of what your study revealed that is 3-5 minutes long, and 3) a 10- to 15-minute synopsis that delves into your results in detail. With each of these responses prepared, you can gauge which one is most appropriate in the moment, based on what your committee asks you and what has already been requested.
Here you'll describe what you did while you were deciding what to study. This usually includes a literary review to determine what previous researchers have already introduced to the field. You also likely had to look into whether your study was going to be possible and what you would need in order to collect the needed data. Did you need info from databases that require permissions or fees?
Describe the expected results you had for your study and whether your hypothesis came from previous research experience, long-held expectations, or cultural myths.
It's inevitable — researchers will face roadblocks or limiting factors during their work. This could be a limited population you had access to, like if you had a great method of surveying university students, but you didn't have a way to reach out to other people who weren't attending that school.
Different research methods are more fitting to specific studies than others (e.g., qualitative vs. quantitative ), and knowing this, you applied a method that would present your findings most effectively. What factors led you to choose your method?
Many factors go into the selection of a participant group. Perhaps you were motivated to survey women over 50 who experience burnout in the workplace. Did you take extra measures to target this population? Or perhaps you found a sample group that responded more readily to your request for participation, and after hitting dead ends for months, convenience is what shaped your study population. Make sure to present your reasoning in an honest but favorable way.
Outline the process of pursuing respondents for your study and the difficulties you faced in collecting enough quality data for your thesis. Perhaps the decisions you made took shape based on the participants you ended up interviewing.
Expectations are natural when you set out to explore a topic, especially one you've been dancing around throughout your academic career. This question can refer to your hypotheses , but it can also touch on your personal feelings and expectations about this topic. What did you believe you would find when you dove deeper into the subject? Was that what you actually found, or were you surprised by your results?
Your response to this question can include not only the basic findings of your work (if you haven't covered this already) but also some personal surprises you might have found that veered away from your expectations. Sometimes these details are not included in the thesis, so these details can add some spice to your defense.
With connection to the reasons you chose the topic, your results can address the problems your work is solving. Give specifics on how policymakers, professionals in the field, etc., can improve their service with the knowledge your thesis provides.
Your response to this one can include the limitations you encountered or dead ends you hit that wasted time and funding. Try not to dwell too long on the annoyances of your study, and consider an area of curiosity; for example, discuss an area that piqued your interest during your exploration that would have been exciting to pursue but didn't directly benefit your outlined study.
Your paper likely ties your ideas into those of other researchers, so this could be an easy one to answer. Point out how similar your work is to some and how it contrasts other works of research; both contribute greatly to the overall body of research.
This one is pretty easy, since most theses include recommendations for future research within the text. That means you already have this one covered, and since you read over your thesis before your defense, it's already fresh in your mind.
This is a question directed more to you and your future professional plans. This might align with the research you performed, and if so, you can direct your question back to your research, maybe mentioning the personal motivations you have for pursuing study of that subject.
Although your thesis defense feels like an interrogation, and you're the one in the spotlight, it provides an ideal opportunity to gather input from your committee, if you want it. Possible questions you could ask are: What were your impressions when reading my thesis? Do you believe I missed any important steps or details when conducting my work? Where do you see this work going in the future?
Bonus tip: What if you get asked a question to which you don't know the answer? You can spend weeks preparing to defend your thesis, but you might still be caught off guard when you don't know exactly what's coming. You can be ready for this situation by preparing a general strategy. It's okay to admit that your thesis doesn't offer the answers to everything – your committee won't reasonably expect it to do so. What you can do to sound (and feel!) confident and knowledgeable is to refer to a work of literature you have encountered in your research and draw on that work to give an answer. For example, you could respond, "My thesis doesn't directly address your question, but my study of Dr. Leifsen's work provided some interesting insights on that subject…." By preparing a way to address curveball questions, you can maintain your cool and create the impression that you truly are an expert in your field.
After you're done answering the questions your committee presents to you, they will either approve your thesis or suggest changes you should make to your paper. Regardless of the outcome, your confidence in addressing the questions presented to you will communicate to your thesis committee members that you know your stuff. Preparation can ease a lot of anxiety surrounding this event, so use these possible questions to make sure you can present your thesis feeling relaxed, prepared, and confident.
Header image by Kasto .
PhD CANDIDATE: Matthew Dunne
DEPARTMENT OR PROGRAM: Neuroscience TITLE OF DISSERTATION: “Exploring Egocentric Boundary Activity and Population Receptive Field Mapping with Human Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Virtual Open Field Foraging Paradigm ” DATE, TIME, AND PLACE: Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 2:00 PM Boston University Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering 610 Commonwealth Avenue, Room CILSE 101, Boston, MA 02215 Contact: Sandi Grasso Email: [email protected]
PhD CANDIDATE: Rebecca Suthard
DEPARTMENT OR PROGRAM: Neuroscience TITLE OF DISSERTATION: “Neuron-Astrocyte Calcium Dynamics in Fear Learning and Memory ” DATE, TIME, AND PLACE: Friday, May 31, 2024 at 2:00 PM Boston University Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering 610 Commonwealth Avenue, Room CILSE 101, Boston, MA 02215 Contact: Sandi Grasso Email: [email protected]
Monday, June 24, 2024 at 10:00am
Building 26, CUA Seminar Room #26-214 60 VASSAR ST, Cambridge, MA 02139
Dear Colleagues,
’’Precision Metrology with Ytterbium Ions for New Physics Search’’ Presented by Evgenii (Eugene) Kniazev
Date: Monday, June 24, 2024 Time: 10 am Location: CUA Seminar Room #26-214
Committee: Vladan Vuletić, Martin Zwierlein, Jesse Thaler
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Here are a few tips on how to prepare for your thesis defense: 1. Anticipate questions and prepare for them. You can absolutely prepare for most of the questions you will be asked. Read through your thesis and while you're reading it, create a list of possible questions.
A thesis defense requires a lot of prior research and preparation. And as important as its content is, so is how you present it because a stunning design with clear data and text hierarchy plays an immense role in comprehension. In this article, we'll explore how you make your thesis defense. The organization is the key to success.
Preparing for your dissertation or thesis defense (also called a "viva voce") is a formidable task. All your hard work over the years leads you to this one point, and you'll need to defend yourself against some of the most experienced researchers you've encountered so far. It's natural to feel a little nervous.
2. Know Your Audience. Most people give their thesis defense presentation to an academic panel. This panel will look to see if you've developed a thorough understanding of your topic and thesis. They'll also be looking to see if you've got a solid foundation for your argument.
Check out the following tips to pull off your master thesis defense with a great presentation: 1. Properly structure your slide deck. Every master thesis defense presentation is unique, but most effective slide decks will follow a similar structure, including: Title - Just like a research paper, your thesis presentation must include a title ...
This Guide was created to help Ph.D. students in engineering fields to design dissertation defense presentations. The Guide provides 1) tips on how to effectively communicate research, and 2) full presentation examples from Ph.D. graduates. The tips on designing effective slides are not restricted to dissertation defense presentations; they can ...
thesis defense . You should also inform your Graduate Administrator that you have started the process to prepare for your defense . A master's thesis defense committee must include your advisor, a second faculty member from within your program, and a faculty member from outside of your department. Selecting a Defense Date . The
Give yourself an on-the-day boost by planning your studying and preparation well in advance. This will enable you to take a break before the actual day. If the day before your thesis defense can be one spent in contemplation, meditation, or relaxation, you'll have a much better mental state for the defense itself.
Due to COVID-19, defending your graduate thesis or dissertation in person is likely off the table. That doesn't mean you have to wait to defend. Many schools and programs are allowing remote defenses — meaning you could find yourself defending from your living room! In this presentation, a recent psychology doctoral student that completed a ...
If you are doing a PhD or an MPhil then you will definitely need to do a viva, and this will be conducted by at least two examiners, usually one from inside the university and one external to the university who is an expert in the field. At BSc or MSc level you may be asked to do a viva, however you may be expected to do an oral or a poster ...
Seminar Presentation and Defense. All students are required to present a seminar to the marine science faculty, staff and students on their thesis or dissertation research. The seminar is open to any interested individuals and will be advertised by the SMS Registrar in the Academic Affairs Digest and on the VIMS Internal Events calendar.
Below is an overview of the main steps in preparing, defending, and submitting your thesis or dissertation. For detailed instructions on each step, see The Graduate School's Guide for Electronic Submission of Thesis and Dissertation (PDF), in addition to this video recording from a workshop given on the subject. Schedule your defense and apply for graduation in DukeHub (defense and graduation ...
Have a plan for computer/internet problems if you are presenting virtually. Eat well and get a good night's rest before the defense. Arrive at the defense venue early enough to test any IT equipment or internet connection. For more tips on how to write a good thesis, where to find the best thesis editing services.
The first thing you should know is that your defense has already begun. It started the minute you began working on your dissertation— maybe even in some of the classes you took beforehand that helped you formulate your ideas. This, according to Dr. Celeste Atkins, is why it's so important to identify a good mentor early in graduate school.
The thesis defense is the culmination of a student's work at Northwestern; learn about the requirements and process. ... Public Seminar: Students present a public seminar after successful completion of the private thesis defense. Students should notify NUIN once the public seminar is scheduled so that it can be advertised to the NUIN community.
1. Start Your Preparations Early. Thesis defense is not a 3 or 6 months' exercise. Don't wait until you have completed all your research objectives. Start your preparation well in advance, and make sure you know all the intricacies of your thesis and reasons to all the research experiments you conducted. 2.
Once a student's box is checked, the BPH student should set up a one-on-one "Defense Packet Meeting" with the BPH Associate Director to review the Defense and Dissertation Process, which includes reviewing all required materials, logistics, timing, FAS/Harvard Griffin GSAS Form of the Dissertation, sample forms, and to answer student questions related to these processes.
PhD Dissertation Defense Slides Design; Example slides; Search this Guide Search. PhD Dissertation Defense Slides Design: Example slides. Start; Tips for designing the slides; Presentation checklist; Example slides; Additional Resources; Acknowledgments. Thank all Ph.D.s for sharing their presentations. If you are interested in sharing your ...
Thesis Defense This is a comprehensive guide, written specifically for SMD graduate students. The guide covers everything from before the defense, to the defense itself, to after the defense, providing information about the process, outlining requirements and offering useful tips. ... After completing all course, seminar, TA, publication and ...
Overall, students should reserve 3 hours for their defense: 1 hour for the public seminar and up to 2 hours for the private examination. The title, time, date and place of the exam will be posted on the DMS website and will be announced by email to members of the DMS community. Defenses can be held in-person, hybrid or via zoom.
Thesis Defense Seminar: Kaitlyn Manzer, Fromme Lab. Kaitlyn Manzer. Fromme Lab. Thesis Defense Seminar. June 27, 2023 3:30pm. BMCB PhD Defense - Kaitlyn Manzer - June 27, 2023. Start Date: June 27, 2023 Start Time: 1:00 pm Location: Weill Hall Room: 226
A thesis defense gives you the chance to show off your thesis work and demonstrate your expertise in your field of study. During this one- to two-hour discussion with the members of your thesis committee, you'll have some control over how you present your research, but your committee will ask you some prodding questions to test your knowledge and preparedness. They will all have read your ...
PhD Dissertation Defense Seminars. PhD CANDIDATE: Matthew Dunne. DEPARTMENT OR PROGRAM: Neuroscience TITLE OF DISSERTATION:"Exploring Egocentric Boundary Activity and Population Receptive Field Mapping with Human Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Virtual Open Field Foraging Paradigm" DATE, TIME, AND PLACE: Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Physics PhD Thesis Defense: Evgenii (Eugene) Kniazev Monday, June 24, 2024 at 10:00am Building 26, CUA Seminar Room #26-214 60 VASSAR ST, Cambridge, MA 02139
Plant Biology Graduate Program Ph.D. Dissertation Defense Seminar: "Bentgrass Disease Resistance Affects Fungicide Scheduling and Dollar Spot Control" - Pingyuan Zhang. ... Research Seminar. Location. Foran Hall, Room 138A and Zoom. 59 Dudley Rd. New Brunswick, NJ, 08901. Contact. Bibi Safiena Salaman. [email protected].