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Thesis Defense: Prof. Shamala Devi 2/3/2012
Thesis Defense: Prof. Shamala Devi 2/3/2012
Prove you
wrote it
Prove your
Prove you
research is
understand
PhD
it
standard
brainstorm
Test
Rite of knowledge
passage of the
wider field
THESIS EXAMINATION PROCESS
• Intention to submit (including selection of
the examiners)
• Exact title submitted for approval
• Thesis submission together with the
form.
• Examiners independently assess your
thesis
• Pre-viva comparison of notes by
examiners
• Viva (a defence not an exam)
• Decision
HOW IS YOUR THESIS JUDGED?
University regulations
• Contributions:
– Don't be modest
– be clear on your contributions!
– If someone asks, "Why should you get a degree?," how will
you justify yourself? "I've been here 2 years" won't cut it.
TIPS: DEFENSE PREPARATION (CONTINUE)
• Presentation preparation:
• Set up
– Load presentation and test machine ahead of time (do not be
struggling with machine operation during the defense)
– Arrive early to set up
– Have transparencies and/or paper copies as a backup (in case
machine or power fails)
– Make sure you bring along a copy of your own thesis, since
numerous questions will take the form "On page 25, what did
you mean by...?
TIPS: DEFENSE PREPARATION (CONTINUE)
• You must represent yourself elegantly and gracefully on
thesis defense.
– Female Students: Female students should wear conventional
clothes suiting to an office environment on the day of thesis
defense. No high heels and jogging shoes.
– Male students: Male students should also wear formal clothes
suiting to an office environment on the day of thesis defense.
Jogging shoes are a no-no.
REMEMBER
IT IS YOUR THESIS!
TIPS: AT DEFENSE
• Everyone wants to look good
– You want to look smart
– your supervisor wants to be proud of you
– the examiners want to look insightful and thorough
– the department wants to maintain high standards.
– You should contribute to all of that, and not undermine it
• by being poorly prepared
• Disrespectful
• sloppily dressed,
• late arriving
• showing irritation or anger, and so on.
• Probing Questions
Thesis defense committee members would like you to
broaden its most controversial aspects.
• Curious
Thesis defense committee will like you give an overall view of
the field under study and your contribution to it.
• Hostile
Thesis defense committee will expose an area of
insufficiency.
Self Preparation
• Overcome the fear inside – the jitters etc
• Manage this fear psychologically
• Natural response
• Defending in front of so-called EXPERTS
QUESTIONS?