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Are you feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of writing your dissertation? You're not alone.

Many
students find the process challenging and time-consuming. From formulating a research question to
conducting extensive literature reviews and analyzing data, every step of the dissertation process
requires meticulous attention to detail and significant time investment.

One of the most daunting aspects of the dissertation journey is the defense. The defense is the
culmination of months or even years of hard work, where you present and defend your research
findings in front of a panel of experts in your field. The duration of a dissertation defense can vary
depending on various factors, including the complexity of the research, the thoroughness of the
analysis, and the questions posed by the committee members.

In general, a dissertation defense can last anywhere from one to three hours. During this time, you'll
be expected to give a concise presentation of your research, followed by a question-and-answer
session with the committee members. It's essential to be well-prepared and confident during your
defense to effectively communicate your findings and address any queries or criticisms from the
committee.

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After years of hard work and sacrifice, a matter of hours stands between you and the title you will
hold for the rest of your life. Hence, students should think critically about where to get credible
sources. Show them your expertise by answering questions simply and directly. Don’t wait until you
have completed all your research objectives. I have seen students get confused and read several
resource materials for their dissertation defense. No matter what topic you have chosen to secure a
master’s degree in, you will never go wrong with this template. Consenting to these technologies will
allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. This form is protected
by reCAPTCHA - the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. You can prepare a script if
you wish, as long as you don’t read it during the defense. It was a difficult couple of weeks between
the defense and the deadline, but I made the necessary corrections, submitted the document,
received confirmation, and officially received the PhD. Danica and Yueming with Steve Gross right
after her thesis presentation. Her co-mentor was Dr. David Nanus. Pictured are back: Drs. Analysis
of the data requires more arduous effort as you need to go over the data over and over again, to note
themes and variations. It is the perfect blend of icons, visual appeal and flow. As such, they should
develop a timeline for identifying and analyzing sources. What were the driving forces that led you
to research your specific topic. You can also tabulate your findings in the consecutive slides to give
the committee more clarity. I covered all the bases: Justification, Context, Theoretical and Empirical
Contributions, Studies I Conducted, Findings and Results, Discussion, Limitations and Future
Work. By continuing to navigate this site you are consenting to the collection of information via our
use of cookies. You must check with your university guidelines on drafting a presentation though.
Point after point, you can capture the essence of your PhD thesis in a structured manner. Once you
are done with the presentation, go through it, and revise where needed. You’ll likely find yourself
with a dissertation of over 100 pages that you’re trying to summarize in a short period of time. A
look at some of the benefits of a well-run defense for both the candidate and the professors. Firstly,
this will help you realize how thesis defense is not a scary process. Do it quick with this uniform and
comprehensive dissertation defense presentation template that will represent your thoughts in a much
organized manner. Last-minute obscurity of the slides may not be a good head start. However, these
questions are quite likely to come up in some shape or form in a typical dissertation or thesis defense,
whether it’s for a Master’s degree, PhD or any other research degree. I had breakfast with my
partner, went for a walk, called my family over the phone, brought my laptop to campus (also stored
the presentation in a USB as well as emailed it to myself). However, as with the dissertation, the
thesis length also depends on the topic and method of analysis.
They can make sure that your dissertation proposal is convincing enough and has all these parts. The
stakes are high, and it is natural to be beset with questions as the day draws near. You can
unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the newsletter. Most doctorate students
already have a topic that they have been working on from their Masteral studies, and don’t need to
look further. Also, see how the scholar handles the questions, the tough ones. 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. Danica and Yueming with Steve Gross right after her
thesis presentation. Noel and Dr. Levi surrounded by Levi lab members (second). These are trick
questions for which you should have an answer ready. Before you make the final submission to the
committee chair, make a checklist of what all you have included in the dissertation report. The wait
to return to the defense, however, felt like an eternity. I was fabulously enlightened and I gained
enough confidence for my upcoming Masters Defence. I was frazzled by the time I started the
examination, but then I realized I was spending three hours with brilliant people who wanted me to
succeed and hear all about my dissertation research. For complete information about the cookies we
use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our Privacy Policy. You can ask your
thesis adviser their thoughts on your potential topics. As we have said earlier, your dissertation can
direct the trajectory of your career in the field you have chosen. Hence, do not under any
circumstances get lazy about your dissertation defense, like most students and me. While in truth you
can wear whatever you want, there are certain considerations to keep in mind when choosing your
dissertation defense ensemble. Basically, one of these facts is the importance of attitude and
preparation. Read up further on literature related to your topic, and take notes. You might end up
speaking too much and the committee would go after you to explain a new concept that might have
slipped from your tongue, which wasn’t included in your dissertation. This endeavor can take one to
two months (depending on how much you procrastinate). Therefore, a good dissertation defense is
not about arguing that your work is perfect, but rather it’s about clearly articulating the strengths and
weaknesses of your approach. This template offers fully editable design that you can mould as per
your convenience. At some universities, dissertation defenses are held in the graduate college or
graduate school. On this slide, you need to explain what you did to address the pain points listed in
the introduction. Rather solicit feedback after you are done with the dissertation defense. You can
also take reference from the university’s scholar resources. A product of the public school system
raised by (wonderful and brilliant) parents who didn’t have the opportunity to go to college, I soon
found myself as a first-generation college student trying to navigate the tricky world of higher
education alone. However, here the focus is specifically on the findings that directly relate to your
research questions (as opposed to findings in general).
The solution is to ensure you address the committee’s comments fully; you’ll avoid having to wait
unnecessarily for feedback. Their primary role is to assess committee satisfaction with the written
dissertation, administer the exam, arbitrate any problems that may arise, and make final
recommendations for completion of necessary corrections and additions to the dissertation. I also
wondered how, precisely, my committee would get on together. After being declared a doctor, she
celebrated with her lab via yet another Zoom session. Tharu Fernando, a graduate student in Dr.
Melnick's lab, presented her thesis research titled: The Role of Heat Shock Factor 1 in Germinal
Center B Cells and Lymphoma on April 8, 2015. Moreover, you will love the sense victory and
gratification once you complete your dissertation defense! Good luck. Later on you can submit it to
the university database in the library. Even people who know what it is are not correct on how it
functions as part of the academic learning process. Globally, colleges and universities prepare
examinations for their students at every level of learning. Within your doctoral dissertation defense,
you could state why you left out those ideas. Don’t forget, there will likely be a lot of pictures taken
after your successful defense. Take advantage of this completely editable deck to organize your
thoughts and dissertation material to impress the thesis community from the get go. Novelty,
feasibility, and significance are some of the things that funding agencies evaluate through the
dissertation proposal. You will likely be asked about the genesis of your research question, and how
it was shaped by your literature review. You can practice the presentation with ease through this
template. Professors usually ask students to write the chapters one by one. What they’re assessing
here is your ability to follow that path and let the research process unfold. It is often the case that
several conclusions are correct, even the ones that contradict others. You will be expected to take the
thinking in many complex directions, thereby showing a deeper understanding of the topic. From
there, my advisor allowed my two other committee members to take turns asking questions about the
manuscript. Herein you get a simple design that will structure your dissertation defense as per the
university standards of professionalism. If the committee members suggest some major changes and
you make them, keeping them in the loop will help avoid any last-minute surprises, and therefore,
blunders. So we have curated simple template designs that fulfill your needs. Since universities
expect them to adhere to the most significant levels of professionalism and structure, it is important
for them to be outstanding. This dissertation angers some of your more open-minded student friends,
and so they attack your work. You can also rearrange the elements on the lucid slide to fit your
requirements. It is also more prone to bias, so you have to be extra careful with your analysis. Here
the key point is to show that you have tried to solve a problem with your research. I was told the
defense would take approximately two hours. No matter what topic you have chosen to secure a
master’s degree in, you will never go wrong with this template.
This is your committee’s last chance to impress upon you everything they want you to know before
they send you off into the world. On the other hand, you may have to tackle harder questions that
could be fairly off topic, but do not worry so much about those. Tal Nuriel (lab of Dr. Steve Gross)
successfully defended his thesis research on August 24, 2012. In this case, the best way to avoid
such instances is to get enough sleep and prepare adequately. Some studies will produce many action
points and some won’t. Read up further on literature related to your topic, and take notes.
Visualization makes you see yourself doing the scary thing of defending your thesis. Here, scholars
should engage in pre-defense meetings, such as attending others’ defenses, to familiarize themselves
with the dynamics of the defense process. In instances where you have to present your dissertation
defense from a remote location, you must ensure proper testing of the video output that the
committee members can see. Nevertheless, it generally holds that the average time for writing a
dissertation is between thirteen to twenty months. Abby Horstmann successfully defended her thesis
on February 10, 2017. Daniel Heller, Lorraine Gudas, and David Nanus, defended her thesis research
on September 17, 2021. This required holdover from the DAC serves the purpose of providing
insight to the examiners regarding the path the student has taken in completing the dissertation
research. You are not the first person to write dissertations on the things you are writing about. The
stakes are high, and it is natural to be beset with questions as the day draws near. In turn, the entire
process lasts about 20 minutes to an hour or more. Starting off with an anecdote may also help get
the committee members interested in your topic up front. It will help pave the way to your future
courses of action. How did you prepare for it and how was your experience throughout your
dissertation defense. Furthermore, your thesis should create an impact on the members; they should
be thrilled by your thesis and the way you expose it. The reason this takes five to six months is
because a dissertation is much longer than a regular research paper. I often asked myself, if the
dissertation defense is, as people had described it, “merely a formality,” what was its purpose.
Basically, this dissertation defense does not mean an aggressive argument about one’s work, but it is
rather a platform for oral exchange between students and their supervisors. Before the presentation,
hand out the printed slides to the committee so that they can follow along. In contrast, dissertations
are academic projects that take a long period to complete. Then, another way is by adhering to the
university’s rules regarding the dissertation defense, including deadlines and schedules. Edit the
required text in 5 minutes with this efficient and user-friendly design. If the committee has
deliberated on suggesting some revisions, you can incorporate them in your final manuscript. Be
Confident 5. Make Sure You’re Following the Proper Format 6. Here, you must note some important
points to prepare well.
The age-old adage, “hope for the best, prepare for the worst,” is absolutely applicable when one
prepares for their dissertation defense. Dissertation defense can be daunting, but trust me, you can
easily wing it. You can also opt for index cards to remind you what to say. University research
experts and thesis committee members have busy schedules around which you need to plan your
dissertation defense. Matthew Sung defended his thesis successfully on July 25, 2013. By this point
in your doctoral journey, the path ahead should be clear, right. Time management gets simplified
when you use this template. Could I replace a committee member at the last minute. Adjusting your
direction based on findings in the literature or the fieldwork shows that you’re responsive, which is
essential for high-quality research. She works on her family's dairy farm and is currently a doctoral
candidate. The pilot study is done with a small sample, and can be accomplished in 2 weeks. In this
case, one must be prepared not only to write a dissertation that convinces themselves, their
supervisors, the university community, and the world that they have gained substantial knowledge
during their time at the university but also to defend it. Another question worth considering is: is
your topic still worth writing a dissertation on? We hope this does not discourage you from taking
on a qualitative research. Just organize your thoughts and prepare your thesis in a well-structured
manner before you hand it over to the thesis committee. By the time I submitted my PhD dissertation
for external examination (six weeks before my defense date), I was ready to just about not ever look
at it again in my entire life. The dissertation proposal is not written only for the professor or even the
university. It’s seldom a straight line (unless you got really lucky). But frankly you do not have the
time to waste on prompting for a question that may not even be answered. Just resize the font so that
it is legible on the projection board. Ms. Aikaterini Chatzi defended her thesis on June 28, 2012. So
end well too. On the conclusion slide, just keep it short and sweet on how your research addresses
the scope of the subject. It is sometimes also submitted to organizations or funding agencies so you
can get funding or permits for your research. You can take printouts of the presentation slides and put
them together so that the committee can follow along. They may say they are sufficient, or they may
ask you to work on them further. Lorraine Gudas and Minkui Luo, successfully defended her PhD on
April 27, 2018. In this case, scholars must never forget that the right attitude and adequate
preparation help to convince the dissertation defense committee that they understand their subject
and research. Writing the proposal and submitting it may take a month, but getting the approval of
your committee and the institutional review board may take a few more weeks. I did this in the
morning so that I could take the evening off, and the following morning as well. The student must
submit the one original, official copy to the Registrar’s in Cambridge by the appropriate deadline.

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