Masters thesis or PhD dissertation oral defense
At least one week before the defense:
At minimum, the student will announce their defense on the MAFGRAD listserve and hang hard copy announcements in the CIK. The announcement should include: research project title, student name, location, day/time, and short abstract, names of chair and committee members (including department and role on the committee) and photo/image.
Book a room: Students are responsible for booking a room for the defense. Rooms should hold at least 20 people.
Arrange for equipment: projector or screen, adaptors, cables, remote, laser pointer, etc.
Day of the defense:
1. The defense chair welcomes all to the defense and introduces the committee, the student and research title. Defense chair turns it over to the major advisor who asks the first question: Can you (defending student) give us a brief overview of your research? (~20 minute presentation)
2. After the student presentation, there is a brief pause for audience members to leave if they would like (before the Committee questions).
3. Each committee member generally gets 10 minutes to ask questions in the first round. There is another round or two of questions, depending on time. The defense chair moderates this discussion and can ask questions if desired.
4. Once the committee is done asking questions, the defense chair asks if anyone in the audience has questions.
5. The audience and the student are asked to leave so the committee can deliberate for 10-15 minutes.
6. The student is invited back to the room for discussion and to hear the results of the deliberation.
7. Student is responsible for taking all signed forms over to the Graduate School (204 Quinn Hall).
Total time of defense–including deliberations–lasts no more than 2 hours per Graduate School policy.