Presentation
Defenses begin with an introduction of the candidate and the committee by the committee chair. Then, the candidate is given about 20 minutes or so to make a formal presentation of the thesis. This presentation should be designed for an audience who has not read the thesis (e.g. the public audience) and should cover, at minimum, the research question, most important prior literature, methods, a brief summary of the findings, and implications. Some candidates may wish to additionally discuss how they came to the topic, what they learned from the thesis process, and what they might have done differently if starting over. Candidates can preemptively address any likely criticisms during the presentation.
Question and Answer Session
After the presentation, the chair moderates a question-and-answer session. Committee members’ questions should be prioritized, but time should be left for questions from the public audience as well.
Deliberation
Once the discussion has concluded, and with at least 40 minutes left in the scheduled defense time, the committee members should leave the room (if scheduled on Zoom, the committee members can go to a breakout room or put the candidate and guests in the waiting room) to deliberate. These deliberations should determine if:
- the candidate has passed the defense
- what edits and revisions the committee will require prior to final submission of the thesis
- whether the committee wants to see the thesis again before signing the approval form
As per the graduate manual, a successful defense requires unanimous approval by all committee members. If the defense is not successful, a repeat of the defense may be scheduled, and the committee determines how that will proceed.
Decision
When deliberations are complete, the committee returns to the defense room (or the committee chair brings everyone back together in the Zoom room). If the candidate has successfully passed, they should be congratulated, and then the chair, with assistance from committee members, outlines to the candidate the revisions that they will be required to make.
Committee chairs can (though are not required to) provide celebratory elements such as a sparkling non-alcoholic beverage at the conclusion of the defense. Remember that alcohol is not permitted in events with students at RIC.