What is a Dissertation Defense?
The dissertation defense, commonly known as an oral defense, occurs at the completion of the dissertation - meaning that data have been collected, analyzed, findings developed, conclusions presented, and recommendation provided for future research, then approvals recieved from the Chair/Advisor, Committee, and University. The oral defense is the culmination of the doctoral degree process - only followed by publication and graduation. The oral defense is a meeting (face-to-face or online) between the student and committee - often with other interested parties invited to attend.
The oral defense, itself, involves the following steps:
A presentation of the dissertation by the student/candidate, often using PowerPoint slides (esp. online)
Questions and Answers from the Committee regarding clarification of the presented study and/or confirmation or insights of the study findings
Committee deliberation (typically without the student/candidate present) regarding the oral defense, with the outcome of (a) accept without revision; (b) accept, but with minor revision; or (c) not accept.
After deliberation, the student/candidate is brought back into the room, or call, with the outome announced. If all goes well, the Chair/Advisor often congratulates the student/candidate with the words “Let me be the first to congratulate you Dr. [your name]” Of course, the formal title of doctor comes a bit later after your degree has been conferred.
If successful, time to relax and celebrate! If not, all revisions must be addressed, then approved by your Chair/Advisor/Committee to move to the next step. In rare cases, a second oral defense may be required to represent, based on major revisions required.
Finally, the primary purposes of the oral defense are to (a) ensure that the approved study (typically at the proposal stage) was satisfactorily conducted, and (b) that the student/candidate was the one who did the work and is able to “defend” that work, which is the reason for the Q&A. A study properly conducted, with good guidance, and by the student themself, will typically have no problems passing the oral defense. However, if/when the student is unclear as to what was done, or why it was done, then answering questions could be challenging and result in a less than optimal outcome.
Interested in hiring a dissertation coach or editor? Contact Dr. Lonny today at help@mydissertation.coach, along with a copy of your current dissertation (if acailable) for an initial assessment and quote.
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