Dissertation Defense

Every semester, the Graduate Studies Office publishes a Graduation Timeline specific to the current term. The timeline provides a guide to processes students and faculty must complete leading up to the final dissertation submission and defense, including the dissertation formatting guidelines. Graduate students are required to follow this timeline and adhere to the specified deadlines during their final semester of study. A student should normally be in good academic standing and registered for dissertation credits during the semester he/she intends to defend.

The Graduate Studies Office schedules the final dissertation defense in accordance with the approved “Intent to Submit PhD Dissertation for Examination” request and in consultation with all DDC members. Graduate Studies Office will make the relevant logistical arrangements and inform the student about the date and time.

The Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at the relevant College chairs the DDC or appoints a full-time KU faculty member as DDC Chair in consultation with the relevant Department Chair. The composition of the DDC is communicated to the AVP of Graduate Studies. The primary responsibilities of the DDC Chair are:

• Attend the final dissertation defense and the private DDC meeting to ensure that the examination is conducted in accordance with all relevant KU academic policies and procedures. The DDC Chair does not have a role in the final outcome of the dissertation defense.
• Report the examination result to the Graduate Studies Office through the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and confirm that the correct examination process was followed.

The student must submit an initial dissertation draft to the Main Advisor and Co-Advisor(s), who will work with the student on the necessary revisions. Upon receiving the approval of the advisors, the revised dissertation is submitted to all RSC members and the Graduate Studies Office, who will forward it to the External Examiner. The student must submit his/her dissertation by the deadline published in the Graduation Timeline for the relevant semester.

The final dissertation defense consists of two parts: a public presentation and a private examination. In the first part, the student delivers a presentation open to the public (typically 45 minutes), followed by questions (typically 10-15 minutes). The second part is a private examination, which does not normally exceed 180 minutes, attended by the DDC members, the DDC Chair and any relevant ex-officio members. During the private examination, the committee will interview the student, ask more detailed questions and examine a demonstration of the completed work, if applicable. The committee will also convey to the student any changes that he/she is required to make before the final submission of the dissertation.

A high level of achievement is expected for the award of the PhD degree. In his/her dissertation and during the viva voce examination, a candidate for the degree of PhD is required to:

• Demonstrate a high level of understanding and specialization in his/her field of study;
• Show evidence that he/she is able to conduct independent investigation with rigor and discrimination;
• Demonstrate the ability to acquire and collate information through the effective use of appropriate sources and equipment;
• Appreciate the relationship of the area of his/her research to a wider field of knowledge;
• Demonstrate a critical appreciation of the literature in his/her area of research;
• Demonstrate an ability to recognize and validate research problems;
• Demonstrate an understanding of relevant research methodologies and techniques and their appropriate application to his/her research;
• Have made a significant and original contribution to the body of knowledge in his/her field of study;
• Demonstrate an ability to appraise critically his/her contribution in the context of his/her overall investigation;
• Constructively defend his/her research outcomes;
• Write clearly, accurately, cogently, and in a style appropriate to purpose;
• Construct coherent arguments and articulate ideas clearly; and
• Show awareness of relevant research issues including environmental, political, economic, social, copyright, ethical, health and safety, exploitation of results, and intellectual property rights.

Following the examination, the DDC members and the Chair will meet privately to decide on whether the student has successfully defended the dissertation. The advisor(s) decision is divided equally among the Main Advisor and Co-Advisor(s) such that each may decide independently but the total advisor(s) decision equals one. The External Examiner and the other DDC members have one decision each, any other external members do not have a role in the outcome of the defense. The DDC Chair will report the examination result to the Graduate Studies Office through the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.

The final decision on the outcome of the dissertation defense will be the lowest outcome reported by the DDC. The DDC Chair communicates this decision to student, DDC members, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and the Dean of Graduate Studies.

The following DDC recommendations are possible:

The final, corrected copy of the dissertation post-examination and endorsement of the student’s Main Advisor, Co-Advisor(s) and DDC members must be submitted to the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at the relevant College and subsequently to the AVP of Graduate Studies for approval.