phd thesis examine

PhD Viva Voces – A Complete Guide
Doing a PhD
A PhD viva involves defending your thesis in an oral examination with at least two examiners.
The aim of a PhD viva is to confirm that the work is your own , that you have a deep understanding of your project and, overall, that you are a competent researcher .
There are no standard durations, but they usually range from one to three hours, with most lasting approximately two hours .
There are six outcomes of a PhD viva: (1) pass without corrections (2) pass subject to minor corrections, (3) pass subject to major corrections, (4) downgrade to MPhil with no amendments, (5) downgrade to MPhil subject to amendments, (6) immediate fail.
Almost all students who sit their viva pass it, with the most common outcome being ‘(2) – pass subject to minor corrections’.

What Is a PhD Viva?

A viva voce , more commonly referred to as ‘viva’, is an oral examination conducted at the end of your PhD and is essentially the final hurdle on the path to a doctorate. It is the period in which a student’s knowledge and work are evaluated by independent examiners.

In order to assess the student and their work around their research question, a viva sets out to determine:

you understand the ideas and theories that you have put forward,
you can answer questions about elements of your work that the examiners have questions about,
you understand the broader research in your field and how your work contributes to this,
you are aware of the limitations of your work and understand how it can be developed further,
your work makes an original contribution, is your own and has not been plagiarised.

Note: A viva is a compulsory procedure for all PhD students, with the only exception being when a PhD is obtained through publication as opposed to the conventional route of study.

Who Will Attend a Viva?

In the UK, at least two examiners must take part in all vivas. Although you could have more than two examiners, most will not in an attempt to facilitate a smoother questioning process.

One of the two examiners will be internal, i.e. from your university, and the other will be external, i.e. from another university. Regardless, both will be knowledgeable in your research field and have read your thesis beforehand.

In addition to your two examiners, two other people may be present. The first is a chairperson. This is an individual who will be responsible for monitoring the interview and for ensuring proper conduct is followed at all times. The need for an external chairperson will vary between universities, as one of the examiners can also take on this role. The second is your supervisor, whose attendance is decided upon by you in agreement with your examiners. If your supervisor attends, they are prohibited from asking questions or from influencing the outcome of the viva.

To avoid any misunderstandings, we have summarised the above in a table:

Note: In some countries, such as in the United States, a viva is known as a ‘PhD defense’ and is performed publicly in front of a panel or board of examiners and an open audience. In these situations, the student presents their work in the form of a lecture and then faces questions from the examiners and audience which almost acts as a critical appraisal.

How Long Does a Viva Last?

Since all universities have different guidelines , and since all PhDs are unique, there are no standard durations. Typically, however, the duration ranges from one to three hours, with most lasting approximately two hours.

Your examiners will also influence the duration of your viva as some will favour a lengthy discussion, while others may not. Usually, your university will consult your examiners in advance and notify you of the likely duration closer to the day of your viva.

What Happens During a Viva?

Regardless of the subject area, all PhD vivas follow the same examination process format as below.

Introductions

You will introduce yourselves to each other, with the internal examiner normally introducing the external examiner. If an external chairperson is present, they too are introduced; otherwise, this role will be assumed by one of the examiners.

Procedure Explained

After the introductions, the appointed chair will explain the viva process. Although it should already be known to everyone, it will be repeated to ensure the viva remains on track during the forthcoming discussion.

Warm-Up Questions

The examiners will then begin the questioning process. This usually starts with a few simple opening questions, such as asking you to summarise your PhD thesis and what motivated you to carry out the research project.

In-Depth Questions

The viva questions will then naturally increase in difficulty as the examiners go further into the details of your thesis. These may include questions such as “What was the most critical decision you made when determining your research methodology ?”, “Do your findings agree with the current published work?” and “How do your findings impact existing theories or literature? ”. In addition to asking open-ended questions, they will also ask specific questions about the methodology, results and analysis on which your thesis is based.

Closing the Viva

Once the examiners are satisfied that they have thoroughly evaluated your knowledge and thesis, they will invite you to ask any questions you may have, and then bring the oral examination to a close.

What Happens After the Viva?

Once your viva has officially ended, your examiners will ask you to leave the room so that they can discuss your performance. Once a mutual agreement has been reached, which can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, you will be invited back inside and informed of your outcome.

PhD Viva Outcomes

There are six possible outcomes to a viva:

Immediate award of degree: A rare recommendation – congratulations, you are one of the few people who completely satisfied your examiners the first time around. You do not have to do anything further at this point.
Minor amendments required: The most common recommendation – you obtain a pass on the condition that you make a number of minor amendments to your thesis, such as clarifying certain points and correcting grammatical errors. The time you have to make these changes depends on the number of them, but is usually one to six months.
Major amendments required: A somewhat uncommon recommendation – you are requested to make major amendments to your thesis, ranging from further research to collecting more data or rewriting entire sections. Again, the time you have to complete this will depend on the number of changes required, but will usually be six months to one year. You will be awarded your degree once your amended thesis has been reviewed and accepted.
Immediate award of MPhil: An uncommon recommendation – your examiners believe your thesis does not meet the standard for a doctoral degree but meets the standard for an MPhil (Master of Philosophy), a lower Master’s degree.
Amendments required for MPhil: A rare recommendation – your examiners believe your thesis does not meet the standard for a doctoral degree, but with several amendments will meet the standard for an MPhil.
Immediate fail: A very rare recommendation – you are given an immediate fail without the ability to resubmit and without entitlement to an MPhil.

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What Is the Pass Rate for Vivas?

Based on an analysis of 26,076 PhD students who took their viva exam between 2006 and 2017, the PhD viva pass rate in the UK is 96%; of those who passed, about 80% were required to make minor amendments to their thesis. The reason for this high pass rate is that supervisors will only put their students forward for a viva once they confidently believe they are ready for it. As a result, most candidates who sit a viva are already well-versed in their PhD topic before they even start preparing for the exam.

How Do I Arrange a Viva?

Your viva will be arranged either by the examiners or by the chairperson. The viva will be arranged at least one to two months after you have submitted your thesis and will arrange a viva date and venue that is suitable for all participants.

Can I Choose My Examiners?

At most universities, you and your supervisor will choose the internal and external examiners yourselves. This is because the examiners must have extensive knowledge of the thesis topic in order to be able to examine you and, as the author of the thesis in question, who else could better determine who they might be than you and your supervisor. The internal examiner is usually quite easy to find given they will be from your institution, but the external examiner may end up being your second or third preference depending on availability.

Can I Take Notes Into a Viva?

A viva is about testing your competence, not your memory. As such, you are allowed to take notes and other supporting material in with you. However, keep in mind that your examiners will not be overly impressed if you constantly have to refer to your notes to answer each question. Because of this, many students prefer to take an annotated copy of their thesis, with important points already highlighted and key chapters marked with post-it notes.

In addition to an annotated copy of a thesis, some students also take:

a list of questions they would like to ask the examiners,
notes that were created during their preparation,
a list of minor corrections they have already identified from their viva prep work.

How Do I Prepare for a PhD Viva?

There are several ways to prepare for a PhD viva, one of the most effective being a mock viva voce examination . This allows you to familiarise yourself with the type of viva questions you will be asked and identify any weak areas you need to improve. They also give you the opportunity to practise without the pressure, giving you more time to think about your answers which will help to make sure that you know your thesis inside out. However, a mock viva exam is just one of many methods available to you – some of the other viva preparation methods can be found on our “ How to Prepare for a PhD Viva ” page.

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Participants gather for a group photo at the ODU Graduate Program in International Studies’ Annual Graduate Research Conference. College of Arts and Letters

Student Guide: The Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination

Introduction.

The comprehensive examination is a critical part of the GPIS PhD program. You should not view it simply as a bureaucratic hurdle to pass over on your way to the dissertation. Instead, before embarking on narrowly focused dissertation work, the comprehensive examination establishes that you have the broad familiarity and expertise with the field that is the mark of a doctoral education. It is the checkpoint that confirms that you are ready to pass from being a student to a scholar. The process of preparing for the comprehensive exam should help you organize and reflect on the variety of things you have learned over the past few years. While to this point, each of your seminars has been a distinct learning experience, you now can think about how your interdisciplinary work in international studies fits together. Preparation for the comprehensive exam should help you become better able to integrate and utilize the knowledge you have gained in your graduate study. It is also critically important for embarking on the dissertation. The best dissertations are effectively connected to the central questions and literature of the field. Unless you have developed an integrated overview of the field you will not have the necessary foundation for dissertation work.

The Comprehensive Character of the PhD Examination

It is important to note that the comprehensive PhD examination is not simply a test of your cumulative knowledge of seminar materials. It is, rather, a test of your preparation to work as an independent scholar at the highest level. By now you should be functioning like a scholar, and not just like a student. You should be aware of the major journals in your field and should be paying attention to them. You should know what the most important books, articles, and debates are regardless of whether they were used in your classes. It may have been a few years since you took IR theory, but it is unlikely that the scholars who work in that area have stopped pushing the field forward to wait for you to get through the comprehensive exams.

The Written Comprehensive Examination Process

The written comprehensive exams are usually scheduled for a Friday and Monday the weekend before the start of the new semester. You will do your major field on one day and your minor field on the other. We will try to schedule your major field for Friday and your minor field for Monday, but the order will be determined by the scheduling needs of the full set of students taking the written comprehensives on a given day. You will have eight hours to complete each part of the exam. The exam is closed book and no notes or other aids of any kind are allowed. For each of your fields you will be given five questions from which you will choose two to answer.

The Written Exam Grading

The exam will be graded by the appointed Doctoral Candidacy Examination Committee. The committee will usually, but not always, include the Committee Chair, and directors of the relevant tracks. It will usually take about two weeks to get the written exams graded.

Passing the Written Comprehensive Exam

Different examiners may read the exams in different ways, and it is the student's responsibility to write answers that are generally accessible and appealing across the variety of GPIS faculty. Most readers will be looking for a clear and direct answer to the question, evidence of familiarity and facility with the important literature, and an ability to integrate theory and empirical cases.

To pass the comprehensive exam, students must not receive more than one failing evaluation from a committee member.

Failing the Written Comprehensive Exam

Our goal and expectations are that every student will pass the comprehensive examination. The exam is not designed to be a barrier. It is meant to be a straightforward assessment of the student's command of their declared fields and their preparation to move on to the challenges of writing the dissertation. Nonetheless, and precisely because the exam is conceptualized as an assessment of this preparedness to move on, it plays a very important role in your doctoral education. Students who do not demonstrate an effective grasp of the relevant literature and empirics or who do not effectively and explicitly answer the questions as asked will not pass.

Students who do not pass the written portion of the exam on the first attempt will have to retake the exam in a subsequent semester. Failure on the second attempt will prevent the student from going on to write a dissertation. At the discretion of the examination committee, the failing student may be awarded the MA degree if the performance and coursework so merit, and if they do not already have a GPIS MA.

The Oral Comprehensive Examination process

Doctoral candidates are expected to be able to communicate effectively and knowledgeably both in writing and orally. Thus, the comprehensive examinations have both a written and an oral component.

The oral portion of the comprehensive examination will take place about three weeks after the written. Three to five faculty members will administer the examination. The examiners will usually, but not necessarily, include the Director or Associate Director of GPIS and the track coordinators from the student's major and minor fields. The examination will last about one hour. Each examiner will have a chance to ask questions, but the format will often shift between relatively structured questioning and a more free-flowing discussion.

The discussion will center on the student's answers for the written exam (students may use their written exam). The scope of the exam is not, however, limited to that material. The examiners will be looking to fill in any perceived gaps in the written work, and to assess the student's facility more generally with the literature and empirical material.

Passing the Oral Comprehensive Exam

Passing the oral comprehensive exam is a matter of convincing the committee members that you have an appropriate mastery of the central material of the field and are prepared to go on to focused and independent work on a dissertation. To pass, you must not receive more than one negative vote from a member of the examining committee.

Failing the Oral Comprehensive Exam

Students who do not pass the oral exam will be asked to return in one month for a second oral exam. Students who do not pass on the second attempt will not be allowed to continue for the PhD.

Tips for Preparing for the PhD Comprehensive Exam

The most important preparation for the PhD comprehensive examination is the GPIS coursework you have completed. Reviewing the notes and materials from your seminars and trying to organize it around some integrative themes is essential preparation. The following pages offer some further suggestions for effective preparation for the comprehensive examination, and for ensuring a strong examination performance.

1. Take appropriate classes

In consultation with your adviser and other faculty, be sure to select a variety of classes that will give you the broad background you need for the comprehensive exam. It is particularly important that you choose classes that will help you gain both a breadth of field knowledge, and a depth of knowledge in a few critical areas. The seminar papers you write should particularly help you develop depth in a few critical areas.

2. Keep effective class notes and reading notes

You should be thinking about preparation for the comprehensive exams from the beginning of your program. Keeping your seminar and reading notes in an organized manner will allow for more effective comprehensive exam review. You will particularly want to be careful about the material in the core classes.

You may find it useful to develop reading notes at different levels of depth. There may be a set of books and articles for which you will have 2-3 page summaries. There may be a second, larger, group for which you have paragraph length descriptions. Finally you should have a third very large group for which you have a sentence for each reading that gives you the central thrust of the argument.

3. Work on exam preparation in groups

Working with others can help you share the labor of summarizing and reviewing material. You can work with others on identifying the critical literature and on developing answers to hypothetical test questions.

4. Pay particular attention to the broad literature of international relations theory that will help you in answering a wide variety of questions

Many of the questions across the different tracks will benefit from an effective understanding of the broad currents and debates of international relations theory. One of the things a graduate education should help you do is to apply general theory to a variety of specific situations. Displaying that ability on the comprehensive exam is a good idea.

5. Identify some historical periods and important episodes and issues around which you will develop a particular expertise

Alas, no one can know everything about everything. You will see in this collection of sample questions that it is relatively rare for a question to demand knowledge of a particular event or historical period. Nonetheless, you will also see that you are often called upon to identify a critical historical period or event. You will be expected to evince in-depth knowledge of some issues or areas. Effective in-depth knowledge of a few critical issue areas or historical episodes can help you generate appropriate material for a wide variety of questions.

6. Identify some important literature with which you will be particularly familiar

You need to have a good feel for a very broad range of literature. For a lot of books and articles, remembering the author and the central thrust of their argument and evidence will serve you adequately for the comprehensives. But, just as it is essential that you have a greater depth of knowledge about a few historical episodes are critical issues, you will want to have a set of books and articles that you know extremely well. You should have an identified set of readings that you are confident you can apply to a reasonable range of questions and that you know very well and can talk about with some depth and sophistication.

7. Practice for the exam

Using the material in this booklet, you should write some practice exams. At the beginning you may want to take several hours and write an answer with open book resources. By the end you should be practicing with closed notes and a two-hour clock to simulate exam conditions. Such practice will not only help you think about how you will engage in the actual task of taking the exam, but will give you collection of sample answers that may be easily adapted to the real test questions. Just be careful that you don't mistakenly provide the answer to a similar old question and miss the slightly changed terms or requirements that are likely to show up in the real test.

The process of preparing practice exams is another area where working in groups can be extremely helpful. Having a study group can give you a larger stock of practice answers and will allow you to get feedback and to discuss the appropriate sources and arguments for a given question.

Tips for Writing an Effective Comprehensive Exam

1. Make sure you answer the questions explicitly and clearly.

The most common comprehensive exam mistake is to not explicitly and clearly answer the question. Read the question very carefully and make sure that you offer an explicit answer to the question. Do not rely on the readers to draw out implicit answers.

2. Make appropriate reference to the literature and relevant scholarly debates.

You will not, of course, be expected to provide detailed citations. But, you should demonstrate familiarity and facility with a range of the literature. You should be able to appropriately reference the scholars whose arguments are relevant to a particular issue. You may occasionally include the name of a book or article and the date of its publication.

3. Make appropriate use of theory and of empirical and historical knowledge.

If appropriately done, it is particularly effective to use theory to inform answers on history questions and history to inform answers on theory questions.

4. Write full answers that are structured with an introduction and conclusion.

As in all writing, structure and organization are important to effective communication. Just because it is a time-limited exam is no excuse for jumbled, incoherent writing. Take the time to think through and outline your argument and its structure before you write. As in all writing, signposting, headings, and clear explicit language can help communicate your ideas. Provide a clear introduction and conclusion that can help you summarize your central point and will reassure the readers that you have, in fact, explicitly answered the question.

5. Make an argument

As a scholar prepared to embark on independent thesis work, it is important that you demonstrate an ability to effectively articulate your own views. The comprehensive exam is not just about knowing the literature. It is also about demonstrating that you can think about international issues critically and come to your own conclusions. Avoid wishy-washy answers that simply describe some of the ideas extant in the field and then conclude that they are all correct. Take a stand and defend it with appropriate theoretical, analytical, and empirical material.

6. Make choices

You will notice that most of the questions are a lot bigger than can be fully answered in the two-hours you will have on average during the written exam. You have to make choices on how you will answer so that you can display your breadth and depth of knowledge while satisfying the committee that you have effectively addressed the question. It usually helps if you can be explicit about how you are managing the question ("While there are, of course, idiosyncratic elements in the complex relationship of each President to his national security team, I will focus in this short essay on the difficult relationship between Jimmy Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Cyrus Vance because it effectively illuminates the problems every foreign policy team must face"). It is rarely a good strategy to try to present a broad and superficial survey of too many things ("In this essay I will discuss the relationship of each Post-WWII American president with his respective Secretaries of State and Defense").

7. Don't make big mistakes

This, of course, is common sense, but I can't overemphasize how difficult it is to certify someone as ready to move onto writing a dissertation who fundamentally misunderstands some essential literature, or who demonstrates a wanton disregard for historical accuracy.

Tips for the Oral Examination

1. Attitude matters

Attitude is important in the oral examination, just as it will be for the remainder of your career as a scholar. As a doctoral candidate, you should be able to present your views with confidence, but without becoming defensive. The examiners are likely to push against your views and expect to see you defend them effectively, but not irrationally.

The best way to figure out the right attitude is to attend the presentations of others at research workshops, dissertation defenses, and conferences. Start paying attention to the style as well as the substance. Take note of how other scholars deal with difficult questions and criticisms. What works and what doesn't work? What makes them sound defensive? What makes them sound arrogant? What makes them sound indecisive?

2. Being nervous is inevitable

It is likely that you will be nervous. How you perform when nervous is not irrelevant to your career as a scholar. You need to demonstrate that despite being nervous you can engage in appropriate scholarly discussion.

3. We probably know more than you, but knowing everything isn't required

It is likely that all together, the three to five professors conducting the examination know some things that you don't. With some pushing, they will probably be able to find out what some of those things are. We don't expect you to know everything. We do expect you to communicate effective knowledge of a broad range of subjects, and explicit and deep knowledge of a few selected areas.

4. Practice

The best way to practice for the oral exam is to speak up and engage in discussion in your seminars, in research workshops, and at conferences. If you aren't prepared to express and defend your views in the seminar setting, it is unlikely that you will be prepared to do so in the oral exam.

5. Work with other students

Again, preparing for the comprehensive examinations with other students will help you both with the substance and with the process. Scholarly discussions of exam questions with other students will give you the chance to practice articulating and defending your views with appropriate references to the literature and empirical facts.

TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS

This examination will be conducted in a BAL Computer lab. In an emergency, you must inform the proctor immediately.

You may take short breaks (5-10 minutes) as needed
You are not permitted to leave the building under any circumstance
Food and beverages should be consumed during the exam
Save your work often on the flash drive provided
If any problems occur, notify the proctor immediately
The examination is closed book and no notes or other aids including cell phone are allowed
You will be given a blue book, pen, and pencil for writing notes
Once the exam begins the computer browsers will be locked down
You must sign and return the honor pledge provided

The ODU Honor Pledge will be strictly enforced, and you will be asked to sign off on this pledge on the date of the exam:

I pledge to support the Honor System of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a member of the academic community it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violations of the Honor Code. I will report to a hearing if summoned.

~Honor Pledge

On the day of the exam arrive 5-10 minutes early to log into the computer and be ready to start promptly at 8:30 a.m. when the exam questions are distributed.

You will receive the exam questions, a flash drive, a blue book for notes and the honor pledge to sign and return to the proctor. Use the flash drive to save your work and give to the proctor at the end of the exam.

The examination consists of two parts.

Part 1 - questions will be on your MAJOR concentration

Part 2 - questions will be on your MINOR concentration

On both days you must answer TWO out of five questions. The questions are written broadly, but your essays must remain explicitly responsive to what is asked; simply referencing texts is not sufficient. Time is ample and running out of time is not an option. Ending early is also not advised. The examination will conclude at 4:30 p.m. and all answers must be saved on the flash drive and turned in.

Guidelines to Answering Questions

(These are the instructions that come with the exam)

There will be five questions. You must answer two.
The exam lasts a total of eight hours. Allocate your time accordingly and make sure that each question has a concluding section.
answer the questions as they are raised and not as you wish they had been raised b. illustrate your answer with appropriate empirical examples c. cite relevant sources d. make proper references to important interpretative debates, when appropriate
how effectively you address each of the questions b. how well you know and manage your facts c. how soundly you handle and cite the literature d. how well you have developed and organized your argument e. the quality of your writing
errors of fact b. misattribution of arguments in text and/or citation c. spurious citation of literature d. presentation of answer in bullet point format e. failure to develop coherent argument

Past Field Questions

American foreign policy.

According to Henry Kissinger, "It is an illusion to believe that leaders gain in profundity while they gain experience.... The connections that leaders have formed before reaching high office are the intellectual capital they will consume" during their time in office. Explain and discuss this assessment, which Kissinger made after he had served as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, with explicit references to two high level foreign policy practitioners during the two decades that followed the US intervention in World War II (1941-1961).
"Our security, our vitality, and our ability to lead," recently observed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, "must be based on a marriage of principle and pragmatism, not rigid ideology, on facts and evidence, not conviction or prejudice." Explain and discuss in the context of two high level foreign policy practitioners during the immediate postwar decade (1945-1965).
Identify TWO crises, events, or issues that best characterize the latter part of the Cold War and its immediate aftermath (from January 1981 to January 2001). Do NOT describe any of these crises, events or issues at length but single out the features and patterns that best explain why these are so closely identified, in your judgment, with this initial post-Cold War period.
Describe and discuss the evolution of U.S. policies toward any country (except the USSR/Russia) or region of your choice during a 6-year period of your choice, extended from January 1981 to January 2001. To introduce your answer, explain your choice of the period you wish to discuss. To conclude, explain the relevance of that region or country to current U.S. interests and policies.
Whatever might be said about the events of September 11, 2001 and the wars that followed, their consequences have been epochal - meaning, system changing. After a quick review of these events, examine the conditions of what has been called a new "post-American world." What do you think of this emerging world: first, from the narrow perspective of U.S. interests, capabilities and purpose; but also, next, from the broader perspective of power and order during the coming decade? 2. "The United States," it has been noted, "never experienced what other nations experienced in achieving a position of world power. It moved within a very brief period from a position of isolation to one of global leadership, it has never been a mere nation among other nations." Explain and discuss the influence of the nation's distinctive past on the US role in the world in the twentieth century.

TRANSNATIONALISM AND INTERDEPENDENCE

Great speculation exists on the extent to which the United States is in decline. Drawing on the central concepts and knowledge of the track, and on your broader study in the program, to what extent do you believe America is in decline? What factors could hasten or reverse this decline at the global level, insofar as you see it in play?
To what extent, if any, is the world safer in the post-Cold War era? In what measure have transnational threats (terrorism, migration, energy interdependence, etc) replaced the threats inherent in the Cold War?
Drawing on your coursework in this program, and especially on your courses in this track, to what extent do you think that the effects of anarchy can be tempered or lessened in world politics?
Realists tend to assume that world politics is cyclical; and that the basic elements of world politics do not change much over time (such as power, balance of power politics, the centrality of states, and conflict). To what extent do you agree with this key realist assumption?
To what extent, if at all, does interdependence decrease inter-state conflict in world politics?

INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY

From World War II to the present, states have constructed regimes to manage some-but not all-aspects of the international economy. A once-strong regime to manage trade has weakened since the 1990s. Likewise, with the abandonment of dollar-gold convertibility in 1973, a robust regime to manage monetary relations collapsed. Conversely, states originally left finance unregulated but in 1988 created and progressively have strengthened rules to manage international banking. And in production, the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment collapsed in 1998 without ever securing necessary multilateral support. What explains these variations in institutions, both across issue areas and over the course of the last 65 years?
The integration of gendered analyses of globalization has led to a substantive body of literature within the field of international studies. Imagine that an international studies department hires you to design and teach a graduate seminar on gender and globalization. What theoretical and empirical movements within the field would your seminar emphasize? How would you elucidate the central connections between gender and globalization? In your essay response, please explain how your choice of authors, themes and content provides an innovative approach to teaching graduate students about the complex interconnections between gender and global restructuring.
After the May 2010 parliamentary elections in the United Kingdom, one observer wrote: The outcome in Britain underscores a problem roiling so many democracies. The economic change brought about by globalization and technological advances is not creating the happy, unified world of progress its promoters keep promising. Instead, it is splitting regions within nations that are fully part of the global market from those left behind. Does globalization foster or undermine democracy? Your answer should address at least one of the following dimensions of democracy: political behavior, democratic institutions, responsiveness, equality, and legitimacy. Please illustrate your argument using one democratic state of your choice.
Numerous scholars argue that historical experiences condition a nation-state's contemporary political economy. That is, a state's past policies for economic development may profoundly affect its contemporary prospects for industrialization, the reduction of poverty, and the development of political institutions. To what degree are development and democratization path-dependent processes? Can states in the contemporary political economy escape the tyranny of their history? If so, how? If not, why not?
Developing states face different economic, political and social challenges than do the wealthiest and most powerful states. Can international political economy offer us a coherent set of theoretical tools to explain such diverse problems in the global economy? Or must it rely upon ad-hoc, degenerative hypothesizing to accommodate such empirical challenges? To illustrate your theoretical argument, please compare at least one developing and one developed state.

CONFLICT AND COOPERATION

For a region of your choice identify two instances of cooperation between states that advanced/improved the regional security environment. Explain your selections in detail. Choose your examples from the last decade.
The spread of nuclear weapons is often cited as a major challenge to the international community. How might this threat best be countered? Your answer should critically review state policies and institutional responses.
In an increasingly global security environment it is far from obvious how security should be organized. Reflecting on what you have learned, how would you conceptualize a 21st century security order? Why would you conceptualize it this way?
To what extent does the transatlantic security community exist? Is it strong and if so, why? Is it weak and if so, why? What factors/developments are likely to determine its future?
For a region of your choice, discuss two events or developments over the past decade that have significantly affected regional expectations about conflict and cooperation. In your answer, make sure to demonstrate familiarity with the scholarly literature and debates at the policy levels.
Virtually absent from national policy agendas since the end of the Cold War, arms control is back. From a scholarly perspective and against the background of Cold War arms control, how do you evaluate the return of arms control, the emerging arms control agenda, and arms control's contribution to international peace and stability?
How useful are policies of deterrence in a global security environment?
From your understanding of the scholarly literature, single out two contributors whose work(s) you think have been critical in advancing the field of Security Studies. Carefully explain your choices.
Critical theorists have issued a number of challenges to traditional understandings of peace and security. Identify three such challenges and discuss. Ultimately, do these challenges represent anomalies, in the Kuhnian sense, or are they the products of normal science?

COMPARATIVE AND REGIONAL STUDIES

Both Rational-Choice and Political-Culture theories are prominent approaches in the field of comparative sociopolitical studies. What are the similarities and differences between these two approaches in terms of their intellectual geneses, theoretical assumptions, and major arguments (or hypotheses)? Discuss the major strengths and weaknesses of each approach.
New Institutionalism is believed to have succeeded the so-called "Old" Institutionalism in comparative sociopolitical studies. Explain the intellectual genesis, theoretical assumptions and major arguments (or hypotheses) of the New Institutionalism. In what respects is the New Institutionalism similar to and different from the Old Institutionalism? Do you think that the New Institutionalism has helped advance comparative sociopolitical studies? Why or why not?
Some analysts of comparative studies have advocated Statism, emphasizing the profound role of the state in shaping socioeconomic and sociopolitical developments in various countries. Explain theoretical assumptions and major arguments (or hypotheses) of Statism. Do you agree with Statism's arguments for the importance of the state (vs. society)? Why or why not?
Social movement and revolution
Democratization
Social capital
To study socioeconomic development in different regions or countries, scholars have developed two distinct approaches: Modernization Theory and Dependency Theory. Briefly explain these two approaches in terms of their fundamental assumptions and theoretical arguments. Which theory do you prefer when studying socioeconomic development in developing countries? Use evidence from any region(s) or country (countries) with which you are familiar to support your reference.

INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL STUDIES

Explain the social construction of culture(s) and its significance to current political economic realities.
Cite a case study of a post-colonial critique of nationalism. Explain the role of the imperial power and how that is legitimized or not.
How is the concept of "nation" constructed in Modernity? How is this construction relevant to issues in international studies? Cite case studies where appropriate.
Explain how cultural studies theories are important to the study and practice of international relations.
Explain the importance of the media in the construction or reflection of the identity of immigrant, multicultural or diaspora communities.
Graduate Program in International Studies (GPIS)
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Program Director

Regina Karp

NORFOLK, VA 23529
[email protected]

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NATO, a military alliance of 31 North American and European countries, accredited the ODU GPIS degree program as a "Selected Program" for alliance members' education and training. Currently, no other civilian academic institutions have been awarded the "Selected Program" designation by NATO.

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Dissertations and Theses

The dissertation is the hallmark of the research expertise demonstrated by a doctoral student. It is a scholarly contribution to knowledge in the student’s area of specialization. By researching and writing a dissertation, the student is expected to demonstrate a high level of knowledge and the capability to function as an independent scholar.

A thesis is a hallmark of some master’s programs. It is a piece of original research, generally less comprehensive than a dissertation, and is meant to show the student’s knowledge of an area of specialization.

Document Preparation

PhD and master’s students are responsible for meeting all requirements for preparing theses and dissertations. They are expected to confer with their advisors about disciplinary and program expectations and to follow Graduate School procedure requirements.

The Graduate School’s format review is in place to help the document submission process go smoothly for the student. Format reviews for PhD dissertations and master’s theses can be done remotely or in-person. The format review is required at or before the two-week notice of the final defense.

Access and Distribution

Ohio State has agreements with two organizations— OhioLINK and ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Publishing —that store and provide access to Ohio State theses and dissertations.

Examinations

Graduate degree examinations are a major milestone in all graduate students’ pursuit of their graduate degree. Much hinges on the successful completion of these examinations, including the ability to continue in a graduate program.

The rules and processes set by the Graduate School ensure the integrity of these examinations for graduate students, the graduate faculty, and for Ohio State.

Final Semester

During your final semester as a graduate student there are many activities that lead up to commencement and receiving your degree. Complete the final semester checklist and learn more about commencement activities.

Graduation Calendar

Select your expected graduation term below to see specific dates concerning when to apply for graduation, complete your examinations and reports, submit approved thesis and dissertation, commencement, and the end-of semester deadline.

Applications to Graduate Due 1 : January 26, 2024

Examinations and Reports completed by 2 : April 12, 2024

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3 : April 19, 2024

Commencement 4 : May 5, 2024

End of Semester Deadline 5 : May 6, 2024

Applications to Graduate Due 1 : May 24, 2024

Examinations and Reports completed by 2 : July 12, 2024

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3 : July 19, 2024

Commencement 4 : August 4, 2024

End of Semester Deadline 5 : August 19, 2024

Applications to Graduate Due 1 : September 6, 2024

Examinations and Reports completed by 2 : November 22, 2024

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3 : November 27, 2024

Commencement 4 : December 15, 2024

End of Semester Deadline 5 : January 3, 2025

Applications to Graduate Due 1 : January 24, 2025

Examinations and Reports completed by 2 : April 11, 2025

Approved thesis and dissertation submitted and accepted by 3 : April 18, 2025

Commencement 4 : May 4, 2025

End of Semester Deadline 5 : May 5, 2025

1 Applications to graduate include current semester or End-of-Semester deadline. Applications must be received by close of business.

2 Format reviews may occur electronically or in person at the Graduate School during announced business hours. Both options require submitting a digital version of the dissertation or DMA document draft in a PDF format to [email protected] .

3 Approved documents must be submitted via OhioLINK and accepted by the Graduate School by the close of business before the Report on Final Document will be processed.

4 Students not attending commencement must complete the commencement section on the Application to Graduate to indicate how their diploma should be disbursed.

5 A degree applicant who does not meet published graduation deadlines but who does complete all degree requirements by the last business day prior to the first day of classes for the following semester or summer term will graduate the following semester or summer term without registering or paying fees

Still Have Questions?

Dissertations & Theses 614-292-6031 [email protected]

Doctoral Exams, Master's Examination, Graduation Requirements 614-292-6031 [email protected]

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Research Student Administration Office

The submission and examination process.

Throughout your research degree
Regulations and policies
Information for supervisors
Information for examiners
Forms and letter requests

Find out about the submission and examination process for research students.

You may also find it helpful to look at the advice and information given to examiners and supervisors regarding the examination of research degrees, as this will familiarise you with the different roles people play in the examination process and can help you with your viva preparation. Please note the information on this webpage has regulatory status. See about these webpages .

Submitting your thesis

To submit your thesis or portfolio to the Research Student Administration Office you must:

complete section A of the Intention to Submit form, available under Forms and Letter Requests
attach a copy of your summary (see below) to the form.

Section B of the form should be completed by your main supervisor before the form is returned to us. You'll get written confirmation of receipt of your application.

Two months’ notice is required as internal and external examiners need to be identified and formally appointed by the Research Degrees Examination Board. If you don't give full notice of your intention to submit, this will delay the examination of your thesis.

You must be registered at the time of the submission of your thesis or portfolio.

See more about preparing your work below.

You should give at least two months’ notice of your intention to submit your thesis or portfolio to the Research Student Administration Office by completing the Intention to Submit form available from our Forms and Letter Requests page and attaching a copy of your summary to the form (below is a description of what the summary should include). You should then pass the form to your main supervisor. You will receive written confirmation of receipt from the Research Student Administration Office.

Two months’ notice is required as internal and external examiners need to be identified and formally appointed by the Research Degrees Examination Board. Failure to give full notice of your intention to submit will delay the examination of your thesis.

Please note that you must be registered at the time of the submission of your thesis or portfolio.

If you are being funded through your studies, and there is commercially sensitive information within your thesis, funders can request a non-disclosure agreement. This would be between your examiners and the University of Sussex. In these instances, staff in the Research Student Administration Office can advise ( [email protected] ) and arrange for an agreement to be signed.

The summary or abstract should provide a synopsis of the thesis, and should clearly state the nature and scope of the research undertaken and contribution made to the knowledge of the subject. It should include a brief statement of the method of investigation where appropriate, an outline of the major divisions or principal arguments of the work and a summary of any conclusions reached.

A loose leaf copy of the summary should be submitted with your Intention to Submit form and a copy should be bound (not loose) into each of your temporary bound theses/ portfolios when submitted.

Your summary should be single spaced and each copy should be on a separate sheet of A4 paper, separately printed, and must not exceed 300 words, except in the following subjects: Education/Social Work, Music-Theatre Performance, Creative Writing and Media Practice, which must not exceed 600 words. Each summary should include a heading set out in the following style:

UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX

YOUR FULL NAME

DEGREE FOR WHICH THE THESIS OR PORTFOLIO IS SUBMITTED

TITLE OF THESIS OR PORTFOLIO SUMMARY

Your thesis should be submitted to the Research Student Administration Office by email as a .pdf. The email address is [email protected] .Please note that you must be fully registered in order to submit your thesis.

If your thesis is too large to send by email please contact us and we will arrange for a Box folder where you can upload it directly.

Once you have submitted your thesis, your registration status changes to ‘research examination’. While you are in this status you will not be required to re-register annually and fees are not accrued.

PLEASE NOTE : Current submission is by .pdf only.

Apart from quotations, the thesis or portfolio should be written in English.

The Doctoral Studies Committee may approve the submission of a thesis in a language other than English in exceptional circumstances.

The maximum word length for a PhD thesis is 80,000 words.

The maximum word length for an MPhil thesis is 40,000 words.

In the following subjects no limits are specified:

Biochemistry
Engineering and Design
Environmental Science
Informatics
Mathematics
Physics & Astronomy
SPRU: Science & Technology Policy Research

The maximum word length includes footnotes and bibliography but excludes any appendices. Any request to exceed the word limit would not normally exceed 10% of the stated maximum and must be submitted via the Approval to Exceed Thesis Length form and approved by your School, as here: www.sussex.ac.uk/rsao/forms/

A PhD or MPhil taken by musical composition should be submitted in the format of a portfolio of compositions and a discursive or written component.

The portfolio must contain at least one substantial composition and one or more related shorter compositions.

The substantial composition should consist of either:

a written score to be scored either for larger forces or for smaller forces in which case it should exceed 15 minutes in duration
or an equivalent-scale musical, sonic or audio-visual work for digital media
or an equivalent-scale musical performance of original work, which must be documented on DVD and submitted with the critical commentary
the written component [associated commentary] must be between 8000 and 10,000 words in length. The portfolio of compositions should normally contain at least one large-scale work and a number of related smaller compositions.

The large-scale work should consist of either:

a written score for larger forces or for smaller forces in which case it should exceed 30 minutes in duration
an equivalent-scale musical, sonic or audio-visual work for digital media
an equivalent-scale musical performance of original work documented on DVD and submitted with the critical commentary.

The written component [associated commentary] must be between 20,000 and 40,000 words in length.

The thesis should consist of either a substantial performance work, or a performance work with a portfolio of compositions or other creative work, and a discursive and critical written component.

The performance may involve any media or disciplines in combination with music, and may or may not involve the Doctoral Researcher themselves. The performance work must be documented on electronic media, which must be submitted with the critical commentary.

The MPhil discursive or critical written component of the thesis will be between 10,000 and 20,000, PhD will be between 20,000 and 40,000 words in length. The summary for both the MPhil and the PhD shall not exceed 600 words.

The MPhil shall be no more than 40,000 words in length. The PhD shall be no more than 80,000 words.

The thesis will be an original piece of creative writing and research. Many creative writing theses will consist of a creative component:

in any recognised genre of creative writing, together with a related critical study
the critical component should occupy no less than 20% and no more than 80% of the total word length
where poetry is the chosen genre, the creative component will be a book length manuscript and the critical component will be no less than 25,000 words (MPhil) or 50,000 words (PhD)
the thesis may also be presented in such a way that the creative and critical components are interwoven to create a distinctive whole. In this instance, the creative and critical components may be seen, for example, as two different but interdependent responses to the same topic
or the creative component may arise out of the critical component (or vice versa) and be a vehicle for exploring it further
in either case, the summary for both the MPhil and the PhD shall not exceed 600 words.

The thesis can either be submitted as a written thesis or through a combination of thesis and performance work. Where the thesis does not include a practice-based component it should follow the standard thesis format and guidelines (80,000 words for a PhD, 40,000 words for an MPhil).

Thesis and practice: the submission should consist of either a substantial practice-based work, such as a performance, a series of workshops, an installation or a durational work, or a portfolio of works. The work must be documented in relevant and retainable form such as video/digital recording, scores or scripts, photographic evidence or a combination of these, agreed and approved by the supervisor(s). The work may or may not involve the student as performer but must be entirely her/his work. The practice-based component must be accompanied by a discursive, critical written component of between 10,000 and 20,000 words (MPhil) and between 20,000 and 40,000 words (PhD). The summary for both the MPhil and the PhD must not exceed 600 words.

The thesis will consist of a substantial creative work, or a portfolio of creative work, in either video or digital imaging or photography or interactive media or sound or any other digital media or combination of media, and a discursive and critical written component.

The work may incorporate live performance and installation in which case these elements must be documented in retainable forms, such as videos, scripts and plans, that are approved by the supervisor(s).

The MPhil discursive or critical written component of the thesis will be between 10,000 and 20,000 words in length and PhD between 20,000 and 40,000 words in length. The summary for both the MPhil and the PhD must not exceed 600 words.

The thesis must not normally exceed 50,000 words. The summary for both the Doctor of Education and Doctor of Social Work must not exceed 600 words.

You may incorporate, as an integral part of the thesis, any of your work published or submitted for publication before the submission of the thesis, provided that the greater proportion of the work for the thesis has been carried out after registration for the degree and under supervision. Candidates submitting a ‘papers-style’ thesis are required to include a declaration confirming their contribution to each paper, especially in cases where the co-author is a supervisor. Examiners will be asked to pay particular attention to consistency or otherwise in the quality of those parts of the thesis which have not been submitted for publication (linking chapters).

Please note that in preparing a ‘papers style’ thesis you should bear in mind that the examiners will be judging the overall contribution of the research project in addition to the quality or impact of the individual papers. You should therefore include a section in the introduction to your thesis which explains how your project represents a significant contribution to knowledge. The introduction should also be expanded to include a short description of each chapter or paper and their contribution to the overall project. You should also prepare a final chapter bringing the papers and chapters together into a conclusion.

Please note that you may amend the original papers for inclusion in your thesis, even if they have already been published elsewhere. For example, a single set of appendices containing your data, and a single bibliography, will aid the examiners in reading and evaluating the overall thesis.

This course of registration relates to those who are the author of substantial research-led publications prior to registration.

This PhD is awarded for the submission of a portfolio of published research of the same standard as a typical PhD. The work can take the form of refereed articles, chapters, monographs, scholarly editions, software and creative work (including fine art, audiovisual works, design, music or performance) or other original artefacts, as long as they are available or traceable in the public domain.

Three copies will be required of a portfolio consisting of the following: an abstract of the submission, including a list of the items of published work; the items of published work; and a 10,000 word supporting paper that:

summarises each published work to be submitted
provides a commentary on the status of the publishing outlets
describes the interrelationship of the published works to be submitted
gives a critical review of the current state of knowledge and research in the relevant field
reports on the reception of the published works as indicated by citations and reviews
demonstrates how the published works to be submitted have made a significant contribution to knowledge in a particular field.

Presentation of your thesis As it is important that your thesis is presented for examination in a complete form before submission you are advised to check;

All chapters/sections are present and complete, correctly numbered and in the correct order.
Tables of contents, etc. are present and correct.
All Figures and Tables are present, inserted in the correct place, have an appropriate title and legend where necessary, and are in final form and appropriately numbered.
A minimum font size of not less than 9 is suggested after insertion of a Figure into the main text of the thesis.
The text has been carefully checked to remove typographical, spelling and grammatical errors. As complete elimination is very difficult, insertion of a few corrections at a later stage is usually allowed, although please be advised more than one error per page is not considered acceptable.
The bibliography is presented in an acceptable format, your supervisor should be able to advise you further.
References are cited accurately, and every reference cited in the text is given in the bibliography and vice-versa.
All pages are present and correctly numbered and located.
You have correctly set out subject-specific aspects such as statistical analyses, formulae or quotations.

Advisory note You may wish to retain the services of a proof reader or editor to assist you in completing a draft of your thesis. A thesis presented for examination in an incomplete or poor form could result in the examiners being unable to assess the academic work properly.

Format of the Thesis or Portfolio The approved format of your thesis or portfolio is as follows:

The typeface should be clear and easy to read.
For the main text, double or one-and-a-half line-spacing.
For indented quotations or footnotes, single line-spacing.
The left-hand-side should be 4cm.
The top and bottom margins should be 2.5cm deep.
The right hand margin should be 2cm.
Pages should be numbered consecutively through the main text, excluding photographs and/or diagrams which are not embodied in the text.
Page numbers should be located centrally at the top of the page.
Any photographs or diagrams not included in the text must be indexed separately by reference to the page which follows it.

Title Page The title page should include:

the full title of the thesis and the sub-title if any;
the full name of the author;
the qualification aimed for;
the name of the University of Sussex;
the month and year of submission.

Table of Contents A table of contents should be included in the thesis and should list in sequence with the page numbers all relevant sub-divisions of the thesis including;

the titles of chapters;
sections and paragraphs as appropriate;
the bibliography;
the list of abbreviations and other functional parts of the thesis,
any appendices and the index (if provided).

Drawings, maps and similar documents should preferably be included with the text, but may, if necessary, be submitted in a separate volume lettered in similar fashion to the text.

Bibliography A composite bibliography should be presented at the end of the thesis after the main text and before any appendices. Individual bibliographies for sub-divisions of the thesis should not be employed.

The composite bibliography should be;

either numbered consecutively, as far as possible, in the same order as references appear in the text, with numbers only in the text;
or be placed in alphabetical order of authors, sub-divided chronologically by year of publication, with authors' names and years of publications in the text.
In the latter case publications in the same year by the same author(s) should be distinguished in the bibliography and the text by letters in alphabetical sequence (e.g. 1979a, 1979b).
Referencing system: please use the referencing system most prevalent in your discipline. The same referencing system should be used throughout the thesis.

Acknowledgements In the introduction to your thesis, you should set out the sources of your information, such as particular libraries, archives, organisational records, private papers and department files.

You should also set out the plan of your research procedures, indicating what general categories of persons you interviewed and you should indicate any special conditions of access to information.

Statement Your thesis or portfolio must include a signed declaration bound into the thesis or portfolio after the title page which states:

the thesis or portfolio, whether in the same or different form, has not been previously submitted to this or any other University for a degree, unless you are re-submitting the thesis or portfolio for re-examination.
To what extent any material has already been submitted as part of required coursework, at any university and any award obtained as a result.
The sources from which the information has been derived and, if any part of the thesis or portfolio results from joint work with other persons. If so, the extent to which the thesis or portfolio has drawn on the work of those others and the portion of the thesis or portfolio which you claim to be your own original work.
in the case of the papers-style thesis, the declaration must state the candidate's contribution to each paper.

Examples of standard statements

Example 1: Work submitted elsewhere for examination

I hereby declare that this thesis has not been and will not be, submitted in whole or in part to another University for the award of any other degree. However, the thesis incorporates to the extent indicated below, material already submitted as part of required coursework and/or for the degree of:

...................................................................................................................................................

In ...................................................................................................................................... (subject)

which was awarded by...........................................................................................................(institution)

Signature:..................................................................................................................................

Example 2: Work not submitted elsewhere for examination

I hereby declare that this thesis has not been and will not be, submitted in whole or in part to another University for the award of any other degree.

Signature:………………………………………

It is an offence for any student to be guilty of, or party to, collusion, plagiarism or any other form of misconduct in an examination or work which is submitted for assessment. It is also an offence to commit any form of misconduct during the course of your research. The main types of misconduct are defined as follows:

Plagiarism is the use, without acknowledgement, of the intellectual work of other people, and the act of representing the ideas or discoveries of another as one’s own in written work submitted for assessment. To copy sentences, phrases or even striking expressions without acknowledgement of the source (either by inadequate citation or failure to indicate verbatim quotations), is plagiarism; to paraphrase without acknowledgement is likewise plagiarism. Where such copying or paraphrase has occurred the mere mention of the source in the bibliography shall not be deemed sufficient acknowledgement; each such instance must be referred specifically to its source. Verbatim quotations must be either in inverted commas, or indented, and directly acknowledged.

Deliberate deception, usually involving the invention of data or the fabrication of results or observations. It does not include unintentional error or professional differences in interpretation or judgement of data.

Collusion is the preparation or production of work for assessment jointly with another person or persons unless explicitly permitted. An act of collusion is understood to encompass those who actively assist others as well as those who derive benefit from others’ work. Where joint preparation is permitted but joint production is not, the submitted work must be produced solely by the candidate making the submission. Where joint production or joint preparation and production of work for assessment is specifically permitted, this will be stated explicitly in the relevant course documentation. This does not preclude collaborative working arrangements (e.g. experimental research in laboratories) where this is permitted by the School; however, the student is required to acknowledge in the thesis where the results of collaborative work are presented and outline the contributions made by each party.

Interference

Intentional damage to, or removal of, the research-related property of another.

Non-compliance with requirements governing research

Intentional non-compliance with the terms and conditions governing the award of external funding for research or with the University’s policies and procedures relating to research, including accounting requirements, ethics, and health and safety regulations. At the time you submit your thesis, you will be asked to sign a statement to confirm that you understand the definition of plagiarism and that the sources used in your thesis have been fully acknowledged. Allegations or complaints of misconduct committed by Doctoral Researchers will be investigated by the appropriate authority, depending on the timing and nature of the allegation. Where a Doctoral Researcher is found guilty of misconduct, a range of penalties may be applied, up to and including disqualification from eligibility for the award for the most serious offences. The detailed procedures for the consideration of misconduct by Doctoral Researchers, or others, engaged in research can be accessed at: www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/research/rqi/policy/research-policy .

Turnitin for doctoral researchers

Turnitin, the text-matching service can be accessed via the online learning portal ‘Canvas’, at https://canvas.sussex. ac.uk/courses/6596 . Turnitin enables you to check the text in chapters or sections of your thesis or research reports, to ensure that material from other sources have all been identified and referenced. Turnitin does this by comparing your submitted text with its enormous database of digital text from journals, books, conference proceedings, web pages, and archived student papers. You then have a confidential and detailed report on text similarities, which you can use to identify material taken from other sources. The site also provides links to helpful resources such as copyright and referencing information and guidance for researchers. Where examiners or internal assessors of your work request so, an electronic copy of your thesis will be requested to be submitted through Turnitin. The resulting originality report will be shared with you and all involved.

Schools will ensure that students are offered support in preparation for the viva (for example participation at a suitable workshop, offer of a mock viva or reference to relevant written guidance materials).

Your principal source of support in preparation for the viva should be your main supervisor, though input from others involved in your supervision is also encouraged.

The opportunity to present and defend academic work should take place regularly and form part of the Progression Review.

Centrally-run workshops on preparation for the viva are available to all students. Details can be found on the Doctoral School website.

The examination process

See below for details of the examination process.

Your examiners will be guided by the assessment criteria outlined on the information for examiners webpage.

They will also take into account the doctoral-level qualification descriptors produced by the Quality Assurance Agency, which specify the standards and characteristics expected of those awarded doctoral-level qualifications.

Your thesis will be examined by at least one examiner, unless you are a member of Sussex staff when you would normally be examined by two external examiners. One copy of your thesis or portfolio will be sent by the Research Student Administration Office to each of your examiners and the remaining copy will be kept in the Research Student Administration Office.

As part of the examination process you will be required to attend a viva voce examination in defence of your thesis or portfolio. The internal examiner will contact both you and the external examiner to arrange a mutually convenient time to hold the viva voce examination. Please note that if you refuse to agree a time, or if you do not attend at the agreed time, you risk failure of the examination and the examiners will have the right to go ahead and conduct the examination and make a recommendation to the Examination Board, on the basis of the evidence before them, i.e. the thesis alone.

Your supervisor, with your agreement, may be invited by the examiners to attend your viva voce examination. If a supervisor does attend a viva voce examination they should only contribute to the discussion if directly addressed by the examiners.

If anyone additional attends at a viva voce examination as an observer this must be approved by the Director of Doctoral Studies of your School and on the condition that they play no part in the examination. Your consent must be obtained, and the rationale for the additional person attending must be clearly explained to you in advance, and confirmed at the outset of the viva.

Where it is School or departmental level policy, or where there are particular circumstances that warrant it, an independent chair may be employed at your viva voce examination. Where this is the case, you will be notified in advance.

The examination is normally held approximately two to three months after the time of submission of your thesis. If you will be unavailable to attend the viva voce examination for any period of time you should inform the Research Student Administration Office at the time of submission.

If you are unable to attend your viva voce examination due to illness, you should inform the internal examiner and the Research Student Administration Office as soon as possible in order that an alternative date may be arranged.

The viva may be conducted remotely via Skype or videoconference. These arrangements must be approved by the Research Degrees Examination Board well in advance. Contact the Research Student Administration Office for details.

Please note that you may not make contact with your examiners at any time other than to arrange the viva date as this may result in the examination being invalidated. Any contact, if necessary, should be made via your supervisors.

Basis of assessment

In order to decide whether you have met the required standard for the degree for which you are being examined, your examiners will be guided by the assessment criteria for your degree. They will also take into account the doctoral-level qualification descriptors produced by the Quality Assurance Agency, which specify standards and characteristics that are expected of those who are awarded doctoral-level qualifications. See the information for examiners for further details.

The role of the Research Degrees Examination Board

The role of the Research Degrees Examination Board is to formally appoint examiners on behalf of Senate and to consider the recommendations made by those examiners on the outcome of the doctoral examination. The Research Degrees Examination Board will then make a recommendation to Senate on the award of the degree, and the Research Student Administration Office will communicate the result to the Doctoral Researcher.

Most of the work of the Research Degrees Examination Board is carried out by the three ‘specialist members’, who are appointed by Doctoral Studies Committee for a three-year term, and who must have experience of graduate work at research degree level in the humanities, social sciences or science or engineering. The Exam Board Chair has discretion to call a meeting of the full Research Degrees Examination Board to consider any cases where the recommendation of the examiners, following the viva, does not appear to be straightforward.

The Research Degrees Examination Board becomes involved with a Doctoral Researcher’s progress at various points during the examination process:

at the time of the appointment of examiners (at least two months before the thesis is submitted)
when they have received the individual and joint reports of the internal and external examiners for consideration of the recommended outcome (several weeks after the viva)
when they recommend the award of the degree to Senate (after all corrections requested by the examiners have been made to the thesis and approved by the examiners).

Examination outcome categories

The outcome of the examination is based both on the quality of the submitted thesis and the candidate’s performance in the viva. The examiners will recommend one of the following outcomes to the Research Degrees Examination Board:

The thesis is of doctoral quality and may be awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy unconditionally. A very small number of minor typographical errors, which can be corrected immediately but do not require checking by the examiners, are permitted.

The thesis is of doctoral quality and will pass pending the completion of minor corrections. This category allows for a period of up to three months during which the candidate may undertake the following types of minor corrections: spelling/typing errors, textual errors, reordering of material, correction of citations, and correction of figures, tables and diagrams, and the addition of a small number of paragraphs for clarification or qualification.

The thesis is of doctoral quality and will pass pending the completion of a number of more substantial corrections. This category allows for a period of up to six months during which the candidate may undertake the following types of corrections in addition to those specified in category 2: more substantial addition of paragraphs, including the incorporation of some new material, reordering and restructuring of chapters, or some additional data analyses.

The thesis is not of doctoral standard but may be resubmitted for examination for the award of Doctor of Philosophy. This category allows for a period of up to 12 months during which the candidate is required to thoroughly revise their thesis for resubmission, using the guidance set out in the examiners’ joint report. Fees are payable for this additional year.

The thesis is not of doctoral standard and may not be resubmitted for the award of PhD, but the MPhil may be awarded according to one of the three pass categories above, the corrections to be approved by the examiners.

The candidate be failed and not be permitted to revise and re-submit the thesis for examination.

Pass subject to minor corrections, or corrections

If your thesis or portfolio is referred for corrections only, you must return your corrected thesis to the Research Student Administration Office who will seek approval from your examiners. The corrected thesis must be accompanied by a cover-note to examiners, listing the location and detail of all changes made to the thesis.

In exceptional circumstances it is possible to apply for an extension of up to one month (minor corrections) or three months (corrections) through the Research Student Administration Office. You will not be required to re-register whilst under minor corrections or corrections.

Revision and re-submission of a thesis or portfolio

If you have not met the standard required for the award at the first attempt you will be required by the Examination Board to revise and resubmit your thesis or portfolio for re-examination within one year. The Research Student Administration Office will write to you to inform you of the recommended revisions and of the date by which your thesis or portfolio must be resubmitted. In exceptional circumstances it is possible to apply for an extension of up to six months through the Research Student Administration Office, with registration fees applying.

You will be asked to confirm your acceptance of the decision of the Examination Board of revision and resubmission and pay any appropriate fees. You should consult your supervisor regarding the recommended revisions but you must not communicate with the examiners during the period of revision. Your revised thesis must be submitted to the Research Student Administration Office who will arrange for a second examination.

Once you have resubmitted your thesis for re-examination, you will not be able to revert to the original offer made by the Examination Board following your original examination.

Unsuccessful candidates

If you are unsuccessful in your examination, the University will retain one copy of the thesis which shall become the property of the University.

Return of theses

On request, the Research Student Administration Office will return copies of your thesis to you:

by recorded delivery, if you live in the United Kingdom
by registered surface mail or by insured mail (if you live outside the United Kingdom)
or you may collect your thesis in person from the Research Student Administration Office.

Please note that the Research Student Administration Office are unable to take responsibility for the safe delivery of theses by post, we would be happy to make alternative arrangements for you but they would be at your own expense.

As a precaution we advise you to retain a copy of any work submitted for examination.

Submission of the final version of the thesis

On successful completion of the examination process you must submit an electronic copy of your thesis. You must not change the thesis title at this stage unless your joint examiners’ report has specifically requested a change.

IT Services have several electronic guides that relate to creating and managing PDFs .

The electronic version of your thesis will be uploaded into the institutional repository, Sussex Research Online, where it will be available for download via open access.

Third party copyright and confidential sources

Before submitting the hard and electronic copies of your thesis, you should check that you are able to use any third party material e.g. photographs, images, diagrams, maps and long extracts from other works.

While you are permitted to use third party material in a thesis for the purposes of examination, you do not automatically have permission to make these materials freely available online. Under copyright law, making a thesis available online is considered a form of ‘publishing’ as it makes the work available to the public. Every attempt should be made, at the earliest opportunity, to gain permission from the rights holder to include such material. All permission should be obtained in writing and an electronic copy of the correspondence should be submitted along with the electronic copy of your thesis.

Further information on third party copyright permissions, including what to do if permission is not granted, is available from the Library website .

The following is intended to illustrate the kinds of material, which may be termed confidential sources, and to offer guidance on the problems which such material presents.

The nature of confidential sources

The following are examples of sources of confidential information which may be encountered by Doctoral Researchers:

information from documents or files which were produced under the authority of a public agency or Government department, and made available by private agencies, such as firms, or individuals, with or without conditions
information from letters written by individuals in a public or private capacity which have not been published or available in a public archive for more than one hundred years
information from interviews with individuals about the activities and/or personnel of public or private organisations.

Any material which is protected by copyright should also be considered to determine whether it is also confidential.

In the course of their research, Doctoral Researchers may obtain information from confidential sources, and then face decisions about how to take account of the information, and how to clear it for publication. The problems should not be put aside until the thesis has been written. It is important to realise that a thesis is legally considered to have been published as soon as it is made available to anyone at all, and therefore it cannot be written as a private document.

Treatment of confidential sources

Given that a thesis is a publication it cannot, without permission, include quotations from, or citations of, documents or letters or oral statements which are confidential. Doctoral Researchers who have obtained confidential information should proceed as follows:

Every effort should be made to find published sources which make points or substantiate data which have been encountered in confidential sources.
Some institutions allow a researcher to consult records on condition that manuscripts of any material intended for publication are submitted to them for approval prior to publication; in such cases, copies of the letter stating conditions of access and signifying approval of the thesis manuscript should be included when the thesis is submitted for examination.
Doctoral Researchers may be given documents or letters held by a private individual who is an employee, or former employee, of some public or private institution. If Doctoral Researchers wish to quote from or cite documents or letters belonging to such private collectors, they should obtain written permission from the originators of the letters or documents, whether personal or institutional.
In many cases, the amount of confidential material which Doctoral Researchers will obtain in the course of their research can be dealt with simply, but if students intend to base their theses to a large extent on such sources, then they should discuss this matter carefully with their supervisor at the outset of their studies and continue to review outstanding copyright matters on an annual basis as their thesis progresses, keeping a record of any actions that need to be taken prior to submission.
The Researcher Development Programme includes regular copyright workshops run by the Library which are specifically intended to assist Doctoral Researchers by raising awareness and understanding of the copyright issues involved in e-theses submission. Details are available via the Doctoral School website.

Access to theses and embargo arrangements

When a thesis is submitted, it is subject to the following arrangements:

it is made available for use in the electronic University Repository, Sussex Research Online
it is automatically uploaded to the British Library ‘EThOS’ service and hence becomes publicly available for download subject to the acceptance of the EThOS End User Licence Agreement
details of the thesis, sometimes including abstracts, are sent to various national, international and subject bodies, and to bibliographies.

There may be valid reasons for restricting access to your thesis. Usually this will be for a limited period. Below are some common reasons why you may need to restrict access to your thesis:

you have an agreement with a publisher to publish all or part of your thesis
your thesis contains commercially sensitive information that may prejudice the commercial interests of another person or company
your thesis contains material that was obtained under a promise of confidentiality
your thesis contains sensitive material about an individual or individuals that may endanger their physical or mental well-being

All requests for an embargo should be discussed in the first instance with your supervisor who will advise you on how to proceed. Access may, with the approval of the Director of Doctoral Studies, be restricted for a period of up to three years via the thesis embargo form available on the Research Student Administration website.

If your thesis contains material for which you do not have cleared copyright, you may remove that material to a separate volume which will be permanently embargoed. In such cases you will need to submit one hard bound copy of your thesis which will be placed in the University Library for consultation by scholars but not on public access. However you must make every effort to obtain copyright during the preparation of your thesis.

You will be asked to complete an end-of-programme evaluation form following your submission which will provide an opportunity for feedback to the Doctoral School on the working of your examination process, as well as some overall reflections on your experience as a Doctoral Researcher during your time at Sussex.

All Doctoral Researchers are encouraged to complete the national Postgraduate Research Student Experience Survey. This survey is the primary way in which the University reflects on and makes changes to its Doctoral Researcher offer. The survey contains questions about supervision, research culture, resources and expectations and will be publicised by email direct to all Doctoral Researchers.

Graduation ceremonies are currently held in January and July. You will be sent details of the next appropriate ceremony based on the expected date of your viva.

Please note there is no guarantee that you will have completed in time to be eligible to graduate at the ceremony you have been sent the details for, as the process of submitting, examining and correcting your thesis typically takes several months.

In order to graduate, you must have no outstanding academic commitments or fees. If you are asked by your examiners to make corrections to your thesis after your viva, these corrections must be completed and approved by the Research Degrees Examination Board before you will be eligible to graduate.

See Sussex' s Graduation pages for more details about your ceremony.

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How is a thesis examined?

All higher degree by research students should be aware of the HDR Policy and HDR Examination Procedures applicable to the examination of a thesis.

General considerations

You are not only examined on the basis of your understanding of a body of existing knowledge but will be also be examined by individuals who must judge the approach to research, construction of hypotheses, argument and analysis. If the degree is awarded, you will become the peer of the examiners.

Two examiners are appointed for a research masters or doctoral degree thesis, both of whom must be external to the University, from different institutions, and have no actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest with you, your supervisors or each other.

Examiners will be experts of international standing in the discipline and will be active in research/scholarship thus ensuring that their knowledge of the field or area of professional practice is current. They must hold a qualification equivalent to or higher than the degree for which the thesis is being examined.

The appointment of the examiners must be approved by the College and the Office of Graduate Research. Before examiners are approved, you are given the opportunity to object to any examiners who you do NOT wish to examine your thesis. This can be done on your intention to submit milestone in Inspire.

Examiners identities are not revealed to you until after the examination process, and only if the examiner does not want to remain anonymous.

More detailed information about the appointment of examiners can be found in  HDR Policy and  HDR Examination Procedures .

An examiner is given 6 weeks to examine your thesis, however at times this can be delayed depending on the individual circumstances of the examiner. Once both of your examiners' reports are received they will be considered by the Dean of Graduate Research and you will be notified of the results. 

Examiners will be asked to write and upload a written report on the quality of the thesis and recommend one of the following grades in Inspire:

Further details can be found in the HDR Policy and HDR Examination Procedures .

When the examiners agree

After receiving the examiners' reports, the Dean of Graduate Research determines the final outcome of the examination. If both examiners have recommended the award of the degree without any amendments ( A grade), the Dean of Graduate Research will recommend that the degree be awarded.

If both examiners have recommended the award of the degree subject to minor or major amendments ( B or C grade), or if one examiner recommends that the thesis be passed, and the other recommends that the thesis be passed subject to minor or major amendments ( B or C grade), your supervisor and the HDR Coordinator of your College (or nominee) ensures that the amendments are made. The Dean of Graduate Research will then normally recommend the award of the degree.

If both examiners are unanimous in making any of the other remaining recommendations above ( D , E or F grades), the examiners' reports are then referred to the University Higher Degrees Research Committee (UHDRC), which will make a decision on the outcome of the examination.

When the examiners don't agree

When examiners are not unanimous in making any other recommendations above, you and your supervisor will be provided with copies of the examiner reports. In consultation with you, your supervisor will be invited to write a statement in response to the differing examiner recommendations. Your examination will be then be referred to the University Higher Degrees Research Committee (UHDRC) who will determine your final examination result. The UHDRC may engage a third examiner to provide the committee with additional expertise and insight. 

The following  examination diagram and matrix may be helpful tools to assist with understanding this process.

Examinations diagram
HDR examination matrix

You can appeal your examination grade to the Student Appeals Committee if you fall into one of the categories below: 

You received divergent results and a decision was made by the URHDC;
You received an ( E ) Award Alternate Degree or ( F ) Non-Award; or
You are able to provide documented evidence of a flaw in the examination process, such as prejudice or bias on the part of one or more examiners.

 An appeal may only be made on one or more of the following grounds:

The appropriate policy was not adhered to or correct procedures were not followed in considering the matter;
The decision was made without due regard to facts, evidence or circumstances.

For further information on appeals refer to the HDR Policy and HDR Examination Procedures .

If you have any questions related to our HDR examination process or require any additional information, please don't hesistate to contact us.

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Guidelines on Conducting MPhil and PhD Thesis Examinations

A. introduction.

The thesis examination is mandatory for those enrolled in research postgraduate programs. It is conducted by a Thesis Examination Committee (TEC).
An MPhil TEC normally consists of at least three faculty members. One is the thesis supervisor; if there are two thesis supervisors, they will both be on the committee, which will then comprise four members. Of the other two members, one is appointed as Chairperson. All three (or four) are voting members.
A PhD TEC normally consists of a Chairperson and at least five voting examiners. The examiners include the thesis supervisor(s), two faculty members from the candidate’s major Department, one faculty member from outside the Department, and one faculty external to the University who has expertise in the field being examined.

B. Protocol

A thesis examination takes place in a single session, comprising four parts. The first two parts are open to all members of the University and to departmental guests. The third part is closed to all but the candidate and the TEC, and the fourth is a closed session of the TEC in the absence of the candidate.
The first part is an oral presentation by the candidate, emphasizing the major elements of the research and the results obtained. The candidate is expected to apportion no more than 60 minutes for the presentation.
The second part is an open questioning session, involving the TEC members, and others in attendance. During this part of the examination, all questions are addressed through the Chairperson, and any dialogue is limited to the candidate and the individual questioner.
The third part is a closed session involving a less formal discussion between the candidate and the TEC. Other than the candidate and the TEC, other persons are not ordinarily allowed to attend this part. However, in exceptional circumstances, with the prior agreement of the candidate, the thesis supervisor and the TEC Chairperson, other persons may be allowed to attend as observers. It should be noted that observers are not permitted to participate in the examination or attempt to influence the examiners in their assessment of the thesis examination. At the end of this part of the examination, the candidate and any observers must leave the examination venue.
The fourth and final part is a closed session involving only the TEC, who then assess the quality of the thesis, and the performance of the candidate during the examination. In arriving at a decision, the votes of members of the TEC carry equal weight.
The TEC will convey the outcome of the thesis examination to the student immediately after the thesis examination. The outcome will be recorded in a proforma report, the “ Report on Thesis Examination Results for Research Postgraduate Degrees ”, as described below.

The examination result will be reported in a proforma entitled “ Report on Thesis Examination Results for Research Postgraduate Degrees ” and submitted by the TEC Chairperson.

This Report comprises several parts, to be completed by the examiners. Some parts need to be completed before the examination.
The TEC Chairperson shall collect Part 2 of the report from all the examiners and complete Part 3 and Part 4.1 of the report.
The report must include all comments that the TEC or the Chairperson wishes to make on the conducting of the examination, the quality of the thesis, the contribution of the thesis to the field of study, the performance and competency of the candidate in the thesis examination, and any other remarks relating to the thesis and the examination.
All TEC members must sign the report.
The TEC Chairperson shall return the completed form to Department for further follow up, as described below.

The Chairperson is also required to submit an online “ Chairperson’s Report on Thesis Examination ” to the HKUST Fok Ying Tung Graduate School (FYTGS) within one week from the date of the thesis examination, reporting any irregularities observed during the conduct of the thesis examination.

D. Outcomes

A thesis examination, whether MPhil or PhD, will have one of the following results:

Passed subject to minor corrections;
Passed subject to major corrections;
Failed but may be resubmitted; or

The protocols for handling each outcome are described below.

Procedure. The Chairperson will forward the completed “ Report on Thesis Examination Results for Research Postgraduate Degrees ”, together with the final thesis, to the head of the candidate’s Department. After signing the report, the Department Head/Program Director will forward it to the Dean or the Dean’s designee for endorsement. Finally, the Department will forward it to the Academic Registry for action and record.
Thesis submission deadline. If a thesis has been graded “Passed”, the candidate must, within one week of the date of the thesis examination, submit an electronic copy of the final thesis, together with the electronic copy of the authorization page containing the student’s signature, and a signature page containing signatures of the thesis supervisor(s) and Department Head/Program Director, to the University’s Thesis Submission System.
Procedure. In this case, the Chairperson should pass the entire set of documents to the thesis supervisor(s) who should keep the report until the candidate has submitted a revised thesis to his/her satisfaction before the deadline as described below. The full set of documents, with the final thesis, should then be forwarded to the Department Head/Program Director and the Dean or the Dean’s designee for endorsement before passing to the Academic Registry for action and record.

Thesis submission deadline. In this case, the final thesis and the iThenticate report must be submitted within three months from the date of the thesis examination, or a date specified by the TEC, whichever is earlier. The iThenticate report should be handed in to the supervisor(s), via the Department for review and endorsement.

The thesis supervisor will record whether the corrections are satisfactory in the “ Report on Thesis Examination Results for Research Postgraduate Degrees ”.
Upon approving the thesis, the supervisor will forward the signed report, together with the final thesis, to the Department to obtain signatures of Department Head/Program Director.
Candidates should allow sufficient time for the above approval processes.
Finally, the candidate must submit an electronic copy of the final thesis, with the electronic copy of the authorization page containing the student’s signature and the appropriate signatures of approval, to the University’s Thesis Submission System.
Procedure. In this case, the Chairperson should pass the entire set of documents to the thesis supervisor(s) who should keep the report until the candidate has submitted a revised thesis approved by the TEC before the deadline as described below. The full set of documents, with the final thesis, should then be forwarded to the Department Head/Program Director and the Dean or the Dean’s designee for endorsement before passing to the Academic Registry for action and record.

Thesis submission deadline. In this case, the final thesis and the iThenticate report must be submitted within 12 months from the date of the thesis examination, or a date specified by the TEC, whichever is earlier. The iThenticate report should be handed in to the TEC via the Department for review and endorsement.

The revised thesis requires the approval of the full TEC.
The TEC may recommend that a re-examination be held before a final assessment is arrived at. If a re-examination is required, the TEC membership should be the same as that for the first examination, unless otherwise recommended by the Department or FYTGS. In this case, the protocol is repeated, as for the first examination.
The TEC will need to indicate whether the major corrections are satisfactory by completing the “ Report on Thesis Examination Results for Research Postgraduate Degrees ”. If the members are satisfied with the revised thesis, the final thesis must be submitted, with the electronic copy of the authorization page containing the student’s signature and the appropriate signatures of approval, to the University’s Thesis Submission System.
In this case, the Chairperson should forward the duly completed “ Report on Thesis Examination Results for Research Postgraduate Degrees ” to the head of the candidate’s Department. After signing the report, the Department Head/Program Director will forward it to the Dean or the Dean’s designee for endorsement.
The TEC membership may or may not be the same as that for the first examination.
Failure in the second attempt of thesis examination will result in the automatic withdrawal of the candidate from the program of study and termination of registration at the University.
Timeline. At least six months should pass before the second thesis examination. The protocol is repeated, as for the first examination.

E. Submission of Final Thesis

Thesis copy. On successful completion of the thesis examination, and after any required corrections, a candidate must submit a copy of the thesis (either hard or electronic) to the Department.

For final theses which have been graded “Passed subject to minor corrections” or “Passed subject to major corrections”, students are required to submit the thesis for originality check via iThenticate. The iThenticate report should be handed in to their thesis supervisor(s), and the Thesis Examination Committee if applicable, for review and endorsement via their Department.

The Department will arrange for the appropriate signatures of approval to be obtained, and then return the signed copy to the candidate. The candidate will upload and submit the Signature Page and the Authorization Page as a PDF file and the final thesis as another PDF file to the University’s Thesis Submission System. The candidate does not need to replace the two unsigned pages in the thesis PDF with the scanned signature pages. The candidate will receive email acknowledgement of successful upload. The final thesis will be forwarded to the thesis supervisor(s) for approval via the Thesis Submission System.

Note: Candidates should allow sufficient time for the thesis supervisor(s) to check and verify their final version of the thesis, and for the Department to obtain signatures of approval before the submission deadline.

The “ Report on Thesis Examination Results for Research Postgraduate Degrees ” will be submitted by the Department to the Academic Registry.
Other documents. Candidates are also required to submit other documents to the Department together with the final thesis. Details are available on the FYTGS website.
Failure to meet submission deadline. If a candidate fails to submit the final thesis before his/her specific deadline, the candidate will be deemed to have failed to meet the thesis examination requirements of the University and to have failed the requirements of the degree program being pursued. If the candidate fails to meet the deadline in submitting the final thesis, and the delay is through no fault of the candidate, the candidate may appeal for an exception to the above rules in a written letter. The appeal must be supported by the thesis supervisor(s) and PG Coordinator of the Department, and endorsed by the relevant School. It should then be submitted to FYTGS for further arrangements.

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="phd thesis examine"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Defending your thesis or dissertation.

Certain special exams are required to earn an advanced degree in the research-based programs at Cornell. Often, these exams need to be taken with consideration of anticipated completion dates. Enrollment in future semesters after the date a student passes their M or B exam is not permitted. See Taking Exams for more information.

All exam forms are available on our Forms page.

Exams Required for M.A. and M.S. Degree Defense

If you are enrolled in an M.A. or M.S. degree program, you must pass the final examination for the master’s degree. You can take this after all degree requirements have been fulfilled, but no earlier than one month before completing the minimum number of enrolled semesters.

To pass the exam unconditionally and receive a degree, all regular, proxy, and field-appointed members of the examining committee must assent that the exam was passed unconditionally. If you are enrolled in an M.S./Ph.D. degree program where the M.A. or M.S. degree is a prerequisite for your Ph.D., you may petition your special committee to approve combining the final examination for the master’s degree with the examination for the admission to candidacy.

Exam forms required for the master’s degree include “Schedule Master’s Examination” and “Master’s Exam Results Form and Instructions.”

Exams Required for Ph.D. Degree Defense

The B exam is an oral defense of your thesis or dissertation. This exam can be taken after completing all degree requirements, but not earlier than one month before completing the minimum number of enrolled semesters. At least two semesters of successful registration must be completed between the passing of the A exam and the scheduling of the B exam.

Exam forms required for the Ph.D. degree include “Schedule A Examination and Research Compliance Form,” “Schedule B Examination,” “A Exam Results Form,” and “B Exam Results Form.”

The qualifying exam, or Q exam, is required in some fields for Ph.D. applicants. This exam helps the special committee determine your ability to pursue doctoral studies, continue in a program, and tailor an appropriate program of study.

UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this community https://hdl.handle.net/2152/4

This collection contains University of Texas at Austin electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). The collection includes ETDs primarily from 2001 to the present. Some pre-2001 theses and dissertations have been digitized and added to this collection, but those are uncommon. The library catalog is the most comprehensive list of UT Austin theses and dissertations.

Since 2010, the Office of Graduate Studies at UT Austin has required all theses and dissertations to be made publicly available in Texas ScholarWorks; however, authors are able to request an embargo of up to seven years. Embargoed ETDs will not show up in this collection. Most of the ETDs in this collection are freely accessible to all users, but some pre-2010 works require a current UT EID at point of use. Please see the FAQs for more information. If you have a question about the availability of a specific ETD, please contact [email protected].

Some items in this collection may contain offensive images or text. The University of Texas Libraries is committed to maintaining an accurate and authentic scholarly and historic record. An authentic record is essential for understanding our past and informing the present. In order to preserve the authenticity of the historical record we will not honor requests to redact content, correct errors, or otherwise remove content, except in cases where there are legal concerns (e.g. potential copyright infringement, inclusion of HIPAA/FERPA protected information or Social Security Numbers) or evidence of a clear and imminent threat to personal safety or well-being.

This policy is in keeping with the American Library Association code of ethics to resist efforts to censor library resources, and the Society of American Archivists code of ethics that states "archivists may not willfully alter, manipulate, or destroy data or records to conceal facts or distort evidence." Please see UT Libraries' Statement on Harmful Language and Content for more information.

Authors of these ETDs have retained their copyright while granting the University of Texas Libraries the non-exclusive right to reproduce and distribute their works.

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UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations 30995

Joseph Wakim PhD Thesis Defense

Physical models of chromatin organization and epigenetic domain stability, event details:, this event is open to:.

Joseph Wakim PhD Candidate Chemical Engineering Academic advisor: Professor Andrew Spakowitz

Abstract: Physical Models of Chromatin Organization and Epigenetic Domain Stability

Although there are about 200 distinct cell types in the human body, all somatic cells in an individual share the same genetic code. The spatial organization of DNA plays an important role in regulating gene expression, enabling broad cellular diversity. In each cell, approximately two meters of DNA is organized into a cell nucleus only about 10 microns in diameter. This high degree of compaction is achieved by wrapping DNA tightly around histone octamers to form units called nucleosomes. These nucleosomes are arranged into tight chains called chromatin. Chemical modifications along the chromatin fiber, known as epigenetic marks, cause chromatin to phase separate into loose “euchromatin” and dense “heterochromatin.” Genes in euchromatin are accessible to transcriptional machinery and are more likely to be expressed, while those in heterochromatin are inaccessible and tend to be suppressed. Dysregulation of 3D chromatin architecture has been implicated in several age-related disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.

During this presentation, I will explore how patterns of epigenetic marks and conditions in the nuclear environment dictate chromatin organization. I will begin by focusing on the transcriptionally active euchromatic phase. Despite its overall accessibility, euchromatin is characterized by isolated clusters of nucleosomes, which can affect local transcription levels. I will introduce a model that explains how nucleosome geometry and positioning are affected by trace levels of epigenetic marks in euchromatin, causing clusters to form along the chromatin fiber. Using this model, I will evaluate the physical factors dictating cluster sizes.

I will then introduce a model that explains how interacting “reader proteins,” which preferentially bind specific epigenetic marks, affect large-scale chromatin organization and contribute to the segregation of euchromatic and heterochromatic phases. I will demonstrate that direct interactions between different reader proteins are not required to facilitate their crosstalk. Rather, due to the shared scaffold to which reader proteins bind, chromatin condensation by one reader protein may indirectly support the binding of another. According to our model, if different reader proteins compete for binding sites along the chromatin fiber, large-scale chromatin organization can be remodeled in response to changes in reader protein concentrations. By characterizing modes of epigenetic crosstalk, I will demonstrate the interdependence of multiple epigenetic marks on the spatial organization of DNA.

Overall, my presentation will leverage principles from polymer theory, statistical mechanics, and molecular biology to identify factors contributing to the physical regulation of gene expression. The projects I will discuss offer a framework for evaluating how changes in epigenetic patterning and the nuclear environment affect local chromatin accessibility, which is implicated in cell differentiation and age-related diseases.

PhD Candidate Salma Shash Awarded Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship

Salma Shash has been awarded a prestigious Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship for the 2024-25 academic year. The fellowship, in its second year, is awarded to a cohort of graduate scholars for their “bold and innovative approaches” to dissertation research in the humanities and social sciences. The award will support Shash’s project, “Villagers, Criminals, and Policemen: Policing and Justice in Rural Egypt, 1854-1914,” which received accolades in The Current . Read more about Shash’s award-winning work here .

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Two receive Klemperer Award for outstanding materials PhD thesis

and Qi Hua stand side by side in front of a white background

Two PhD graduates, Qi Hua and Falon Kalutantirige, were awarded the 2024 Klemperer Award for Outstanding Materials Chemistry Ph.D. Thesis in the Department of Chemistry.

In a special presentation to the department on May 9, 2024, Hua presented her thesis, “Understanding and Controlling the Reactivity of Oxygen Reduction and Methanol Oxidation Electrocatalysts,” and Falon presented her thesis, “Morphogenesis-Morphology-Function Relationships of Irregular Nanomaterials Using Advanced Electron Microscopy and Graph Theory.”

Advised by chemistry Prof. Andrew Gewirth, Hua began her graduate studies at Illinois in 2019 after completing a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at Lanzhou University. And Kalutantirige earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, in 2017, and was advised at Illinois by materials science and engineering professor Qian Chen, who is also affiliated with the Department of Chemistry.

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A Chicago teen entered college at 10. At 17, she earned a doctorate from Arizona State

Dorothy Jean Tillman II participates in Arizona State University’s commencement, May 6, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. Tillman, 18, earned her doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health in December at age 17 from the school. Tillman, of Chicago, began taking college courses at age 10. She earned her associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees before she turned 17. (Tillman Family via AP)

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CHICAGO (AP) — Dorothy Jean Tillman II’s participation in Arizona State University’s May 6 commencement was the latest step on a higher-education journey the Chicago teen started when she took her first college course at age 10.

In between came associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

When Tillman successfully defended her dissertation in December, she became the youngest person — at age 17 — to earn a doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health at Arizona State, associate professor Leslie Manson told ABC’s “Good Morning America” for a story Monday.

“It’s a wonderful celebration, and we hope ... that Dorothy Jean inspires more students,” Manson said. “But this is still something so rare and unique.”

Tillman, called “Dorothy Jeanius” by family and friends, is the granddaughter of former Chicago Alderwoman Dorothy Tillman.

When most students are just learning to navigate middle school, her mother enrolled Tillman in classes through the College of Lake County in northern Illinois, where she majored in psychology and completed her associate’s degree in 2016, according to her biography.

Tillman earned a bachelor’s in humanities from New York’s Excelsior College in 2018. About two years later, she earned her master’s of science from Unity College in Maine before being accepted in 2021 into Arizona State’s Behavioral Health Management Program.

Pro-Palestinian protesters and Philadelphia police have a standoff along 34th Street at the University of Pennsylvania on Friday, May 17, 2024. Authorities say a half-dozen University of Pennsylvania students were among 19 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested during an attempt to occupy a building on campus. University police say seven remained in custody Saturday awaiting felony charges from Friday's incident, including one person who allegedly assaulted an officer. (Charles Fox/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

Most of her classwork was done remotely and online. Tillman did attend her Arizona State commencement in person and addressed the graduating class during the ceremony.

Tillman told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she credits her grandmother and trusting in her mother’s guidance for her educational pursuits and successes.

“Everything that we were doing didn’t seem abnormal to me or out of the ordinary until it started getting all of the attention,” said Tillman, now 18.

There have been sacrifices, though.

“I didn’t have the everyday school things like homecoming dances or spirit weeks or just school pictures and things like that ... that kind of create unity with my peers,” she said.

She has found time to dance and do choreography. Tillman also is founder and chief executive of the Dorothyjeanius STEAM Leadership Institute. The program includes summer camps designed to help young people in the arts and STEM subjects.

She said her plans include public speaking engagements and fundraising for the camp, which Tillman said she hopes to franchise one day.

Tillman is motivated and has innovative ideas, said Manson, adding, “And truly, I think what is inspiring is that she embodies that meaning of being a true leader.”

Jimalita Tillman said she is most impressed with her daughter’s ability to show herself and her successes with grace, but to also understand when to “put her foot down” when choosing between social outings and her education.

Associated Press researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.

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What examiners do: what thesis students should know
A thesis examiner is an academic who reads the ﬁn-ished thesis, and gives a report recommending a result. The aim of our review is to clarify what thesis examiners do as they examine a written thesis submitted for a research higher degree. In some countries, such as Australia, a thesis examination typically consists of two or three examiners ...
PDF Assessing a PhD thesis
thesis outcome for the student if someone reasonably eminent has marked their work). I also know that the student should have been asked who they did NOT want to examine their work and therefore I am not on their hit list. Some examples of theses marked: 1. Sorting out a nightmare in Gender Studies at University of Sydney - mediating between two
Thesis & Dissertation : Graduate School
Policy requires the thesis/dissertation be submitted within 60 days of the final exam. The Graduate School uses a service called ProQuest to administer the electronic thesis/dissertation (ETD) submission and committee approval process. Once you have made any necessary revisions and the thesis/dissertation is final, you are ready to begin the ...
Helping doctoral students understand PhD thesis examination
The examination of a PhD thesis marks an important stage in the PhD student journey. Here, the student's research, thinking and writing are assessed by experts in their field. ... That is, to critically examine aspects of Table 1 for relevancy and applicability to institutional examination criteria and learning outcomes.
As a PhD Examiner … My Top 25 Tips for PhD students
A PhD thesis should be a scientific document which abides to certain standards for the articulation of ideas. It is always sloppy to see a candidate writing 9*6³, where the "*" is a sloppy ...
A Guide to Examining a PhD Thesis
Preparation: Ensure you have enough time to read and examine the thesis. A PhD thesis can be a lengthy document, and rushing through it can lead to missing crucial details. Understand the Topic ...
A Guide for Internal and External PhD Examiners
When considering whether to accept an invitation to examine a British PhD you need to be clear about what it entails. Examining a PhD takes roughly five days although, in the case of re-examination of the thesis and possibly a second viva, the process can take several days more. The job of examining a PhD involves several elements.
Helping doctoral students understand PhD thesis examination
PhD theses found that examiners favoured a PhD thesis that demonstrated engagement with theory. This engagement is demonstrated through the use of up-to-date sources and evidence of under-standing pertinent theoretical criticisms. Examiners also expected students to demonstrate theoreti-cal grasp, as evidenced by depth, breadth and critique ...
What do examiners look for in a PhD thesis? Explicit and implicit
Achieving a PhD degree is viewed by academic institutions as a major landmark of success and achievement. It gives recognition to researchers and provides entry into academia. A PhD degree is not awarded lightly and doctoral candidates undergo a rigorous examination process.
PhD Viva Voces
A PhD viva involves defending your thesis in an oral examination with at least two examiners. ... Based on an analysis of 26,076 PhD students who took their viva exam between 2006 and 2017, the PhD viva pass rate in the UK is 96%; of those who passed, about 80% were required to make minor amendments to their thesis. The reason for this high ...
Student Guide: The Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination
Use the flash drive to save your work and give to the proctor at the end of the exam. The examination consists of two parts. Part 1 - questions will be on your MAJOR concentration. Part 2 - questions will be on your MINOR concentration. On both days you must answer TWO out of five questions. The questions are written broadly, but your essays ...
Dissertations and Theses
The Graduate School's format review is in place to help the document submission process go smoothly for the student. Format reviews for PhD dissertations and master's theses can be done remotely or in-person. The format review is required at or before the two-week notice of the final defense. Dissertation and Thesis Submission.
(PDF) Examining a PhD Thesis: Lessons Learned?
Abstract. A recent experience in being an external examiner for a PhD thesis was a most distressful experience which went on for a period of several months covering four distinct phases: pre exam ...
PhD Thesis Guide
Thesis Proposal and Proposal Presentation. Thesis Defense and Final Thesis Document. Links to All Forms in This Guide. This PhD Thesis Guide will guide you step-by-step through the thesis process, from your initial letter of intent to submission of the final document. All associated forms are conveniently consolidated in the section at the end.
PDF Guidance for examiners of research degree theses
g. assessing the resubmitted thesis and, if needed, conducting a further viva exam if the examining team has decided that the doctoral candidate should be referred for resubmission. 5. Amendments after the viva exam 5.1 Amendments after the viva exam are categorised into: a. Minor: The thesis is generally acceptable, and the candidate should not be
Research Student Administration Office
The maximum word length for a PhD thesis is 80,000 words. The maximum word length for an MPhil thesis is 40,000 words. In the following subjects no limits are specified: Biochemistry; ... The Exam Board Chair has discretion to call a meeting of the full Research Degrees Examination Board to consider any cases where the recommendation of the ...
Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples
Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples. Published on September 9, 2022 by Tegan George.Revised on July 18, 2023. It can be difficult to know where to start when writing your thesis or dissertation.One way to come up with some ideas or maybe even combat writer's block is to check out previous work done by other students on a similar thesis or dissertation topic to yours.
PDF Examiner Comment on Theses That Have Been Revised and ...
This paper focuses on what examiners write in reports on theses that are returned to the candidate for major revision and resubmission. It compares examiner comment on six PhD theses, with particular emphasis on the nature of the initial examiner comment and then comment after resubmission. It also compares examiner comment on the six resubmissions
What examiners do: what thesis students should know
2. Examiners expect a thesis to pass. Examiners begin reading with curiosity and enthusiasm, expecting a thesis to be good and 'hoping to find their task rewarding and enjoyable' (Johnston Citation 1997, 341).They know years of effort has gone into a thesis, and it has been judged worthy by supervisors (or at least passable); so, they anticipate it will pass, and even want it to pass ...
How is a thesis examined?
An examiner is given 6 weeks to examine your thesis, however at times this can be delayed depending on the individual circumstances of the examiner. ... Award alternate degree: that in the case of a student who has submitted a thesis for the degree of PhD or professional doctorate an appropriate masters degree or designated exit award should be ...
Half term exam (HTE)
All PhD students in IOB must complete an examination at the mid-point of their PhD studies, to mark their progression toward an independent researcher. ... The mid-point examination can take the form of either a formal licentiate or a more informal half-term exam (HTE). The main difference between the two is that the HTE thesis is not published ...
Guidelines on Conducting MPhil and PhD Thesis Examinations
A PhD TEC normally consists of a Chairperson and at least five voting examiners. The examiners include the thesis supervisor(s), two faculty members from the candidate's major Department, one faculty member from outside the Department, and one faculty external to the University who has expertise in the field being examined. B. Protocol
PDF Thesis Examination Procedure
Thesis examination is a core assessment required in all higher degree research (HDR) programs. This procedure outlines the processes for preparation, submission and examination of the thesis component of all HDR programs. It also includes the roles and responsibilities of higher degree research (HDR) candidates, supervisors, Postgraduate ...
Defending Your Thesis or Dissertation : Graduate School
Exams Required for Ph.D. Degree Defense. The B exam is an oral defense of your thesis or dissertation. This exam can be taken after completing all degree requirements, but not earlier than one month before completing the minimum number of enrolled semesters. At least two semesters of successful registration must be completed between the passing ...
UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The library catalog is the most comprehensive list of UT Austin theses and dissertations. Since 2010, the Office of Graduate Studies at UT Austin has required all theses and dissertations to be made publicly available in Texas ScholarWorks; however, authors are able to request an embargo of up to seven years. Embargoed ETDs will not show up in ...
Joseph Wakim PhD Thesis Defense
Joseph Wakim PhD Thesis Defense. Physical Models of Chromatin Organization and Epigenetic Domain Stability. Event Details: Tuesday, May 28, 2024 . 1:30pm - 3:30pm PDT. Location. Allen 101X and via Zoom. This event is open to: Alumni/Friends. Faculty/Staff. Students. Joseph Wakim PhD Candidate
PhD Candidate Salma Shash Awarded Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation
Salma Shash has been awarded a prestigious Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship for the 2024-25 academic year. The fellowship, in its second year, is awarded to a cohort of graduate scholars for their "bold and innovative approaches" to dissertation research in the humanities and social sciences.
Two receive Klemperer Award for outstanding materials PhD thesis
In a special presentation to the department on May 9, 2024, Hua presented her thesis, "Understanding and Controlling the Reactivity of Oxygen Reduction and Methanol Oxidation Electrocatalysts," and Falon presented her thesis, "Morphogenesis-Morphology-Function Relationships of Irregular Nanomaterials Using Advanced Electron Microscopy and ...
A Chicago teen entered college at 10. At 17, she earned a doctorate
When Tillman successfully defended her dissertation in December, she became the youngest person — at age 17 — to earn a doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health at Arizona State, associate professor Leslie Manson told ABC's "Good Morning America" for a story Monday.
Rutgers PhD student defends dissertation hours after giving birth
Rutgers PhD student, Tamiah Brevard-Rodriguez, gave birth to her son and then hours later defended her dissertation to a committee over Zoom.