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Bring your research to life and impress the examining committee with a professional Thesis Defense Presentation template. Defend your final year project, Master’s thesis, or PhD dissertation with the help of free slides designed especially for students and academics. 

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What’s a thesis defense presentation?

As you approach the end of grad or postgrad studies, you’ll probably be required to deliver a thesis defense presentation. This takes place during the final semester and involves speaking about your thesis or dissertation in front of a committee of professors. 

The word “defend” might sound intimidating, but it simply means answering questions about your work. Examiners want to see how knowledgeable you are about your field and if you can back up your arguments with solid and original research. Some departments invite students to a pre-defense, which is like a dress rehearsal for the main event. 

If you’re defending your doctoral thesis or dissertation, the event will be more formal than at Master’s level. In some universities, this is called a PhD viva, which comes from the Latin viva voce, meaning “by live voice”. Basically, it’s time to speak about the 80 thousand words you’ve written! As well as your supervisor, the panel will usually include visiting academics from other institutions. If it’s an “open defense” it will be open to other students and members of the public.

The format varies between different universities, but a thesis defense usually starts with the candidate delivering a short presentation accompanied by slides. This is followed by a question and answer session with the panel. 

How do I design slides for my thesis defense?

The secret to a good thesis defense presentation is a well-designed slide deck. This will act as a visual aid and starting point for the conversation. Structuring your points and illustrating them on the screen will help you present more confidently. 

If the prospect of creating a thesis presentation from scratch is daunting, check out Genially’s free thesis defense templates. Each design has been created by professional graphic designers in collaboration with students and academic experts. 

Choose from hundreds of examples with preset color palettes and easy-to-edit slides. In a few minutes you can outline the content of your thesis in an impressive visual format. No artistic skills required!

How should I structure a thesis presentation?

When you create a thesis defense presentation, the first thing to remember is that it should be short and concise. There’s no need to rewrite your thesis on the slides. Members of the committee will already be familiar with your work, having read the document prior to the event. 

A thesis defense is a conversational, person-to-person event. Examiners don’t want to read large blocks of text on the screen. They want to hear you talking about your research with passion and insight.

With this in mind, your presentation should serve as a starting point or prompt for discussion. Think of your slides as cue cards: use short titles and keywords to remind you of what you want to say. 

Make a good first impression by using a professional thesis defense presentation template with a consistent theme and attractive visuals. Go for a calm color palette and neutral style. The aim is to illustrate your points while keeping the committee focused on what you’re saying. 

A thesis defense usually begins with an introductory presentation lasting 15 to 20 minutes, followed by discussion time. For a 20 minute presentation we recommend a series of about 10 slides. 

Make sure to include an introduction slide or title page that lays out what you’re going to talk about. Next, move on to each part of your thesis. Outline the problem, background and literature review, your research question, methodology and objectives, findings, conclusions, and areas for future research. 

A great thesis presentation should provide the panel with a summary of your research. For that reason, try to avoid dumping too much data or information onto your slides. Use Genially’s interactive infographics, diagrams and charts to highlight the most important points in an eye-catching visual format.

When it comes to the big day and defending your thesis, try to keep calm. Take a deep breath, introduce yourself to the committee and let your slides guide you. Your examiners will come armed with a list of questions, so the formal presentation will flow naturally into a Q&A.

How do I make a good final year project presentation?

If you’re an undergrad, you might be required to deliver a final year project presentation or dissertation presentation. It’s less formal than a graduate degree thesis defense, but the format is similar. You will be asked to present your research findings to faculty and peers with the help of slides. Your performance may count towards your final grade when you’re awarded your Bachelor’s degree.

A good presentation for a final year project should start with a title slide. At this point you should introduce your research question and explain why you chose the topic. If it’s a collaborative project, include a slide that introduces your teammates. 

The core part of your presentation should cover your methodology, findings, conclusions, and scope for future research. Wrap things up by thanking your contributors and invite your audience to ask questions.   

If you’re not sure how to make a final year project presentation, check out Genially’s free presentation slides for students. Choose from hundreds of professional templates that can be customized to any undergraduate or graduate project. With animated graphics and beautiful data visualizations, you can make standout slides in a matter of minutes.

If you’re submitting your presentation to your professor, try including interactive elements. Genially’s presentation builder allows you to embed online data, videos, audio, maps, PDFs, and hyperlinks in your slides. This can be a useful way to provide supporting evidence, sources, and additional documentation. 

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Masters Thesis Defense Presentation

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AI generated Pitch Deck 🤖

Well, it's all come down to this one moment where you have to present your masters thesis defense presentation. You've worked really hard and now just really want to impress your professors and colleagues.

We've created this 16 slide university thesis presentation template that is sure to grab your professor's attention. This template covers everything from the outline of your thesis to your theories and objective goals. Since the design is already incorporated you will save so much time putting together a beautiful presentation and we all know the more time you can save not focusing on college projects is more free time for you.

Make sure to take a look at this thesis template so you can nail your thesis and finally get it over with.

Bonus : Here's a recording of a recent webinar hosted by Vini, our Chief Design Officer and co-founder, about presentation skills and tips. It focuses on design, but there's plenty of valuable tidbits on general presenting and publing speaking.

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Master Thesis Presentation Template

A master thesis is crucial to rounding out your time and knowledge learned in your upper-level education courses. And now you can create an A-worthy thesis in half the time with Beautiful.ai’s master thesis template. 

Our customizable template has all the basics to help you sum up your comprehensive knowledge on the course and prove your skills in the field. Slides like literature review, research methodology, and a strong thesis conclusion will help you stand out to the panel or faculty members. A thoughtful master thesis presentation can help students wrap up their time in the program and apply their findings to their careers. 

Our master thesis template can also help you:

• Customize your idea or statement for different audiences
• Organize your argument in a thoughtful way
• Provide a guide for the panel to read and follow along with

Use our template to create an effective master thesis presentation

A master thesis presentation is crucial to the success of your master’s program – one that requires a concise format, clear layout, and seamless flow. That’s why our template includes everything you need to create an effective presentation. Whether you need to organize your argument in a meaningful way or showcase more resources, you can quickly bring your visions to life with these slides::

Tips to create an impactful master thesis presentation

As you use this template to craft your master thesis presentation, keep these do’s and don’ts in mind:

Condensing hours and hours of research can be daunting. Build an outline or table of contents first, then simply stick to that structure as you create your presentation.

It can be easy to get caught up in your research and findings, but don’t forget to answer critical questions like, ‘Why is this important?’ and ‘What results have you achieved?’

Remember: You aren’t recreating your entire thesis into a visual presentation. Limit the amount of content and data you add to each slide.

Your master thesis presentation is your chance to share all of your hard work. Don’t be afraid to showcase bits of your personality throughout.

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Master Thesis Defense Structure Powerpoint Presentation Slides

Want a sample masters thesis defense presentation? Do not look any futher as our team of experts have come up with 49 slides ready-made Master Thesis Defense Structure Powerpoint Presentation Slides. These master thesis defense presentation templates is what you want if you are making a presentation for the related topic. There are many visual slides in this PPT sample file like agenda, thesis outline, introduction, literature review, hypothesis, methods, statistical analysis, results, column chart, bar diagram, pie chart, discussion, limitation of your study, conclusions, reference, and many more. Our thesis defense presentation outline will help you to present your topic in a very professional and impactful way. Best part is that all the slides in our thesis presentation ppt samples are fully editable, and you can make changes as per your need and content. These PPT templates will save you time and effort, that you must put in if you need to create a professional presentation from scratch. There are additional slides too like vision, goals and objectives, comparison, financial, quote, dashboard, location, timeline, post it, mind map etc. So, do not wait, just download this Master Thesis Defense Structure Powerpoint Presentation Slides and put your point across to the audience in a professional manner. Our Master Thesis Defense Structure Powerpoint Presentation Slides are highly informative. Acquaint yourself with current events.

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Download our professional Master Thesis Defense Structure PPT comprising extensively researched content and professional design layouts. Don’t waste hours fiddling with PowerPoint toolbars and finding professional PowerPoint templates. This complete presentation saves hours of your time. Comprising a total of 49 slides, the PowerPoint presentation is a visual masterpiece with professional PPT templates, data-driven graphs, charts and tables, a beautiful theme, impressive slide designs, icons, imagery and more. It is fully editable so that you can make changes to colors, data and fonts if you need to. Just enter your text in the placeholders provided and rock the meeting or conference you are presenting at.

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Content of this Powerpoint Presentation

To be honored with a doctor’s or even master’s degree, an individual needs to have an impressive thesis defense. A thesis is a research paper that helps you analyze a topic of your study in depth, and naturally, you’d want it to be unique. A professionally-designed thesis defense presentation will help you with this. Generally, the popular structure of a thesis defense consists of a heading, introduction, literature review, research methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. 

Submit your research proposal with our expert-designed presentation templates shown here .

The entire content in your thesis defense should be well-backed by proper research and every detail must be cross-checked. Additionally, as a thesis defender, you need to have clear concepts of your own. In other words, you should be thoroughly invested in preparing it. To reinforce your research work and presentation delivery, check out SlideTeam's Thesis Defense Structure Templates. This complete deck contains amazing graphics and visuals, including tables, charts, and bar graphs to present complex information regarding thesis defense in a clear and concise manner. Scroll to discover the best of the presentation designs that this complete deck has to offer and what makes it the top choice for a graduate student.

Template 1- Master Thesis Defense Structure Template

Are you looking for a sample master thesis defense PPT Presentation? No need to look any further. Introducing this complete deck of Master Thesis Defense Structure PowerPoint Template that summarizes your thesis defense insightfully. This presentation template consists of various slides including agenda, thesis outline, introduction, literature review, hypothesis, statistical analysis, discussion, chats, graphs, limitation of the study, conclusion, reference, and many more. Our thesis defense template helps you present your topic professionally, and you can make changes as needed, as it is fully customizable. 

Template 2- Introduction Template

The introduction is the first section of your thesis. The introduction captures the readers' attention and sets the stage for your research with a clear focus, purpose, and direction on a relevant topic. An ideal introduction should include the topic in context, the focus and scope, the relevance of the research, research questions and objectives, and an overview of the structure. Our Thesis Defense PPT Template offers what the introduction of a thesis paper looks like. This slide stresses the background of the topic and cites supporting literature. Also, it establishes the need for your research and points out the gap. Use our PPT Slide to set the stage for your readers.

Template 3- Literature Review Template

A well-constructed literature review is mandatory for research because it helps you to build a strong foundation for a specific topic. Introducing the Literature Review PPT Template enables you to identify relevant theories, methods ,and gaps in the existing research. This presentation slide showcases the five steps of a literature review: searching for relevant literature, evaluating sources, identifying themes, debates and gaps, outlining the structure, and writing the review. Use our literature review template to analyze, synthesize, and critically assess the clear picture of the subject.

Plan a research roadmap using these dedicated PPT Products to manage your time and resources efficiently.

Template 4- Hypothesis Template

A hypothesis highlights the possible outcome of the experiment. It showcases the relation between the problem and the literature review defined using the hypothesis. Use our hypothesis PowerPoint Template, which is self-explanatory and consistent. This PPT Layout helps you test theories and concepts by formulating hypotheses and also enables you to evaluate the relationships, patterns, or effects between variables. Apart from this, the "hypothesis slide” guides you in selecting appropriate research methods and tools, the choice of which depends upon the specific hypothesis being tested. 

Template 5- Methods Template

The methods used in a thesis or research are the collection and analysis of data. Establishing the research methods is an integral part of your thesis paper. In our Methods Template, we follow some steps to plan your strategies. It showcases the study design in the first place. Then, groups are defined, and participant demographics are based on age, height, and weight. Moreover, this PPT Design also highlights the procedures of research processing, determining the independent and dependent variables and instrumentation, including surveys and equipment. Use this slide to identify research problems and develop a hypothesis.

Template 6- Statistical Analysis Template

Statistical analysis is a crucial research tool used by research aspirants. Statistical analysis helps you draw valid conclusions with careful planning from the beginning of the research process. To prepare an appropriate statistical analysis, specify your hypothesis, research design, sample size, and sampling procedure. Our professionally designed statistical analysis PPT Framework highlights the significant relationship between two data sets with the help of the Tukey HSD Test. It focuses on treatment and error. Apart from this, statistical analysis also showcases mean difference, standard error, and confidence interval. Therefore, interpret your findings and hypothesis with our statistical analysis template.

Template 7- Results Template

The result segment of a thesis defense paper highlights the study's findings. In this section, the research aspirant reports and investigates the data collected during the survey to derive conclusions. Our customizable Results PowerPoint Template provides an idea of the data collection, statistical analysis performed, and key findings. Use this presentation design to report the data accurately and objectively.

Template 8- Discussion Template

This professionally designed customizable PowerPoint Layout highlights the interpretation and describes the significance of your findings in relation to the investigated research problem. This PPT Slide showcases the explanation and evaluation of your findings and how they relate to your literature review and thesis. Use this presentation slide to make an argument in support of your overall conclusion.

Template 9- Limitations of your Study Template

Use the Limitation PPT Template to highlight the weaknesses in your research design or the implementation that may have affected outcomes and conclusions. This PPT Layout helps you to encounter challenges that limit your research efforts. Grab it now.

Template 10- Implications for Future Research Template

Do you want to guide your future research? Use this Implications for Future Research PowerPoint Template to guide your future research by identifying the areas that need further investigation, pointing out the gaps in current knowledge, and suggesting new directions for research. Grab this presentation layout now.

Justify your perceptions, ideas, and methods for your field of study and elaborate on the insights of the persisting literature and theories related to the topic using these ready-to-use presentation templates. Using the predefined structure of this PPT Presentation, you can easily defend your topic and offer your research and analysis as its justification. Download now.

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Home Blog Education A Quick Guide to Presenting an Online Master’s Thesis

A Quick Guide to Presenting an Online Master’s Thesis

It’s often said that your Bachelor’s degree represents a broad field of study, while the Master’s degree is your opportunity to focus on a specific part of that field of study. It’s your chance to become an expert in something. The Master’s Thesis is the way you show your professors, peers, and the world your new expertise. 

Traditionally, Master’s degree students present theses to a committee of professors and researchers, in front of peers, friends, and family. However, as globalization grows and global pandemics affect the world, we’ve had to adjust to a new concept of presentation: the online thesis defense.

Before we get too far into the specifics of presenting Master theses, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page. 

Master’s Degree Versus Bachelor’s Degree

Like we mentioned above, your Master’s degree is a narrowing focus compared to what you studied in your Bachelor’s degree. In fact, you don’t always have to get your Master’s degree in the same exact field as your Bachelor’s degree. Many universities value a demonstrated interest and base knowledge in a certain field over a Bachelor’s degree in that field on paper, but little passion for the subject. 

That being said, the Master’s degree will always be more specific. It will require you to already have a general understanding of the field. If you’re looking to study a little of everything related to a field or industry, then a Bachelor’s degree will probably serve you better.

Most Common Master’s Degrees

Some of the most common Master’s Degrees in the United States include the MBA Degree (Master’s of Business Administration), Computer Science, Master of Marketing, Master’s in Financial Management, Doctor of Education (Ed.D) , and Master of Education.

How Important is the Master’s Thesis to the Degree?

Depending on your specific program, the thesis will be a very important hoop to jump through or it will be the endeavor that the entire program revolves around.

The subject you choose for the thesis will depend on what you and your faculty advisor decide. Ideally, it will be a subject that you are extremely passionate about, since you will be spending the next couple years joined at the hip with it.

Make sure you don’t confuse thesis and dissertation. The thesis is what you conduct for a Bachelor’s degree or, more commonly, a Master’s degree. Dissertations are the even larger undertakings required for a PhD.  

How Big is the Master’s Thesis?

Average theses range between 60 – 100 pages and roughly 20,000 – 20,000 words . Beyond the page count, many Master’s theses involve some kind of research and/or experimentation that you’ll base the entire document on. Some Master’s programs will devote much of the second year of study to preparing for and writing your thesis. For some students, they’ll work on their thesis only after they’ve completed the rest of their program. 

How to Structure your Master’s Thesis

After you’ve conducted the research and executed the experiment at the heart of your thesis, you’ll work on putting it all on paper. Generally speaking, you’ll follow this outline: title page, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusions. Find more detail for the specifics of structuring your Master’s thesis on this handy guide . 

The Master’s Thesis Presentation

After you’ve done all the work to prepare for your thesis, conduct the research, and write it out, all that’s left is to present it to your committee and get final approval. This presentation is often seen as the ultimate representation of your new expertise in your field of study. It’s the final requirement needed to graduate with your Master’s degree.

Online Versus Live Thesis Presentation

Online thesis presentations have been occurring more frequently over the last decade, as online Master’s programs have risen in popularity. Additionally, in 2020 and 2021 the need and preference for online thesis defenses exploded, due to the global pandemic. It has been more important than ever to prepare a solid online presentation that will make sense, effectively demonstrate the important aspects of your thesis, and visually engage your thesis committee. 

Online thesis defenses are very different from live presentations. For one, your voice and body language carries less weight in an online thesis presentation. For another, your thesis PPT will consume more of your viewer’s attention compared to live, where you more easily dominate the stage.

Good Practices for Online Master’s Thesis Presentations

We’ve shared some tips for how to present your thesis PPT during a live defense . Here, we’ll adjust those tips for an online thesis defense.

Online Tip #1 – Don’t skip the introduction

It’s very natural to introduce yourself and your thesis when presenting live. When online, however, we tend to feel more awkward because we can’t physically relate to the people in our audience. Overcome this discomfort by practicing a solid introduction of both yourself and your thesis title and basic concept. 

Online Tip #2 – Avoid reading thesis notes or a script 

It might be tempting to read notes or write yourself a detailed script when presenting a thesis online since your audience can’t see what’s beyond your webcam view. However, we urge you to not do this. Taking the time to memorize your thesis defense will ensure a much more natural presentation than if you’re reading it off of a second screen. 

Online Tip #3 – Speak clearly and enunciate

We all know how difficult it can be to understand people during online presentations, especially if the web connection isn’t perfect. You don’t have any control over the quality of connection or speaker that your audience has, but you can do your best to be understandable by speaking clearly, enunciating your words, and not speeding up. However, be careful when speaking slower. Make sure you still add sufficient emphasis and inflection to your presentation to avoid droning on. 

Online Tip #4 – Be prepared for internet interruptions 

There is absolutely nothing worse than getting into a good rhythm on your presentation, only to realize that the internet has cut out and you’ve lost your audience. Don’t let this kind of interruption faze you. Don’t let it make you lose your nerve or train of thought. 

First, make sure you are presenting your thesis in an environment that is quiet, private, and has the best internet connection possible. If an interruption in the internet does happen, don’t lose your cool. Keep calm and wait for the internet to return. Write your faculty advisor immediately, explaining what is happening. 

Once your internet connection returns, backtrack to a good re-starting point as opposed to picking up where you left off. This will help you get back into the rhythm of presenting, as well as make sure your audience is able to follow along. The key is remaining calm and not getting embarrassed. Everyone knows what it is like to suddenly lose internet connection! It’s a part of our daily lives now. Just continue on as best as possible.

Online Tip #5 – Make your PPT even more engaging for an online thesis presentation

Often, when one member of an online meeting or presentation is sharing their screen, the screen with their webcam view becomes smaller, while the PPT becomes the focus. There is a fine balance here. You don’t want your thesis defense PPT to take over the presentation. You, or at least your voice and words, should always be the main focus. Nevertheless, technology is what it is. This is the way online presentations are currently set up. That means your thesis PPT must be very good, because it will be noticed. 

How to Elevate your Master’s Thesis Online PPT

With so much pressure on your PowerPoint during an online thesis defense, you’ll want to make it as professional as possible. Here are some guidelines for setting up your thesis PPT.

Avoid putting too much information on each slide

You don’t need to fit your entire thesis document on your PPT. Add main points and outline only. This will keep your audience by getting overwhelmed with too much information at once. It will let you keep control over the order that information is presented. Finally, it keeps their attention on you and your presentation, as opposed to reading the slide.

Use infographics to demonstrate results 

Charts, graphs, and infographics are excellent ways to do more “showing” and less “telling”. Even if your audience doesn’t completely grasp the significance of the numbers you are talking about, they can understand if the line on your graph increases or decreases. They can see the comparison between two factors in the height of your bars.

Use high quality images 

Depending on the subject of your Master’s thesis, the images will be a main point or will just be adornment. Either way, use high resolution images so they don’t appear blurry or pixelated in the presentation.

Stick to a single design style and theme

Your presentation will be so much more professional if you follow a single design style and theme instead of mixing colors, fonts, and text sizes. Similar to business branding guidelines , your thesis presentation should have a consistent color palette, font, and appearance. 

Conclusion: Online Master’s Thesis Presentations

You’ve done so much work to complete your Master’s degree and craft an exceptional thesis. Do all of that work justice with a masterful thesis defense, no matter if it’s live or online. With the right preparation and attitude, your online thesis presentation can be a success and set you on course for the rest of your life! 

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How to prepare an excellent thesis defense

What is a thesis defense?

How long is a thesis defense, what happens at a thesis defense, your presentation, questions from the committee, 6 tips to help you prepare for your thesis defense, 1. anticipate questions and prepare for them, 2. dress for success, 3. ask for help, as needed, 4. have a backup plan, 5. prepare for the possibility that you might not know an answer, 6. de-stress before, during, and after, frequently asked questions about preparing an excellent thesis defense, related articles.

If you're about to complete, or have ever completed a graduate degree, you have most likely come across the term "thesis defense." In many countries, to finish a graduate degree, you have to write a thesis .

A thesis is a large paper, or multi-chapter work, based on a topic relating to your field of study.

Once you hand in your thesis, you will be assigned a date to defend your work. Your thesis defense meeting usually consists of you and a committee of two or more professors working in your program. It may also include other people, like professionals from other colleges or those who are working in your field.

During your thesis defense, you will be asked questions about your work. The main purpose of your thesis defense is for the committee to make sure that you actually understand your field and focus area.

The questions are usually open-ended and require the student to think critically about their work. By the time of your thesis defense, your paper has already been evaluated. The questions asked are not designed so that you actually have to aggressively "defend" your work; often, your thesis defense is more of a formality required so that you can get your degree.

• Check with your department about requirements and timing.
• Re-read your thesis.
• Anticipate questions and prepare for them.
• Create a back-up plan to deal with technology hiccups.
• Plan de-stressing activities both before, and after, your defense.

How long your oral thesis defense is depends largely on the institution and requirements of your degree. It is best to consult your department or institution about this. In general, a thesis defense may take only 20 minutes, but it may also take two hours or more. The length also depends on how much time is allocated to the presentation and questioning part.

Tip: Check with your department or institution as soon as possible to determine the approved length for a thesis defense.

First of all, be aware that a thesis defense varies from country to country. This is just a general overview, but a thesis defense can take many different formats. Some are closed, others are public defenses. Some take place with two committee members, some with more examiners.

The same goes for the length of your thesis defense, as mentioned above. The most important first step for you is to clarify with your department what the structure of your thesis defense will look like. In general, your thesis defense will include:

• your presentation of around 20-30 minutes
• questions from the committee
• questions from the audience (if the defense is public and the department allows it)

You might have to give a presentation, often with Powerpoint, Google slides, or Keynote slides. Make sure to prepare an appropriate amount of slides. A general rule is to use about 10 slides for a 20-minute presentation.

But that also depends on your specific topic and the way you present. The good news is that there will be plenty of time ahead of your thesis defense to prepare your slides and practice your presentation alone and in front of friends or family.

Tip: Practice delivering your thesis presentation in front of family, friends, or colleagues.

You can prepare your slides by using information from your thesis' first chapter (the overview of your thesis) as a framework or outline. Substantive information in your thesis should correspond with your slides.

Make sure your slides are of good quality— both in terms of the integrity of the information and the appearance. If you need more help with how to prepare your presentation slides, both the ASQ Higher Education Brief and James Hayton have good guidelines on the topic.

The committee will ask questions about your work after you finish your presentation. The questions will most likely be about the core content of your thesis, such as what you learned from the study you conducted. They may also ask you to summarize certain findings and to discuss how your work will contribute to the existing body of knowledge.

Tip: Read your entire thesis in preparation of the questions, so you have a refreshed perspective on your work.

While you are preparing, you can create a list of possible questions and try to answer them. You can foresee many of the questions you will get by simply spending some time rereading your thesis.

Here are a few tips on how to prepare for your thesis defense:

You can absolutely prepare for most of the questions you will be asked. Read through your thesis and while you're reading it, create a list of possible questions. In addition, since you will know who will be on the committee, look at the academic expertise of the committee members. In what areas would they most likely be focused?

If possible, sit at other thesis defenses with these committee members to get a feel for how they ask and what they ask. As a graduate student, you should generally be adept at anticipating test questions, so use this advantage to gather as much information as possible before your thesis defense meeting.

Your thesis defense is a formal event, often the entire department or university is invited to participate. It signals a critical rite of passage for graduate students and faculty who have supported them throughout a long and challenging process.

While most universities don't have specific rules on how to dress for that event, do regard it with dignity and respect. This one might be a no-brainer, but know that you should dress as if you were on a job interview or delivering a paper at a conference.

It might help you deal with your stress before your thesis defense to entrust someone with the smaller but important responsibilities of your defense well ahead of schedule. This trusted person could be responsible for:

• preparing the room of the day of defense
• setting up equipment for the presentation
• preparing and distributing handouts

Technology is unpredictable. Life is too. There are no guarantees that your Powerpoint presentation will work at all or look the way it is supposed to on the big screen. We've all been there. Make sure to have a plan B for these situations. Handouts can help when technology fails, and an additional clean shirt can save the day if you have a spill.

One of the scariest aspects of the defense is the possibility of being asked a question you can't answer. While you can prepare for some questions, you can never know exactly what the committee will ask.

There will always be gaps in your knowledge. But your thesis defense is not about being perfect and knowing everything, it's about how you deal with challenging situations. You are not expected to know everything.

James Hayton writes on his blog that examiners will sometimes even ask questions they don't know the answer to, out of curiosity, or because they want to see how you think. While it is ok sometimes to just say "I don't know", he advises to try something like "I don't know, but I would think [...] because of x and y, but you would need to do [...] in order to find out.” This shows that you have the ability to think as an academic.

You will be nervous. But your examiners will expect you to be nervous. Being well prepared can help minimize your stress, but do know that your examiners have seen this many times before and are willing to help, by repeating questions, for example. Dora Farkas at finishyourthesis.com notes that it’s a myth that thesis committees are out to get you.

Two common symptoms of being nervous are talking really fast and nervous laughs. Try to slow yourself down and take a deep breath. Remember what feels like hours to you are just a few seconds in real life.

• Try meditational breathing right before your defense.
• Get plenty of exercise and sleep in the weeks prior to your defense.
• Have your clothes or other items you need ready to go the night before.
• During your defense, allow yourself to process each question before answering.
• Go to dinner with friends and family, or to a fun activity like mini-golf, after your defense.

Allow yourself to process each question, respond to it, and stop talking once you have responded. While a smile can often help dissolve a difficult situation, remember that nervous laughs can be irritating for your audience.

We all make mistakes and your thesis defense will not be perfect. However, careful preparation, mindfulness, and confidence can help you feel less stressful both before, and during, your defense.

Finally, consider planning something fun that you can look forward to after your defense.

It is completely normal to be nervous. Being well prepared can help minimize your stress, but do know that your examiners have seen this many times before and are willing to help, by repeating questions for example if needed. Slow yourself down, and take a deep breath.

Your thesis defense is not about being perfect and knowing everything, it's about how you deal with challenging situations. James Hayton writes on his blog that it is ok sometimes to just say "I don't know", but he advises to try something like "I don't know, but I would think [...] because of x and y, you would need to do [...] in order to find out".

Your Powerpoint presentation can get stuck or not look the way it is supposed to do on the big screen. It can happen and your supervisors know it. In general, handouts can always save the day when technology fails.

• Dress for success.
• Ask for help setting up.
• Have a backup plan (in case technology fails you).
• Deal with your nerves.

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