All Questions
74 questions
65
votes
5
answers
17k
views
Is it inappropriate for a student to attend their mentor's dissertation defense?
I'm an undergraduate student at a research one university. My former instructor and current research mentor is defending their dissertation soon. I asked if I could attend and they said they would be ...
- 487
47
votes
9
answers
16k
views
Gift for mentor after his thesis defense?
I'm attending the thesis defense of one of my undergrad mentors this week. I owe almost everything about where I am today to him. I want to get him a gift, but I'm not sure what. He owns his own ...
- 1,117
44
votes
5
answers
19k
views
Parents attending thesis defense?
My wife is defending her thesis soon, and in her department, defenses are open to the public. I will be there along with several of her friends/colleagues. Her mom also wants to come to the defense. ...
- 1,766
35
votes
10
answers
10k
views
Is it pointless to bring up poor supervision during PhD viva?
I should defend my PhD in the UK near the end of the year.
Unfortunately I fell into the class of horribly supervised PhD students - with an ill-defined research project and an absent supervisor who ...
- 459
33
votes
3
answers
63k
views
How would one fail a master thesis defense?
So I have to defend my master thesis in computer science in two weeks. It's in Germany and the thesis is 30 credits. I'm wondering what could make someone fail his defense? In my thesis I mainly ...
- 4,010
29
votes
10
answers
21k
views
It has been 6.5 years of my PhD and I am not seeing the end. What to do?
My advisor is a decent person. She is helpful and supportive. She has continued to support me throughout financially. However, she advices me that I should have offers before submitting my thesis and ...
- 419
22
votes
3
answers
5k
views
I conceptually understand a result, but not its mathematical implementation – how can I defend using it?
There is a particular result from another author that I wanted to use in my research which is a central component to my research question (it’s an animal’s growth rate). However, deriving the results ...
- 4,789
21
votes
3
answers
7k
views
Why did my advisor criticize my work for the first time at my Master's Thesis defense? [closed]
I had two advisors for my master thesis. One, as my first advisor would take the theoretical part to guide me. I have been meeting with my first advisor once every two week and he has been examining ...
- 259
18
votes
3
answers
15k
views
What are some of the starting phrases that I can use while responding to Ph.D examination committee questions during my defence?
I am appearing my Ph.D defence in a few weeks. I am in need of some starting phrases or words which I can use while responding to the questions from the examiners. There could be difficult questions ...
- 459
18
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How common is it to have a demo at a doctoral thesis defence session?
It is customary (at least from where I'm from) to have undergraduate and masters thesis viva voce with project demos. So far, I have never been to a PhD thesis defence viva voce which had a demo in it....
- 12.8k
16
votes
8
answers
23k
views
My supervisor is suggesting I will fail my PhD, is this possible?
I am a final-year PhD student in Canada studying cybersecurity. During my PhD, I did not have very good supervision. I told them I wanted to defend soon. However, one of my supervisors keeps on ...
user166655
14
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How to deal with an absentee advisor who is unreachable when trying to set up thesis defense
I'm a fifth year PhD student, which is the average year a student in my department graduates. For the majority of my time in my PhD program I've had an absentee advisor. He doesn't respond to emails ...
- 143
13
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What are the things one should consider while defending a PhD thesis, especially when the two examiners have completely different comments?
I am a completing Ph.D student. I submitted my thesis 4 months ago and have recently received the comments from the examiners. But to my surprise, two examiners have provided entirely different ...
- 459
13
votes
3
answers
4k
views
During the defense, how to prove the method I used in my master thesis is correct?
I will have my master thesis defense in one week and today my advisor wrote me he is not sure about a method I used to obtain a result (this will not ruin the entire work, but still will make some ...
- 683
12
votes
8
answers
7k
views
Can you defend your thesis without any slide presentation?
You speak and present your thesis without a slide presentation, probably with a pen to explain something on the board. This question came to mind when I was wondering "why do we need a slide ...
- 829
9
votes
2
answers
828
views
Using an English or French presentation to a French talk?
I'll be defending my Ph.D. this October. I submitted my dissertation in English and prepared an English presentation, but my supervisor along with the jury members surprised me by saying the defense ...
- 301
9
votes
5
answers
3k
views
PhD thesis defense - is there a separate defense session with one's graduate committee? [closed]
I was watching a math PhD thesis defense on YouTube and it seems that after about an hour of the talk, a committee member tells the audience to leave except for the graduate committee and the PhD ...
user93132
9
votes
4
answers
3k
views
From thesis text to slides. How to ease the process?
I spent a considerable amount of time to write my thesis. Now I have to create the slides for the defense. I thought it was going to be easier, but found important difficulties creating them. I would ...
- 1,160
9
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How important is the Ph.D. Thesis?
It may sound an insincere question but bear with me, please.
I am just starting to write my thesis. I got some good publications along the way, and I have a couple under review which I hope will get ...
- 1,635
8
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Correcting mistakes in PhD thesis that examiners missed
I finished my thesis defense and my examiners recommended minor corrections, all of which are based in the lit review and results chapters. However, after they approved the corrections I made, I ...
- 301
8
votes
1
answer
21k
views
What makes the difference between "summa cum laude" and "magna cum laude"?
The evaluation of PhD candidate is done based on his/her thesis, his defence presentation and the oral examination (in some countries). If the examiners do not find so much to argue about, the ...
- 5,432
7
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What to do if you disagree with a juror during master's thesis defense?
I attended a master's dissertation defense and I was wondering what one might do in a situation like this.
Juror: What do you mean by the phrase “previous work” in your thesis text? Is it your ...
- 337
7
votes
4
answers
3k
views
When to take questions during a thesis defense?
I am going do do my thesis defense next week.
I am not nervous.
On the contrary, I am so over-relaxed that my instincts tell me this will cause a problem during my defense.
I am not sure when to take ...
- 12.3k
7
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Do I need "Introduction" and "Conclusions" parts in my PhD thesis?
My advisor has asked me to write my thesis in parts. So, basically, my thesis will have three major parts, each of which explains a different piece of work. However, he is asking me to also add a part ...
- 173
7
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Experiencing setbacks in my master's thesis defense twice—seeking a path to recovery
I am currently enrolled in a master's program at a European university. The first year went smoothly, but the second year presented challenges due to personal issues, exacerbated by the difficulty of ...
- 71
7
votes
3
answers
5k
views
How to ensure committee reads and comments on dissertation draft prior to final examination?
The constructive question is, What practices/strategies could help ensure the committee reads the dissertation?
I am wondering if those who already hold a PhD, or advanced graduate students finishing ...
- 2,086
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Advisor is unhappy with M.Sc. research results and is showing signs of preventing the student from graduating. What should be done?
I am having difficulties with an advisor who has not been clear with me on my research project, and I am fearful that I will not be allowed to graduate on time. What should I do? Please allow me to ...
5
votes
1
answer
536
views
My advisor is not letting me graduate my masters and join Ph.D in a new lab
It has been almost 3.5 years since the start of my Master's, and I want to graduate this December. My advisor wants me to stay and work with him for some more time. I don't want that. When I asked for ...
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
My supervisor does not have time to read my thesis, what do I do?
I am a master's student, I started my degree in 2018. I wrote my thesis and sent it to both my main supervisor and co-supervisor a month ago and ask them to read but my main prof did not have time to ...
- 1
4
votes
4
answers
9k
views
Can I ask a specific person to leave my defence meeting?
There is a student that I helped a lot which I shouldn't.
Now I don't like her to attend my defence while she has the same supervisor as me.
Can I ask her to leave if my supervisor invited her by any ...
- 243
4
votes
5
answers
2k
views
My PhD defense is next week. I feel that I have not done enough work to justify my time spent on the thesis. What can I do about this?
I spent 5 years on my mechanical engineering PhD. I think that my thesis work could have been done in 2 years by a serious student. I have wasted my time on futile work.
I don't know how to justify ...
- 41
4
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How important is the thesis document for judges on the day of the thesis defense?
I want to defend my thesis in the computer networking field on master degree . all things are done. And now I want to write my thesis document. Is this document important for judges in the defend day ...
- 3,405
4
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What are some typical questions one might be asked in a Computer Science PhD Viva?
I know that you are likely to suggest "Ask your supervisor. He/She will know best.".
While that is obviously true, I would like to know from your personal experience either as the PhD candidate or ...
- 317
4
votes
2
answers
731
views
Is it okay to open up the thesis file during the defense?
During the follow-up discussion during the PhD defense, would it be okay if I open up the thesis pdf file to answer some questions, for example to refer to a figure or equations? or should everything ...
- 447
4
votes
2
answers
6k
views
How to defend badly graded master thesis?
My master thesis was the greatest sh*tshow that ever happened in my life. Fortunately I did manage to put it all together and submit it. After that I booked a defense date which is tomorrow.
In the ...
4
votes
2
answers
333
views
PhD Thesis defence [closed]
What are the salient points to watch during a thesis defence?
How do you know if your thesis is up to scratch before the defence?
- 51
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
General idea on how do Committee Members read PhD thesis
The question is divided into two parts and related to the situation like:
Committee gets PhD thesis to read through/give comments/report on it.
Thesis is written based on several publications.
1. What ...
user112003
4
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Tips for being a good jury member for Master's defense
I am a 2nd year PhD student. My supervisor ask me to be a jury member in a Master's thesis defense presentation. This is a first for me, so I have some questions.
Any tips and guidelines I can follow?...
- 1,985
4
votes
1
answer
323
views
Preparing two PhD simultaneously?
I was enrolled in a PhD at the Faculty of Science, and broke up "temporarily" after 4 years due to a horrible Professor, and restarted a new PhD at the Faculty of Engineering.
For the 1st university, ...
3
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What are the best ways to find an external thesis examiner?
My supervisor is too busy to find an external examiner for my PhD thesis, so the job will probably fall to me. I know all the academics who may potentially be an internal examiner, but I don't know ...
- 2,392
3
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Submitting thesis without supervisors' reviews [closed]
I am a Ph.D. student, about to finish my thesis draft. My case is a bit special as I didn't receive any guidance from my supervisors. It is very unlikely that they know details about my work, results ...
3
votes
1
answer
262
views
Found an error in one of the questions that appeared on screen for my dissertation study. Could this be an issue for my dissertation defense?
Fourth year student in Experimental Psychology who recently completed the minimum number of participants needed for data collection (although my advisor wants me to get more). I'm posting here since I ...
- 1
3
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is it acceptable to use personal experience when opening in presentation of my thesis?
Is it acceptable to use personal experience when opening in presentation of my thesis as long as it is relevant and contribute to the presentation of the literature, justification or methodology of ...
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
My adviser will be out of the town during the semester when I'm planning to defend
Originally I was planning to defend my thesis during spring semester, however my adviser suggested me to delay my defense to the summer semester. He motivated this by the fact that my thesis writing ...
- 133
2
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Is it ethical for an instructor to "hack" my system as part of the evaluation for my thesis defense?
Background: I remember when I was still in college here in the Philippines, one of the member of the school thesis committee tries to hack my system by injecting some kind of code (I am not sure but I ...
- 149
2
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How relevant can be the major corrections in PhD dissertation?
My understanding of major corrections in PhD dissertation is that there can be entire chapters to add to the presented dissertation. However for me it's very hard to understand how much these changes ...
- 726
2
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How to make my master thesis defending smooth with good english speech?
My master thesis dissertation is approaching, but I have a few concerns. First of all, I am not native English speaker. When I practiced my presentation on my own (I recorded my speech), it was not ...
- 123
2
votes
2
answers
379
views
Is it good idea to put a slide about "National Teacher Appreciation Day" at the end of presentation slides at my masters defense?
Tomorrow I have my master's project defense. So, I will be presenting and defending on my project "Course Advising System".
I just noticed that tomorrow is a National Teacher Appreciation Day. Is it ...
- 129
2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Having a co-author as an external examiner for doctoral thesis defense
I'm a PhD student in Computer Science in the UK. I had co-authored a paper with a Lecturer from another university (not any of my supervisors, just someone's work I'm building upon) in my first year. ...
- 313
2
votes
2
answers
600
views
Should a list of typos go in thesis defense presentation
I have a list of about a dozen small errors I've personally discovered in my thesis. Is it advisable to have a slide during the presentation listing these? I understand that this is superfluous, ...
- 2,392