The final checkpoint in the Ph.D. program is the dissertation defense, which is given in the student’s last semester. This defense is open to the public and is an in-depth explanation of the student’s doctoral research. The defense is the final examination in the doctoral program.
i. There must be a minimum of 8 months between the proposal defense and the dissertation defense.
ii. The student is required to submit (1) dissertation manuscript and (2) dissertation summary.
iii. The student must submit at least one paper (manuscript) to a committee-approved, peer-reviewed journal by the time of the defense.
PhD Specific Registration Requirements
Students defending a dissertation must be registered for at least one credit hour during the semester of the student’s dissertation defense. Once a student has passed the dissertation defense, the final dissertation should be turned in within 90 days. See the Thesis Office deadlines for submission.
The Grad School limit for a PhD Defense is 7 years.
Robotics Defense Instructions
Go to Grad Tracker – Dissertation Defense milestone – Fill out the Defense [PhD] Announcement & Content Review.pdf no less than 3 WEEKS prior the scheduled defense date. At this time, the student must also send their manuscript to the Committee Chair (Grad Tracker or emailed to the chair).
Written Dissertation
The dissertation manuscript serves as the written portion of the exam. The thesis’ contents, results, and conclusions associated with the student’s PhD research are provided to the supervisory committee for their review and evaluation. For formatting and organization of the manuscript, please follow the manuscript guidelines outlined by the Graduate School. At a minimum, the dissertation must:
- Include a summary that is a succinct description of a student’s accomplishments and the deliverables achieved.
- Reflect an understanding of the current and past state of knowledge in the chosen research area through a comprehensive literature review of the subject
- Clearly state the goals of the research and justify its value to the engineering and scientific community
- Demonstrate a fundamental and original contribution, which significantly advances engineering science in the chosen area of research
Oral Defense Format
The student will coordinate the required public announcement and scheduling of the defense with the Robotics Graduate Coordinator. The chair of the student’s committee will also chair the defense. The chair will at a minimum:
- Open the defense session by introducing the student and their research topic.
- Announce any specific rules pertaining to the defense (e.g., hold questions until the end of the presentation).
The defense begins with the student’s presentation of their PhD research for approximately 45 minutes. The student will be evaluated on presentation skills as well as the content. Members of the audience must be allowed ask the student relevant questions. After the public question-and-answer session, the audience will be excused. After the open portion of the exam, the closed oral exam begins. The committee may pursue additional discussion and questions with the student. The acceptability of the research effort, the content and conclusions of the thesis , and the student’s oral defense are considered along with other factors, as appropriate. The committee then dismisses the student and votes to determine whether the student passes the exam. The chair then meets with the student to inform him/her of the committee’s decision, and the reasons for that decision.
Manuscript Approval
The last step to confer a PhD degree is formatting and submitting the department approved thesis to the Thesis Office.
READ THIS!! Grad School Before & After Submission Procedure
Thesis Office Handbook
Thesis & Dissertation Help
Formatting Checklist
Guide to Figure/ Table Placement
Thesis Office Tutorials