Thesis Defence

The process for defending a graduate thesis at the University of Alberta is well described in the program manual. It is very important that a student meet with the chair of the examining committee to go over the examination procedure.

Some tips:

Ensure that you have met the program requirements (coursework and types of courses), as outlined in the program manual; otherwise, you will not be allowed to defend. (For PhD students, this is checked for the candidacy exam.)

Practice your seminar so that you know what you will talk about and so that you know that you will stay under the time limit. Ideally, practise in the examination room. If you have video or other complex media requirements, test them on the equipment in the room so that you know they work.

Prepare a cv, emphasizing your academic record (education, publications, scholarships and awards).

Prepare handouts of your presentation for the examination committee members. This will allow them to make notes easily for any points of discussion.

A few days before the examination, think of questions that the examiners might ask, and practise how you will respond. Questions may be very simple, in which case don’t over answer them! A simple question is usually followed by deeper questions, as the examiner assesses your understanding of a topic. A good guide to preparing for the oral examination is found here:

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In the examination itself, try to relax and remember that you know more about your specific topic than anyone else in the room.

Each examiner will ask you questions for a short period of time. Listen to the examiner’s question carefully. If are not sure what the examiner is asking, try responding with what you think the question is, for clarification. Once the question is clear, then provide a direct response. The examiner may ask you to go to the board and draw a diagram or a graph about some part of the relevant theory or your own work. Draw to the best of your ability, with a simple sketch. If you are asked to draw a graph, label the axes. The examiner may provide additional direction so that you draw what the questions will be about. Take your time. Don’t worry that your sketch isn’t perfect.

Remember that it is much better to say “I don’t know” than to bluff with an answer that may be wrong.

Know that you can expect to be treated with dignity and respect during the examination. The chair of the exam has a role in ensuring that the exam is conducted in a fair manner. (“Fair” does not mean “easy.”)

FGSR now requires that when a defence outcome is “Pass subject to revisions”, the chair of the examining committee must provide to FGSR in writing within five days of the examination: (i) the reason for the outcome, (ii) details of the required revisions, (iii) the approval mechanism for meeting the required revisions, and (iv) the supervision and assistance the student can expect to receive from the examining committee.

An examiner may provide revisions to be made with respect to clarity of research objectives, technical content, discussion, uncertainty and error analysis, discussion of results and limitations, formatting, figures, referencing, grammar, and style. Typically an examiner will withhold their signature until the changes have been incorporated into the thesis.  Changes should be made with tracked changes or highlighting to show each change.

Professor, Mechanical Engineering