| Three (3) months before the exam | PhD Partner at GSTS | Notification e-mail with practical information to PhD student and main supervisor |
| Six (6) weeks prior to the exam | PhD student and main supervisor | PhD student updates the PhD plan, and the main supervisor completes the registration form and sends it to the CAE Head of PhD program for approval. |
| When the assessment committee is in place | Main supervisor | The main supervisor must find a time and date for the defence that all members and the PhD student can agreed to. The exam usually takes place at 13:00. The supervisor is also responsible for booking a meeting room for the exam. |
| Three (3) weeks prior to the exam | PhD student | Submits the progress report to the GSTS partner. |
| Three (3) weeks prior to the exam | PhD Partner at GSTS | Sends out the progress report and other relevant information to the supervisor and external co-examiner. |
| At least one (1) week before exam | GSTS and PhD secretary | Announce the exam on the GSTS and Department websites. |
| One (1) week prior to the exam | Main supervisor | Orders lunch for the external co-examiner either before or after the exam. An alternative is to take the external co-examiner to a canteen and buy him or her lunch there. If possible, the supervisor must pay for lunch from a research project. If this is not possible, the supervisor can contact the PhD secretary and ask for a project and activity number from the department. |
| Immediately after the exam | Main supervisor | Sends a signed protocol to the PhD Partner at GSTS. |