PhD defence

When	Who	What
Three (3) months before planned submission date	PhD Partner at GSTS	Notification e-mail with practical information to PhD student and main supervisor.
Two (2) months before planned submission date	Student and main supervisor	Student updates, completes and closes the PhD plan and thereafter sends e-mail to main supervisor. Main supervisor checks the PhD plan.
Two (2) weeks before planned submission date at the latest	Main supervisor	Fills in and submits the form ‘Members of the assessment committee, incl. Rules of Impartiality’ proposing the two external members of the assessment committee and a member of the CAE's PhD committee to serve as chair.
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 and lasts for up to three hours where the presentation is 45 minutes long, followed by several rounds of questioning and answering (Q&A; incl. the public at the end). The assessment committee shall communicate a decision by the end of the third hour, the latest.
When the date for defence has been set	PhD secretary	Books a room for the defence and for the assessment committee meeting once the date has been settled.
Planned submission date	PhD student	Submits the thesis and other elements.
Within one week after the submission date	Main supervisor	Submits the Main supervisor statement to the PhD Partner at GSTS.
As soon as possible after receiving all relevant documents	PhD Partner at GSTS	Sends out the thesis and other relevant information to the CAE assessment committee.
Immediately after the thesis has been sent to the assessment committee	Chair of the CAE assessment committee	Contacts the CAE assessment committee and coordinates the completion of the written assessment which must be sent to GSTS two months after the thesis has been submitted at the latest but also no later than two weeks before the defence.
Within two weeks after thesis submission	PhD student	Sends a photo and a résumé in both Danish and English to GSTS. Please include time and date for the defence.
Within two (2) months after the submission date, but no later than two (2) weeks before the defence	Chair of the CAE assessment committee	Sends a signed version of the recommendation to the PhD Partner at GSTS. Please also attach emails from the other committee members stating that they agree with the final version of the recommendation.
As soon as possible	PhD Partner at GSTS	Approves and sends out the recommendation to the PhD student and announces the defence.
At least two weeks before the defence	Main supervisor	Creates a Zoom link if it should be possible to attend the defence online.
At least one week before the defence	GSTS and PhD secretary	Announce the defence on the GSTS and Department websites when GSTS has received the written assessment.
When the defence has been announced	PhD secretary	Will book the defence in the department calendars.
After receiving positive recommendation from GSTS	PhD secretary	Orders lunch for the assessment committee and supervisor.
Immediately after the defence	Chair of the assessment committee	Sends a signed version of the Final Recommendation (awarding the PhD degree) to the PhD Partner at GSTS. If the Recommendation (approval for PhD defence) has not yet been signed by the external evaluators, the Chair ensures that the external evaluators sign the Recommendation at the defence.
As soon as possible	PhD Partner at GSTS	Sends final recommendation to the PhD student by e-mail and afterwards the PhD diploma by postal service.

For more information, please visit this website: PhD thesis and defence (au.dk) 

Timeframe: The defence should not exceed 3 hours including breaks.

• The chairman of the assessment committee explains the procedures

Informs about time schedule, the order of opponents and the possibility of asking questions.

• Presentation of the PhD thesis (45 minutes)

The presentation should represent the content of the PhD study (hypothesis, material and methods / experimental design and results) including a general introduction to the research area and a general discussion accounting for further research perspectives.

• Break

Members of the audience who would like to ask questions should notify the chairman during the break.

• Examination (1 hour - approx. 30 minutes per external opponent)

The examination will be based on the content of the presentation and the PhD thesis. The aim of the examination is to give the student the opportunity to prove thorough knowledge of the topic covered, and to create a constructive and fruitful discussion.

• Closing the examination

The chairman may ask some supplementary questions about the content of the PhD thesis and then close the examination by posing a few overall questions, allowing the PhD student the possibility to put the conducted research into a broader perspective. 

• Questions from the audience

The audience can ask questions as agreed with the chairman during the break.

• Conclusion of the defence

The chairman of the assessment committee concludes the defence by thanking the PhD student and the participants.

• Final recommendation

The assessment committee leaves the lecture hall to make their final recommendation. The chairman of the assessment committee ensures that the entire committee signs the document “Final Recommendation PhD Degree”. 

• Announcement of the recommendation

The assessment committee enters the reception and the chairman of the committee announces their recommendation.

•  Submission of the Final Recommendation to GSTS 

The chairman of the assessment committee submits the final recommendation to the Graduate School of Technical Sciences.