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The oral defense is one of the last steps of your dissertation journey. The oral defense happens at the end of Phase 5 after you have obtained approval on your dissertation Chapters 1 through 5. It is not only a time of celebration, but also an important milestone needed to earn your doctoral degree. During the oral defense, you will be expected to share your research findings.��

Practice! Practice! Practice! Doctoral candidates should first prepare their presentation for the defense. Students can find resources for the oral defense on CDS Central under Dissertation Journey and then Phase 5. Students can also reference the document. Doctoral candidates will find an oral defense template, recordings of a real oral defense, and a recorded webinar that shares more of what to expect and how to prepare.

Once doctoral candidates have their slides prepared, they should practice several times. We recommend having a few practice sessions by yourself where you time yourself to make sure you fit within the time frame of 20-25 minutes. Once you have practiced and fit within the time frame, reach out to your Chair, who may have additional support and guidance for you.��

After the Q&A session, any family members or friends who called in will be asked to log off. The Doctoral Candidate will be asked to leave the room, either by logging off, or going into a breakout room. The committee members will convene to determine if the doctoral candidate met the requirements to pass the oral defense. The Doctoral Candidate will be called back into the session once committee members have come to a consensus.

If students do not pass the defense, first, deep breaths. The committee will review with the candidate where improvement is needed. The doctoral candidate will be given the opportunity to present the oral defense again at a later date, once all revisions and changes have been made.

If the doctoral candidate passes the defense, congratulations are in order! This is a moment of great relief and celebration! Tears are often shed by both doctoral candidates and committee members! Even when doctoral candidates pass the defense, there are often revisions that still need to be made either to the defense presentation or the dissertation itself. Students should expect to make any final revisions after the defense. Once revisions have been made, doctoral candidates will work with Dissertation Services team for final preparations and signatures. If students do not pass the defense, first, deep breaths. The committee will review with the candidate where improvement is needed. The doctoral candidate will be given the opportunity to present the oral defense again at a later date, once all revisions and changes have been made.

Preparing for your oral defense is an exciting part of the journey and with good preparation, you will be one step closer to calling yourself DOCTOR.��