The Thesis Examination

Before you can proceed to your oral defense, your thesis must pass Stage 1 (The Preliminary Evaluation).

  • The Examiner Deadline: At least five working days before your scheduled exam date, your examiners are required to independently submit their confidential preliminary evaluation reports to SGPS. They are voting on whether the thesis is structurally ready to move forward to an oral defense.
  • Dealing with Delays: If the five-day window passes and you haven't received an update, do not panic. Faculty members occasionally submit their reports late due to administrative delays or scheduling conflicts; a delay is simply a matter of paperwork and is never an indication of "bad news" or a poor evaluation of your work.
  • Status Confirmation: Once all evaluations are logged and a majority of your Examination Board deems the thesis acceptable, you will receive an automated confirmation email from SGPS letting you know that your examination is officially proceeding as scheduled.
  • Your Defense Dashboard: At that time, Veritas will fully unlock your official defense dashboard, which displays your confirmed exam time, date, and format (in-person or remote).

Know Your Presentation Requirements

  • PhD Candidates: You are required to deliver a public presentation on your thesis research, normally within the 24 hours leading up to your formal examination. SGPS will publicize this open forum on its website.
  • Master’s Candidates: Public presentations are optional and determined by your specific graduate program. If your program does not require one, you may be permitted to give a brief 10–15 minute presentation to open the examination room.

Lean on Your Supervisory Team

Your supervisor and supervisory committee are your primary resources for defense preparation. Lean on them in the weeks leading up to your exam to:

  • Ensure you fully understand the expectations, format, and flow of the defense.
  • Coordinate mock oral examinations or practice rounds to build comfort responding to real-time critique.
  • Anticipate the specific avenues of questioning your examiners are likely to pursue based on your methodology and findings.

Best Practices for Defense Day

  • Contextualize Your Work: Use the time between submission and your defense to review your source material and keep up with recent publications. Remember, the board is evaluating your ability to ground your findings within the broader scholarly context of your discipline.
  • Defend Your Choices: Be ready to clearly summarize your core arguments, justify your research methodology, and articulate the underlying assumptions of your work.
  • Device Etiquette: Policy dictates that students, examiners, and supervisors refrain from using electronic devices (cell phones, smart watches) during the examination, except in cases of emergency or authorized medical use.

What to Expect During the Defense

The examination is led by an SGPS-appointed Chair who ensures all university procedures are strictly followed. The defense follows a highly structured sequence:

  • The Pre-Exam Meeting: The Chair will briefly ask you and any visitors to step out of the room so the examiners can establish the order of questioners and set time limits (typically 15 to 20 minutes for the first round, and 5 to 10 minutes for the second round).
  • The Questioning: You will return to the room, and the examiners will question you in the agreed-upon order. Note that while your supervisor is in attendance, they sit at arm's length; they may not interject or question you during this period.
  • The Deliberation: Once questioning finishes, you will step out of the room again while the examiners discuss the merits of your thesis and oral defense, then cast their votes electronically through the Veritas platform.
  • The Verdict: The Chair will invite you back into the room to communicate the board's final decision.

For a more complete picture of the operational rules, step-by-step agenda, and platform transition guidelines, please refer to the Thesis Examination Guide.

What Happens Next?

Immediately following the board's internal deliberation, the Chair will deliver the final decision: Pass, Pass Conditional upon Revisions, or Unacceptable.