What is a Thesis Statement?
Defending your own thesis statement is the most important part of your final examination. The procedure is also known as viva voce. It is typically a different type of oral examination, which is held in front of the committee who questions you regarding your thesis. The graduate schools conduct this oral defense in order to test the exact depth of knowledge of the doctoral candidate. In addition, your ability to explain your own work is taken into consideration.
Here contrary to the typical examination, more than the committee, you are the only person who knows the subject inside out. You are well aware of every part of the thesis. In support of your views, you can fairly debate with the knowledgeable people. You have taken utmost pains over the years to know how to write a dissertation. You are in-charge of this defense viva. In different countries, the importance of this defense varies, depending on their respective curriculum. The basic purpose of this is to test the knowledge of the candidate in his area of expertise as well as the proficiency in the related fields.
Examining committee includes professors from inside the university as well as an external examiner too. However, your primary supervisor occupies a major role. Without him, the viva cannot proceed. Each member of the committee is provided with the sample of your work prior to examination. He will come prepared regarding the subject matter. He also formulates the questionnaire in advance that tackles the research work in depth.
In European countries, this examination takes place in public, in presence of friends and family of the doctoral candidate. This does a thorough scrutiny of a good thesis. In addition, any interested member can be present. Here though the chances of failure are obsolete as the assessment takes place much before this public review. The public assessment is done in order to decide the future of the candidate. Even the decision of publishing is taken after thorough debate in open public. Here the candidate goes through a real test for his life! His good reputation ahead is decided in these public ceremonies. In many nations, the decision of special honors is made in these defenses.
In public defense procedure, after the examiners finish with their set of questions, the audience is allowed to go for their round of questions. They can satisfy their quest for knowledge. When however, the examination is conducted in private, there tends to be more formal environment. The candidate is asked initially to give a brief summary of his work. Thereafter, the committee proceeds with the questions. Here there is more thorough assessment. Examiners may want to know regarding the support of certain facts in your thesis work. They may want you to clarify some confusing facts. They will ask you to reason some statistics that you have made note of. They may be interested in the application of your work in a broader perspective. They may want you to proceed with further work in your field for better results.
