This is a practical guide for you as chair of the defence. The guide is based on the rules and regulations for the degree of PhD.
Your role
As chair of the defence you will preside over the trial lecture and disputation i.e. the PhD examination. As acting dean you are acting on behalf of the faculty.
You will be sent information about the disputation prior to the disputation – a text to be used as chair of the defence and the candidate’s thesis.
Both the trial lecture and the disputation follow a specific order.
Trial lecture
The committe administrator open the trial lecture by informing the audience that the lecture is part of the PhD examination. The objective of the trial lecture is for the candidate to show his or her ability to give a clear and pedagogic presentation of a scientific topic while using technical aids.
You must inform the audience that the candidate has 45 minutes at his or her disposal.
The candidate’s lecture is followed by 15 minutes allocated to questions and comments chaired by you. You must talk with the candidate and committee about this prior to the trial lecture.
Disputation
A disputation is a public event. It is therefore important that it is conducted in a manner that makes the main points of the discussion understandable to the audience at large.
Before the disputation
Make sure all technical aids are working.
You must tell the candidate and the committee members about the disputation procedures before you enter the hall in the following order:
- Candidate
- Secretary to the committee
- 2nd opponent
- 1st opponent
- Chair of the defence
Implementation
The disputation should show the candidate’s ability to convey information and should therefore be at a high pedagogic level.
The candidate starts the disputation with a presentation of his or her thesis lasting a maximum of 30 minutes. The presentation should be held in a popular scientific form.
Afterwards the 1st opponent has 75 minutes and the 2nd opponent has 60 minutes to question the candidate.
The public defence of the thesis should be a lively scientific discussion, and you should as acting dean actively encourage questions from the audience. Any questions from members of the audience should be asked after the 1st opponent’s arguments but before the 2nd opponent’s arguments.
You may also allow short comments after the 2nd opponent has concluded his or her arguments. As chair of the public defence you may also ask the candidate questions.
Before you conclude the disputation the candidate must be given an opportunity to say a few words. The candidate should show his or her gratitude to the members of the opposition and the faculty for having had the opportunity to present him or herself for the PhD examination.
After the disputation
After the disputation has been concluded you leave the hall in reverse order:
- Chair of the defence
- 1st opponent
- 2nd opponent
- Secretary to the committee
- Kandidate
You must submit the attestation forms, which the adjudication committee have signed if the trial lecture and disputation are approved, to the faculty.
Doctoral dinner
The candidate often hosts a doctoral dinner after the disputation, both to celebrate and to thank the committee members and supervisors for their efforts. This should be reflected in the speech.
The first speech should be held by the candidate who thanks the University of Oslo, the adjudication committee and his or her supervisors.
The next speech should be given by you as chair of the defence. You should welcome the candidate as a doctor at the faculty, and congratulate him or her on having successfully completed the PhD. You may also account for what the faculty has contributed in the form of:
- infrastructure
- training
- supervision
- recruitment environment
- and any other matters
On behalf of the University you should also thank the adjudication committee for their efforts.
Towards the end of this relatively formal speech you might like to take the opportunity to talk about the value of scientific research, and any other important faculty matters that you might find relevant, or any other matters of strategic importance.
The next speeches are normally given by the secretary to the committee and supervisor.