Examination and Oral Defence

10Submitting the Thesis for Examination

Step 1 — Notice of Intention to Submit

The student gives SGS a Notice of Intention to Submit (SGS/TH‑05), signed by the supervisor, at least one month before submission. This allows SGS to appoint examiners in good time. However, for some programs, this is not necessary. Thesis must be submitted within the given deadline by the School of Graduate Studies.

Step 2 — Eligibility check

• All coursework passed and results confirmed.
• Proposal approved and ethics clearance obtained.
• Registration and fees up to date (financial clearance from the Finance Office).

Step 3 — Submission package

The student submits the following to the SGS office:

11Thesis Examination

Appointment of examiners

Independence and conflict of interest

Examiners must be independent of the candidate and of the research. A person may not examine the thesis if they:

• are or have been a supervisor or co-supervisor of the candidate;
• have co-authored with the candidate or a supervisor within the past five years;
• have a family, financial or close personal relationship with the candidate;
• have contributed directly to the research, or have a professional interest in its outcome.

The identity of examiners is confidential until the oral defence. Candidates must not contact examiners about the thesis before the examination is completed.

Assessment criteria

Examiners assess the thesis on the Examiner’s Report form (SGS/TH‑09), considering:

1. Clarity and significance of the research problem and objectives.
2. Depth and critical quality of the literature review and framework.
3. Appropriateness and rigour of the methodology, including ethics.
4. Accuracy and quality of analysis and presentation of results.
5. Quality of discussion, conclusions and recommendations, and their link to the evidence.
6. Contribution of the study to knowledge, policy or practice.
7. Organisation, language, formatting and referencing.

Examiners’ reports

Examiners return their reports to SGS within six weeks of receiving the thesis. Each examiner independently makes one of the following recommendations:

Where the two examiners disagree significantly (for example, one recommends A and the other D), the Director of SGS may appoint an additional external examiner (an “adjudicator”) whose report informs the panel’s decision.

A thesis may be resubmitted following a Category C outcome once only.

12The Oral Defence (Viva Voce)

All master’s candidates defend their thesis orally. The defence confirms that the candidate is the author of the work, understands it thoroughly and can respond to critical questioning.

The examination panel

Arrangements

• SGS schedules the defence after both examiners’ reports are received, normally within four weeks, and notifies the candidate at least ten days in advance.
• Defences are open to members of the University at the discretion of the Chair, unless confidentiality has been approved.
• The external examiner may join by secure video link. The Chair must be satisfied that the connection allows a fair examination.

Procedure

1. The Chair opens the session, introduces the panel and explains the procedure (after a short closed briefing of the panel).
2. The candidate presents the thesis in about 20 minutes.
3. Examiners question the candidate, normally the external examiner first. Questioning lasts about 45–60 minutes.
4. The audience may be invited to ask questions at the Chair’s discretion.
5. The candidate and audience withdraw while the panel deliberates.
6. The panel agrees its decision and the Chair informs the candidate. The decision is recorded on the Oral Defence Report (SGS/TH‑10).

Possible outcomes

Results are provisional until confirmed by the Graduate Studies Board and approved by Senate.