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Doctoral Dissertation
The dissertation is the culmination of your doctoral program. As a PhD candidate, you are required to complete an original dissertation that makes a significant contribution to the existing knowledge in your field. Each dissertation is subject to the scholarly criticism of all members of the university community, and consequently is available in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) Office two weeks prior to your oral defence. The oral defence is also open to any member of the university community.
Procedures and Requirements
You are expected to follow all protocols in fully consulting with your Dissertation Advisor, members of your advisory committee, and graduate coordinator in preparing for and writing the dissertation.
All dissertations are subject to dissertation defense procedures as specified by the policies and procedures set out by the FGPS of Wilfrid Laurier University.
Refer to the graduate academic calendar for the regulations governing a doctoral dissertation, which includes the requirements concerning the structure of the doctoral advisory committee (DAC), the doctoral examining committee (DEC), and the guidelines for conducting the oral defence.
The guidelines below will ensure that the coordination of your doctoral dissertation oral defence goes smoothly. Your dissertation advisor and graduate coordinator are responsible for ensuring that the necessary forms are completed throughout this process.
Apply to Graduate
Apply to graduate at your earliest opportunity! Do not wait until after you defend or submit the final requirements to do this, because you may miss your preferred graduation ceremony if you do not apply by the final date to be included.
Fall graduation applications typically open at the end of June and spring graduation applications typically open at the beginning of November.
The online application form can be found on LORIS, under the Student Services tab. Refer also to Convocation and graduation information for details on how and when to apply to graduate.
Submit Your Dissertation for Examination
There are a few more steps to reach the finish line!
When your DAC has confirmed that dissertation is ready for defence, agreement has to be reached by the DAC, and by you, on the preferred date/time of the defence to ensure that everyone is available. From that point, many others are assigned different responsibilities to make sure that this important event can proceed as expected.
Schedule the Oral Defence
The following steps can take anywhere between seven to nine weeks before your oral defence.
The first step is to complete the Request to Schedule Oral Examination Form after the DAC has agreed that the process of scheduling the oral examination should begin. You will complete Part One, and your graduate program coordinator will work with your DAC to complete the rest.
Advisor, Graduate Program Coordinator and DAC Responsibilities
Your dissertation advisor and graduate program coordinator are responsible for ensuring that the necessary forms are completed throughout this process.
Your DAC will consider potential subject matter experts who may be invited to serve as external advisor and will nominate three possible scholars to serve in that role.
The graduate program coordinator is responsible for contacting the nominated externals to:
- Obtain a current copy of their CV;
- Ensure that they are at arm’s length from you and from your dissertation advisor (as the student you should not have any contact with the potential external examiners ahead of your defence);
- Get preliminary agreement that they are willing to participate at the proposed dates/times of the defence.
Your Responsibility
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have followed the format required by the current WLU Thesis Format Guidelines, detailed in the Graduate Academic Calendar (see General Regulations – Submission of Approved Master’s Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation – Thesis Style and Format Guidelines).
The graduate program coordinator submits, to the FGPS,
- the completed Request to Schedule Oral Examination Form, along with the CV of the preferred External Examiner, and
- a PDF copy of your dissertation, and your prepared abstract (separate Word document).
- upon submission of these materials, no further changes may be made to the dissertation prior to the defence.
Upon receipt, the associate vice-president/dean, FGPS reviews the CV and if approved, formally invites the proposed external examiner to serve that role.
Copies to External Examiner
When the invitation has been accepted, the FGPS will send the electronic copy of the dissertation to the approved external examiner, along with other details relevant to the defence procedures.
If the external examiner specifically requests a printed copy of the dissertation:
- Arrangements will be made to print and ship the dissertation to the external examiner.
- FGPS recommends the department/program cover this cost.
The external examiner will read the dissertation, and in no less than 10 days before your defence, will submit their written assessment to the FGPS.
Familiarize Yourself with the Defence
To familiarize yourself with the defence itself, review the Regulations Governing the Doctoral Dissertation in the Graduate Academic Calendar (under General Regulations) and the WLU Doctoral Dissertation Procedures document, which will be provided to you by a member of the FGPS.
Prepare your presentation and slide deck. Ask your advisor for recommended resources and tips on preparing for your oral defence.
FGPS will:
- Send you information about the defence preparation stage;
- Officially confirm the external examiner and send the dissertation and required documents to them at least five weeks prior to the defence date;
- Arrange for an impartial chair of the defence and forward all necessary documents to them at least one week before the defence date;
- Confirm the date, time, and location of the defence;
- Prepare and distribute a bulletin to announce the defence to the university community;
- Your FGPS contact will send you a draft to review before sharing the final version with the committee.
- Forward a copy of the external examiner’s report to the graduate coordinator, your advisor, and the defense chair one week prior to the defence.
- If it is determined that the defence will proceed, the DA should share with the candidate any significant criticisms contained in the report; however, the candidate may only see the report after the defence, with the agreement of the external examiner.
Note: if more than one person cannot attend the oral defence, either in person or via teleconference or videoconference, the defence may be rescheduled. FGPS will confirm the updated arrangements in this event.
You should submit a copy of your presentation to the chairperson as a backup.
If defending in person, stop by FGPS to see the defence room and check what is available for your use.
If preparing for a remote defence, submit your guest attendee list, including email addresses, to your advisor. The advisor will send the list to the chairperson, and forward the Zoom details to the approved guests. There is a maximum of twenty external guests allowed to attend.
The big day has arrived!
Here are a few last-minute words of advice:
- Arrive at least 15-20 minutes early to prepare your seating and presentation area to be organized and comfortable for you. Check to make sure any technology is functioning correctly.
- Have a water bottle nearby.
- Have back up copies of your dissertation and presentation (and any other material) accessible in several locations such as on a Cloud drive, on a USB stick, etc.
- If using a whiteboard, ensure you have markers and an eraser.
- If participating remotely, find a spot with stable internet connection and few distractions such as noise. You may wish to use headphones to help concentrate and block any other noises out.
- Prepare to give a 20 to 30 minute presentation at the start of the defence. This will be followed by several rounds of questioning (usually 2 or 3) by the DEC.
When it comes time for in camera discussions during the defence procedures, you and any external guests will be moved to a break out room (for remote defences; if in-person, you will be asked to leave the room and wait nearby). The chair will bring you back into the main room when it is time to proceed.
Some committees may suggest taking a group screen shot at the conclusion of the defence to capture the moment and celebrate your success.
Submit Your Dissertation
Congratulations! Take a moment to celebrate and decompress.
Your Graduate Candidate Record will be returned to the FGPS noting the decision of the committee. Familiarize yourself with the deadlines related to the decision categories when completing any required revisions.
- You must remain fully registered until all degree requirements have been completed; do not drop your dissertation course on LORIS (the FGPS will do that for you and make any account adjustments available to you when your advisor has signed off on the changes on the Graduate Candidate Record).
- Ensure you receive a list of the required edits, if applicable. These should be sought from your advisor.
- Note that there are time constraints for making any revisions; refer to the Decision Categories for the Dissertation Defence in the Graduate Academic Calendar (under General Regulations > Regulations Governing the Doctoral Dissertation).
- Once the edits have been completed, send the revised version to your advisor(s) for review. Be sure to give your advisor enough time to complete the review within the specified timelines. The Advisor will sign the Graduate Candidate Record to confirm that revisions have been completed, and submit the Record to fgps@wlu.ca.
- Ensure your title page meets the formatting guideline found in the Calendar, specifically ensuring to include the copyright symbol (©).
Complete and submit the following forms (provided by FGPS ahead of the defence)
- Thesis Non-Exclusive Licence
- Embargo Request Form (this form will require signatures from your advisor/co-advisors and program graduate coordinator)
- Scholars Commons Submission Agreement
- Your department will submit your PhD Graduate Candidate Record
Do not upload your dissertation until the final document has been approved by your supervisor and until all paperwork has been sent to the FGPS.
Review the instructions on how to complete the upload. Ensure the embargo period field matches the same period indicated on the embargo form.
Upload the final approved version of your dissertation to Scholars Commons @ Laurier. You must create an account to upload.
Final Requirements
Make sure you are aware of upcoming deadlines for final requirements, to be eligible for tuition adjustments through the term. Check the Graduate Academic Calendar under Academic and Related Dates.
FGPS will:
- Make adjustments to registration and arrange for any applicable adjustments to tuition and fees. After this has been done, students may submit a refund request when they have a credit balance. Note that these adjustments will also impact any funding or OSAP you received for the term.
- Forward notice of your completion to the Convocation team to confirm your eligibility to graduate.