To qualify for the degree of doctor of philosophy, students are required to present their dissertation at a public defense no later than one week before the Registrar's dissertation submission date. The defense is intended to provide an opportunity for constructive discussions concerning the achievements as well as any remaining shortcomings of the dissertation, together with possibilities for future research and ideas on revising the thesis for publication. It is open to faculty and graduate students as well as friends and family of the student. Those who intend to participate in the discussion are expected to have read the dissertation. One week prior to the defense the student must provide an electronic version to be made available on the EALC Intranet.
The defense should be scheduled after the student’s committee has granted approval of the dissertation. The defense committee consists of the student’s dissertation committee, and preferably, one additional member from the EALC department, another Harvard department, or an institution outside of the University. The student’s primary advisor decides when the dissertation is ready for the committee’s perusal. All readers must approve the dissertation as is, or approve it with voluntary minor revisions in order for the defense to proceed. Prior to the defense, two readers’ reports on the dissertation by the primary advisor and the next closest advisor on the committee will be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies and Coordinator. Once the approvals are received the defense will be advertised to the department via e-mail, with the inclusion of an abstract.
The defense will last approximately two hours. The exact format of the defense proceedings is left up to the student’s primary advisor, who also acts as chair of the defense. A typical defense may proceed as follows:
The student gives a brief statement summarizing the major arguments or contributions of the thesis, which may also include an account of the project’s genesis and development. Each member of the committee will then have approximately twenty minutes to pose questions to the candidate. Questions typically begin with the most external reader and make their way toward the advisor. Questions are based on the dissertation itself, rather than the field as a whole. If there is time and the chair decides, the audience can be invited to ask questions after the faculty finishes. The audience and the candidate are then dismissed and the committee consults. The candidate is then brought back into the room to receive any further advice or comments the committee may wish to offer in private.
In preparation for the defense, the student must declare the members of the dissertation committee by the start of the academic year in which they intended to finish by informing the Director of Graduate Studies. Students should consult closely with their primary advisor about the committee and the inclusion of anyone from outside of the University, whose presence at the defense will require budget approval.
Because finding a mutually agreeable time for all faculty members can be difficult and time consuming, the student should make every effort possible to aid the Graduate Coordinator in scheduling the defense.