Candidates with oral examination

Process overview

The external examination of a HDR candidate is a 2-part process consisting of a thesis evaluation and an oral examination.

Each of these parts is linked to the following outputs:

1. Thesis evaluation: a summary and a written report from each examiner.
2. Oral examination: a Chair’s report summarising the feedback of the examiners and recommendation of the examination panel.

These outcomes inform a decision by the Dean of the Graduate School on the final outcome of the candidate’s examination and whether an award (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Master of Philosophy (MPhil)) will be conferred.

The oral examination will take place between 2 weeks to 3 months after scheduling, depending on the availability of the participants.

Thesis evaluation 

Read the entire thesis and provide a summary and written report, based on the following criteria.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) candidate:

• Does the candidate demonstrate a significant and original contribution to knowledge?
• Does the candidate engage with the literature and the work of others?
• Does the candidate show an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods relating to the applicable discipline?
• Is there a clear and discernible coherence in the presented research, its arguments and conclusions?
• Is the thesis clearly, accurately, and cogently written?

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) candidate

• Does the candidate show originality in the application of knowledge?
• Does the candidate engage with the literature and the work of others?
• Does the candidate show an advanced knowledge of research principles and methods relating to the applicable discipline?
• Is there a clear and discernible coherence in the presented research, its arguments and conclusions?
• Is the thesis clearly, accurately, and cogently written?

Your written report should provide sufficient detail to allow the candidate to prepare responses for the oral examination.

If you express significant concerns about the thesis, then the oral examination, which usually takes place approximately 1 month after your reports are returned, may be postponed at the Dean’s discretion in order to give the student more time to prepare.

Evaluation timeframe

Your report should be submitted to the UQ Graduate School no later than 5 weeks after you receive the thesis for evaluation. If you require additional time, contact the Graduate School’s progressions and examinations team outlining your requirements at thesis@gradschool.uq.edu.au.

Once your report has been reviewed by the Dean of the Graduate School, it will be released to the candidate and their principal advisor so that the candidate can prepare for the oral examination.

Oral examination

The oral examination is the second part of the HDR candidate examination process. Only once the oral examination has taken place can an outcome of the candidate’s examination be determined.

The oral examination usually involves 4 participants:

• the candidate
• the Chair of examiners (appointed by UQ)
• 2 external examiners who provided written reports.

The Chair of examiners and the 2 examiners constitute the oral examination panel.

The main objectives are to:

• provide a developmental learning opportunity
• authenticate the contribution made by the candidate to the thesis
• establish that the candidate fully understands the work and its wider implications
• provide the candidate with an opportunity to reply to criticism or challenge
• enable the candidate and examiners to clarify issues, corrections, and revisions.

Assessment and report

The oral examination will include assessment of the candidate’s ability to:

• demonstrate detailed knowledge of the thesis
• locate their research in the broader context of their discipline
• demonstrate the originality of the thesis and the contribution it makes to the state of knowledge in the field
• defend the methodology and conclusions of the thesis
• display awareness of the limitations of the thesis.

The outcome of this second component is a Chair’s report which:

1. summarises the feedback of the examination panel
2. provides the recommendation of the panel on the outcome of the oral examination.

The report should:

• be clear and concise
• detail any revisions required
• justify the final recommendation.

Oral examination process

The Chair of examiners is responsible for scheduling and conducting the oral examination.

Once the examiners’ reports have been returned, the Chair will be informed that the oral examination is ready to be scheduled. You’ll then be invited to respond to an online poll to help establish the date and time of the oral examination. Once a date and time have been finalised, you will receive a Zoom link for the examination.

By this stage in the examination process, the candidate is aware of the examiners’ identities, but is not allowed to contact them. Similarly, you are requested not to contact the candidate or their advisors. All communication should be conducted through the Chair of examiners.

Day of examination

It is recommended that, on the day of the oral examination, the Chair and examiners meet in the first 20 minutes of the scheduled session to discuss their reports and set an agenda with points for discussion and issues requiring clarification. Any potential areas of disagreement between examiners should be discussed at this meeting and a resolution should be sought. (If the examination panel wishes to begin these preparatory discussions earlier via email, it’s welcome to do so.)

The oral examination may take up to 3 hours.

All discussion should take place in English.

Possible recommendations are:

• Pass
• Pass with changes
• Repeat oral examination
• Revise and resubmit thesis for examination.

At the conclusion of the oral examination, the Chair’s report containing the panel’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate School for a final decision.

Examination format

The examination typically begins with the candidate presenting a short overview of the thesis and its main findings. The thesis should be discussed, and questions asked and answered, in a respectful and fair manner.

Questions should focus on the areas of concern raised in the written reports provided by the examiners. The candidate may rebut some of the feedback with sound academic arguments and justifications or may concede that further revisions would enhance the thesis.

Examiners may ask questions tangential to the work carried out in the thesis, but the ability or inability of the candidate to answer such questions should not influence the examiners’ recommendation on the final outcome of the examination.

At the conclusion of the oral examination, the candidate will temporarily leave the room (or Zoom meeting). The examiners (with the guidance of the Chair) will decide on a recommendation to the Dean regarding the outcome of the oral examination.

The candidate will then be invited back into the room (or Zoom meeting) and given a verbal summary of the outcome of the oral examination.