Before the final oral examination, the student is required to give a public lecture on the thesis topic. Information on due dates for degree applications and submission of theses may be obtained from the department administrator. The final manuscript should conform to the requirements described in the booklet, The Form of the Doctoral Thesis. Final Oral Examination . The Committee on Academic Studies will appoint a committee to conduct a final oral examination at which the candidate will defend their PhD thesis.
Typical committees have four or five members.
The examination will be confined to the thesis and topics bearing directly on it. Duration of Graduate Study. Duration of graduate study should not ordinarily exceed five years, and students in their sixth year are encouraged to finish promptly. Students who are not progressing satisfactorily will be put on grace, essentially a one year University probation during which they must begin to make appropriate progress. Students who, at the end of such a probationary year, are still not progressing satisfactorily, will lose stipend support.