We all know that a PhD is a major undertaking and requires lots of devotion and determination. After all, during that period of time, we’re advancing the understanding of our world!
Having spent 3-5 years working on your PhD project, you’re about to submit your PhD thesis for examination. But the question that you may be pondering about is “what’s going to happen next”?
Obviously, you may know that the next step is to pass the PhD viva exam and you may have discussed this with your supervisor.
However, in my discussions with current PhD students, I noticed that there’s a general lack of understanding of what is a PhD viva, what to expect and how to prepare for it. I was there too before my VIVA.
Remember that depending on your university, country and field of study there will be some variability in the process, types of questions and focus of the examination itself. However, there are some generic components of each viva that are shared across the fields and topics.
That’s why in this article I’m going to share my answer to the most common questions I get regarding PhD viva. I will also explain what is a PhD viva and what you can expect! I trust this will give you an idea of what to expect and where to start your preparations.
Table of Contents
What is a PhD viva voce and what to expect?
In the most generic terms, viva voce (aka. viva) is an oral examination that takes place at the very end of your PhD programme. It’s compulsory for essentially all PhD students.
The main aim of this examination is to verify your knowledge and understanding of your field of knowledge, as well as evaluate the CONTRIBUTION and NOVELTY of your work.
Therefore, the list of questions you may expect to receive during your examination will aim to assess:
- the depth of knowledge you have in your specific research area
- the breadth of knowledge you have in the broader research field relevant to your work
- your ability to place your work in a broader context and demonstrate your contribution
- your contribution to the body of knowledge
- your understanding of the limitations of your work and your ideas of how these can be (potentially) solved
- whether your work is indeed yours