SLU news
Defending a thesis during the present corona situation
Published: 07 April 2020
How do you carry out a defense of a doctoral thesis when neither external reviewer nor examining committee can be present physically? Sarah Fitz-Koch became SLU’s first doctor after an online defense.
The staff magazine Resurs has an article describing Sarah’s experience, https://resurs.slu.se/glad-att-kunna-disputera-trots-allt/. (in Swedish)
The following information about public defense of doctoral theses is published on the staff web's webpage with corona information:
"In order to facilitate the implementation of public defences of doctoral theses during a period when many organisations and countries have travel restrictions, it is allowed to deviate from SLU guidelines stating that the author of the thesis, external reviewer, examining committee and chair must be physically present.
If any party cannot be physically present due to travel restrictions and the faculty, through the doctoral education committee, decides that video link-up is the only option, SLU’s IT support should be booked during the defence to ensure technological quality.
The doctoral education committees are also encouraged to review the possibility of finding alternative examining committee members who can be physically present.
This decision applies until further notice."