PhD defences, vivas, and confirmations

The PhD defence or viva is the doctoral student’s final rite of passage before the award of the doctoral degree. In many places, it constitutes a mandatory final examination, and it is often held in English even outside of Anglophone contexts. What this examination looks like varies, however. This chapter will describe the genre of PhD defences in different geographical contexts by first focusing on the general genre features of the PhD defence/viva, such as the purpose and the timing of the defence/viva in the PhD education process, the participants, and the structure of the defence. After that, the chapter will survey PhD defences in different parts of the world, such as the US, the UK, Asia, and Europe. The description of PhD defences in these different contexts will be provided through a review of previous research and complemented by informant accounts of defences they have participated in, and any available institutional documents regulating how defences should be conducted.