Almost there: Preparing for the disputation - in person

The Berlin University Alliance (BUA) is an alliance of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Together, they are pursuing the goal of creating and shaping an integrated research space in Berlin. This alliance aims to establish Berlin as a leading international science location. All workshops and events offered by the Graduate Studies Support Program are funded by the BUA and therefore free of charge.

Participation

Doctoral researchers (all disciplines) of the Berlin University Alliance who will soon be handing in their doctoral thesis or have just submitted it.

Before booking a workshop, please make sure that you can attend for the entire duration. Please check our terms and conditions.

Objectives

The workshop provides information about the formal procedure, the requirements, the social setting of a Ph.D. examination and the do’s and don’ts of a PhD examination. In this seminar we will use video recording as a tool to enable the participants to capitalize on their strengths and to improve their performance. This workshop places particular emphasis on preparing strategically one’s position in the lead up to the viva defense and dealing with the questions & answers session in the second part of the viva defense. On the first day, participants attend the workshop all together as a single group. On the second day, the participants join the trainer for a series of one-to-one sessions characterised by a dedicated tailor-made approach.

Content

• Selecting a committee: what should I take into account?

• The dos and don’ts in oral Ph.D. examinations.

• How do I stay my ground during the questions and answers session (Q&A)?

• How do I deal with stage fright?

• How do I structure the preparation phase most effectively?