End-of-term: Pointers for defending defending a Masters Thesis

Today is the last day of classes at the UPS. Most of the morning I spent working on class files, meeting students, correcting papers, and trying to get through e-mail with people at the DSPT in Berkeley.

All of this reminds me that I am living between two worlds as I prepare to return to Berkeley. And immediately on my return I will participate in a few important events. First is the launch of Arthur Lenti's book series on Don Bosco, 25 January. On 30 January one of my students, Larry King, will defend his MA thesis.

Larry and I have been in e-mail contact this whole time, and I have worked on corrections, sending him comments and observations with various emails and attachments. Today the exam has been scheduled (or will be scheduled as soon as people in California get in to work) for 20 January.

With all of this, I forgot that the thesis defense in Berkeley tends to be without an audience. In Rome everyone goes to the defense and so students learn what to expect. Professors too see how others do it, and so the thesis examination becomes a ritual of sorts.

How should a Master/Licentiate candidate prepare for his or her defense?

From my experience I tell my own students the following:

1) Write out a defense statement to present at the opening of the examination. Take your words from the introduction that you have written, and from the conclusion. In other words, tell us your original hypothesis, explain how you had planned to study this theme (introduction), then tell us what you discovered in the course of your study (conclusion), what have been the limits of the paper (conclusion), what are areas to promote for further study (conclusion), and finally restate your original hypothesis now as a proven thesis statement.

2) When you have put this paper together from your introduction and conclusion, streamline it to be no more than three pages, double-spaced. Reading this aloud should come to 9 minutes in time (Remember the rule of thumb: 7 pages = 20 minutes; for your doctoral defense you'll want to put together 7 pages or a 20-minute statement).

3) Some candidate make a print-out of this presentation, which they then give to the professors on the panel and to any others who may be in attendance. On this packet of pages, the candidate may wish to add any errors that you might have noted in your printout, with the appropriate corrections. Also, you can add your thankyous and acknowledements here as well.

4) After you have offered your opening statement, each of the professors on your panel will have 10 minutes to ask you questions (20 if we are doing your doctoral defense). Have your thesis open in front of you and bring along paper and pens for taking notes. As the professor asks you a question, write down the main points of his or her question on your note paper. In this way you will not forget the several points of the question (we professor-types tend to be complicated when we ask questions). This will also allow you a moment to collect your thoughts and then to speak clearly as you respond the each question point-by-point.

5) Do not hesitate to open your thesis and use what you have written there to respond to a question if you see that this will help. This is, after all, a defense of a thesis and not simply an oral examination. You can use your written work to your advantage.

6) Remember, in the last analysis, that you are defending your written work -- your thesis -- and not defending yourself. In other words, do not feel that there is an attack on you or on your ideas taking place. Accept observations gracefully, and corrections gratefully. Modesty and competence go together, after all. Once this examination is completed, there you will have time to make any corrections needed before making the final printout.

These are my suggestions. But don't take my word on this. There are great guides written in so many "how to" books designed for graduate students. I am sure you'll find much better recommendations there.

[Photos: 1) Students in my Francis de Sales class fill out the class evaluation forms on 16 January 2008; 2) Larry King and Ed Hopfner at DSPT on 19 September 2007; 3) John Roche defends his thesis on 18 June 2007]