phd in defence

Doctor of Defense and Strategic Studies

Protect, advise and serve across the world

This professional doctoral degree prepares you for high-level roles in today’s security community.

Explore the policies, theories and methods used in diplomacy and defense. Advise on security issues.

Get the best training and knowledge as you study under experts in the field.

Have an invaluable asset for your career.

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Why earn a doctoratal degree in defense and strategic studies?

Study on your schedule

This program is perfect for the working professional. You can take courses fully online, in-person (Washington, D.C.) or a hybrid of both. Go to school full-time or part-time. Complete your degree from anywhere.

Achieve your career goals

The job market needs highly skilled and educated national security professionals. Work in government, defense, international affairs, diplomacy and other areas. Serve in a variety of policy and field positions.

Have a deeper focus

Your classes cover advanced topics like nuclear strategy, intelligence, security affairs and cyber warfare – among others. Dr. Keith Payne, a world-renowned strategist and defense analyst, teaches the capstone course, “Advanced Nuclear Strategy, Deterrence and Arms Control.”

Learn from the best

Your faculty and guest speakers are current/former national security experts. They know the field and have hands-on experience in the topics they teach.

The defense and strategic studies (DSS) department is located in the Washington, D.C. metro area, in the nearby suburb of Fairfax, Virginia. Our student body is diverse, with a mix of traditional, mid-career and active-duty military.

Want to know more? Review frequently asked questions .

Accreditation

• Missouri: Higher Learning Commission
• Virginia: State Council of Higher Education for Virginia

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PhD Defence Process: A Comprehensive Guide

Embarking on the journey toward a PhD is an intellectual odyssey marked by tireless research, countless hours of contemplation, and a fervent commitment to contributing to the body of knowledge in one’s field. As the culmination of this formidable journey, the PhD defence stands as the final frontier, the proverbial bridge between student and scholar.

In this comprehensive guide, we unravel the intricacies of the PhD defence—a momentous occasion that is both a celebration of scholarly achievement and a rigorous evaluation of academic prowess. Join us as we explore the nuances of the defence process, addressing questions about its duration, contemplating the possibility of failure, and delving into the subtle distinctions of language that surround it.

Beyond the formalities, we aim to shed light on the significance of this rite of passage, dispelling misconceptions about its nature. Moreover, we’ll consider the impact of one’s attire on this critical day and share personal experiences and practical tips from those who have successfully navigated the defence journey.

Whether you are on the precipice of your own defence or are simply curious about the process, this guide seeks to demystify the PhD defence, providing a roadmap for success and a nuanced understanding of the pivotal event that marks the transition from student to scholar.

Introduction

A. definition and purpose:, b. overview of the oral examination:, a. general duration of a typical defense, b. factors influencing the duration:, c. preparation and flexibility:, a. preparation and thorough understanding of the research:, b. handling questions effectively:, c. confidence and composure during the presentation:, d. posture of continuous improvement:, a. exploring the possibility of failure:, b. common reasons for failure:, c. steps to mitigate the risk of failure:, d. post-failure resilience:, a. addressing the language variation:, b. conforming to regional preferences:, c. consistency in usage:, d. flexibility and adaptability:, e. navigating language in a globalized academic landscape:, a. debunking myths around the formality of the defense:, b. significance in validating research contributions:, c. post-defense impact:, a. appropriate attire for different settings:, b. professionalism and the impact of appearance:, c. practical tips for dressing success:, b. practical tips for a successful defense:, c. post-defense reflections:, career options after phd.

Embarking on the doctoral journey is a formidable undertaking, where aspiring scholars immerse themselves in the pursuit of knowledge, contributing new insights to their respective fields. At the pinnacle of this academic odyssey lies the PhD defence—a culmination that transcends the boundaries of a mere formality, symbolizing the transformation from a student of a discipline to a recognized contributor to the academic tapestry.

The PhD defence, also known as the viva voce or oral examination, is a pivotal moment in the life of a doctoral candidate.

PhD defence is not merely a ritualistic ceremony; rather, it serves as a platform for scholars to present, defend, and elucidate the findings and implications of their research. The defence is the crucible where ideas are tested, hypotheses scrutinized, and the depth of scholarly understanding is laid bare.

The importance of the PhD defence reverberates throughout the academic landscape. It is not just a capstone event; it is the juncture where academic rigour meets real-world application. The defence is the litmus test of a researcher’s ability to articulate, defend, and contextualize their work—an evaluation that extends beyond the pages of a dissertation.

Beyond its evaluative nature, the defence serves as a rite of passage, validating the years of dedication, perseverance, and intellectual rigour invested in the research endeavour. Success in the defence is a testament to the candidate’s mastery of their subject matter and the originality and impact of their contributions to the academic community.

Furthermore, a successful defence paves the way for future contributions, positioning the scholar as a recognized authority in their field. The defence is not just an endpoint; it is a launchpad, propelling researchers into the next phase of their academic journey as they continue to shape and redefine the boundaries of knowledge.

In essence, the PhD defence is more than a ceremonial checkpoint—it is a transformative experience that validates the intellectual journey, underscores the significance of scholarly contributions, and sets the stage for a continued legacy of academic excellence. As we navigate the intricacies of this process, we invite you to explore the multifaceted dimensions that make the PhD defence an indispensable chapter in the narrative of academic achievement.

What is a PhD Defence?

At its core, a PhD defence is a rigorous and comprehensive examination that marks the culmination of a doctoral candidate’s research journey. It is an essential component of the doctoral process in which the candidate is required to defend their dissertation before a committee of experts in the field. The defence serves multiple purposes, acting as both a showcase of the candidate’s work and an evaluative measure of their understanding, critical thinking, and contributions to the academic domain.

The primary goals of a PhD defence include:

• Presentation of Research: The candidate presents the key findings, methodology, and significance of their research.
• Demonstration of Mastery: The defence assesses the candidate’s depth of understanding, mastery of the subject matter, and ability to engage in scholarly discourse.
• Critical Examination: Committee members rigorously question the candidate, challenging assumptions, testing methodologies, and probing the boundaries of the research.
• Validation of Originality: The defence validates the originality and contribution of the candidate’s work to the existing body of knowledge.

The PhD defence often takes the form of an oral examination, commonly referred to as the viva voce. This oral component adds a dynamic and interactive dimension to the evaluation process. Key elements of the oral examination include:

• Presentation: The candidate typically begins with a formal presentation, summarizing the dissertation’s main components, methodology, and findings. This presentation is an opportunity to showcase the significance and novelty of the research.
• Questioning and Discussion: Following the presentation, the candidate engages in a thorough questioning session with the examination committee. Committee members explore various aspects of the research, challenging the candidates to articulate their rationale, defend their conclusions, and respond to critiques.
• Defence of Methodology: The candidate is often required to defend the chosen research methodology, demonstrating its appropriateness, rigour, and contribution to the field.
• Evaluation of Contributions: Committee members assess the originality and impact of the candidate’s contributions to the academic discipline, seeking to understand how the research advances existing knowledge.

The oral examination is not a mere formality; it is a dynamic exchange that tests the candidate’s intellectual acumen, research skills, and capacity to contribute meaningfully to the scholarly community.

In essence, the PhD defence is a comprehensive and interactive evaluation that encapsulates the essence of a candidate’s research journey, demanding a synthesis of knowledge, clarity of expression, and the ability to navigate the complexities of academic inquiry. As we delve into the specifics of the defence process, we will unravel the layers of preparation and skill required to navigate this transformative academic milestone.

How Long is a PhD Defence?

The duration of a PhD defence can vary widely, but it typically ranges from two to three hours. This time frame encompasses the candidate’s presentation of their research, questioning and discussions with the examination committee, and any additional deliberations or decisions by the committee. However, it’s essential to note that this is a general guideline, and actual defence durations may vary based on numerous factors.

• Sciences and Engineering: Defenses in these fields might lean towards the shorter end of the spectrum, often around two hours. The focus is often on the methodology, results, and technical aspects.
• Humanities and Social Sciences: Given the theoretical and interpretive nature of research in these fields, defences might extend closer to three hours or more. Discussions may delve into philosophical underpinnings and nuanced interpretations.
• Simple vs. Complex Studies: The complexity of the research itself plays a role. Elaborate experiments, extensive datasets, or intricate theoretical frameworks may necessitate a more extended defence.
• Number of Committee Members: A larger committee or one with diverse expertise may lead to more extensive discussions and varied perspectives, potentially elongating the defence.
• Committee Engagement: The level of engagement and probing by committee members can influence the overall duration. In-depth discussions or debates may extend the defence time.
• Cultural Norms: In some countries, the oral defence might be more ceremonial, with less emphasis on intense questioning. In others, a rigorous and extended defence might be the norm.
• Evaluation Practices: Different academic systems have varying evaluation criteria, which can impact the duration of the defence.
• Institutional Guidelines: Some institutions may have specific guidelines on defence durations, influencing the overall time allotted for the process.

Candidates should be well-prepared for a defence of any duration. Adequate preparation not only involves a concise presentation of the research but also anticipates potential questions and engages in thoughtful discussions. Additionally, candidates should be flexible and responsive to the dynamics of the defense, adapting to the pace set by the committee.

Success Factors in a PhD Defence

• Successful defence begins with a deep and comprehensive understanding of the research. Candidates should be well-versed in every aspect of their study, from the theoretical framework to the methodology and findings.
• Thorough preparation involves anticipating potential questions from the examination committee. Candidates should consider the strengths and limitations of their research and be ready to address queries related to methodology, data analysis, and theoretical underpinnings.
• Conducting mock defences with peers or mentors can be invaluable. It helps refine the presentation, exposes potential areas of weakness, and provides an opportunity to practice responding to challenging questions.
• Actively listen to questions without interruption. Understanding the nuances of each question is crucial for providing precise and relevant responses.
• Responses should be clear, concise, and directly address the question. Avoid unnecessary jargon, and strive to convey complex concepts in a manner that is accessible to the entire committee.
• It’s acceptable not to have all the answers. If faced with a question that stumps you, acknowledge it honestly. Expressing a willingness to explore the topic further demonstrates intellectual humility.
• Use questions as opportunities to reinforce key messages from the research. Skillfully link responses back to the core contributions of the study, emphasizing its significance.
• Rehearse the presentation multiple times to build familiarity with the material. This enhances confidence, reduces nervousness, and ensures a smooth and engaging delivery.
• Maintain confident and open body language. Stand tall, make eye contact, and use gestures judiciously. A composed demeanour contributes to a positive impression.
• Acknowledge and manage nervousness. It’s natural to feel some anxiety, but channelling that energy into enthusiasm for presenting your research can turn nervousness into a positive force.
• Engage with the committee through a dynamic and interactive presentation. Invite questions during the presentation to create a more conversational atmosphere.
• Utilize visual aids effectively. Slides or other visual elements should complement the spoken presentation, reinforcing key points without overwhelming the audience.
• View the defence not only as an evaluation but also as an opportunity for continuous improvement. Feedback received during the defence can inform future research endeavours and scholarly pursuits.

In essence, success in a PhD defence hinges on meticulous preparation, adept handling of questions, and projecting confidence and composure during the presentation. A well-prepared and resilient candidate is better positioned to navigate the challenges of the defence, transforming it from a moment of evaluation into an affirmation of scholarly achievement.

Failure in PhD Defence

• While the prospect of failing a PhD defence is relatively rare, it’s essential for candidates to acknowledge that the possibility exists. Understanding this reality can motivate diligent preparation and a proactive approach to mitigate potential risks.
• Failure, if it occurs, should be seen as a learning opportunity rather than a definitive endpoint. It may highlight areas for improvement and offer insights into refining the research and presentation.
• Lack of thorough preparation, including a weak grasp of the research content, inadequate rehearsal, and failure to anticipate potential questions, can contribute to failure.
• Inability to effectively defend the chosen research methodology, including justifying its appropriateness and demonstrating its rigour, can be a critical factor.
• Failing to clearly articulate the original contributions of the research and its significance to the field may lead to a negative assessment.
• Responding defensively to questions, exhibiting a lack of openness to critique, or being unwilling to acknowledge limitations can impact the overall impression.
• Inability to address committee concerns or incorporate constructive feedback received during the defense may contribute to a negative outcome.
• Comprehensive preparation is the cornerstone of success. Candidates should dedicate ample time to understanding every facet of their research, conducting mock defences, and seeking feedback.
• Identify potential weaknesses in the research and address them proactively. Being aware of limitations and articulating plans for addressing them in future work demonstrates foresight.
• Engage with mentors, peers, or advisors before the defence. Solicit constructive feedback on both the content and delivery of the presentation to refine and strengthen the defence.
• Develop strategies to manage stress and nervousness. Techniques such as mindfulness, deep breathing, or visualization can be effective in maintaining composure during the defence.
• Conduct a pre-defense review of all materials, ensuring that the presentation aligns with the dissertation and that visual aids are clear and supportive.
• Approach the defence with an open and reflective attitude. Embrace critique as an opportunity for improvement rather than as a personal affront.
• Clarify expectations with the examination committee beforehand. Understanding the committee’s focus areas and preferences can guide preparation efforts.
• In the event of failure, candidates should approach the situation with resilience. Seek feedback from the committee, understand the reasons for the outcome, and use the experience as a springboard for improvement.

In summary, while the prospect of failing a PhD defence is uncommon, acknowledging its possibility and taking proactive steps to mitigate risks are crucial elements of a well-rounded defence strategy. By addressing common failure factors through thorough preparation, openness to critique, and a resilient attitude, candidates can increase their chances of a successful defence outcome.

PhD Defense or Defence?

• The choice between “defense” and “defence” is primarily a matter of British English versus American English spelling conventions. “Defense” is the preferred spelling in American English, while “defence” is the British English spelling.
• In the global academic community, both spellings are generally understood and accepted. However, the choice of spelling may be influenced by the academic institution’s language conventions or the preferences of individual scholars.
• Academic institutions may have specific guidelines regarding language conventions, and candidates are often expected to adhere to the institution’s preferred spelling.
• Candidates may also consider the preferences of their advisors or committee members. If there is a consistent spelling convention used within the academic department, it is advisable to align with those preferences.
• Consideration should be given to the spelling conventions of scholarly journals in the candidate’s field. If intending to publish research stemming from the dissertation, aligning with the conventions of target journals is prudent.
• If the defense presentation or dissertation will be shared with an international audience, using a more universally recognized spelling (such as “defense”) may be preferred to ensure clarity and accessibility.
• Regardless of the chosen spelling, it’s crucial to maintain consistency throughout the document. Mixing spellings can distract from the content and may be perceived as an oversight.
• In oral presentations and written correspondence related to the defence, including emails, it’s advisable to maintain consistency with the chosen spelling to present a professional and polished image.
• Recognizing that language conventions can vary, candidates should approach the choice of spelling with flexibility. Being adaptable to the preferences of the academic context and demonstrating an awareness of regional variations reflects a nuanced understanding of language usage.
• With the increasing globalization of academia, an awareness of language variations becomes essential. Scholars often collaborate across borders, and an inclusive approach to language conventions contributes to effective communication and collaboration.

In summary, the choice between “PhD defense” and “PhD defence” boils down to regional language conventions and institutional preferences. Maintaining consistency, being mindful of the target audience, and adapting to the expectations of the academic community contribute to a polished and professional presentation, whether in written documents or oral defences.

Is PhD Defense a Formality?

• While the PhD defence is a structured and ritualistic event, it is far from being a mere formality. It is a critical and substantive part of the doctoral journey, designed to rigorously evaluate the candidate’s research contributions, understanding of the field, and ability to engage in scholarly discourse.
• The defence is not a checkbox to be marked but rather a dynamic process where the candidate’s research is evaluated for its scholarly merit. The committee scrutinizes the originality, significance, and methodology of the research, aiming to ensure it meets the standards of advanced academic work.
• Far from a passive or purely ceremonial event, the defence involves active engagement between the candidate and the examination committee. Questions, discussions, and debates are integral components that enrich the scholarly exchange during the defence.
• The defence serves as a platform for the candidate to demonstrate the originality of their research. Committee members assess the novelty of the contributions, ensuring that the work adds value to the existing body of knowledge.
• Beyond the content, the defence evaluates the methodological rigour of the research. Committee members assess whether the chosen methodology is appropriate, well-executed, and contributes to the validity of the findings.
• Successful completion of the defence affirms the candidate’s ability to contribute meaningfully to the academic discourse in their field. It is an endorsement of the candidate’s position as a knowledgeable and respected scholar.
• The defence process acts as a quality assurance mechanism in academia. It ensures that individuals awarded a doctoral degree have undergone a thorough and rigorous evaluation, upholding the standards of excellence in research and scholarly inquiry.
• Institutions have specific criteria and standards for awarding a PhD. The defence process aligns with these institutional and academic standards, providing a consistent and transparent mechanism for evaluating candidates.
• Successful completion of the defence is a pivotal moment that marks the transition from a doctoral candidate to a recognized scholar. It opens doors to further contributions, collaborations, and opportunities within the academic community.
• Research presented during the defence often forms the basis for future publications. The validation received in the defence enhances the credibility of the research, facilitating its dissemination and impact within the academic community.
• Beyond the academic realm, a successfully defended PhD is a key credential for professional advancement. It enhances one’s standing in the broader professional landscape, opening doors to research positions, teaching opportunities, and leadership roles.

In essence, the PhD defence is a rigorous and meaningful process that goes beyond formalities, playing a crucial role in affirming the academic merit of a candidate’s research and marking the culmination of their journey toward scholarly recognition.

Dressing for Success: PhD Defense Outfit

• For Men: A well-fitted suit in neutral colours (black, navy, grey), a collared dress shirt, a tie, and formal dress shoes.
• For Women: A tailored suit, a blouse or button-down shirt, and closed-toe dress shoes.
• Dress codes can vary based on cultural expectations. It’s advisable to be aware of any cultural nuances within the academic institution and to adapt attire accordingly.
• With the rise of virtual defenses, considerations for attire remain relevant. Even in online settings, dressing professionally contributes to a polished and serious demeanor. Virtual attire can mirror what one would wear in-person, focusing on the upper body visible on camera.
• The attire chosen for a PhD defense contributes to the first impression that a candidate makes on the examination committee. A professional and polished appearance sets a positive tone for the defense.
• Dressing appropriately reflects respect for the gravity of the occasion. It acknowledges the significance of the defense as a formal evaluation of one’s scholarly contributions.
• Wearing professional attire can contribute to a boost in confidence. When individuals feel well-dressed and put-together, it can positively impact their mindset and overall presentation.
• The PhD defense is a serious academic event, and dressing professionally fosters an atmosphere of seriousness and commitment to the scholarly process. It aligns with the respect one accords to academic traditions.
• Institutional norms may influence dress expectations. Some academic institutions may have specific guidelines regarding attire for formal events, and candidates should be aware of and adhere to these norms.
• While adhering to the formality expected in academic settings, individuals can also express their personal style within the bounds of professionalism. It’s about finding a balance between institutional expectations and personal comfort.
• Select and prepare the outfit well in advance to avoid last-minute stress. Ensure that the attire is clean, well-ironed, and in good condition.
• Accessories such as ties, scarves, or jewelry should complement the outfit. However, it’s advisable to keep accessories subtle to maintain a professional appearance.
• While dressing professionally, prioritize comfort. PhD defenses can be mentally demanding, and comfortable attire can contribute to a more confident and composed demeanor.
• Pay attention to grooming, including personal hygiene and haircare. A well-groomed appearance contributes to an overall polished look.
• Start preparation well in advance of the defense date. Know your research inside out, anticipate potential questions, and be ready to discuss the nuances of your methodology, findings, and contributions.
• Conduct mock defenses with peers, mentors, or colleagues. Mock defenses provide an opportunity to receive constructive feedback, practice responses to potential questions, and refine your presentation.
• Strike a balance between confidence and humility. Confidence in presenting your research is essential, but being open to acknowledging limitations and areas for improvement demonstrates intellectual honesty.
• Actively engage with the examination committee during the defense. Listen carefully to questions, respond thoughtfully, and view the defense as a scholarly exchange rather than a mere formality.
• Understand the expertise and backgrounds of the committee members. Tailor your presentation and responses to align with the interests and expectations of your specific audience.
• Practice time management during your presentation. Ensure that you allocate sufficient time to cover key aspects of your research, leaving ample time for questions and discussions.
• It’s normal to feel nervous, but practicing mindfulness and staying calm under pressure is crucial. Take deep breaths, maintain eye contact, and focus on delivering a clear and composed presentation.
• Have a plan for post-defense activities. Whether it’s revisions to the dissertation, publications, or future research endeavors, having a roadmap for what comes next demonstrates foresight and commitment to ongoing scholarly contributions.
• After successfully defending, individuals often emphasize the importance of taking time to reflect on the entire doctoral journey. Acknowledge personal and academic growth, celebrate achievements, and use the experience to inform future scholarly pursuits.

In summary, learning from the experiences of others who have successfully defended offers a wealth of practical wisdom. These insights, combined with thoughtful preparation and a proactive approach, contribute to a successful and fulfilling defense experience.

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The journey from a curious researcher to a recognized scholar culminates in the PhD defence—an intellectual odyssey marked by dedication, resilience, and a relentless pursuit of knowledge. As we navigate the intricacies of this pivotal event, it becomes evident that the PhD defence is far more than a ceremonial rite; it is a substantive evaluation that validates the contributions of a researcher to the academic landscape.

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Security Studies

Topics of study include:

• Grand strategies of the major powers.
• Arms competitions.
• Coercive diplomacy.
• Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
• Rapid shifts in regional and global distributions of capabilities.
• Insurgency, civil war, and regional political instability.
• Military force composition and capability.
• Civil-military relations.
• Innovations in military technologies.

The cluster combines social science training in international security and national defense policy, focused study of specific regions of the world, and exploration of the technical and scientific aspects of proliferation, weapons innovations, terrorist and counterterrorist operations, and insurgency and counterinsurgency warfare. This is an in-residence program, though absences may be taken for approved field research.

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Military, Security and Strategic Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis-based program

Program overview.

Our PhD program addresses a critical need for analysts who can study and assess the multitude of security threats that exist around the world, emphasizing the importance of both a theoretical and policy perspective. This thesis-based degree is focused on interdisciplinary work and is designed to help students interact with military officers, government personnel, security-focused NGOs, and military scholars. With flexible programs, leading scholars in a variety of disciplines, and highly competitive funding packages, we strive to ensure our PhD students achieve success in their strategic studies.

Completing this program

Core Courses: Classics of Strategy, Advanced Analysis of International Relations and Strategic Studies.

Block Week Course:  Students will complete Military and Strategic Studies: Questions and Methods in the week preceding their first term.

Additional Courses:  May include arctic security, Canadian military studies, U.S. security, ethics and morality, intelligence, and other topics.

Candidacy: Students will complete both oral and written candidacy exams.

Thesis:  Students are required to submit and defend an original research thesis.

Banking, Police Service, Government, Military Procurement, Oil and Gas, NATO, Advocacy Groups.

A PhD in military and strategic studies is usually considered a final degree.

Students are required to prepare a thesis and successfully defend in an open oral defense.

Three core courses and three electives

Learn more about program requirements in the Academic Calendar

Classroom delivery

Time commitment.

Four years full-time; six years maximum

A supervisor is required, and must agree to oversee the student's research before admission will be granted

See the Graduate Calendar for information on  fees and fee regulations,  and for information on  awards and financial assistance .

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Admission Requirements

A minimum of 3.70 on a four-point scale over all completed graduate courses in the master's program; 3.40 in the undergraduate program over the last 60 units or two years of study.

Minimum education

A completed Master's degree.

Work samples

A representative piece of written work, normally a master's thesis chapter or major research paper.

• A detailed statement of the proposed thesis research
• A completed application to the Centre, along with supporting documentation
• All post-secondary transcripts

Reference letters

Test scores, english language proficiency.

An applicant whose primary language is not English may fulfill the English language proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL ibt)  score of 97 (Internet-based, with no section less than 20).
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS)  score of 6.5 (minimum of 6.0 in each section).
• Pearson Test of English (PTE)   score of 68, or higher (Academic version).
• Canadian Academic English Language test (CAEL)  score of 70 (70 in some sections – up to the program, 60 in all other).  
• Academic Communication Certificate (ACC)  score of A- in one or two courses (up to the program), “B+” on all other courses.  
• Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency  minimum score of 191.

*Please contact your program of interest if you have any questions about ELP requirements

January 15 for all documentation

If you're not a Canadian or permanent resident, or if you have international credentials, make sure to learn about international requirements

Learn more about this program

Centre for military, security & strategic studies.

Social Sciences 856 2500 University Drive NW Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4

Contact the Graduate Program Administrator

Visit the departmental website

University of Calgary 2500 University Drive NW Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4

Visit the Faculty of Arts website

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If you're interested in this program, you might want to explore other UCalgary programs.

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Defense and Strategic Studies

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Doctor of Defense and Strategic Studies

This program operates in Fairfax, Virginia, and is certified by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).

John Rose, Program Director 9302 Lee Hwy, Suite 760, Phone 703-218-3565 [email protected]

Program description

The Doctor of Defense and Strategic Studies (DDSS) program provides knowledge and skills in the field of international security studies with an emphasis on countering the threat posed by Weapons of Mass Destruction to U.S. and allied national security. This program will prepare national and international security professionals to work in various settings, including civilian and military public service, non-governmental “think tanks,” and commercial defense industry. Graduates specialize in various global or regional international security issues and are able to assess specific security challenges, formulate prospective options for addressing those challenges, and identify the prospective policy and other requirements needed to help implement those options to strengthen U.S. and allied security conditions.

Entrance requirements

To be considered for admission to the Doctorate of Defenses and Strategic Studies (DDSS), a student must meet the requirements listed below.

• Completion of the baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
• Cumulative GPA of 3.00 over the last 60 hours of academic work taken.
• A personal philosophy statement that addresses the applicant's professional career goals and how the program will help accomplish these goals.
• Two letters of recommendation from graduate faculty or professionals acquainted with the student’s academic work or research and analytical skills.
• A brief C.V.
• Students for whom English is a second language must earn a minimum score of 79 (internet-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a 6.0 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Retention requirements

Consistent with Graduate College policy, students may not accumulate more than 9 hours of grades below a B- and remain in the program

Degree requirements (30 or 66 hours)

Foundation Courses (36 hours)

Foundation courses may be taken from the school’s master’s degree program (courses listed below). Students who hold a master’s degree in a related field can be admitted with advanced standing and may not be required to complete additional foundation courses.

• DSS 601 Seminar on Nuclear Strategy and Arms Control
• DSS 632 Seminar on International Security Affairs
• DSS 700 Strategy and U.S. Defense Policy
• DSS 707 Congress, National Security, and WMD
• DSS 710 Seminar on International Terrorism and Security
• DSS 719 Strategic Culture
• DSS 720 Internship Training in DSS Policy
• DSS 721 Missile Defense, Proliferation and Contemporary Warfare
• DSS 722 Emerging Strategic Challenges
• DSS 723 Counterproliferation
• DSS 725 Seminar on Instruments of State Power
• DSS 727 Chemical and Biological Warfare
• DSS 796 Directed Reading and Research in Defense and Strategic Studies
• DSS 797 Special Topics: Cyber Warfare/Security

Core Courses (15 hours)

• DSS 720 Internship Training in DSS Policy (3 hours)
• DSS 801 Advanced Nuclear Strategy, Deterrence, and Arms Control (3 hours)
• DSS 832 Advanced Survey and Writing in International Security Affairs (3 hours)
• DSS 896 Doctoral Capstone Project (6 hours)

Advanced Seminars (15 hours)

Advanced seminar courses focus on application of foundational knowledge. Students work with their advisor to choose courses that are relevant for their focus of study. Course options are listed below.

• DSS 702 Seminar on Regional Security Problems
• DSS 705 NATO Security Issues
• DSS 708 Seminar on Contemporary Security Issues in the Former USSR
• DSS 713 Intelligence, Counterintelligence, and Covert Action
• DSS 724 Leadership in National Security Policy
• DSS 726 Chinese Military Power
• DSS 728 Terrorism: Advanced Research Topics
• DSS 737 Advanced Studies in Chemical and Biological Warfare
• DSS 797 Special Topics: Security Challenges in Latin America
• DSS 840 Seminar on National Security Strategies

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PhDs in Defence and Security: Leadership, Management and Governance

The Centre for Defence Management and Leadership  (CDML) is a specialised research and teaching unit, comprising experienced and dedicated researchers. It has developed a world class reputation in defence and security studies, and is lauded for the rigour, originality, international perspective and policy relevance of its doctoral programme.

The Centre has delivered short training and long degree-bearing courses in over 100 countries. Students are typically employed in central government, defence industry and the Armed Forces, and their doctoral studies resonate with their professional activities, including, for example, defence engagement, conflict resolution, gender studies, humanitarian and relief operations, international conflict and security law, defence budgeting and public finance. PhD candidates are required to attend an initial one-week induction programme. Thereafter, regular progress reviews are undertaken to ensure students receive continuous advice and guidance. Cranfield is well-known for providing close and supportive supervision, and students will be allocated primary and associate supervisors to offer mentorship across the entire period of doctoral registration.

Research thematics

Doctoral research programmes are offered in a broad array of defence and security leadership, law and management fields. Candidates are invited to submit research proposals that fit into any of the following broad subject areas:

Potential supervisors

Interested applicants are encouraged to consult with Centre academics regarding interest in supervising particular research projects. It is advisable that contact is made prior to formal submission of an application. Please see below for academic names, respective e-mail addresses, broad disciplinary fields and also URL links for access to their teaching, research and publication details.

Leadership and Management

• Bryan Watters      [email protected]
• Iftikhar Zaidi      [email protected]
• Robby Allen      [email protected]

International Law

• David Turns  (Visiting Fellow)    [email protected]

Policy, Strategy and Governance

• Ron Matthews  (Visiting Professor)    [email protected]
• Dr Lloyd Parsons       [email protected]
• Dr Caroline Micklewright      [email protected]

Economic and Financial Management

• Irfan Ansari      [email protected]

Research Students

Find out more about our current research students and their areas of research .

Mode of study

Students can register for a three-year full-time PhD programme, and may be based at either Cranfield Defence and Security, Shrivenham or in their home country

Part-time registration is also available. The study period extends to six years, though it is possible for students to submit their doctoral thesis for examination from the three-year point. Candidates will not be based at Shrivenham and may undertake their doctoral studies while in full-time employment at any location in the United Kingdom or overseas.

Annual fees

How to apply.

CDML is one of seven focused Centres that form part of the Cranfield Defence and Security (CDS) Faculty. It is located on the edge of England’s beautiful Cotswold region, just an hour West of London. The application process is uncomplicated, having the following requirements:

• Completion of an online application form
• A clear and concise research aim/problem/question
• Reference to the original contribution to knowledge
• Brief identification of the seminal literature in the chosen field
• Explanation of the research methodology for data collection
• Emphasis on the research programme’s policy relevance
• Compliance with the minimum entry requirements: a 2.1 first degree and/or master’s qualification, along with at least five years relevant professional experience

For further application information, please access more details about applying for a research degree.

Centre for Defence Management and Leadership

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Foreign policy, defence and security studies

POLIS staff have an international reputation for producing world-leading research on key contemporary challenges in foreign policy, defence and security. Research outputs include work on leadership, decision-making, defence capabilities, security governance, threat perception, counter-terrorism, conflict resolution, disinformation and security competition. Notably, they have expertise in a range of national, regional and international contexts, including, the UK, EU, Russia, Iran, China, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

POLIS staff are keen to undertake supervision that has theoretical and practical importance. They have received funding for practical research on intelligence accountability and the PREVENT programme and adopt a range of approaches to the subject, from conventional historical analysis to critical and gendered perspectives.

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent). If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English . 

Potential research projects

We welcome enquiries about PhD study in the broad field of democratic politics, including:

• British and EU foreign, defence and security policy
• Rising powers, Chinese foreign policy, Indian foreign policy, the Belt and Road Initiative
• Counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation, national security politics, foreign policy, terrorism studies and critical security studies
• Russian foreign and security policy, (Russian) national identity and nation building, memory politics/history politics/ historical narratives including commemoration
• Populism and (social) media disinformation/propaganda/fake news/influence ops, public diplomacy/international broadcasting
• (Critical) discourse analysis and narrative analysis, Iran’s domestic politics and foreign policy, Middle East politics
• Gender, conflict resolution and peacekeeping
• African international relations

Potential supervisors

• Dr Filippo Boni
• Prof William Brown
• Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody
• Prof Jamie Gaskarth
• Dr Georgina Holmes
• Dr Tom Martin 
• Dr Edward Wastnidge

Research students can apply for funding via the Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership with Oxford and Brunel, or the Open-Oxford-Cambridge DTP in collaboration with Oxford and Cambridge universities. The Citizenship Studies pathway of the Grand Union DTP is hosted within the Department. Alternatively, many of our students are self-funded.

For detailed information about fees and funding, visit  Fees and studentships .

To see current funded studentship vacancies across all research areas, see  Current studentships .

• Politics and International Studies at The Open University
• Postgraduate Research in Politics & International Studies (POLIS) | Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (open.ac.uk)  

Get in touch

If you have an enquiry specific to this research topic, please contact:

Dan Taylor – Postgraduate Coordinator Email: FASS-Polis-PG-Admissions Phone: +44 (0)1908 654534/654435

If you’re interested in applying for this research topic, please take a look at the application process .

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Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs

• PhD Defense

Preparing for a PhD Defense

Table of contents, preparing to start, nominate a faculty member to serve as chair for your defense, selecting a defense date, international students and work visas, registration categories for defense, dissertation writing and guidelines, preparing your dissertation for defense, registering your dissertation for the final oral exam, know the rituals.

• Use PowerPoint

Public Lecture

Dress Professionally

Items to Bring to the Defense

The Closed Examination

Address Questions with Confidence

Student Status

Final corrected copies of the dissertation, publishing your final dissertation, binding your final dissertation, before defense.

Before you can start your thesis you must:

• Complete all courses, exams, and research requirements
• Meet with your advisory committee to ensure that everyone agrees that the work is ready to defend
• Decide on a date for the defense
• Inform your graduate administrator that you have started the process to prepare for your defense

A chair is appointed for each PhD oral defense to monitor and promote fairness and rigor in the conduct of the defense. To help eliminate pre-established judgments on the candidate’s work, the chair should be from a different program/department than the student. For more information about chair responsibilities, read the instructions for the chair .

You must identify a faculty member to serve as chair for your defense. The chair must be:

• A current full-time faculty member at assistant professor rank or higher
• Outside the department offering the degree program, or outside your advisor's department (interdisciplinary degree programs only)
• Someone who has not had prior involvement in your research

The selection of the chair is subject to the approval of the department/program, th Arts, Sciences and Engineering dean of graduate education and postdoctoral affairs, and the University dean of graduate studies.

The chair must be physically present during the entire defense, including the public oral presentation (if applicable) and the questioning session. The chair is welcome to read and comment on the dissertation and/or the defense presentation, but this is not required. The chair does not need to be an expert in your research area.

It is your responsibility to get a copy of the final dissertation to the chair at least one week prior to the defense.

You should begin scheduling the actual defense date three months in advance to ensure that your advisor, committee members, and chair are able to be present and that rooms are available on the date and time selected.  

Defenses can be held on any day the University’s Graduate Studies Office is open (not weekends, evenings, holidays, or the days between Christmas and New Year’s). Check the  academic calendar  for important dates and deadlines.

Use the  PhD calendar  to determine the deadline dates for getting your paperwork to the Office of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs and department committee.

When all committee members and your chair agree to a specific date and time for the defense, inform your graduate administrator as soon as you possibly can, but no later than six weeks prior to your defense date . Your graduate administrator will advise you of any program-specific requirements for the defense as well as work with you to prepare for your thesis defense. They will also help you determine who will schedule the room for your thesis defense.

You should provide your committee members at least two weeks to read and comment on your dissertation before the date you need to register your dissertation.

Participating Via Video Conferencing

While you, your advisor, and the chair must all be physically present in the room for the defense, other committee members are allowed to participate in the defense remotely via Skype or other video conferencing technology so long as all committee members agree to the arrangement. This must also be approved by the AS&E dean of graduate education and postdoctoral affairs and the University dean of graduate studies before the dissertation is registered for defense.

Someone other than you and your committee must handle the IT setup and be on standby for any problems. If anyone involved finds that remote participation is interfering with the defense, he or she can request that the defense be rescheduled.

We strongly recommend that international students meet with an  International Services Office (ISO)  representative as soon as permission to start writing is granted. The ISO will provide information on visa options, documentation, and timelines for applying for a visa for employment in the United States.

You will register for one of the following categories while preparing your defense:

• 999: Dissertation —Indicates the PhD student has completed all of the requirements for the degree except the dissertation and is in residence as a full-time student
• 995 : Continuation of Enrollment —Indicates the PhD student has completed all of the requirements for the degree except the dissertation and is not in residence as a full-time student

See the registration page for more information about these categories.

The Preparing Your Doctoral Dissertation manual is a great resource to help you bring your dissertation up to the required standard of organization, appearance, and format for the University of Rochester. Before preparing the defense copy of your dissertation, check the contents of the manual carefully to help avoid mistakes that can be time-consuming and costly to correct.

Before beginning your dissertation, you should consult with your advisor for your department or program’s preferred style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago).

Including material produced by other authors in your dissertation can serve a legitimate research purpose, but you want to avoid copyright infringement in the process. For detailed instructions on avoiding copyright infringement, please see ProQuest’s  Copyright Guide .

The University requires that you provide copies of the dissertation to your committee members and exam chair. You should check with your committee members to see if they prefer printed or electronic copies (or both). Printed copies do not need to be printed on heavyweight, expensive paper unless there is the need to do so for figures and images. 

Printing and binding a dissertation can be expensive. You can use the Copy Center or FedEx Office to print and bind your dissertation.

In order to register your dissertation, you or your graduate administrator will need to create a record on the Graduate Studies PhD Completion website . This record will include:

• Degree information
• Past degrees
• Contact information
• The defense version of your dissertation as a PDF
• Other relevant documents

The version of your dissertation attached to your online record is considered the registration copy.

When your PhD completion record is finalized, committee members will receive emails with links to access your record and approve your dissertation to progress to defense. You’ll need to provide copies of the dissertation identical to the registration copy to all members of your committee, including the chair, at least two weeks before the record is finalized. Everyone but the chair is required to comment or sign off on the dissertation before it is submitted.

There may be deadlines for registering your dissertation specific to your program. Consult with your graduate administrator to ascertain those deadlines and follow them carefully.

After all committee members have provided their approval, your thesis will be reviewed by your faculty director/department chair, the AS&E dean of graduate education and postdoctoral affairs, and the office of the University dean of graduate studies. When all of these officials have approved your committee and dissertation for defense, your dissertation is considered registered. You will be able to track these approvals in your online record and will receive a confirmation email when approvals are complete.

The GEPA Office and the AS&E dean of graduate education and postdoctoral affairs, as well as the University Graduate Studies Office, may make corrections to the PDF of your dissertation. This annotated copy of your dissertation, along with the original version, will be stored in the PhD completion website. You are not allow to distribute updated versions of your dissertation prior to the defense, but be sure to incorporate any corrections before uploading your final dissertation to ProQuest®. 

After the defense, if the committee has required major revisions to be approved by one or more of its members, it is your responsibility to provide them with the corrected final version for their approval.  They will be asked to submit written confirmation of that approval to the University Graduate Studies Office. Failure to do so could delay conferral of your degree.

After the defense, you will receive additional instructions by email for completion of all PhD degree requirements.

It is important to walk into the defense knowing that your committee wants you to pass. Even if criticism is harsh, it is meant to be constructive. The defense is not solely an opportunity for the committee to compliment and congratulate you for the work you have done. It is also meant to challenge you and force you to consider tough questions.

The Defense

The best way to prepare for your defense is to regularly attend the defenses of your colleagues throughout your graduate program, not just several weeks prior to your own defense.

You can also talk to people in your department who already defended to find out what their defenses were like. You should also speak with your advisor to get a sense of his/her specific expectations of a defense.

Guidelines for Presentations

Use PowerPoint or Other Software to Create Slides

You should prepare a presentation of the research that comprises the thesis. Your slides should encapsulate the work and focus on its most salient contributions. In preparing, ask yourself these questions: “What do I want people to know about my thesis? What is the most important information that I can present and talk about?”

Here are some basic tips:

• Use text large enough to be read by the audience (especially text from figures)
• Ensure graphics and tables are clear
• Don’t clutter your slides—if necessary, have things come up on mouse clicks
• Use spell check and proofread your slides
• Practice your presentation with your peers
• Work on pronunciation, if required
• Time your presentation to ensure it will fit the allotted time while allowing time for questions

If your defense includes a public lecture, we recommended that you do a trial run a day or two before in the room that has been booked for your lecture. This will allow you to familiarize yourself with the space and the equipment and to address any problems that arise during the trial run. 

Plan your public lecture to allow enough time for questions. Present enough information so that the audience understands what you did, why you did it, what the implications are, and what your suggestions are for future research.

Friends and family are welcome to attend your public lecture. Faculty and students in the audience are given the opportunity to ask questions.

Plan to dress professionally for the defense in the same way you would if presenting a paper at a conference or for a job interview. You will be standing for a long time on the day of your defense. You might want to keep this in mind when selecting the shoes you will wear for your defense.

Essentials for your public lecture include:

• Your presentation
• A laser pointer
• A copy of your dissertation
• A pen or pencil
• A bottle of water 

You will be asked to leave the room while your committee reviews your program of study, and decides whether:

• The thesis is acceptable/not acceptable
• Whether members will ask sequential questions or whether each member will be allotted a specific time period for questioning

The person to start the questioning is designated. You will be called back into the examining room and questioning will begin. After all questions have been addressed, you will be asked to leave the room while your committee decides the outcome of the exam. You will be asked to return to the room to be informed of the outcome by the chair of your exam committee.

• Listen  to the entire question no matter how long it takes the faculty member or student to ask it (take notes if necessary).
• Pause and think  about the question before answering.
• Rephrase  the question.
• Answer  the question to the best of your ability; if you do not know the answer, remain calm and say so in a professional way.
• Remember  that no one will know the ins and outs of the thesis and your research materials as well as you.  You  are the foremost expert in the thesis topic and  YOU know the research involved. Be positive!

Possible outcomes include:

• Acceptable with minor or no revisions (no further approval required)
• Acceptable with major revisions in content or format (in this case, one or more committee members must be responsible for overseeing and approving the major revisions before the final copies are submitted)
• Not acceptable

After the Defense

You can submit the final corrected copies of your dissertation as soon as you address any remaining comments that were brought up during the defense or noted in the registration copy of your dissertation, which will be returned to you usually within a few days before or after the defense. You can take up to one semester following the defense to address any comments, during which you can remain a full-time student. Your degree conferral date will depend on when you submit the final corrected copies of your dissertation.

The day after your defense, you will receive an email from the University dean of graduate studies that provides instructions on how to:

• Submit the final corrected copies of your dissertation through ProQuest
• Provide authorization for the release of your dissertation through UR Research
• Complete a mandatory online exit survey
• Verify to the University dean of graduate studies’ office that the dissertation has been submitted

The University of Rochester requires all doctoral candidates to deposit their dissertations for publication with ProQuest Dissertation Publishing and with the University libraries. Hard copies are not required. The library receives an electronic copy of the dissertation from ProQuest, but students must give the University permission to obtain it.

For questions regarding publishing through ProQuest, contact Author Relations at [email protected] or (800) 521-0600 ext. 77020.

Check with your graduate administrator to see if your department wants a bound copy of your dissertation, and, if so, how the cost of binding is covered.

If you want a bound copy for yourself or your family, you can purchase one through ProQuest .

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• ESDC Academic Journal

Announcement

The european doctoral school on the csdp is launching its annual call for phd fellows applications. phd candidates interested in accessing a wide range of academic, scientific and practical expertise and specialised training opportunities on the csdp are invited to apply by submitting to the esdc’s secretariat an application form and the documents referred in the respective checklist. one needs to fill in the application form, the application checklist (and to include all required documents) and send it to [email protected] (the email should have as subject docschool_app_name.surname). the applications can be submitted until 10 april 2023., a. about the initiative.

Its objective is to develop a critical mass of scientific and academic expertise that brings together supervisors and mentors and promotes the exchange of knowledge, skills and competences on European security and defence with a view to providing support for PhD level research reflecting on the CSDP.

It offers a specialized training program supplementary to the courses organized by its network institutions in their doctoral curricula and supports multi-disciplinary doctoral researches with relevant European training and environments in the following areas:

• 1. Cyber, new technologies and security in the CSDP context
• 2. Critical infrastructure, personnel and logistics in CSDP
• 3. Defense industry and capabilities for the CSDP
• 4. Partner capacity-building and external relations in the CSDP context
• 5. History, conflict studies, concepts, values and ethics of the CSDP
• 6. Defence economics, financing, education, training and leadership in the CSDP context
• 7. Governance, management, decision-making and deployment for CSDP

B. Governance

It is steered by a Working Group coordinated by the ESDC. All the member institutions and the associate members that have committed themselves to the principles set out in the   European Doctoral School’s Charter   are represented in this Working Group.

Configuration Support

She is an Associate Professor on European Integration and a Jean Monnet Chair on European Union’s Education, Training, Research and Innovation Policies (EduTRIP.eu) at the Department of International and European Studies, University of Piraeus, Greece.  She is the Director of  the Laboratory on Education Policy, Research, Development and Inter-university Cooperation, of the Bologna Resource Centre and Co-director of the Jean Monnet Regional Centre of Excellence (EXCELEM). She has published books and articles on European integration issues and in particular on European Higher Education and Research Areas. She has been the academic coordinator of European Programmes  and she participates in various academic networks. She has been a member of several European and intergovernmental committees, including the ESDC WG, as a Chair of LoD4.

He is a Romanian expert with Academic background and expertise in the following areas: education & research, risk management, cybercrime & forensic science. Having completed one PhD in the domain of National Security (Risk management of cyber-environments) and one post-doctoral stage related to Risk Management, he is now developing a second PhD research focused on Chinese ideology, Grand Strategy & European Security.  He is currently the coordinator of ESDC Doctoral School, ESDC new established Academic Journal (Perspectives on Security and Defense), advance planning within ESDC and in charge of multiple courses (from entry to high level).

C. Who can participate

Researchers.

Researchers in pursue of their PhD can access a wide range of academic, scientific and practical expertise and specialised training opportunities on the CSDP as well as fellowship programmes offered by institutions of the network.

European experts

European experts on the CSDP benefit from the networking of academic, scientific and practical expertise and experience meeting in the European Doctoral School in promoting the exchange of information, raising the profile of their work and specific research areas, and helping identify appropriate resources for doctoral students.

Training institutions with Doctoral award capabilities

Training institutions with Doctoral award capabilities can partner with institutions in the CSDP field, as in‑house academic specialisation in this field represents a significant investment.

Institutions without Doctoral award capabilities

Institutions (including research and training institutes) without Doctoral award capabilities, through their participation, increase recognition of their expertise and experience in the CSDP field. They also benefit from working with doctoral researchers both during and after the research period.

D. How to participate

• Researchers in pursue of their PhD are invited to apply by submitting to the ESDC’s Secretariat an application  form   and the documents referred in the respective  checklist .
• European experts on the CSDP, whose Institutions are members of the network, can contribute to the initiative, by participating either as research mentors or as supervisors. Membership application should be sent to the Doctoral School Working Group, in the format of the following  datasheet .
• Training institutions with Doctoral award capabilities apply for membership to the Doctoral School Working Group.
• Institutions (including research and training institutes) without Doctoral award capabilities apply for membership to the Doctoral School Working Group.
•  Other entities willing to actively contribute to achieving the objectives of the European Doctoral School can propose projects for joint actions to the Doctoral School Working Group.

E. Our network partners

• Institutions
• PhD researchers
• Working Group

The network of the European Doctoral School on CSDP consists of:

• Academic institutions of the European Union accredited to offer doctoral diploma (hereafter 'accredited institutions')
• Research, education and training institutions of European Union Member States not accredited to offer doctoral diploma but which have relevant CSDP expertise and are members of the European Security and Defence College network (hereafter 'non-accredited institutions');
• European Union agencies and bodies that are active in CSDP (hereafter 'nonaccredited institutions');
• The European Security and Defence College (ESDC).

Only accredited institutions can be designated as 'leading institutions' for supervising candidates' PhD research and award doctoral degrees.

Associate membership can be granted to entities that actively contribute to achieving the objectives of the European Doctoral School on CSDP.

Institutions may apply to become a member of the Doctoral School network by transmitting its application together with information on its expertise on CSDP to the ESDC Secretariat (send to: [email protected] ).

The Working Group of the European Doctoral School on CSDP examines the applications presented by the ESDC Secretariat and approves membership by consensus.

Once your participation to the network has been approved by the Working Group, you will receive a link to the database in order to register the Institution and the key Points of Contract.

In the case where you would wish to update the already register information you are requested to get in touch with the Doctoral School's Training Manager, Dr.Georgicã Panfil at: [email protected]

Once the Institution's participation to the network has been approved by the Working Group, you will receive a link to the mentor's and supervisors database in order to register their fields of expertise and their contact details.

Candidates for the CSDP Doctoral School programme are eligible if they:

• Are enrolled PhD students of a CSDP Doctoral School’s accredited member institution or have received confirmation of the acceptance by one or more of the CSDP Doctoral School’s accredited member institutions, according to their regulations, to act as leading institution(s) for the doctorate and have paid any fees required under the rules and procedures of those institution(s) or under the inter-institutional agreement in force between them;
• Have completed a scientific higher education degree worth at least 300 ECTS or gained professional experience in a relevant topic, which is recognised as equivalent to this level of degree within the European Higher Education Area;
• Can produce evidence that they master English to level CEFRL C1;
• Fulfilling the conditions for 'EU Confidential' security clearance is an asset

When the CSDP PhD Fellow has completed his obligations in the framework of the European Doctoral School on CSDP and that the leading institution has authorised the CSDP PhD Fellow to defend his or her thesis, the supervisor(s) inform the members of the Working Group of the decision and the details of the organisation of the defence. The Working Group takes note of the defence.

The defence of the thesis shall take place either at one of the leading institutions or, if so agreed by the PhD committee, at one of the non-leading institutions or in Brussels.

Special arrangements shall then be made for hosting the audience as needed and permit the presence of the PhD supervisors. The defence is public and takes place in English or French, virtually or physically, in accordance with the internal regulations of the leading institutions.

After the defence, the candidate shall submit his or her thesis in English or French to the European Strategy PhD competition organised by Egmont, the European Union Institute for Security Studies and the ESDC.

All PhD fellows are entitled to participate to training courses provided either by the ESDC or by the Doctoral School's network members.

These offers can be found below:

• ESDC courses can be accessed from here . Should you wish to participate to any of the ESDC courses, email your requests to [email protected]  
• Offers provided by our network members can be found in the below table 

The ESDC Secretariat will provide details about the registration and access information together with the invitation and agenda of the meeting.

The above information is only sent to the registered members of the Doctoral School, as reflected in the respective database.

The participation to the plenary meetings of the Working Group, if organized on two days, is eligible to ERASMUS + funding for the accredited institutions’ representatives.

Please address your request for a participation certificate to Dr.Georgicã Panfil at: [email protected]

• Go to our ILIAS LMS at https://esdc.adlunap.ro
• Click on 'LOGIN' in the top-right corner of your screen
• If you are visiting the site for the first time, click on Login via EULOGIN and create a new account ; otherwise, please enter the point of contact’s existing email and password to login to EU login.
• Complete (or update) the point of contact’s personal data
• Go to REPOSITORY
• Search for CSDP European Doctoral School (CSDP DocSch) folder
• Click in the right edge on "JOIN" to request access to the folder; complete the reasons and the point of contact’s name and institution/university
• The ESDC training manager will check the point of contact’s name on the CSDP Doctoral School list and will grant access to the restricted folder
• At the bottom of the login page you will also find a 3' video tutorial on how to go through the registration procedure

If you are an official and registered Doctoral School Insititution representative you can submit a request to Dr.Georgicã Panfil at: [email protected] and he will provide you access to the respective page.

The specific page can only be used for the publication of activities/events relating to the Doctoral School or research performed in the field of CFSP & CSDP

You can download the European Doctoral School's Internal Procedures document from here

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Rashtriya Raksha University

Pioneering National Security and Police University of India

Centre for Advanced Defence Studies (CADS)

Centre for un police and peacekeeping studies (cunppks), centre for personality development, soft skills and communication (cpsc), pakistan studies centre (psc), remote pilot training centre (rptc), project raksha shakti schools (rss).

• For Detailed Brochure: Click here
• For upcoming batch details : Click here
• For Registration: Click here
• For Fee Payment: Click here

Academic & Research Programmes

Request for Consultancy

Value added & Certification Programmes

Internship and Placements

SISDSS in Media

School Brochure

Vision & Mission

To be the leading School of excellence at global level in the field of Internal Security, Defence and Strategic Studies.

To impart high quality education and training in the fields of Internal Security, Defence and Strategic Studies and undertake meaningful research and extension activities.

PROGRAMS, OBJECTIVES, CONDUCT & AUDIENCE

Bachelor of Arts in Defence and Strategic Studies

• Master of Arts in Defence and Strategic Studies
• Practitioner Phd in Defence and Strategic Studies
• Specialized Courses for Armed Forces (Through Training Institutions)
• Certificate course on UN Peacekeeping Force
• Certificate course on Pakistan's Military
• Certificate course on Irregular, Revolutionary and Unconventional Warfare
• Certificate course on Hybrid Warfare
• Certificate course on Strategic Intelligence
• Certificate course on Information Warfare
• Certificate course on People's Liberation Army
• Certificate course on India's Strategic Culture
• Certificate course on Defense Acquisition (Only for MoD)

Academic Programs

• Bachelor of Arts in Defence and Strategic Studies (Regular Course) – Four years (3 plus 1-year model under NEP 2020.
• Master of Arts in Defence and Strategic Studies (Regular Course) – Two years.
• Ph D (Defence and Strategic Studies) – Duration (3-6 years). Eligibility: 10 years’ service in the Defence Services, Master’s Degree in any discipline and Research Proposal.

Certificate Programs

• Defence Acquisition.
• Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism.
• UN Peacekeeping Operations.
• Pakistan Military.
• Irregular, Revolutionary and Unconventional Warfare.
• Hybrid Warfare.
• Strategic Intelligence.
• Information Warfare.
• People’s Liberation Army.
• Indian Strategic Thought.

Training and Capacity Building Programs

• Drone flying training (DGCA Certified)
• Imagery Interpretation Training (IMINT)
• For promoting national security with a view to shape young minds and enhance intake into the Security Forces.
• Increase participation of girl students.
• Help the participants develop skills to enhance employability, aid professional-career development, career transition and post-graduate studies and research.
• Provide opportunities to serving personnel of Armed Forces through Distance Learning and capacity building programs.
• The programs are conducted by a core Faculty comprising four to five professionals in respective domains.
• Extensive utilisation of guest speakers, workshops, seminars and online tools.
• Give hands-on experience to students through field trips to border areas and Service establishments.
• Facility for distance education with minimum essential contact programs, particularly for in-service members. Capacity building programs included.
• Opportunities provided for students to take part in immersion programs to get first-hand knowledge of operating environment and perspectives of the Security Forces.

Target Audience

• Students seeking careers in Security Forces, including Defence Services, Para Military Forces and intelligence agencies.
• Students seeking career in think-tanks and research institutions.
• Extension course for National Cadet Corps.
• Professionals in defence industries & Research and Development (R & D) agencies.
• Journalists seeking specialisation in national security and defence.
• In-service officers, JCOs and Other ranks in the Armed Forces and the Para Military Forces to develop expertise by gaining recognition and building upon their professional military courses.
• Indian Foreign Service, Indian Administrative and Allied Services involved in National Security assignments.
• Procurement executives/ officials in the MoD, MHA, Indian Defence Accounts Services, DRDO, DPSU, OFB and defence manufacturing industry.
• Veterans and potential veterans from the Armed Forces and the Para Military Forces seeking career transition into defence manufacturing industry, academia, think-tanks, etc.

About School of Internal Security, Defence and Strategic Studies

The School of Internal Security, Defence and Strategic Studies (SISDSS) carries out academic research and training programs in the field of defence, strategy, and security studies. SISDSS provides an opportunity to study war from a multi-disciplinary perspective, from statecraft to strategy, deterrence and warfighting, strategic leadership and communication, military technology and capability development, military history, and media management.

SISDSS conducts Bachelor of Arts Degree program and Master of Arts Degree Program in Defence and Strategic Studies, and a practioners’ Ph D program. SISDSS helps participants to develop skills that enhance their employability, aid professional-career development and helps prepare them for postgraduate studies and research. SISDSS actively engages in applied research in the domain of defence and strategic studies, and is fully aligned with requirements of policy makers and military organisations.

In its pursuit for excellence, SISDSS has established close relationships with military training institutions, academic institutions, Defence industry, industry, Research and Development Organisations, think-tanks, and policy makers in India and abroad. In collaboration with military training institutions, SISDSS has successfully formulated specific Certificate, Diploma and Degree programs, to quantify professional military education of service personnel.

SISDSS promotes gender balance in security professions. Several initiatives are also underway to promote international cooperation in collaboration with the United Nations.

Assistant Professors

Research staff, administrative office, center head, esm trainer, visiting /emeritus resource faculty, upcoming events.

• Five Days Online Certificate Course.
• Certificate Course on Hybrid Warfare scheduled in Mar 24.
• Outreach Program. Next two batches of strength 150 each for imparting Agniveer Recruitment Training to Scheduled Tribe youth of Gujarat are planned as follows: –
• 29 May 24 to 09 Aug 24.
• 19 Aug 24 to 01 Nov 24.

ONGOING EVENTS

• Outreach Program. Online B Tech (MilTech) program for a batch of 394 serving soldiers of Corps of EME running since 16 Dec 22.
• Raksha Shakti School. The laying of the foundation stone for Raksha Shakti School was carried out by Shri Bhupendra Bhai Patel, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat on 15 Jan 24. Meanwhile, approx. 135 students of the first batch of Class VI students have registered and physically reported to the School at its Pethapur campus.

PAST EVENTS

• Till date, six batches of officers from Ministry of Defence (Acquisition Wing) have completed two-week Defence Acquisition Certificate Course at the University:–

1.1. Batch 1. 22 Aug – 02 Sep 23, Strength 20.

1.2. Batch 2. 09 Jan – 20 Jan 23, Strength 10.

1.3. Batch 3. 17 Apr- 29 Apr 23, Strength 12.

1.4. Batch 4. 08 May- 19 May 23, Strength 10.

1.5. Batch 5. 05 Jun – 16 Jun 23 Strength 13.

1.6. Batch 6. 05 Feb – 16 Feb 24, Strength 10.

• Training under Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (iTEC) Programme. A batch of approx 25 officers from Republic of Togo (Togolese Republic) will undergo a two-week offline course at RRU campus from 19 Feb – 01 Mar 24.
• RPTC has conducted following five plus three-day DGCA approved drone pilot Certificate Course at the University, commencing Nov 2022 till date :-

2.1. Batch 1. 15 Nov – 23 Nov 22, Strength 10 (SISDSS Faculty & Students)

2.2. Batch 2. 19 Dec – 26 Dec 22, Strength 12 (Indian Army)

2.3. Batch 3. 13 Mar – 21 Mar 23, Strength 10 (Indian Army)

2.4. Batch 4. 22 Mar – 30 Mar 23, Strength 18 (ICAR)

2.5. Batch 5. 10 Apr – 18 Apr 23, Strength 15 (02 IAF officers, 09 Chhattisgarh Police & 4 ICAR)

2.6. Batch 6. 26 Jun – 04 Jul 23, Strength 05 (2 Students, 3 Telegence)

2.7. Batch 7. 31 Jul – 08 Aug 23 – Strength 03 (02 Indian Army, 01 Civilian)

2.8. Batch 8. 29 Jan 24- 02 Feb 24 – Strength 02 (01 BSF, 01 student)

• Certificate Course. A five-day Certificate Course on UN Peacekeeping and Policing was conducted from 29 Jan to 02 Feb 24. Participants 102.
• Symposium on Pakistan Studies was conducted on 15 Feb 24.
• Outreach Program. Training conducted at Pethapur from 20 Nov 23 to 02 Feb 24 for 150 youth from Scheduled Tribes of Gujarat for enrolment as Agniveers in Indian Army. The training batch visited by several State level dignitaries, including Dr. Kuberbhai Dindor, Hon’ble Cabinet Minister, Dept of Tribal Welfare, Govt of Gujarat.
• A 5-day online Certificate program on Hybrid Warfare was conducted from 22 May–26 May 23. Approx 253 participants too part.
• A 5-day online Certificate Program on Information Warfare was conducted from 19 Dec – 23 Dec 22.
• A 5-day online Certificate program on Strategic Intelligence was conducted from 10 Oct – 14 Oct 22. Approx 58 participants too part.
• A guest lecture was delivered by Gen MM Naravane PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, (Retd) for SISDSS students on 14 Sep 22.
• MoU signed between Rashtriya Raksha University and M/S DroneAcharya Aerial Innovations on 05 Jul 22 for setting up a Remote Pilot Training Centre (RPTC) at the University campus. Till May 2023, seven batches have completed the training at the RPTC, including two batches from Indian Army, one batch from Chhattisgarh Police and one batch from Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• 8. Advanced Certificate Programme on Policing in UN Peacekeeping Operations "Women as Police Peacekeepers” was conducted from 27 Sep -14 Oct 21.
• 9. An expert lecture was delivered by Dr. Arun Vishwanathan on “Intelligence and National Security : The Indian Case” on 19 May 21.
• 10. A two-day Webinar on Naval Operations was conducted at SISDSS on 29 May- 30 May 22.
• 11. An expert lecture was delivered by Mr Arvind Gupta, Former Deputy NSA of India on “How India Manages It’s National Security” on 24 Jun 21
• Expert Lecture By Dr Manpreet Sethi On "Nuclear Challenges to India's National Security and Nuclear Doctrine" On 23rd June, 2021
• 12. An expert lecture was delivered by Dr Manpreet Sethi on “Nuclear Challenges to India’s National Security and Nuclear Doctrine” on 23 Jun 21.
• Expert Lecture By Group Captain Ashok K Chordia, IAF Veteran On "Operation Cactus:Indian Airforce In Action" On 14th July, 2021
• Expert Lecture By Lt Gen KJ Singh (Retd) Former Army Cdr Western Command On "PLA's capabilities and Pakistan-China Nexus"
• Expert Lecture By Prof Varun Dutt, Associate Prof IIT Mandi On "Artifical Intelligence and India's National Security"
• Monthly Webinar Battle Studies 1971 War "Indian Air Force Operations of The 1971 War "Guardians of the Sky" On 30th July, 2021
• One Day Webinar Organised By School of Internal Secuirty, Defence and Strategic Studies and Centre of UN Police and Peacekeeping Stuides On "Technology Proliferation and Peacekeeping in Digital Age" On 13th August, 2021
• Expert Lecture By Dr Chengappa on "Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief:The Indian Experience"
• Monthly Webinar Battle Studies on 1971 War "The Battle of Longewala - Outnumbered India Outmanoeuvres Enemy" On 30th June, 2021
• Certificate Programme In Policing and Peacekeeping Operations By SISDSS and Centre for UN Police and Peacekeeping Operations from 2nd - 8th August, 2021
• Expert Lecture By Lt Gen Subrata Saha (Retd), Member NSAB India On "Punjab Terrorism "Part 1 : Topography, Early History to Operation Black Thunder II"
• MOU Signed Between SISDSS and EME Vadodara on 11 January, 2021
• Monthly Webinar on Battle Studies on 1971 War "The Battle of Hilli - The Springboard to liberation of Bangladesh" on 20 January, 2021
• Expert Lecture By Lt Gen Subrata Saha (Retd) Member NSAB India On "North-East India - Part 1 Insurgency and Counter Insurgency in North-East India"
• Monthly Webinar on Battle Studies of 1971 War - "The Battle of Naya Chor - Indian Troops Charge Deep Into Pakistan" On 17th February, 2021
• Expert Lecture By Lt Col Rohit Agarwal (Retd) On "Why Study Military History?" On 21 April, 2021
• Advanced Certificate Programme on Policing in UN Peacekeeping Operations “Women as Police Peacekeepers” was conducted from 27 Sep -14 Oct 21.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Dr. Arun Vishwanathan on “Intelligence and National Security : The Indian Case” on 19 May 21.
• A two-day Webinar on Naval O15. An expert lecture was delivered by Lt Gen KJ Singh (Retd), Former Army Cdr Western Command on “PLA’s capabilities and Pakistan-China Nexus” perations was conducted at SISDSS on 29 May- 30 May 22.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Mr Arvind Gupta, Former Deputy NSA of India on “How India Manages It’s National Security” on 24 Jun 21.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Dr Manpreet Sethi on “Nuclear Challenges to India’s National Security and Nuclear Doctrine” on 23 Jun 21.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Dr Bhartendu Kumar Singh on “Defence Acquisition in India : Issues and Challenges” on 01 Jul 21.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Group Captain Ashok K Chordia, IAF Veteran on “Operation Cactus : Indian Air Force In Action” on 14 Jul 21.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Prof Varun Dutt, Associate Prof, IIT Mandi on “Artificial Intelligence and India’s National Security” .
• Monthly Webinar Battle Studies 1971 War “Indian Air Force Operations of The 1971 War – Guardians of the Sky” conducted on 30 Jul 21.
• A webinar was organised by Centre of UN Police and Peacekeeping Studies on “Technology Proliferation and Peacekeeping in Digital Age” on 13 Aug 21.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Dr Chengappa on “Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief : The Indian Experience” .
• Monthly Webinar Battle Studies on 1971 War “The Battle of Longewala – Outnumbered India Outmanoeuvres Enemy” on 30 Jun 21.
• A five-day online Certificate Programme on Policing and Peacekeeping Operations was conducted from 02 Aug – 08 Aug 21.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Lt Gen Subrata Saha (Retd), Member NSAB, India on “Punjab Terrorism : Topography, Early History to Operation Black Thunder II”
• MOU signed Between RRU and EME School Vadodara on 11 Jan 21.
• Monthly Webinar on Battle Studies on 1971 War “The Battle of Hilli – The Springboard to liberation of Bangladesh” on 20 Jan 21.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Lt Gen Subrata Saha (Retd) Member NSAB India on “North-East India – Insurgency and Counter Insurgency”
• Monthly Webinar on Battle Studies of 1971 War – “The Battle of Naya Chor – Indian troops charge deep into Pakistan” on 17 Feb 21.
• A 5-day online Certificate Program on Information Warfare was conducted from 19 Dec to 23 Dec 22. Participants – 37.
• Advanced Certificate Program was conducted on “Policing in UN PKO – Women as Police Peacekeepers” from 27 Sep to 14 Oct 21.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Dr. Arun Vishwanathan on “Intelligence and National Security : The Indian Case” On 19 May 21.
• A two-day Webinar was conducted on Naval Operations on 29 – 30 May 21.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Mr Arvind Gupta, Former Deputy NSA of India on “How India Manages It’s National Secuirty” On 24 Jun 21.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Dr Manpreet Sethi on “Nuclear Challenges to India’s National Security and Nuclear Doctrine” On 23 Jun 21.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Gp Capt Ashok K Chordia, IAF Veteran on “Operation Cactus : Indian Air Force In Action” on 14th July, 2021
• An expert lecture was delivered by Lt Gen KJ Singh (Retd), Former Army Cdr Western Command On “PLA’s capabilities and Pakistan-China Nexus” .
• An expert lecture was delivered by Prof Varun Dutt, Associate Prof IIT Mandi on “Artificial Intelligence and India’s National Security” .
• Monthly Webinar Battle Studies 1971 War “Indian Air Force Operations of the 1971 War : Guardians of the Sky” was conducted on 30 Jul 21.
• One Day Webinar was organised on “Technology Proliferation and Peacekeeping in Digital Age” on 13 Aug 21.
• Certificate Programme on UN Police and Peacekeeping Operations was conducted on 02 Aug – 08 Aug 21.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Lt Gen Subrata Saha (Retd), Member NSAB on “Punjab Terrorism: Topography, Early History to Operation Black Thunder II” .
• MoU signed between SISDSS and EME School Vadodara on 11 Jan 21.
• An expert lecture was conducted by Lt Gen Subrata Saha (Retd) Member NSAB India on “North-East India – Insurgency and Counter Insurgency in North-East India” .
• Monthly Webinar was conducted on Battle Studies of 1971 War – “The Battle of Naya Chor – Indian Troops Charge Deep Into Pakistan” on 17 Feb 21.
• An expert lecture was delivered by Lt Col Rohit Agarwal (Retd) on “Why Study Military History?” on 21 Apr 21.

STUDENTS CORNER

Students @ SISDSS

Course Syllabus

Examination

Assignments

Students Achievement

List of Programmes

Fee Structure

STUDENTS @ SISDSS

Badss 2020 – 23, badss 2021 – 25, badss 2022 – 26, madss 2021 – 23, madss 2022 – 24, course syllabus, course name – bachelor of arts in defence and strategic studies (badss).

Batch 2021-25

Batch 2022-26

Batch 2023-27

Course Name – Master of Arts in Defence and Strategic Studies (MADSS)

Batch 2021-23

Batch 2022-24

Batch 2023-25

ACHIEVEMENT

LIST OF PROGRAMMES

• Bachelor in Defence and Strategic Studies
• Masters in Defence and Strategic Studies
• Doctorate Defence Studies
• Certificate Courses

TRAINING AND EXTENSION PROGRAMMES

• Certificate Programme on Military History and Media
• Certificate Programme on Political Warfare
• Certificate Programme on Hybrid Warfare
• Certificate Programme on Military History and Media Courses
• Training Programme for Personality Development
• Training Programme for Service Selection Board Coaching Programme
• Training Programme in Disruptive Military Technology
• Training Programme in Algorithmic Warfare
• Training Programme for Political Warfare
• Training Programme on Defence Acquisition Practises in India and Foreign Countries
• Training Programme on Special Operations
• Training Programme on Peace Keeping

OUR PARTNERS

• INDIAN AIR FORCE
• INDIAN ARMY
• EME SCHOOL, VADODRA
• CAPS, NEW DELHI
• DRONEACHARYA

INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

• USI, NEW DELHI
• CENJOWS, NEW DELHI
• CLAWS, NEW DELHI

SISDSS CENTRES

The Center employs a multi-disciplinary approach to understand India’s strategic culture and national security issues with a focus on the armed forces. Specific emphasis is laid on contemporary dimensions of warfare, defence co-operation, jointness, coastal and maritime security, and related issues. The research interests of the Centre focus on China, Pakistan, Indo-pacific and South Asia..

The centre closely interacts with armed forces and strategic scholars in India and abroad, and contributes to policy making by contributing to research in areas of importance for the armed forces.

SISDSS’ Personality Development Course aims to enhance the students’ confidence and morale and prepares them to face the challenges in job market. We focus on ethics and aesthetics and holistic personality development using the most modern learning pedagogy.

The Personality Development Centre (PDC) is a central facility for skill and personality development training for all students of our university.

Objectives of CPD:

• To offer training and guidance to all students of various schools
• To empower the students by training them in soft skills with the aim to enhance their employability in various careers
• To inculcate relevant skill sets like Communication, Goal setting Creativity, Time management, Stress Management, Grooming and Teamwork
• To organise open house brainstorming and personality development workshops, competitions, debates, improv sessions for students.

Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) is an Institute of National Importance, and has become the one-point preferred destination for training, education, research and extension activities related to National Security. The University has set up off-campuses in 2022 at Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh and at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Puducherry, Karnataka,. In the current year, RRU is rapidly progressing the case for setting up additional campuses in Haryana and Odisha.

Our Defence Services are designed and trained to deal with external threats to the Nation. The CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) on the other hand, have a vital role in internal security, as also to support the Defence Services along various sectors of our international borders. These Forces include BSF, ITBP, CRPF, CISF, Assam Rifles – to name a few. Law and order, being a State subject, is managed by State police forces. In addition, we have other important uniformed services such as Disaster Management Authorities, Home Guards, Fire Fighting Services, etc.

The Defence Services have a well-established, dedicated and evolved feeder stream by way of Sainik Schools and Military Schools to provide youth for induction into their premier training academies and Training Centres, even though these are too few and far in between. Moreover, the CAPF and State Police forces do not have any such support system at all. Thus, there is a requirement of providing all our Forces in uniform a better intake stream of young men and women. The Government of India initiative to set up 100 Sainik Schools is a step in the right direction, and Rashtriya Raksha University is keen to pitch in this regard by setting up Raksha Shakti Vidyalay – modelled on similar lines as Sainik Schools.

The idea of introducing Raksha Shakti Schools traces its roots to an initiative by Govt of Gujarat, Department of Education vide Govt Resolution No_SSB / 1217/ 567-(PF 1)-G -1 dated 11 Oct 22, to set up ten co-educational residential Schools (Classes 6 th to 12 th ) in Gujarat on public-private partnership model, wherein the capital cost (including land, building and allied infrastructure) will be met by the private partner and the revenue cost (teacher/ staff salaries, student uniforms, books, meals etc. ) will be met by the State Government by grant of fixed amount per student per academic year. RRU has been requested by the Govt of Gujarat to be knowledge partner for this project.

This concept of Raksha Shakti Schools needs to be adopted on a wider basis across the nation under the guidance and leadership of RRU which is a national University.

Academic Programmes

The School of InternalaSecurity, Defence and Strategic Studies (SISDSS) currently offers following programs:

• Bachelor of Arts in Defence and Strategic Studies (Regular Course) – Four years.
• Eligibility: 10 year service in the defence forces + Masters Degree in any discipline + Research Proposal

Progressively, the school will conduct following certificates programs:

• Certificate Course in Defence Acquisition.
• Certificate Course in Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism.
• Certificate Course in UN Peacekeeping Operations.
• Certificate Course in Pakistan Military.
• Certificate Course in Irregular, Revolutionary and Unconventional Warfare.
• Certificate Course in Hybrid Warfare.
• Certificate Course in Strategic Intelligence.
• Certificate Course in Information Warfare.
• Certificate Course in People’s Liberation Army.
• Certificate Course in India’s Strategic Culture.

SISDSS also undertakes extension programs for promoting national security with a view to shape young minds and enhance intake into the security forces. Emphasis on participation of girl students is imperative.

The programs will be conducted by a lean core faculty comprising four to five members drawn from professionals in the domain. Extensive utilisation of guest speakers, workshop, seminars and online tools will be made. Facility for distance education with minimum essential contact programs particularly for in-service members is being worked out.

Opportunities will be provided for the students to take part in immersion programs to get first-hand knowledge of operating environment and perspectives of the security forces. The programs will help the participants to develop skills that will enhance employability, aid professional-career development, career transition and postgraduate studies and research.

The programs are designed to benefit:

• Students seeking careers in security forces including defence and military forces, intelligence services.
• Professionals in defence industries and research and development agencies.
• In service officers, JCOs and Other ranks in the armed forces and the paramilitary forces to develop expertise by gaining recognition and building upon their professional military courses.
• Procurement executives/officials in the MoD, MHA, Indian Defence Accounts Services, DRDO, DPSU, OFB and industry.
• Veterans and potential veterans from the armed forces and the paramilitary forces seeking career transition into defence industry, academia, think-tanks.
• SISDSS IN MEDIA(Student)
• SISDSS IN MEDIA(School Events)
• Certificate course on Pakistan’s Military
• Certificate course on People’s Liberation Army
• Certificate course on India’s Strategic Culture

Maj Gen ND Prasad(Retd.), AVSM, VSM

Rashtriya Raksha University,

Lavad, Dahegam, Gandhinagar – 382305

Email – [email protected]

Dr. Man Norbu

Email – [email protected]

Maj Gen ND Prasad(Retd.) AVSM, VSM

Director, School of Internal Security, Defence & Strategic Studies

Assistant Director and Assistant Professor , School of Internal Security, Defence and Strategic Studies (SISDSS)

Block Syllabus

Eligibility Criteria

• Bachelor of Arts in Defence and Strategic Studies (Regular Course) – 10+2 with 50% in any stream.
• Master of Arts in Defence and Strategic Studies (Regular Course) – Undergraduate Degree with 50% in any stream

Candidates will be selected through the merit list based on marks obtained in Higher Secondary and candidates will have to appear for personal Interviews.

Candidates will be selected through the merit list based on marks obtained in Graduation and candidates will have to appear for personal Interviews.

Students will have to purchase their own uniforms.

How to Apply

Click on the link below:

https://rru.ac.in/program/

Click on Gujarat Campus Tab

Apply to School of Internal Security, Defence and Strategic studies

Need help??? Ask me right now!

Ask-RAKSHA Online

Defense and Dissertation Overview

Once a student’s box is checked, the BPH student should set up a one-on-one “Defense Packet Meeting” with the BPH Associate Director to review the Defense and Dissertation Process, which includes reviewing all required materials, logistics, timing, FAS/Harvard Griffin GSAS Form of the Dissertation, sample forms, and to answer student questions related to these processes.

• Defense Committee Chair: One member of the student’s DAC, often the DAC chair, is required to chair the oral defense. This required holdover from the DAC serves the purpose of providing insight to the examiners regarding the path the student has taken in completing the dissertation research. Their primary role is to assess committee satisfaction with the written dissertation, administer the exam, arbitrate any problems that may arise, and make final recommendations for completion of necessary corrections and additions to the dissertation. No other DAC members can serve on the defense committee .
• At least one member must be a BPH faculty member, often from the same academic department.
• One member of the examination committee must be from outside of Harvard University.
• The fourth member may be from either BPH or another Harvard-affiliated program.
• Co-authors and collaborators cannot be members of the Defense committee

DEFENSE TIMING AND FORMAT

• Students should notify the BPH Program as far in advance as possible with the details of the exam. 
• The student is required to notify the BPH office no later than 3 weeks in advance of the defense with the final dissertation title.
• At least two weeks before the date of exam, defense members should be sent copies of the dissertation for review. A copy of the dissertation should also be sent to the BPH program.
• If any defense committee member foresees problems with the exam, they should contact the chair of the defense committee in advance of the meeting. If major problems are found with the written document, the Committee can decide to postpone the oral defense until satisfactory changes are made. While rare in our program, these occasions can involve the insufficient or improper use of statistical methods, grossly overstated conclusions, insufficient background or discussion, or evidence of plagiarism.
• More details about the timing and format are provided in the “Defense Packet Meeting” held with each student.

STIPEND GUIDELINES

If a student successfully defends the dissertation before the 15th of the month, the stipend will be terminated at the end of that month. If the student successfully defends on or after the 15th, the next month’s stipend will be the final month the student is paid, at the discretion of their advisor.

Students are encouraged to speak to their advisors directly about how they should be paid as they complete their graduate work. If an advisor wishes to pay the student for one additional month, beyond what has been explained above, the advisor must notify the department’s financial administrator. For administrative reasons, a stipend cannot be issued to a student after their graduation/degree conferral date.

ORAL DEFENSE PROCEDURES

Part 1: Public Seminar As part of the exam, the PhD candidate will present a public seminar followed by a private oral examination.  The public presentation lasts no longer than 1 hour, which includes time for the advisor’s introduction, the student’s oral presentation and acknowledgements, and time for audience questions and answers.  The Defense Committee is required to attend the public seminar; however, it is customary for members of the defense committee to hold their questions until the private oral exam.

Part 2: Private Oral Examination A private oral examination follows the public seminar.  Initially, the student will be asked to leave the room for several minutes, along with the dissertation advisor if the dissertation advisor has decided to remain for the private exam.  During this time, the committee will discuss the merits of the dissertation, any issues with the dissertation, and areas they may want to focus on during the oral exam.  The student (and advisor if present) is then asked back into the room for the exam.

Each member of the defense committee will direct questions to the candidate based on their review of the dissertation and presentation of the seminar. The Defense Chair will moderate the discussion between the panel and the student.  The closed defense takes up to two hours and involves detailed technical questions as well as broader questions on the conclusions, impact, and limitations of the research.  Dissertation advisors may be present, but they must not participate in the exam (e.g., answer questions posed by the committee).

At the end of the examination, the student (and advisor if present) is once again asked to step out of the room for several minutes.  The Committee will discuss any revisions needed for the thesis and whether these revisions need to be reviewed and by whom.  Once the committee determines the outcomes, the student will be asked back into the room and the Committee provides the student with any [minor] changes needed to the dissertation. While it is extremely rare for the student to fail at this stage, the committee will provide recommendations to the student on their research, communication skills, and development as a scientist, as well as delineating the required changes to the dissertation.

PREPARING FOR THE DEFENSE/WRITING THE DISSERTATION

Students preparing to write and defend their dissertation must review University requirements as outlined in “ Dissertations ” with guidelines published at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Students are also welcome to visit the BPH Student Lounge (Building 2, Room 113) to look at copies of previous BPH bound dissertations.

Writing the Dissertation Each student must write a comprehensive PhD dissertation on their research topic and the original results of their research. There are a variety of ways a dissertation can be composed, but the core elements described below must be included. The dissertation must show original treatment of the subject, contain a scholarly review of the pertinent literature, provide evidence of independent research of publishable quality, and be clearly, logically, and carefully written. In addition to a compendium of the student’s research, including detailed methods and results, the dissertation must contain a thoughtful discussion of the conclusions, impact, and limitations of the research. The completed work should be critically reviewed by the dissertation advisor before being submitted to the Dissertation Defense Committee.

In some cases, the student has done all of the work in the dissertation; more often portions of the dissertation result from collaborative research. In all dissertations containing collaborative results, the dissertation should indicate concisely who contributed to the work and how.  For example, a chapter containing multi-authored, published work must include a complete reference of the publication and a brief description of the candidate’s and the colleagues’ contributions. For work that is not published but which resulted from multiple researchers, the contributors must be named and respective attributions made clear. This policy allows stylistic flexibility; depending on the amount of collaborative work in the dissertation and the status of publication(s), the attributions can be, preferably, on or accompanying the cover page for each chapter or within an extended acknowledgements section at the end of each chapter. It is recommended that if figures or figure panels are included that are the work of others that the figure panels be clearly identified and the work properly attributed. It is permissible for more than one student to include work from the same collaboration or publication as long as the required attributions are clear, justified, and complete.

Individual chapters can be that of published articles as long as there are also comprehensive Introduction and Conclusion chapters written by the student. While the text can be the same, use of journal reprints as a chapter is not permissible. A word document of the published article must be used, and the pages in the dissertation must be consecutively numbered. Furthermore, the figures and accompanying figure legends must be integrated into the main body of each chapter, preferably following the first mention of the given figure, not clustered at the end of the chapter. Any dissertation that varies significantly from the Graduate School or FAS guidelines, or is not neat and readable, is subject to required stylistic revision before acceptance by the University. (For further information, please visit https://gsas.harvard.edu/academics/dissertations ).

DEFENSE FORMS AND PAPERWORK

Dissertation Acceptance Certificate Before the examination, the BPH Program Office will provide the Defense Committee Chair with a copy of the official Dissertation Acceptance Certificate. This certificate must be signed by all readers of the dissertation at the end of the examination and returned to the BPH Program Office. This certificate will be scanned and sent to the student so it can be inserted as page one of the dissertation prior to the online submission. The student must submit the one original, official copy to the Registrar’s in Cambridge by the appropriate deadline.

If extensive corrections are to be made, the BPH Program Office will hold the certificate until the Defense Committee Chair, and/or assigned reviewer(s) provide a written notification to the BPH Program to confirm that the corrected work has been reviewed and approved.

Dissertation Defense Exam Report The Dissertation Defense Exam Report is completed by the members of the Dissertation Defense Committee to provide a record of any comments or recommendations they may have. The report must be signed by all members immediately after the private exam. The completed report must be submitted to the BPH Program Office at the same time as the Dissertation Acceptance Certificate.

Sample Dissertation Title Page Please click here to see a sample BPH Dissertation Title Page.  Again, please refer to the Dissertation website for guidelines about how to format your dissertation.

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Preparing for your PhD thesis defence

As you start thinking about the end stages of your PhD, it’s important to understand the processes and timelines related to the thesis defence so that your degree completion is not delayed. Even if your thesis defence seems far away, there are several planning considerations you can consider early on to help the end stages of your PhD go smoothly.

On this page you will find videos, tools, and information about what the PhD thesis defence is , timelines for the PhD thesis defence , and tips for a successful PhD thesis defence .

All PhD students should also ensure that they read the PhD thesis examination regulations and review the thesis preparation guidelines prior to their oral defence. If your thesis defence will be conducted remotely, you should also review the process for a remote thesis defence .

What is the PhD defence?

Understanding the purpose, processes and possible outcomes of the thesis defence can help you feel more prepared for the defence itself. In this video, you’ll learn about what the defence is, who’s there, what happens, and the deliberation and range of possible outcomes.

Transcript - Demystifying the thesis defence at University of Waterloo (PDF)

You may wish to learn more about some of the topics discussed in this video. Here are some helpful links to learn more:

Examination committee members (including the external examiner): Visit the PhD thesis examination regulations section on the  PhD thesis examining committee for more information about the committee members, including information about the external examiner and conflicts of interest.

• Closed thesis defences and non-disclosure agreements: Visit the PhD thesis examination regulations section on guidelines for thesis examination without public disclosure for more information about closed thesis examinations.
• Thesis defence decisions and outcomes: Visit the PhD thesis examination regulations section on  decisions for additional information about decisions and outcomes.
• Thesis submission: Visit the thesis submission webpage for information about the thesis submission process, including approvals that must be obtained before submitting your thesis.
• UWSpace: Visit the Library’s UWSpace webpage for information about what UWSpace is and how to submit, or deposit, your thesis to UWSpace.

Timeline to defence

Early planning considerations.

Well before your defence date, there are several considerations to think about that can help make the end stages of your degree go smoothly and ensure your defence date and degree completion are not delayed:

• Being aware of formatting requirements will save you time on revisions later on – the last thing you want to be doing before submitting your thesis to UWSpace is updating page numbers or your table of contents! Consider using the Microsoft Word or LaTeX thesis template produced by Information Systems & Technology. 
• The Dissertation Boot Camp can help you develop effective writing practices and strategies for completing your thesis, while the three-part Rock Your Thesis workshop series will provide practical guidance for planning, writing, revising, and submitting your thesis project. You can also book an individual appointment to do backwards planning with an advisor. They can help you utilize the planning tools most effectively, while providing hands-on guidance and feedback.  
• If you are using third-party content, including your own previously published work in your thesis, or seeking intellectual property protection (for yourself or another involved party), there may be implications for your thesis or defence. Learn more about copyright for your thesis , and email [email protected] for help with copyright questions related to your thesis.
• Depending on your departmental or discipline’s norms, you may require approval from your entire committee, or just your supervisor. Ensure you talk with your supervisor and/or committee early on to confirm processes and timelines, so you’re not surprised later.
• Depending on your departmental or discipline’s norms, your supervisor may select an external examiner themselves, or they may seek your input. Talk to your supervisor early on about this process, as in some faculties the external examiner may need to be vetted and approved as early as the term before you wish to defend. Remember that there are conflict of interest guidelines around the appointment of the external examiner , and the PhD candidate should not be in communication with the external examiner prior to the defence.
• A PhD thesis must be on display for a minimum of 4 weeks prior to the defence date. To accommodate, you may need to submit your thesis as early as 6-8 weeks prior to your defence. Review your faculty specific backwards planning tool for the thesis submission deadline in your faculty and learn more about the display period in the PhD thesis examination regulations.
• After your successful thesis defence, you will likely have some required revisions to your thesis. It’s important to understand revision timelines , especially if you’re hoping to become “degree complete” before a tuition refund or convocation deadline. Find tuition refund and convocation deadlines in the important dates calendar .
• Following your thesis defence, there are several steps to be taken before your final, approved thesis is accepted in UWSpace. Ensure that you’re aware of these thesis submission steps and timelines in advance.

Backwards planning tools

Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, in collaboration with the Faculties, have prepared faculty specific backwards planning tools to help PhD candidates map out the timelines related to their thesis defence and degree completion.

Select your faculty below to download a PDF copy of the backwards planning tool. We encourage you to discuss your ideal timelines with your supervisor(s) and your department graduate program co-ordinator.

• Faculty of Health backwards planning tool (PDF)
• Faculty of Arts backwards planning tool (PDF)
• Faculty of Engineering backwards planning tool (PDF)
• Faculty of Environment backwards planning tool (PDF)
• Faculty of Mathematics backwards planning tool (PDF)
• Faculty of Science backwards planning tool (PDF)

Tips for success

The PhD thesis defence is the culmination of years of hard work! The tips outlined in this video, compiled from recent PhD graduates and experienced thesis defence chairs, cover tips for preparing for your defence, day-of logistics, and defending successfully.

Transcript - Your Thesis Defence: Tips for Success (PDF)

Will your PhD thesis defence be held remotely? We’ve compiled additional tips for success specifically related to the remote defence.

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Defending Your Dissertation: A Guide

Written by Luke Wink-Moran | Photo by insta_photos

Dissertation defenses are daunting, and no wonder; it’s not a “dissertation discussion,” or a “dissertation dialogue.” The name alone implies that the dissertation you’ve spent the last x number of years working on is subject to attack. And if you don’t feel trepidation for semantic reasons, you might be nervous because you don’t know what to expect. Our imaginations are great at making The Unknown scarier than reality. The good news is that you’ll find in this newsletter article experts who can shed light on what dissertations defenses are really like, and what you can do to prepare for them.

The first thing you should know is that your defense has already begun. It started the minute you began working on your dissertation— maybe even in some of the classes you took beforehand that helped you formulate your ideas. This, according to Dr. Celeste Atkins, is why it’s so important to identify a good mentor early in graduate school.

“To me,” noted Dr. Atkins, who wrote her dissertation on how sociology faculty from traditionally marginalized backgrounds teach about privilege and inequality, “the most important part of the doctoral journey was finding an advisor who understood and supported what I wanted from my education and who was willing to challenge me and push me, while not delaying me.  I would encourage future PhDs to really take the time to get to know the faculty before choosing an advisor and to make sure that the members of their committee work well together.”

Your advisor will be the one who helps you refine arguments and strengthen your work so that by the time it reaches your dissertation committee, it’s ready. Next comes the writing process, which many students have said was the hardest part of their PhD. I’ve included this section on the writing process because this is where you’ll create all the material you’ll present during your defense, so it’s important to navigate it successfully. The writing process is intellectually grueling, it eats time and energy, and it’s where many students find themselves paddling frantically to avoid languishing in the “All-But-Dissertation” doldrums. The writing process is also likely to encroach on other parts of your life. For instance, Dr. Cynthia Trejo wrote her dissertation on college preparation for Latin American students while caring for a twelve-year-old, two adult children, and her aging parents—in the middle of a pandemic. When I asked Dr. Trejo how she did this, she replied:

“I don’t take the privilege of education for granted. My son knew I got up at 4:00 a.m. every morning, even on weekends, even on holidays; and it’s a blessing that he’s seen that work ethic and that dedication and the end result.”

Importantly, Dr. Trejo also exercised regularly and joined several online writing groups at UArizona. She mobilized her support network— her partner, parents, and even friends from high school to help care for her son.

The challenges you face during the writing process can vary by discipline. Jessika Iwanski is an MD/PhD student who in 2022 defended her dissertation on genetic mutations in sarcomeric proteins that lead to severe, neonatal dilated cardiomyopathy. She described her writing experience as “an intricate process of balancing many things at once with a deadline (defense day) that seems to be creeping up faster and faster— finishing up experiments, drafting the dissertation, preparing your presentation, filling out all the necessary documents for your defense and also, for MD/PhD students, beginning to reintegrate into the clinical world (reviewing your clinical knowledge and skill sets)!”

But no matter what your unique challenges are, writing a dissertation can take a toll on your mental health. Almost every student I spoke with said they saw a therapist and found their sessions enormously helpful. They also looked to the people in their lives for support. Dr. Betsy Labiner, who wrote her dissertation on Interiority, Truth, and Violence in Early Modern Drama, recommended, “Keep your loved ones close! This is so hard – the dissertation lends itself to isolation, especially in the final stages. Plus, a huge number of your family and friends simply won’t understand what you’re going through. But they love you and want to help and are great for getting you out of your head and into a space where you can enjoy life even when you feel like your dissertation is a flaming heap of trash.”

While you might sometimes feel like your dissertation is a flaming heap of trash, remember: a) no it’s not, you brilliant scholar, and b) the best dissertations aren’t necessarily perfect dissertations. According to Dr. Trejo, “The best dissertation is a done dissertation.” So don’t get hung up on perfecting every detail of your work. Think of your dissertation as a long-form assignment that you need to finish in order to move onto the next stage of your career. Many students continue revising after graduation and submit their work for publication or other professional objectives.

When you do finish writing your dissertation, it’s time to schedule your defense and invite friends and family to the part of the exam that’s open to the public. When that moment comes, how do you prepare to present your work and field questions about it?

“I reread my dissertation in full in one sitting,” said Dr. Labiner. “During all my time writing it, I’d never read more than one complete chapter at a time! It was a huge confidence boost to read my work in full and realize that I had produced a compelling, engaging, original argument.”

There are many other ways to prepare: create presentation slides and practice presenting them to friends or alone; think of questions you might be asked and answer them; think about what you want to wear or where you might want to sit (if you’re presenting on Zoom) that might give you a confidence boost. Iwanksi practiced presenting with her mentor and reviewed current papers to anticipate what questions her committee might ask.  If you want to really get in the zone, you can emulate Dr. Labiner and do a full dress rehearsal on Zoom the day before your defense.

But no matter what you do, you’ll still be nervous:

“I had a sense of the logistics, the timing, and so on, but I didn’t really have clear expectations outside of the structure. It was a sort of nebulous three hours in which I expected to be nauseatingly terrified,” recalled Dr. Labiner.

“I expected it to be terrifying, with lots of difficult questions and constructive criticism/comments given,” agreed Iwanski.

“I expected it to be very scary,” said Dr. Trejo.

“I expected it to be like I was on trial, and I’d have to defend myself and prove I deserved a PhD,” said Dr Atkins.

And, eventually, inexorably, it will be time to present.  

“It was actually very enjoyable” said Iwanski. “It was more of a celebration of years of work put into this project—not only by me but by my mentor, colleagues, lab members and collaborators! I felt very supported by all my committee members and, rather than it being a rapid fire of questions, it was more of a scientific discussion amongst colleagues who are passionate about heart disease and muscle biology.”

“I was anxious right when I logged on to the Zoom call for it,” said Dr. Labiner, “but I was blown away by the number of family and friends that showed up to support me. I had invited a lot of people who I didn’t at all think would come, but every single person I invited was there! Having about 40 guests – many of them joining from different states and several from different countries! – made me feel so loved and celebrated that my nerves were steadied very quickly. It also helped me go into ‘teaching mode’ about my work, so it felt like getting to lead a seminar on my most favorite literature.”

“In reality, my dissertation defense was similar to presenting at an academic conference,” said Dr. Atkins. “I went over my research in a practiced and organized way, and I fielded questions from the audience.

“It was a celebration and an important benchmark for me,” said Dr. Trejo. “It was a pretty happy day. Like the punctuation at the end of your sentence: this sentence is done; this journey is done. You can start the next sentence.”

If you want to learn more about dissertations in your own discipline, don’t hesitate to reach out to graduates from your program and ask them about their experiences. If you’d like to avail yourself of some of the resources that helped students in this article while they wrote and defended their dissertations, check out these links:

The Graduate Writing Lab

https://thinktank.arizona.edu/writing-center/graduate-writing-lab

The Writing Skills Improvement Program

https://wsip.arizona.edu

Campus Health Counseling and Psych Services

https://caps.arizona.edu

https://www.scribbr.com/

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• CAREER COLUMN
• 30 March 2020

How to defend a PhD remotely

• Alyssa Frederick 0

Alyssa Frederick is a postdoctoral scholar at the Bodega Marine Laboratory in Bodega Bay, California, part of the University of California, Davis.

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

In November 2019, I conducted my PhD defence using the videoconferencing software Zoom.

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ECE PhD Student Awarded National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Research Fellowship

Northeastern University electrical engineering PhD student Jack Guida applies an athlete’s mindset of teamwork, learning, and collaborative competition to engineering. As an electrical engineering undergrad at Syracuse University, he landed an internship at Ball Aerospace doing radio frequency design. “It was super new to me. I’m someone who loves to learn. I was an athlete at Syracuse so I’m competitive including in academia.” Guida graduated from Syracuse in May 2021, starting his PhD at Northeastern that fall.

Initially, Guida searched for an electrical engineering master’s program built around research. Northeastern was on the list because of the co-op program and the Boston location near his extended family. “After I applied, some NU faculty reached out and asked if I was interested in doing a PhD instead. I always wanted to do research to contribute to the scientific community. This gave me the way to do that.”

Guida recently received a highly competitive U.S. Department of Defense National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Research Fellowship awarded to promising U.S. scientists and engineers to encourage them to pursue doctoral degrees in designated research disciplines of military importance. “The award gives me an opportunity and it shines a light on the Northeastern SMART research center, which is the research group I’m part of. With the funding, it will propel what we’re able to do and really allow us to explore some exciting ideas.” The highly competitive Fellowship Program has awarded nearly 4400 fellowships from over 65,000 applications to U.S. citizens and nationals since its inception in 1989.

His first publication last October was at the International Ultrasonics Symposium in Venice, Italy. “We used one of these acoustic devices to implement a finite impulse response filter, an application for signal processing.” He was recently accepted to another conference in Japan on transducers. After finishing his PhD, Guida wants to work in industry and do technical design. “Eventually, I want to oversee a research and development team.”

Related Faculty: Siddhartha Ghosh , Cristian Cassella , Matteo Rinaldi

Related Departments:Electrical & Computer Engineering

13 Tips to Prepare for Your PhD Dissertation Defense

How well do you know your project? Years of experiments, analysis of results, and tons of literature study, leads you to how well you know your research study. And, PhD dissertation defense is a finale to your PhD years. Often, researchers question how to excel at their thesis defense and spend countless hours on it. Days, weeks, months, and probably years of practice to complete your doctorate, needs to surpass the dissertation defense hurdle.

In this article, we will discuss details of how to excel at PhD dissertation defense and list down some interesting tips to prepare for your thesis defense.

Table of Contents

What Is Dissertation Defense?

Dissertation defense or Thesis defense is an opportunity to defend your research study amidst the academic professionals who will evaluate of your academic work. While a thesis defense can sometimes be like a cross-examination session, but in reality you need not fear the thesis defense process and be well prepared.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/c/JamesHaytonPhDacademy

What are the expectations of committee members.

Choosing the dissertation committee is one of the most important decision for a research student. However, putting your dissertation committee becomes easier once you understand the expectations of committee members.

The basic function of your dissertation committee is to guide you through the process of proposing, writing, and revising your dissertation. Moreover, the committee members serve as mentors, giving constructive feedback on your writing and research, also guiding your revision efforts.

The dissertation committee is usually formed once the academic coursework is completed. Furthermore, by the time you begin your dissertation research, you get acquainted to the faculty members who will serve on your dissertation committee. Ultimately, who serves on your dissertation committee depends upon you.

Some universities allow an outside expert (a former professor or academic mentor) to serve on your committee. It is advisable to choose a faculty member who knows you and your research work.

How to Choose a Dissertation Committee Member?

• Avoid popular and eminent faculty member
• Choose the one you know very well and can approach whenever you need them
• A faculty member whom you can learn from is apt.
• Members of the committee can be your future mentors, co-authors, and research collaborators. Choose them keeping your future in mind.

How to Prepare for Dissertation Defense?

1. Start Your Preparations Early

Thesis defense is not a 3 or 6 months’ exercise. Don’t wait until you have completed all your research objectives. Start your preparation well in advance, and make sure you know all the intricacies of your thesis and reasons to all the research experiments you conducted.

2. Attend Presentations by Other Candidates

Look out for open dissertation presentations at your university. In fact, you can attend open dissertation presentations at other universities too. Firstly, this will help you realize how thesis defense is not a scary process. Secondly, you will get the tricks and hacks on how other researchers are defending their thesis. Finally, you will understand why dissertation defense is necessary for the university, as well as the scientific community.

3. Take Enough Time to Prepare the Slides

Dissertation defense process harder than submitting your thesis well before the deadline. Ideally, you could start preparing the slides after finalizing your thesis. Spend more time in preparing the slides. Make sure you got the right data on the slides and rephrase your inferences, to create a logical flow to your presentation.

4. Structure the Presentation

Do not be haphazard in designing your presentation. Take time to create a good structured presentation. Furthermore, create high-quality slides which impresses the committee members. Make slides that hold your audience’s attention. Keep the presentation thorough and accurate, and use smart art to create better slides.

5. Practice Breathing Techniques

Watch a few TED talk videos and you will notice that speakers and orators are very fluent at their speech. In fact, you will not notice them taking a breath or falling short of breath. The only reason behind such effortless oratory skill is practice — practice in breathing technique.

Moreover, every speaker knows how to control their breath. Long and steady breaths are crucial. Pay attention to your breathing and slow it down. All you need I some practice prior to this moment.

6. Create an Impactful Introduction

The audience expects a lot from you. So your opening statement should enthrall the audience. Furthermore, your thesis should create an impact on the members; they should be thrilled by your thesis and the way you expose it.

The introduction answers most important questions, and most important of all “Is this presentation worth the time?” Therefore, it is important to make a good first impression , because the first few minutes sets the tone for your entire presentation.

7. Maintain Your Own List of Questions

While preparing for the presentation, make a note of all the questions that you ask yourself. Try to approach all the questions from a reader’s point of view. You could pretend like you do not know the topic and think of questions that could help you know the topic much better.

The list of questions will prepare you for the questions the members may pose while trying to understand your research. Attending other candidates’ open discussion will also help you assume the dissertation defense questions.

8. Practice Speech and Body Language

After successfully preparing your slides and practicing, you could start focusing on how you look while presenting your thesis. This exercise is not for your appearance but to know your body language and relax if need be.

Pay attention to your body language. Stand with your back straight, but relax your shoulders. The correct posture will give you the feel of self-confidence. So, observe yourself in the mirror and pay attention to movements you make.

9. Give Mock Presentation

Giving a trial defense in advance is a good practice. The most important factor for the mock defense is its similarity to your real defense, so that you get the experience that prepares for the actual defense.

10. Learn How to Handle Mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes. However, it is important to carry on. Do not let the mistakes affect your thesis defense. Take a deep breath and move on to the next point.

11. Do Not Run Through the Presentation

If you are nervous, you would want to end the presentation as soon as possible. However, this situation will give rise to anxiety and you will speak too fast, skipping the essential details. Eventually, creating a fiasco of your dissertation defense .

12. Get Plenty of Rest

Out of the dissertation defense preparation points, this one is extremely important. Obviously, sleeping a day before your big event is hard, but you have to focus and go to bed early, with the clear intentions of getting the rest you deserve.

13. Visualize Yourself Defending Your Thesis

This simple exercise creates an immense impact on your self-confidence. All you have to do is visualize yourself giving a successful presentation each evening before going to sleep. Everyday till the day of your thesis defense, see yourself standing in front of the audience and going from one point to another.

This exercise takes a lot of commitment and persistence, but the results in the end are worth it. Visualization makes you see yourself doing the scary thing of defending your thesis.

If you have taken all these points into consideration, you are ready for your big day. You have worked relentlessly for your PhD degree , and you will definitely give your best in this final step.

Have you completed your thesis defense? How did you prepare for it and how was your experience throughout your dissertation defense ? Do write to us or comment below.

The tips are very useful.I will recomend it to our students.

Excellent. As a therapist trying to help a parent of a candidate, I am very impressed and thankful your concise, clear, action-oriented article. Thank you.

Thanks for your sharing. It is so good. I can learn a lot from your ideas. Hope that in my dissertation defense next time I can pass

The tips are effective. Will definitely apply them in my dissertation.

My dissertation defense is coming up in less than two weeks from now, I find this tips quite instructive, I’ll definitely apply them. Thank you so much.

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Eva Lantsoght

November 30th, 2021, defending a phd thesis is an emotional moment candidates and supervisors should be prepared for.

4 comments | 55 shares

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

The PhD defence, or viva, is significant academic rite of passage, which as well as marking the culmination of years of study, can also be a highly charged emotional moment.   Drawing on years of collecting accounts of PhD defences on her blog and her recent book (Planning and Passing Your PhD Defence, co-authored with Olga Degtyareva),  Eva Lantsoght , discusses how both PhD students and supervisors can benefit from a more engaged understanding of the emotions underlying the PhD defence. 

In the days leading up to my doctoral defence, I had a recurring nightmare about my supervisor forgetting to show up for my defence. I was well-prepared, and since I was defending in the Netherlands, my thesis was already printed and approved. Failing was virtually impossible. Why then, was I nervous about my doctoral defence to the point of having recurring nightmares?

After eventually passing my doctoral defence, I decided to collect stories about the doctoral defence (or viva, depending on the country) around the world for my blog. I was originally fascinated by the differences between defence formats (such as the sword newly minted doctors receive in Finland and the medal in Chile ). Over time, however, I started to see that below the superficial differences, all types of defence show similarities. One is that there is always an emotional dimension to the defence. My worries before my defence were hardly an isolated case. Many doctoral candidates report strong emotions around thesis submission, in the weeks leading up to the defence, during the event, and even afterwards, when the post-defence blues may kick in.

Typically, discussions on the doctoral defence centre around the scholarly dimension. A defence is often viewed solely as an academic event marking and evaluating the end of a research project

Typically, discussions on the doctoral defence centre around the scholarly dimension. A defence is often viewed solely as an academic event marking and evaluating the end of a research project. However, in our recent book Planning and Passing Your PhD Defence , which I co-wrote with Olga Degtyareva, we have paid special attention to the emotional dimension of the defence (of course, in addition to the scholarly dimension preparing for answering questions, and other traditional aspects related to the doctoral defence). This was in part because, we strongly felt that we shouldn’t consider the defence as a regular examination, where a standard set of criteria are used to assess a student. Besides its function as an examination, the defence is also a rite of passage, a confirmation, a celebration, and the culmination of years of independent research work. Emotions are murky and difficult to factor in for assessment. The emotions involved in the doctoral defence make it a unique event: for the candidate, the examiners (or committee members), and for the supervisor. Being aware of these emotions, and bringing them to light, is important to understanding the defence better and the role it plays in a research career.

In my work on the doctoral defence, I found (to my surprise) that the major differences between defence formats did not influence the candidates’ perception much . On the other hand, I did find important differences in the emotions felt by candidates related to the defence, as a function of socio-demographic aspects, notably gender. Women doctoral candidates experience more negative feelings before the defence, and if they had a negative experience during the defence, the negative impact on their perception as a researcher could often be long-lasting. Being aware of how different groups experience the emotions related to the defence differently is important, especially for supervisors and examiners, and can be empowering for candidates. Besides simply being aware of the emotional dimension, it can also enable the small changes that can help settle things when emotions run high: taking a short break, offering water, getting up to open a window, or moving to another topic of the thesis.

While each PhD candidate, each research study, and each PhD trajectory are unique, there are some common emotions that deserve to be mentioned. First of all, in the weeks or days leading up to thesis submission, candidates often feel that the work is not enough, worthless, or otherwise insufficient, and these feelings can contribute to perfectionism. Other candidates may be so tired of the thesis that every small action may feel like a terrible chore. Some feel relieved upon submission, and others worry about how it will be received.

Many candidates also worry about how they will perform. For candidates in the United Kingdom, where the viva takes place before final submission of the thesis and may determine the level of corrections required for the thesis, candidates worry about what the outcome of the thesis and viva will be. Major revisions could potentially add months to the doctoral journey. Because the viva is behind closed doors, candidates also may not know very well what to expect. In the Netherlands, where candidates are sure they will pass, other causes lead to worry and anxiety. As the defence is public, candidates feel the pressure to perform well in front of the committee, friends, colleagues, and family.

it is also important for supervisors and examiners to be aware of this emotional dimension, and to know how different groups of candidates experience these emotions

The first step in dealing with this anxiety, is to name and acknowledge it, and to know that these feelings are normal. Candidates who passed without corrections worry about passing their defence as much as those who had more work on their thesis after the defence. Breathing techniques, meditation, and relaxation exercises can help. University counselling services should be there to support as well. Being well-prepared for the day of the defence itself may also help candidates to feel more in control over the day and their feelings. A positive action, such as stopping by colleagues and expressing gratitude to them before the defence, can improve defence-day-anxiety. Many candidates feel more nervous right before and at the beginning of their defence. Taking notes, repeating the question, or asking for clarification of the question, are all valid options to start answering in a calm and controlled manner. At the end of the defence, candidates can be nervous to hear the outcome, and the minutes while the committee is in deliberation may feel like hours. Then, after hearing the verdict, often the final flood of emotions (relief, happiness, pride, or perhaps disappointment, anger, or worry about the thesis revision) comes.

Emotions play an important role leading up to and during the doctoral defence. Understanding the role of these emotions is important for candidates, so that they know that what they are feeling is normal, and does not mean that they are not worthy of a doctorate. At the same time, it is also important for supervisors and examiners to be aware of this emotional dimension, and to know how different groups of candidates experience these emotions. Being aware of and holding space for these emotions allows all those who are involved in the defence to experience the defence, not simply as a test of knowledge, but as the important moment it is, in the formation and affirmation of a new scholar.

Note: This article gives the views of the author, and not the position of the LSE Impact Blog, nor of the London School of Economics. Please review our  comments policy  if you have any concerns on posting a comment below.

Image Credit: Ralph Leue via Unsplash. 

About the author

Dr. Eva Lantsoght is a Full Professor in Civil Engineering at Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador and tenured assistant professor at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Her blog and co-hosted podcast PhD Talk addresses the mechanics of doing research, PhD life, and general academic matters. Find her @evalantsoght or at evalantsoght.com.

• Pingback: Defending a PhD thesis is an emotional moment candidates and supervisors should be prepared for - Multidimensional News for Educators

In Australia there is no defence process and typically no discussion between the examiners…lots of secrecy and anonymity for some reason.

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https://www.vitae.ac.uk/doing-research/doing-a-doctorate/completing-your-doctorate/your-viva/your-phd-viva

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Defending your doctoral thesis: the PhD viva

Format for defending a doctoral thesis.

Every institution will have specific regulations for the thesis defence. In some countries or institutions, the convention is for thesis defences to be public events where you will give a lecture explaining your research, followed by a discussion with a panel of examiners (opponents). Both your examiners and the audience are able to ask questions.

In other countries, including the UK, the oral examination is usually conducted behind closed doors by at least two examiners, usually with at least one being from another institution (external examiner) and an expert in your topic of research. In the UK the supervisor does not participate in the viva, but may be allowed to observe. Sometimes someone from your own institution is appointed as an independent chair. Although it is now becoming more common for the candidate to have an opportunity to give a public lecture in UK institutions, this does not form part of the examination and may or may not be attended by the examiners.

Viva preparation

Take the preparation for your viva seriously and devote a substantial amount of time to it. The viva preparation checklist may be useful to help you prepare.

Your institution may offer courses on viva preparation and there may be opportunities to organise a practice viva. Take advantage of these opportunities: they can be extremely valuable experiences.

Things you may wish to take with you

• your thesis – mildly annotated if you wish
• a list of questions that you might be asked and your planned responses
• any questions that you want to ask your examiners
• additional notes which you have made during your revision
• list of minor corrections that you have come across during your revision.

During the viva

Your study will have strengths and weaknesses: it is essential that you are prepared to discuss both. You could think of any weaknesses as an opportunity to demonstrate your skill at critical appraisal. Examiners will seek to find and discuss weaknesses in all theses. Do not interpret criticism as indication of a possible negative outcome.

Examiners have different personalities, styles and levels of experience. Sometimes a candidate may feel that a challenge is made in a confrontational way. Experienced, effective examiners will not be inappropriately confrontational, but some will. Do not take offence. A relaxed, thoughtful, and non-confrontational response from you will help re-balance the discussion. Having an independent chair can help maintain a constructive environment.

Useful tips for during your viva:

• Ask for clarification of ambiguous questions or ask for the question to be repeated if necessary
• Take time to think before answering
• Be prepared to ask questions and enter into a dialogue with your examiners
• Be prepared to discuss your research in context of other work done in your field
• Be ready to admit if you don't know the answer to a question
• Be prepared to express opinions of your own

You are not expected to have perfect recall of your thesis and everything that you have read and done. If you get flustered, or need to refer to notes your examiners will understand. They have been in your situation themselves!

After your viva

There are several possible outcomes   of a thesis defence. Most commonly, your examiners will recommend to your institution that you are awarded your degree subject to minor corrections, although in some instances they might ask for more substantial work.

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Ph.D. Thesis Defense

April 25, 2024

12:00 a.m. ET

2327 Wean Hall

"Anisotropic Attack of YA1O3 Model Environmental Barrier Coatings by Molten CaO-MgO- Al2O3-SiO2 Deposits"

CANDIDATE: Amanda Velazquez Plaza

COMMITTEE: Professor Amanda Krause (MSE, Advisor) Professor Elizabeth C. Dickey (MSE) Professor Marc De Graef (MSE) Professor Paul A. Salvador (MSE) Dr. Valerie Wiesner (NASA)

Join via Zoom: 

https://cmu.zoom.us/j/91227079761?pwd=V2dVQm9yUzJOa1hxblZqeDRKV3hEQT09 ID: 912 2707 9761 Passcode: 126740

School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

College of engineering, ph.d. dissertation defense - shiyuan yin, related links.

Title:   Modeling, Control, and Fault-tolerant Operation of the Isolated Modular Multilevel DC-DC Converter for MVDC Applications Committee: Dr. Maryam Saeedifard, ECE, Chair, Advisor Dr. Deepakraj Divan, ECE Dr. Daniel Molzahn, ECE Dr. Santiago Grijalva, ECE Dr. Mohammad Shadmand, UIC  

Abstract: Speech is a promising biomarker for cognitive impairment and dementing illness.

Compared to traditional biomarkers, digital biomarkers are often less invasive, cheaper to measure, and require less instruction. They also allow continuous and longitudinal data acquisition while offering more objectivity. However, the scarcity of large speech datasets annotated with age-related information makes this application challenging. This dissertation aims to study how well audio and language features predict health outcomes among older veterans, with the goal to improve diagnostic and intervention strategies. First, a large audio dataset is curated from the Veteran History Project and is matched with death databases for age and mortality information. Deep learning techniques are then applied to extract signals from this self-curated audio dataset, which are proven to be valuable indicators of aging and overall health. Language analysis is also applied on the transcripts derived from audio recordings with the goal to uncover nuanced linguistic patterns and potential indicators of mental and physical health conditions that might not be immediately evident. To enrich the analysis and achieve a greater degree of accuracy, we incorporate data from the National Death Index with specific causes of death, which enables the establishment of a more direct correlation between extracted features and the prevalence of certain diseases. By integrating these data sources, our capacity to identify potential disease indicators is enhanced. In addition to vocal aging, this dissertation also discusses the evaluation of large language models on word definitions. The emergence of large language models brings new opportunities to industries and new directions for research. We conduct an exploratory study of the degree of alignment between word definitions from classical dictionaries and these newer computational artifacts, in which distance correlation metrics are applied to compare word embeddings and sentence embeddings of both dictionary and generated definitions in different dimensional spaces.