Some thoughts on the British PhD viva
This blog was contributed by Michael Byram
In many countries, the oral examination is the final stage of PhD study. It is often a public event and can be simply a celebration or sometimes a combination of assessment and celebration. In the latter case, the candidate is assured of being accepted but the assessors may still want to take a view on the quality of the work. In both cases, the candidate will have had at least one occasion for a serious and in-depth assessment of their work by academics other than the supervisor or supervisors, and this is the “guarantee” that the final stage, the oral examination, will not bring any surprises in the form of failure or re-submission.
The British oral examination, usually called ‘the viva’, is also often perceived by candidates and sometimes by their supervisors and examiners as the final stage, comparable to the final event in other countries. This is a mis-apprehension. In over 40 years of experience of the viva and attendance at dozens of examinations, either as observing supervisor or as examiner, I have never seen a thesis accepted immediately. Perhaps other people have, but I am convinced this is extremely rare. The examiners of one of my best PhD student’s thesis identified 4 typographical errors, and required “minor corrections”, and this meant that the thesis was not immediately accepted. This was the extreme case and examiners usually require more, but it revealed a mindset that a thesis is not to be accepted at the viva.
The viva is better seen as the penultimate stage of the PhD study. It takes place in private, with only those present who are closely involved, i.e. the candidate, often their supervisor [but not always], the two examiners and, sometimes, a chairperson. It is neither a celebration nor merely a ritual where the outcome is ‘guaranteed’. The candidate must be ready to carry out further work even if only ‘minor corrections’ and only when the changes have been accepted by the examiners is the process over. The celebration therefore comes at the moment of graduation, which is usually a ceremony which takes place once or twice a year.
The mis-apprehension that the viva is the final stage often creates concern and worry. If they see the viva for what it is, candidates will have a more positive experience.
