Concluding the PhD

Assessment committee

All PhD theses will be assessed by an assessment committee. The committee is allotted to evaluate the thesis and provide a written assessment along with a preliminary recommendation regarding its acceptance for public defence.

The assessment committee consists of three members who must be at the level of associate professor/senior researcher or higher in the relevant field. One member, typically the committee chair, is selected internally from among faculty staff. The two remaining members must be employed outside of the University of Copenhagen. At least one member must be from abroad unless academic reasons justify deviation from this requirement.

Individuals who are co-authors of articles included in the PhD thesis cannot be part of the assessment committee. In addition, the general rules on impartiality must be observed. The PhD student’s supervisors may not be members of the assessment committee, but the principal supervisor is affiliated with the committee during the assessment.

Thesis and assessment

The PhD thesis represents the scholarly work and the original intellectual contribution of the PhD student to the research field.

Once the thesis has been submitted, the PhD Administration will submit the PhD thesis to the Royal Library for textual screening for plagiarism. When the thesis has been screened without remarks, it is sent to the assessment committee for assessment. The committee normally has 2 months to complete the assesment. The assessment results in a written, preliminary recommendation.

Defence

At the University of Copenhagen, PhD theses must undergo a public and successful defence to earn the author a PhD degree. To initiate a defence, the thesis must first receive a positive preliminary recommendation from the assessment committee.

It is a requirement that PhD defences are open to the public, and the PhD thesis should be made accessible to the public within a reasonable timeframe. At the defence, the PhD student have the opportunity to present their work and defend the thesis before the members of the assessment committee. After the defence, the assessment committee makes its final recommendation on whether the PhD degree should be awarded or not. Subsequently, the academic council awards the degree.