phd viva lancaster university

ESRC Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science

How to be a PhD student (by someone who just was), Part 3: Towards the viva

After successfully defending my viva early this year, I’ve been sharing some of the lessons I learned over my 38 months as a PhD student. In this installment, I talk about powering through your final year and preparing for your viva. 

If you missed the previous entries, click through to read Part 1  (Preparing for the programme) or Part 2  (Managing your work and working relationships). 

Coming down the final stretch

When you absolutely can’t stand the sight of your PhD, you know you’re nearly finished with it. From speaking to my friends and colleagues, this tends to happen around 8-10 months before submission, which means that you get about 40 weeks of steely focus, single-mindedly trying to get the demon out of your computer and into the hands of your examiners. This is a testing time for your personal relationships and for your scholarly stamina, but a most excellent time for your academic work.

I’ve yet to meet someone who had the problem of too little material for their PhD (though I suppose they might be out there), so remember ABC: Always Be Cutting. When re-reading your work, keep a sharp eye out for words and phrases such as basically, simply put, in other words, and so on. These are clear indicators that you’ve been repetitive and could be more succinct.

Don’t be afraid to be absolutely ruthless in editing and rewriting, especially in this magical 8-10 month period where you just want it gone . Print out a copy of your research questions and hang them somewhere in sight of your working space. As you finish your analyses and revise your structure, make sure that all words serve the research questions. If you find that your work drifts, you have two choices:

• Revise the research questions to match what you researched. It is the worst-kept secret in the academic world that research questions posed in the infancy of a project might not be those we end up answering along the way. This is totally natural. What’s unnatural is if your research questions and chapters/analyses do not evolve together, and your thesis ends up looking more like a centaur than a human or a horse. Pick a human or a horse, and run with it!
• Remove analyses that do not directly contribute to the thrust of your thesis. This can be very painful, but is almost always necessary. You do so much work during the PhD that you want to be able to show it all off at the end. But the truth of the matter is: not everything is relevant, and 80,000 words cannot hold the entirety of your own knowledge, let alone the accumulated learnings of the human race. If you find analyses that are clear departures from your research questions, remove these from the main document and save them in a series of new files to turn into papers when you’re ready. Summarise each of these in bullet points, and you can add them into the ‘further work’ section of your thesis, which means that you can still demonstrate that you’ve thought about (and even journeyed toward) new directions in your work. The upside here is that you have a clear path to follow-on publications.

Remove distractions. Be selfish. This is a very short time in your life where it is perfectly fine to just stay the course and keep your eyes on the prize. Surround yourself with understanding, patient, and supportive people. Work each day until you are not being productive anymore, and then relax doing something that is not mentally exhausting but is not mentally destructive. Try your best to stay flexible and (self-) reflexive.

Staying flexible and reflexive

Everyone who starts a PhD is a perfectionist, to some point. We all came to this point (the highest tertiary degree on offer) with a unique mixture of natural talent, intellectual curiosity, mental fortitude, and real hard-headedness. Either you or many of the people in your cohort would have been at the top of their Masters or Bachelors classes, or come from a solid career in industry. The thing about a PhD is that it is designed to be both finite and imperfect.

In the postgraduate socialising area of the linguistics department at Lancaster, we once hung a sign that said, “There are two kinds of PhD: Perfect, and finished”. Choose ‘finished’! The last year of your PhD will break your heart, because that’s when you realise just how much you can do in your finite period, and more devastatingly, how much you just cannot fit in. I can’t remember who told me this, but whoever it was should step forward (because I owe you a drink):

Your PhD is not your great work. If you stay in academia, it is almost certain to be your worst work.

We do this to prove that we can do greater things if given more time, money, chances, collaborators, experiences. If you save all of the interesting things that you can’t fit into your PhD into separate folders, you have a good head start on papers that you can publish either during or directly after your doctorate. You can easily fill up a ‘Future Work’ section in your final chapter. And most importantly, you can finish your PhD.

As soon as I let go of the idea of my thesis as this all-encompassing, nearly-perfect, staggering contribution to science and accepted the fact that it was just the best version of many possible (apprentice) books that I could have written in that time, it just flowed out of me.

For instance, throughout my thesis, I worked on a method of downsampling that could help researchers who were, like me, working with very large corpora resulting in hundreds or thousands of collocates per search node. To make sure that this method was applicable to different data sets, I did two case studies, and I was able to refine the method quite dramatically in the second half of my study. As I wrote up the second half of my PhD, I agonized about the first half, which was completed and written up using the now-outdated, subpar version of the method. “Do I have to go back and redo the entire thing?” I wailed to my long-suffering supervisor. “It will be more perfect if I do”. In his wisdom, my supervisor suggested that I find a way to turn these lemons into lemonade, rather than turning them into 6 months of additional hard labour.

In the end, I presented my PhD warts and all. I was transparent about my ‘research journey’, which my examiners looked upon very favourably. Remember that this process is meant to be hard work; totally whitewashing your PhD by removing all traces of earlier errors, therefore denying yourself the ability to weave in a narrative about the learning experience itself will not do you many favours. Also, including brief notes about where you went wrong, how you identified problems, and what you did to fix them, will help future PhD students immensely. Everyone who opens your thesis afterwards can avoid reinventing the wheel you already sweated over – they can focus on their own unique and novel problems!

Choosing your panel

Choosing the people who will sit on your panel is one of the most crucial decisions of your doctorate. In the UK, we generally have four panels: a pre-confirmation, a confirmation, a post-confirmation, and a viva voce.

The pre-confirmation happens during your first year, and generally checks your progress and working relationship with your supervisor. I suggest choosing an examiner who is (even marginally) in your field and can make some comments about your literature review and some suggestions for possible directions in your work. The most important trait of an examiner in the pre-confirmation (in my opinion) is that they are supportive and kind. Choose someone who will boost your confidence for the road ahead!

The confirmation panel (in my department, taking place in the second year) confirms the movement from PhD student to PhD candidate. This panel is high-stakes, as failing it can mean a significant delay in finishing your PhD, or even discontinuing it completely. Despite this pressure, I recommend choosing the toughest possible person from your department to examine your confirmation panel. For this spot, you want the person most likely to pick holes in your theoretical and methodological choices while there is still time to adjust before the viva. If you choose correctly, your confirmation will be the hardest panel of your PhD – mine certainly was!

The post-confirmation panel happens in the third year of the PhD here, and checks that you have settled on research questions and are on target to submit. Your examiner should be someone quite critical about research questions and design, but also someone who you feel that you can trust and talk to, particularly if you’re encountering issues. This is your last panel before the viva, so it’s a good place to take the temperature of your overall research design and to get a bit of a confidence boost or a reality check.

Finally, we come to the viva. In Lancaster, this happens after 3-4 years of PhD study. I know that some universities don’t give students much control over the members of their panel, but I urge you to have an open dialogue with your supervisor about this. The people sitting in those seats can not only change the outcome of the day, but also have a lasting effect on your career. For my viva, I needed to have three examiners: one internal and two external. (At Lancaster, your supervisor is present during the viva, but cannot speak.) I chose a variety of scholars who have all used corpus linguistic methods in their work, and whose previous findings have been echoed in my thesis. I knew that they would be critical of my work, but would most likely receive it positively. At this point in the process, you would like to engage in a lively debate about your research, but you do not want this to be a negative or a defensive one.

Preparing for the day

This was quite controversial at the time, but I also only told three people (my partner and two very close friends) which day my viva was on. I was freaking myself out enough counting down the days to V-Day; I didn’t want a dozen other friends (as well-intentioned as they might have been) ramping up the pressure by constantly reminding me of the impending panel.

You’ll likely have quite a bit of practice describing your research from speaking to fellow students, scholars, and conference attendees. However, speaking to influential people in your field is much different; it’s a good idea to practice some answers just in case you find yourself freezing up on the day. Here are some questions that could/maybe/will come up in a viva:

• Explain your thesis in fewer than 5 sentences.
• Explain your thesis for a layman.
• What is the one idea that links the entire work together?
• What motivated you, personally, to undertake this work?
• What do you think the main contribution of this work is?
• What was the most crucial decision that you made in designing/structuring/undertaking this work?
• Do you think you could have done better work with more data or less data?
• How have you, as a researcher, influenced the outcome of this analysis? What safeguards have you put in place against this?
• How has the process influenced you? Has your view of the data/circumstances/research topic changed over the course of the degree?
• Summarise your major/key findings. Are any of these surprising? Why are they interesting?
• Who will find this work most interesting? Do you think it’s accessible to this audience?
• Do you have plans for distributing these results to non-academic audiences? What about the contributors/stakeholders?
• How would you begin future research?
• What sort of advice would you give future PhD students? (Maybe you can write 3 blog posts about it!)
• Why do you think that this merits a PhD? (This is the toughest question in the book, and I think it’s only asked in extenuating circumstances, but best to be prepared.)

The best thing that I did to prepare for my viva (personally) was to read through my thesis one last time, with comments and track edits turned on in MS Word. I got a head start correcting typos that were spotted by my examiners, and I was able to add comments expanding on some areas that I thought might fall under their scrutiny. Because I was reading the thesis closely enough to edit it, I really re-familiarised myself with the content (much of which I had blocked out in the two months between submitting and defending it). When I was done, it was this copy that I printed and brought with me in a ring folder to the viva. I’ve seen a lot of people put post-its and highlights all through their theses, but I just put tabs on each chapter and post-its marking the areas I thought we’d turn back to regularly: 1) key words; 2) details of corpus design; 3) final comments. I’ve heard of people bringing stacks of books to their viva, but if a critical reference isn’t contained within your PhD, you have much bigger problems! The printed, annotated copy of my own thesis was totally adequate.

On the day itself

On the day of your viva, try not to do anything that makes you more anxious than normal. For instance, I’m a coffee addict but I only had one cup that morning, resisting the urge to chain-drink the stuff to get some rocket fuel before the main event. Try not to run around the department like the sky is falling, or to haphazardly skim-read your thesis; you know what’s in there. Go about your business like it’s a normal day and then go to talk about your work with some people.

That’s important enough to bear repeating: you’re just talking with people . During the viva, remember to be as respectful and as grateful as possible, and you will (most likely) be treated with kindness in return. Examiners read hundreds of pages — for free — and often travel great distances just to discuss your work with you. Be gracious about this! Not everyone is entitled to a smooth, friendly viva, but we all hope that we get one.

So when an examiner asks you a question about your thesis (your baby! your precious!), answer as calmly and objectively as possible. They are genuinely curious! Famous people! About your work! Remember that nobody has read and done paperwork and travelled to be horrible to you.

Unlike in sports, the best defense is not a good offense. If the PhD is an apprenticeship, the viva gets close to teaching new scholars what it is like to present to the toughest crowd at a conference, or to get back the most detailed peer review from a journal. In almost all cases, you can accept what your examiner says, or thank them for their comment and think over the ramifications later. This is not to say that you should go limp during the viva; if you feel misunderstood, or if you feel as though a challenge to your theoretical framework/methodology/research design is unfounded and can be easily responded to, do your best to present your perspective. But much of the viva is a group of very clever, very curious people asking questions, hoping for clever, interesting answers. If you are able to get into this mind-set, you might actually be able to do the unthinkable and enjoy your viva. If you manage to impress examiners with both your work and your congenial attitude, your viva might also be the birthplace of new collaborations or lasting scholarly relationships.

You can do it!

This was my last post in the series. If you have any questions about being a PhD student, or if you’re considering doing a PhD at Lancaster University, please get in touch! You can email me at [email protected] or follow me on Twitter @WatchedPotts

Amanda Potts

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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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PhD Viva Outcomes

Purewal, Anita (2022) PhD Viva Outcomes. UNSPECIFIED.

• PhD Viva Voces – A Complete Guide
• Doing a PhD
• A PhD viva involves defending your thesis in an oral examination with at least two examiners.
• The aim of a PhD viva is to confirm that the work is your own , that you have a deep understanding of your project and, overall, that you are a competent researcher .
• There are no standard durations, but they usually range from one to three hours, with most lasting approximately two hours .
• There are six outcomes of a PhD viva: (1) pass without corrections (2) pass subject to minor corrections, (3) pass subject to major corrections, (4) downgrade to MPhil with no amendments, (5) downgrade to MPhil subject to amendments, (6) immediate fail.
• Almost all students who sit their viva pass it, with the most common outcome being ‘(2) – pass subject to minor corrections’.

What Is a PhD Viva?

A viva voce , more commonly referred to as ‘viva’, is an oral examination conducted at the end of your PhD and is essentially the final hurdle on the path to a doctorate. It is the period in which a student’s knowledge and work are evaluated by independent examiners.

In order to assess the student and their work around their research question, a viva sets out to determine:

• you understand the ideas and theories that you have put forward,
• you can answer questions about elements of your work that the examiners have questions about,
• you understand the broader research in your field and how your work contributes to this,
• you are aware of the limitations of your work and understand how it can be developed further,
• your work makes an original contribution, is your own and has not been plagiarised.

Note: A viva is a compulsory procedure for all PhD students, with the only exception being when a PhD is obtained through publication as opposed to the conventional route of study.

Who Will Attend a Viva?

In the UK, at least two examiners must take part in all vivas. Although you could have more than two examiners, most will not in an attempt to facilitate a smoother questioning process.

One of the two examiners will be internal, i.e. from your university, and the other will be external, i.e. from another university. Regardless, both will be knowledgeable in your research field and have read your thesis beforehand.

In addition to your two examiners, two other people may be present. The first is a chairperson. This is an individual who will be responsible for monitoring the interview and for ensuring proper conduct is followed at all times. The need for an external chairperson will vary between universities, as one of the examiners can also take on this role. The second is your supervisor, whose attendance is decided upon by you in agreement with your examiners. If your supervisor attends, they are prohibited from asking questions or from influencing the outcome of the viva.

To avoid any misunderstandings, we have summarised the above in a table:

Note: In some countries, such as in the United States, a viva is known as a ‘PhD defense’ and is performed publicly in front of a panel or board of examiners and an open audience. In these situations, the student presents their work in the form of a lecture and then faces questions from the examiners and audience which almost acts as a critical appraisal.

How Long Does a Viva Last?

Since all universities have different guidelines , and since all PhDs are unique, there are no standard durations. Typically, however, the duration ranges from one to three hours, with most lasting approximately two hours.

Your examiners will also influence the duration of your viva as some will favour a lengthy discussion, while others may not. Usually, your university will consult your examiners in advance and notify you of the likely duration closer to the day of your viva.

What Happens During a Viva?

Regardless of the subject area, all PhD vivas follow the same examination process format as below.

Introductions

You will introduce yourselves to each other, with the internal examiner normally introducing the external examiner. If an external chairperson is present, they too are introduced; otherwise, this role will be assumed by one of the examiners.

Procedure Explained

After the introductions, the appointed chair will explain the viva process. Although it should already be known to everyone, it will be repeated to ensure the viva remains on track during the forthcoming discussion.

Warm-Up Questions

The examiners will then begin the questioning process. This usually starts with a few simple opening questions, such as asking you to summarise your PhD thesis and what motivated you to carry out the research project.

In-Depth Questions

The viva questions will then naturally increase in difficulty as the examiners go further into the details of your thesis. These may include questions such as “What was the most critical decision you made when determining your research methodology ?”, “Do your findings agree with the current published work?” and “How do your findings impact existing theories or literature? ”. In addition to asking open-ended questions, they will also ask specific questions about the methodology, results and analysis on which your thesis is based.

Closing the Viva

Once the examiners are satisfied that they have thoroughly evaluated your knowledge and thesis, they will invite you to ask any questions you may have, and then bring the oral examination to a close.

What Happens After the Viva?

Once your viva has officially ended, your examiners will ask you to leave the room so that they can discuss your performance. Once a mutual agreement has been reached, which can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, you will be invited back inside and informed of your outcome.

PhD Viva Outcomes

There are six possible outcomes to a viva:

• Immediate award of degree: A rare recommendation – congratulations, you are one of the few people who completely satisfied your examiners the first time around. You do not have to do anything further at this point.
• Minor amendments required: The most common recommendation – you obtain a pass on the condition that you make a number of minor amendments to your thesis, such as clarifying certain points and correcting grammatical errors. The time you have to make these changes depends on the number of them, but is usually one to six months.
• Major amendments required: A somewhat uncommon recommendation – you are requested to make major amendments to your thesis, ranging from further research to collecting more data or rewriting entire sections. Again, the time you have to complete this will depend on the number of changes required, but will usually be six months to one year. You will be awarded your degree once your amended thesis has been reviewed and accepted.
• Immediate award of MPhil: An uncommon recommendation – your examiners believe your thesis does not meet the standard for a doctoral degree but meets the standard for an MPhil (Master of Philosophy), a lower Master’s degree.
• Amendments required for MPhil: A rare recommendation – your examiners believe your thesis does not meet the standard for a doctoral degree, but with several amendments will meet the standard for an MPhil.
• Immediate fail: A very rare recommendation – you are given an immediate fail without the ability to resubmit and without entitlement to an MPhil.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

What Is the Pass Rate for Vivas?

Based on an  analysis of 26,076 PhD students  who took their viva exam between 2006 and 2017, the PhD viva pass rate in the UK is 96%; of those who passed, about 80% were required to make minor amendments to their thesis. The reason for this high pass rate is that supervisors will only put their students forward for a viva once they confidently believe they are ready for it. As a result, most candidates who sit a viva are already well-versed in their PhD topic before they even start preparing for the exam.

How Do I Arrange a Viva?

Your viva will be arranged either by the examiners or by the chairperson. The viva will be arranged at least one to two months after you have submitted your thesis and will arrange a viva date and venue that is suitable for all participants.

Can I Choose My Examiners?

At most universities, you and your supervisor will choose the internal and external examiners yourselves. This is because the examiners must have extensive knowledge of the thesis topic in order to be able to examine you and, as the author of the thesis in question, who else could better determine who they might be than you and your supervisor. The internal examiner is usually quite easy to find given they will be from your institution, but the external examiner may end up being your second or third preference depending on availability.

Can I Take Notes Into a Viva?

A viva is about testing your competence, not your memory. As such, you are allowed to take notes and other supporting material in with you. However, keep in mind that your examiners will not be overly impressed if you constantly have to refer to your notes to answer each question. Because of this, many students prefer to take an annotated copy of their thesis, with important points already highlighted and key chapters marked with post-it notes.

In addition to an annotated copy of a thesis, some students also take:

• a list of questions they would like to ask the examiners,
• notes that were created during their preparation,
• a list of minor corrections they have already identified from their viva prep work.

How Do I Prepare for a PhD Viva?

There are several ways to prepare for a PhD viva, one of the most effective being a mock viva voce examination . This allows you to familiarise yourself with the type of viva questions you will be asked and identify any weak areas you need to improve. They also give you the opportunity to practise without the pressure, giving you more time to think about your answers which will help to make sure that you know your thesis inside out. However, a mock viva exam is just one of many methods available to you – some of the other viva preparation methods can be found on our “ How to Prepare for a PhD Viva ” page.

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The Oral Examination (viva) - Doctoral degrees, MSc and MLitt

If you have not been advised of the date for your viva within six weeks of submitting your thesis, you should contact your Degree Committee.

Location of the viva

The viva will normally take place in-person in Cambridge, but you may choose to be examined remotely by video conference. You should inform your Degree Committee of your preference when you notify them of your intention to submit/apply for appointment of examiners. Please also make your supervisor aware of your preference as it may affect the choice of available examiners.

Arrangements where you and one examiner are co-located in Cambridge, with the second examiner participating by video conference, where both examiners are co-located and you participate by video conference, or where you and the examiners are all in separate locations, are permissible provided all parties agree.

In-person oral examination:  In-person examinations may be delayed depending on the availability of the examiners as travel time will need to be factored in. Students who are overseas and returning to Cambridge for their viva should contact the International Student Office for visa advice if their student visa has expired or will be expiring soon.

Video conference oral examination: A guide to conducting vivas by video conference can be found here .

The choice of in-person or video conference viva does not constitute procedural irregularity grounds for complaint should you fail the examination.

Adjustments to the oral examination on the grounds of disability

If you wish to notify examiners of a disability or request adjustments on account of a disability for your viva (either your first year assessment or final examination), you can do this via your Degree Committee by completing and submitting the voluntary disclosure form . It is recommended you do this at least four weeks before your expected date of examination to allow time for appropriate recommendations and adjustments to be made. 

Once you have submitted the form, your Degree Committee will contact the University’s Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre (ADRC) who will advise the Degree Committee on the appropriate course of action. You may be contacted by the ADRC if additional information is required or to provide you with an offer of additional support.

The information provided on the voluntary disclosure form will be kept confidential and will not be used for any other purpose.

If you already have a Student Support Document (SSD) that includes recommendations for adjustments to the viva , and you have given permission for the SSD to be shared with the Degree Committee, you do not have to complete the voluntary disclosure form but may do so if you wish.

What happens at the viva?

• The viva will normally take place in Cambridge, although some may take place via video-conference (please see above)
• It is carried out between yourself and the two examiners and is conducted in English
• It may include an Independent Chairperson if the Degree Committee requires this
• There is no set duration, but a viva will normally last between 90 minutes and three hours
• You may be required to do a presentation - please check with your Department whether this is the case. If you are required to give a presentation, you should be informed at least two weeks in advance of the viva
• The viva cannot be recorded
• Your supervisor cannot attend the viva

Your Department should advise on any department-specific conventions or procedures.

Purpose of the viva

The viva gives the opportunity for:

• you to defend your thesis and clarify any matters raised by your examiners
• the examiners to probe your knowledge in the field
• the examiners to assure themselves that the work presented is your own and to clarify matters of any collaboration
• the examiners to come to a definite conclusion about the outcome of the examination

Possible outcomes of the viva

The possible outcomes are:

• Conditional approval - pass without correction (but for doctoral degrees subject to submission of hardbound and electronic copies of the thesis ); or pass, subject to minor or major corrections 
• Revision and resubmission of the work for a fresh examination
• Revision and resubmission of the work for a fresh examination or acceptance of the MSc/MLitt without further examination (but possibly subject to corrections)
• Not to be allowed to revise the thesis, but offered the MSc/MLitt without further revision or examination (but possibly subject to corrections)
• Outright failure

Notification of the result of the viva

Your examiners are asked not to give any direct indication of the likely outcome of the examination as the official result can be confirmed only by Student Registry on behalf of the Postgraduate Committee. Following your Degree Committee's meeting they will forward their decision to the Student Registry who will email your reports to you, copying in your Supervisor.

Process following the viva

Information about the process following your viva can be found here.

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College of Arts and Humanities

Dr. Hyeyoung Maeng

Assistant professor.

Art, Design, and Art History | 559-278-2707 | Office: CA 223

[email protected]

• PhD in Contemporary Arts (Art Practice-Based), LICA, Lancaster University, UK (2018) 
• MFA in Fine Arts Painting, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, USA 
• MFA in Korean Painting, College of Fine Art, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea 
• BFA in Fine Art Education (Korean Painting Major), College of Education, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea

Courses Taught

• Intermediate Painting (ART 140)
• Advanced Painting (ART 141)
• Graduate Painting (ART 241)
• Korean Ink Painting (109T)
• Intermediate Drawing (ART120)

Dr. Young (Hyeyoung) Maeng is an artist-researcher in contemporary art. Her studio practice explores expanded painting practices, including Western and Korean painting, drawing, digital photography, and video art.

Young's art-practice-based PhD research investigates the boundaries between painting and film, reimagining the process of Korean Bunche painting as an experimental video art form known as "Documentation Art." This project also explores French philosopher Gilles Deleuze's philosophical concepts of the time image, aesthetics of sensation, and the body without organs in relation to aesthetics of Tao, and Korean true view realism. Documentation Art has garnered international recognition, being featured in prestigious art exhibitions at venues such as the Seoul Art Centre, Gallery Dos, Peter Scott Gallery, Liverpool FACT, and the Deleuze & Guattari Conference in London, Rome, Seoul, and Prague.

Currently, her research project, funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea, delves into the philosophical meaning of EDI (equity, diversity, inclusion) in human and AI companion robot interactions. Before taking on her current role as Assistant Professor of Art in Painting & Drawing, Young worked as a lecturer at Kongju National University. During her time there, she taught courses on Asian & Korean Art History and Western Aesthetics. Furthermore, she was involved in instructing Art Educational Theory and Studio Practice at Gongju National University of Education in South Korea.

• Painting & Drawing
• Expanded Painting
• Korean Bunche & Ink Painting
• Documentation Art video
• Digital Photography, Sound
• Textile Installation
• EDI in Post-Digital and Post Humanism  
• Human & AI Companion Robots interaction
• Modernism and Post-Modernism Art & Art Education Theory,
• Deleuze’s Transcendental Aesthetics of Sensation
• Art Education Theory and Practice in relation to Deleuze & Guattari’s Philosophy
• Inclusive Art Education
• Cultural Learning
• Process-based Learning and Assessment

<Artist Website> www.hyeyoungmaeng.com <Solo Exhibition>

2023   Chaosmos (J Gallery, Cheonan, South Korea

2023   Painting as Non-territorialities (Gallery The Flux & Flow, Seoul, South Korea)

2020   Time of Events (Gallery Dos, Seoul, South Korea)

2019   Return of the Real (King Street Gallery, Lancaster, UK)

2018   Fractured Affection (King Street Gallery, Lancaster, UK)

2018   Documentation Art Screening (PhD Viva exhibition, LICA, Lancaster University, UK)

2016   Painting as Documentation Art (Peter Scott Gallery, Lancaster, UK)

2016   Documentation Art and Korean Bunche Painting (The Campus in the City, Lancaster, UK)

2014   Something in Between (Installation Space, LICA, UK)

2012   Perfumed Violence (MFA Show, Phoenix Hotel, San Francisco, USA)

2007   The Pond of Mind (Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Art Center, Korea)

2004   The Joyful Imagination reflected on the Pond (Gongpyeong Art Center, Seoul, Korea)

1999   The Image of Pond (Insa Gallery, Seoul, Korea)

<Art Fair>

2021  Manif Seoul International Art Fair (Hamgaram Museum, Seoul Art Center, South Korea)

2020   Manif-Newsis Online Art Fair 

<Selected Group Exhibitions>

2023 My Story, My Storage, CYART SPACE, Seoul, South Korea 2023 Meta Zero, Korean Media Art Association Show, Jeong Munggyu Mesum, Seoul, South Korea 2023 Hoeto, Hanbyeokwon Museum, Seoul, South Korea 2022 Art Communication, (Espace Sorbonne 4, Paris, France)

2022 Old Future and New Past (Sejong Museum, Seoul, Korea)

2022 Art Education for All (Kyung Hee Gallery, Seoul)

2022 Faculty Show, Ilrak Gallery, Gongju National University of Education, South Korea

2022  Remembering Whang Chang Bae (Dong Duck Art Centre, Kim Bo Sung Art Centre,  Seoul, Korea)

2021  Re-tread (Hyehwa Art Centre, Seoul, South Korea)

2021   Group Exhibition of Professors in Fine Art Education Department, Gongju National University of

Education (Ilrak Gallery, Gongju, South Korea, Online)

2020   Group Exhibition of Professors in Fine Art Education Department, Gongju National University of Education (Ilrak Gallery, Gongju, South Korea, Online)

2020   Eight Great Views of Happiness (Sejong Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea)

2020   Experimental Film and Video 2020 (CICA Museum, Korea)

2020  Art of Still Life (3 Square Art Gallery, Fort Colins, USA)

2018  Memory 53 (Kyung Hee Museum, Seoul, Korea)

        LA Summer Exhibition (King Street Gallery, Lancaster, UK)

2018 – 2015 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Faculty Building Art Show (Lancaster University)

2017  Documentation Art Sandys Screening (FACT, Liverpool, UK)

2016  Falling in Love with Women’s Portraits (Sejong Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea) 

2015  In-Betweenness (The Storey Gallery, Lancaster, UK)

2014   Korean Art Wave (Technopolis of Athens in Gazi, Greece)

2013  Translocura (The Headlands Center for the Arts, San Francisco, USA)

2012  Flying Fish (ARC Gallery, San Francisco, USA)

2011  Hidden Story (Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, USA)

        Mid-Point (Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, USA)

        No fixed Places (Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, USA)

2008  Hoeto (Korea Art Center, Seoul, Korea)

        Brushwork of Korean Painters (Se Jong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul, Korea)

        The 42th Korean Fine Arts Association Exhibition (Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, Korea)

<Book Chapter>   

Hyeyoung Maeng (2021) Contemporary Theories and Issues in Art Education , Publisher of Education

and Science (Kyoyookgwahaksa), South Korea

http://www.kyoyookbook.co.kr/shop/item.php?it_id=1618531682

<Journal>

Hyeyoung Maeng (2021), Investigation of Process-based Assessments in Art Education

 through Deleuze’s Aesthetics of Sensation, Journal of Research in Art Education, South Korea

https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART002716746

Hyeyoung Maeng (2020), Use of Deleuze's Process Ontology , Journal of Visual Art Practice, UK

19:2, 160 -178, https://doi.org/10.1080/14702029.2020.1742001

Hyeyoung Maeng (2020), An Investigation of Deleuze's Univocity of Being and Inclusive Art

Education, Journal of Research in Art Education, 2020 Vol. 21-3 pp. 1-23.

https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART002613831

Hyeyoung Maeng (2020), Abstract Machines and Fine Art Education , Journal of Research

 in Art Education, South Korea. 2020.21.1.1 2020 Vol. 21-1 pp. 1-22.

https://www.dbpia.co.kr/journal/articleDetail?nodeId=NODE09316874

Hyeyoung Maeng (2019). Deleuze's Aesthetics of Transcendental Realism and the Aesthetics

of Following Tao, Journal of Research in Art Education. 2019 Vol. 20-3 pp. 21- 42.

https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART002491943

<CONFERENCES>

2022  Rethinking the Role of Art Education in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Education, Paper Presentation in the 1st Joint Korean Art Education Societies Conference, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea

2021 Panel Discussion , Art Education from the Sites,  2021 KoSea (Korean Society for the Education through Art) Online Conference, Seoul National University of Education, South Korea

2021  Painting as Non-territorialities , Documentation Art Screening and Paper Presentation,  The 13th annual Deleuze & Guattari Studies Online Conference, Charles University Prague, Czech Republic

2019  Transcendental Aesthetics of Sensation: Documentation Art as Agencement Machines,

Documentation Art Screening and Paper Presentation, The 12 th Deleuze & Guattari Conference in Royal

Holloway, University of London, UK;

2017  Identity as Larval Subjects , Documentation Art Sandys Screening and

Presentation in the AHRC NWCDTP Postgraduate Conference, University of Liverpool;

Sandys : https://filmfreeway.com/projects/846565 (Password: Youngproject2017)

2016   Painting as Virtuality, Becoming and Life , Paper Presentation in the International Deleuze Studies

 Conference in University of Rome Tre, Italia

2016   Documentation Art of Korean Bunche Paining : Landscape Painting as Transcendental Realism, Paper

Presentation Asian Deleuze Studies Conference, Seoul National University, South Korea

2016   True-view Landscape Painting and Transcendental Realism , Lancaster

University Post-Graduate Research Conference Long Presentation (Lancaster University)

• Last Updated Mar 23, 2024

PhD Viva in Lancaster

Patrick acted as external PhD examiner for Hayfaa Alradhi, a student in the group of Dr Qiandong Zhuang in the Physics Department at Lancaster University.

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Mr nidrosy mlawa ngossa, mr. geofrey itebuka, undergraduate programmes, postgraduate programmes, educational foundations, management and lifelong learning (efmll), educational psychology and curriculum studies (epcs), physical education and sport sciences (pess), university primary school, computer lab, wood workshop, school library, nursery school, subject laboratories, prof. william a.l.anangisye, prof. joyce l.ndalichako, prof. kitila a.k.mkumbo, professor agnes fellicia njabili, papers in education and development vol 37, papers in education and development vol 36, papers in education and development vol 35 (2017), paper in eduction and develpment special issue, paper in education and development vol 37, no 2 (2019), professor abel g.m. ishumi, professor justinian c.j. galabawa.

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Announcements

Phd viva-18th april-2024-silvani dismas.

PhD Viva Voce

Qualifications Attained :

Mr. Dismas is a PhD candidate by Coursework and Dissertation in the Department of Educational Psychology and Curriculum Studies (EPCS), School of Education at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM). In 2017, he obtained a Master degree (Curriculum and Instruction) from the University of Arusha, and Post Graduate Diploma in Education in 2013 from the same University. In 2011, he attained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration (PS&PA) from the University of Dar es Salaam. His professional experience entails classroom teaching and educational administration. His research interests include curriculum studies, educational technology, educational administration, comparative/international education, gender and development in education, organization and management issues.

This study investigated district school quality assurance officers’ understanding and practices of the competence-based curriculum (CBC) in Tanzania. Specifically, the study had four research objectives. Firstly, to investigate how district school quality assurance officers (DSQAOs) understand CBC. Secondly, to investigate how DSQAOs conduct CBC quality assurance in secondary schools. Thirdly, to explore the setbacks against DSQAOs’ conduct of CBC quality assurance in secondary schools, and fourthly, to investigate the ways for effective DSQAOs’ CBC quality assurance in secondary schools. The study was guided by an interpretive paradigm and conducted under qualitative research approach; and utilised a case study design. It involved a total of 40 participants who were purposively and conveniently selected. Categorically, the sample included 12 DSQAOs, four heads of school and 24 teachers. Data generation methods were semi-structured interviews, participant-assisted drawings, observations, and documentary review. Data were subjected to thematic analysis and presented in the form of narrative, figures, and tables. Findings revealed the following. First, DSQAOs had varied understandings of CBC such as CBC as a curriculum that supported students’ studies and learning environment; CBC as a curriculum that supported students’ acquisition of competences needed in their daily life; while others failed to explain its meaning. Second, the study had shown that DSQAOs prepared for SQA and informed heads of school before school visit. During the visits, they conducted classroom observations and give feedbacks for improving teaching and learning activities in schools. However; DSQAOs’ use of harsh language to teachers, limited time during school visit, inadequate report writing, and lack of clear conceptualization of CBC concepts hindered effective support to teachers. Third, the identified drawbacks against DSQAOs’ effective CBC quality assurance included the absence of CBC quality assurance guideline, limited knowledge on CBC, insufficient time for CBC related activities during school visits, and unfriendly teacher-DSAQOs’ relationship. Fourth, the findings proposed an effective DSQAOs’ CBC quality assurance framework which accommodated aspects of independent school quality assurance body, proper DSQAOs’ recruitment and CBC orientation, accessible CBC quality assurance guideline, collaborative DSQAOs-teacher relationship and equitable time during school visit and sufficient resources as well as an effective collaboration between government and non-government actors. The study concluded that majority of DSQAOs had limited understanding of CBC, something that impacted their CBC quality assurance practices. Hence, for effective CBC quality assurance; proper recruitment of DSQAOs and regular CBC orientations are imperative. The study recommended for the MoEST in collaboration with TIE and other stakeholders to ensure proper DSQAOs’ recruitment and CBC orientation (trainings, seminars, and workshops) among DSQAOs as well as using this study’s devised CBC quality assurance framework in secondary schools in Tanzania.

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Postgraduate degrees

Specialise with a degree underpinned by world-class research

Biomedicine MSc

Gain a deeper understanding of biomedical science with our Biomedicine MSc . The course provides the skills required for progression to PhD study, a research career or hospital-based employment. Our scheme provides training within several areas in biomedicine, while retaining elements of flexibility and choice.

Biomedical Science MSc (Research)

Gain knowledge of research methods and laboratory practice with our Biomedical Science (Research) degree .

This research degree includes nine months of full-time laboratory work as part of an established research group, direct learning of research methods through the graduate training programme, and a three month writing up period in which you will produce a dissertation. Your dissertation (examined by a viva voce) is the means by which the degree is assessed.

Before making an application, we advise you to find a supervisor .

Biomedical and Life Sciences MPhil/PhD

Engage with our academic community by conducting PhD-level research into any of our main specialisms with our Biomedical and Life Sciences: MPhil/PhD course .

Taking between three to four years to complete, most doctoral students at Lancaster work on a traditional PhD by research which includes research training and an emphasis on conducting original research. The degree is examined by submission of an 80,000 word thesis and a viva voce examination.

An MPhil takes two years of full-time study, with an emphasis on conducting original research and writing up a research project that is of similar quality but smaller in size and scope than a PhD thesis.

In addition to receiving specialised training, you will take part in the graduate training programme, which offers a range of more generic courses such as teaching skills, statistical methods, computing and languages. You will also attend and present at conferences and within the Faculty.

Applications are welcomed in all our main research areas.

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You'll meet with your Academic Tutor on a one-to-one basis at least once a term, alongside taking part in group tutorials. Your tutor will have an understanding of your progress through your ongoing assessment. Identifying your strengths and weaknesses, you'll tackle study areas that you may need help with and get advice on the best path to follow.

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Student learning advisor.

Beth Caldwell, the Student Learning Advisor for the Faculty of Health and Medicine, offers drop in sessions, one-to-one meetings and workshops for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Topics include:

• Note-taking strategies
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• How to read academic papers
• Help with writing reports, essays and your dissertation

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International students.

A range of academic support is available to you at the University. Please visit the Advice, Support and Knowledge pages for more information.

Disabled Students

If you need support in your studies due to a disability, a range of services are available to you:

• Beth Caldwell, the Faculty Learning Advisor, provides support to disabled students.
• The Library team provide extra support if you're disabled, dyslexic or have medical conditions which affect your access to resources.
• The Disability and Inclusive Practice Service can provide more detail about the support available.

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We offer a range of scholarship and funding opportunities to help you fund your postgraduate study. 

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How to apply

You can find more information about the postgraduate application process on the main university website's " How to apply " page.

Current students

If you are a current Lancaster student, or you have recently graduated from Lancaster, we can reduce the amount of information that you will need to provide as part of your application. You will need to provide only one reference and will not need to supply your Lancaster degree transcript. We will also pre-fill your personal details, ready for you to check.

What should I include?

If you use the My Applications website then you will be advised which documentation you need to upload or send to us. These will usually include:

• Degree certificates and transcripts of previous higher education (college/university) degrees or other courses that you have completed/for which you are currently studying. For transcripts in languages other than English, a certified English translation will be required.
• Two references
• A personal statement

Furthermore, you will need to submit a research proposal as a part of your application. You are advised to identify, and contact a potential supervisor so that you can collaborate and prepare a proposal for submission.

If English is not your first language, we require copies of English language test results.

Tekle Pauzaite: PhD in Biomedical and Life Sciences

"I undertook Biomedicine in Lancaster University as my undergraduate degree.

I chose Lancaster, as it was one of the strongest universities in UK, and is surrounded with the most incredible nature, mountains and lakes. I am an active person, like hiking and going on walks in the Lake District, thus Lancaster was perfect for me. It's a cosy environment with the Lake District being 30 minutes away. Everything on campus is close and maximum 10 minutes away. Plenty of places to have lunch and go on little adventures at duck pond and wooden trail.

Courses are challenging and engaging, composed in the way that people could use all their potential in theoretical and practical learning. Majority of lecturers in Biomedical and Life Sciences are research active, thus all lectures are up to date and relevant to newest advances. You will have the overall knowledge on variety of modules and disciplines, as well as plenty of practical skills acquired in laboratory practicals."

Find a supervisor

We recommend discussing your research interests with one of our world-leading academic staff before applying for your postgraduate research programme.

Niklas Philipp Reich - MSc in Biomedicine

"By doing my MSc here at Lancaster, I noticed a vast difference of the teaching style in comparison to my undergraduate in Germany. While having a noticeably stronger focus on coursework in the UK, it provides an opportunity to practice the skill of scientific writing, which was rather weakly pronounced in the more lecture-based education I had received [in Germany]. In addition, the network build and proximity to interesting research of our professors has majorly influenced my research interests, helping to decide what field I want to carry on in further PhD study. Here at Lancaster, I am taking the role as course Rep of Biomedicine and, simultaneously, represent all Faculty of Health and Medicine postgraduates as Faculty Rep. In a nutshell, I collect feedback from both students and other reps to bring up and discuss further on Faculty level."

Biomedical and Life Sciences research

Our research groups work with colleagues in the rest of the Faculty of Health and Medicine to address the core interdisciplinary  research themes  of  Ageing, End of Life and Cancer, Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cancer, Infectious Diseases, Mental Health and Public Health.

Anthony Aggidis PhD in Biomedical and Life Sciences

"I decided to come to Lancaster University because not only is it extremely strong in the field of neurodegeneration, but also because it is a very short commute from my home town, making it the perfect place to conduct my PhD. The campus here is the best I have ever been to; having everything you need at your fingertips and regular public transport to the town centre. The main thing for me that makes the best part of being here at Lancaster is the people!

Having an MSc and especially a PhD really stands you out from competitors who may only have an undergraduate degree. When you conduct a PhD you learn interdisciplinary skills which can applied to many career paths, such as organisational and networking skills. For my career interests having a PhD under my belt is in most cases a prerequisite, such as research, lecturing and liaison positions."

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