After submission

Find out about what happens after you submit your doctoral thesis for examination.

Doctoral examination process: an overview

The examination process is rigorous. It aims to ensure that candidates meet the highest standards of scholarship and that the degrees conferred by Victoria University of Wellington are of the highest quality.

Once you have submitted your thesis, your official status with the University is “under examination”. This means you are still enrolled but are not required to pay tuition fees, and you will retain access to University facilities and resources until the examination process is complete. Access to office space during this time is to be negotiated with your School Administrator and will depend on what other demands there are for space in the School. Access to Student Health will depend on when you have paid levies for. You can check this by emailing student-finance@vuw.ac.nz or calling +64 4 463 5484.

A two-stage examination process

The examination is a two-stage process involving an expert review of the thesis by three examiners and a viva (an oral examination of the thesis by the candidate).

The examiners

You will have three examiners: an examiner from Victoria University of Wellington, an examiner from another New Zealand university and an overseas examiner. They will each submit an independent written report to the Dean FGR which they are asked to return within two months, although many request an extension to this deadline.

You should not know prior to the oral who your examiners are. Examiners are not permitted to consult, nor to communicate with either you or your supervisors. If you accidentally discover who they are, you must not discuss your thesis with them as this could nullify the entire examination process.

Notes for examiners

Examiners are sent these information sheets to guide their examination of VUW doctoral theses:

Examiners’ recommendations after reading your thesis

Each examiner is asked to make one of the following recommendations.

  • The thesis is of sufficiently high standard to meet the requirements of the doctoral degree, although it may require minor editorial changes.
  • The thesis is not yet of a standard to meet the requirements of the doctoral degree, and there are matters that must be addressed.
  • The thesis does not meet the standard with respect to the requirements of the doctoral degree.

Examiners’ reports

Each examiner then sets out the grounds for their recommendation in a detailed report.

Examiners are asked to help the University gauge the quality of the thesis by commenting on such things as originality, critical insight and contribution to knowledge. They are also asked to provide guidance for revision and to indicate areas requiring exploration in the viva/oral examination.

You and your Victoria University of Wellington supervisor will be sent copies of the examiners’ reports at least five working days before the oral.

Reviewing examiners’ reports

The Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Research (FGR) is responsible for reviewing the examiners' reports. If the examiners are satisfied that your thesis is of sufficient quality, the Dean will approve your move to a viva/oral examination.

In cases where the examiners disagree significantly about the quality of the thesis, the Dean may coordinate consultation between examiners.

The viva/oral examination

You will be expected to defend your thesis during the viva/oral examination—to elaborate on your arguments, explain how your thesis is set in a wider disciplinary context, and to discuss the implications of your work.

Usually, the viva/oral is held on campus in Wellington, with your supervisor(s) and Internal Examiner present. Your New Zealand Examiner attends via videoconference and the Overseas Examiner does not usually attend. The committee is chaired by a independent, senior academic Victoria University of Wellington staff member. You are expected to attend in person, but you may request to attend online. If you are offshore, please keep in mind that time zone differences may mean that you will have to sit your exam outside of normal working hours.

We aim to schedule the viva/oral examination approximately four months after your thesis has been submitted and accepted for examination. Setting this date can sometimes be difficult due to availability of the examiners and your supervisors.
Once a date has been scheduled, you will be advised by the FGR Exams Team. You should hear from us about this provisional date approximately 4 ̶ 6 weeks after submission. We will only reschedule in exceptional circumstances, so you must let us know as soon as possible if you have any unavailability around the time your exam is expected to be held.

We are required to send you the examiners reports a minimum of five working days before the exam, so that you have enough time to prepare. Occasionally exams may be delayed if the examiners return their reports late, or if the outcome is unclear and the Dean needs to consult further, but the FGR Exams Team will keep you informed if a significant delay is likely.

We will confirm the viva/oral as soon as possible after the three examiners’ reports have been received and the Dean has approved the move to an oral. If the Dean does not approve proceeding to a viva/oral, you will receive an email outlining alternative options.

For more information, visit The viva/oral examination.

Date, time and place

You will be advised of the date, time and place for the oral and of other practical arrangements by the  FGR Exams Team.

After the viva/oral examination

There are several possible examination outcomes. Most students will have some corrections to make to their thesis following the viva/oral exam. If the recommendation is that you be awarded the doctoral degree subject to satisfying the conditions set out in the examination report, you will be given up to six months to make these corrections. Once you have completed these amendments they will need to be approved by your School (usually by your Internal Examiner) before you can deposit your thesis in the Library.

Depositing your thesis in the Library

Once your corrections and amendments have been approved, you must deposit the final version of your thesis in the Library. The FGR Exams Team will send you instructions on how to deposit your thesis once you have reached this stage. The Library will confirm receipt of your thesis to FGR, and you will then be able to apply for conferment and graduation. Further information about depositing your thesis can be found at Apply to graduate. Please note that deposit of your thesis to the Library is a requirement to have your degree conferred (see Doctoral Regulations section 16). You cannot have your degree conferred or attend a graduation ceremony until you have lodged your thesis in the Library.

Dean’s List

Your examiners are also invited to consider whether your thesis is worthy of nomination for the Dean’s List and make a confidential recommendation.

The Dean’s List recognises theses that have been judged by their examiners to be of exceptional quality and whose work makes an outstanding contribution to their field of research.

If you have any questions about the examination process, email FGR-Exams@vuw.ac.nz