Thesis defense in Europe: the public defence, the Disputation, and the soutenance

Europe has no single doctoral defense. A candidate in the Netherlands stands before a public hall. A candidate in France waits for rapporteurs' reports before a date is even set. The UK and Ireland use the closed viva, which we cover in a separate guide. This guide covers four other systems, using published rules from named universities as examples.

These are examples and not national rules. Universities within one country set their own details, and faculties within one university often differ. Your own regulations come first.

The Netherlands: a public defence

At Erasmus University Rotterdam, the defence is a public ceremony. A chairman runs it and a beadle keeps time. The candidate gives a talk of no more than 15 minutes, written for a general audience, on what was researched, why, and what was found. The committee then questions the candidate for 45 minutes: external members first, then internal members, then the supervisors. The beadle ends the questioning, the committee withdraws to decide, and the candidate receives the degree when it returns.

Two paranymphs stand with the candidate. At Erasmus their role is ceremonial, and they may be asked to read out a proposition. The promotor is the supervising professor, and the co-supervisor is the copromotor. Both take part in the questioning.

Sweden and the Nordic countries: the opponent

Swedish universities hold a public defence built around a faculty opponent. Halmstad University's published guide describes the role. The opponent is an expert from another university, appointed by the faculty board, who questions the candidate in front of the audience.

A separate examining board of three to five members, normally three, decides the grade. At least one member must come from another university. The opponent has no vote but joins the board's closed discussion. A chair, usually from the candidate's department, opens and closes the session and invites questions from the audience. At Halmstad the defence usually lasts two to three hours with no formal time limit, and the grade is pass or fail. The guide notes that a fail after the defence is very rare, because an opponent who finds the thesis below standard is asked to say so beforehand.

Germany: the Disputation

At Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, a published page describes the oral examination as a Disputation. It lasts between 45 and 90 minutes. The candidate gives a lecture of 15 to 30 minutes on the main results, then discusses the work with the examiners. The discussion is expected to reach into neighboring disciplines, because the exam tests whether the candidate can argue the field and not only report a study.

The language is German unless the supervisors allow English. The examination can be held digitally. A written record goes to the doctoral office with the grade, and a provisional certificate follows once the doctoral committee confirms it. Some German universities and faculties use other formats, so check which one applies to you.

France: the soutenance

The French route puts the written review before the oral. At Université Paris Cité, the candidate sends the thesis to two rapporteurs no later than two months before the defence. They must be authorised to direct research and come from outside the institution and the doctoral school. Their written reports are due a month before the date, and the defence is authorised only once the reports are in. The thesis must also pass a similarity check.

The jury has four to eight members, at least half from outside the institution. The thesis director sits on the jury but cannot preside, act as a rapporteur, or take part in the decision. The defence is public by default. After deliberation the jury admits or adjourns the candidate. Minor corrections are due within a month, and major corrections within three, with a certificate signed by the jury president.

What they share

Across these systems, the thesis is already judged in writing before the oral exam, and the oral exam tests whether you can explain and defend it. The candidate's own supervisor usually has a limited role in the room or none at all. Differences lie in who attends, how long the exam runs, and what the room expects: a ceremony in the Netherlands, a scholarly argument in Germany, a formal report in France.

Personal data and GDPR

If you collect personal data in the European Union or European Economic Area, the GDPR applies to you as a student researcher. Tilburg University's guidance for student research shows the pattern most universities follow.

• Give participants an information and consent form that covers the purpose, how the data is used, who has access, how long it is kept, the right to withdraw, and any risks.
• Collect only the personal data the research requires. Ask whether names and recordings are necessary.
• Store data on university-provided systems and not on personal accounts, and encrypt anything that falls into a special category, such as health, religion, or ethnicity.
• Pseudonymize in the thesis, and use a person's own words only with their explicit consent.
• Delete anything traceable to individuals once the research no longer needs it.

Your university's ethics committee and data protection office set the exact steps. Read our guide to ethics approval outside the US for the committee names in other countries. For the differences in the words thesis and dissertation, see our terms guide.

Preparing for any of them

Reread the thesis, write a one-page statement of your contribution, mark your own weak points, and hold a mock defense. Our 30 mock defense questions and defense checklist apply in every system. If your thesis needs a second reader before the written review, our manuscript review covers structure, alignment, and consistency.