Below you can see the English part of the webinar held on June 1, 2026.
During the webinar, Christian Heyde-Pedersen gave an inspirational presentation about thesis defenses for students in the cand.negot program. View his presentation in the box on the right. Since students in Negot often complete their theses in collaboration with companies, the approach may not be directly applicable to all humanities programs.
On the right, you will also find the presentation from Vice Dean Lars Grassmé Binderup.
Finally, you can find answers to many questions in our FAQ.
If you have further questions, feel free to contact HUM Education at hum-uddannelse@sdu.dk.
Watch the webinar on thesis defenses
FAQ on thesis defenses at the Faculty of Humanities
Thesis defense
If, upon submission, it is established that the thesis does not comply with the prescribed formal requirements (for example, if it is too short, too long, or lacks an abstract; see the course description for further information), the thesis must be rejected for assessment.
The examiner is responsible for awarding the assessment “AV” (rejected).
If the assessment is Rejected, the oral defence is cancelled and the student proceeds to a second attempt.
If there is suspicion of examination irregularities while the thesis is being read, the matter must be reported to the Head of Studies, and the defence must not be conducted. Read more on Exam Irregularities below.
The faculty recommends that the examiner and the external examiner have a conversation prior to the thesis defense to establish a level for the written part and agree on the specifics regarding the defense process.
This conversation, which can take place either by phone, via Teams, or in person before the exam, is included in the 7 hours allocated to the external examiner for the assessment of the thesis.
Please note that a single overall grade must be given for the thesis – not two separate grades for the individual parts.
The duration of the oral thesis defense is 40 minutes, including deliberation. For groups, see below.
The oral defense is conducted in the same language as the thesis, unless there are academic reasons for otherwise, e.g., in language programs.
All aids are permitted, so the student may bring the thesis, books, notes, computer, etc. If the student brings a computer or other technical equipment, they are responsible for the technical execution. If technical issues arise, the oral defense will proceed despite these, and the student is not entitled to a retake.
The following applies unless local guidelines are specified in the curriculum and course description.
The oral defense is framed as an ambitious and critical academic dialogue about the thesis's academic foundation and content.
The student begins with a presentation lasting no more than 10 minutes. The student should not be interrupted during the presentation unless they themselves invite it. The presentation is the student's opportunity to demonstrate mastery of the subject and to identify the most important aspects of their work. It must be an independent, focused presentation.
The oral thesis defense and the thesis must be assessed together, but both the oral and written parts must be evaluated as passed before the thesis can be approved. Only one overall grade is given for the thesis.
The oral defense must be conducted regardless of the assessment of the written part of the thesis, unless fraud is detected during the initial review of the thesis. Read more under Examination Irregularities below.
After the deliberation, the student is called in and informed of their grade and the reasoning behind it.
Disagreement on the Assessment
If the examiner and the external examiner cannot agree on the assessment, the provisions of the examination regulations apply:
§ 25. If the assessors cannot agree on the grade, each provides a grade. The final grade is the average of these grades rounded to the nearest grade on the grading scale. If the average is exactly between two grades, the final grade is the nearest higher grade only if the external examiner has given the highest grade.
A grade must be given.
If it is entirely impossible to reach an agreement, there is the option for the examiner and the external examiner to each provide a grade, which is then sent to SDU Education Registry, where the final grade is calculated. In this case, the student cannot be informed of the grade immediately after the defense. The examiner may inform the student about the disagreement.
Before the Defense
If the examiner or external examiner suspects plagiarism upon reviewing the thesis before the defense, the examiner must report the case to the program director, who will assess whether the case should proceed to case handling for violation of SDU's regulations. Read more about reporting.
During the Defense
If the examiner or external examiner during the oral defense assesses that there may be a possible violation of SDU's exam regulations, including that GAI has been used in a manner that is not permitted, you should generally continue the defense.
You must not shorten or extend the defense, ask questions outside the scope of the objectives, or otherwise treat the students differently, e.g., by asking control questions regarding suspected illegal use of GAI.
However, you may ask relevant academic questions that indirectly help clarify whether GAI has been used illegally.
When the defense is concluded, the faculty recommends that you – despite the suspicion of plagiarism – deliberate and arrive at a grade, but you must not inform the student of the grade. If you assess that there is a risk that your suspicion may influence your evaluation, you should not make an assessment.
Once the examination is concluded, the examiner must inform the student that an investigation into a possible violation of SDU's exam regulations is being initiated. The examiner must then report the case to the program director. Read more about reporting.
If students have prepared the thesis as a group, they must, as a general rule, take part in a joint thesis defence.
The duration depends on the number of students and is as follows:
- 60 minutes for two students, including deliberation.
- 80 minutes for three students, including deliberation.
The introductory presentation 15 minutes for 2 students and 20 minutes for 3 students.
In the dialogue following the introductory presentation, the supervisor and the external examiner are responsible for ensuring that all members of the group are examined, so that the students can be assessed individually in both the written and oral components.
After deliberation, the students are, as a general rule, called in individually and given their grade together with a fuller explanation. If the students wish to receive joint feedback, they may request this at the beginning of the examination.
If a group member falls ill and is therefore unable to participate in the joint defence, the remaining group members must complete the defence on the planned date. The student concerned must follow the procedure for reporting illness in relation to examinations, and an individual thesis defence will be arranged once the student has recovered.
Students who write a thesis together are, pursuant to section 14 of the Examination Order, entitled to complete the oral defence individually. In such cases, this must be communicated to the supervisor when the thesis is submitted. Students who have written a thesis together but take the oral defence individually may not attend one another’s defences.
