UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN
THE FACULTY OF MATHEMATICS AND NATURAL SCIENCES

DISPUTATION/DEFENCE OF

XXX
07.12.18

The committee enters the room in the following order:
•	The person leading the disputation
•	Opponent (the opponent to start)
•	Opponent
•	The third member of the committee
•	The candidate
The person leading the disputation takes the floor. The candidate remains standing.
The committee takes their seats in the first row.

It is a great honour and pleasure for me, on behalf of the University of Bergen and its Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, to welcome you all to this doctorate thesis disputation ceremony for XXX.

He was admitted to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences in YYY and has been supervised by:

X
Y
z

XXX has been a PhD candidate at the Department of Informatics

In September 2018 XXX submitted the thesis:

“title”

for being evaluated for the degree of “philosophiae doctor” at the University of Bergen.

The following committee was appointed to evaluate the thesis:

X
Y
Z
The committee found the thesis worthy of being defended, and the following opponents were appointed:
Opponent: X
	
Opponent: Y

Members of the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions and present comments after the examination by the two opponents has been completed.
1.  The disputation now starts with the candidate X presenting his thesis. I have the honour to call upon the candidate to take the floor.
2.  I wish to thank the candidate for the presentation and I ask him to remain on stage, waiting for the examination by the opponent to start.
(It might be preferable at this point to take a short break to allow some of the audience who wishes to leave to do so before the opponents starts their examination.)
3.  I have the honour to call upon the first opponent, X
4.  I have the honour to call upon the second opponent, Y
5.  Are there any questions from members of the audience?
6.  While the audience is standing up the committee will leave the room to discuss and evaluate the defence of the thesis. After the committee has left the room, the audience is kindly asked to remain seated whilst waiting for the committee to return and announce its decision. We will return after a few minutes.                                                                     
7. The committee will leave and enter the room in the following order:
•	The person leading the disputation
•	Opponent (the opponent who started)
•	Opponent
•	The third member of the committee

8. The committee has now evaluated the performance of the candidate, and I am happy to conclude that the committee has accepted both the presentation and the defence and will thus recommend that XXX should be awarded the degree of “philosophiae doctor” at the University of Bergen.                                                                                                                 The University Board will be notified accordingly
9.  The formal disputation has now come to an end and the candidate may have the floor.
……………………………………………………
10. The entire ceremony has now come to an end, and while the audience is standing up, the procession that entered the room at the very beginning, will leave the room in the following order:
•	The candidate
•	Opponent (the opponent who started)
•	Opponent
•	The third member of the committee
•	The person leading the disputation

PROCEDURE FOR THE DEFENCE OF DOCTORAL THESIS AT THE FACULTY OF MATHEMATICS AND NATURAL SCIENCES

The auditorium where the defence is to be held must have:
Two rostrums, the one on the right for the candidate and the one of the left for the opponents, 
a desk (with a green tablecloth) and 
a chair placed to one side of the rostrums, for the use of the person chairing the proceedings.

Before the defence starts, at least ten copies of the thesis should be made available in the auditorium for use by the audience. The copies of the thesis are usually collected again after the defence, and this should be stated on the cover of the copies. 

Both the doctoral candidate and the opponents are expected to dress formally at the defence. The whole ceremony normally takes between two and two and a half hours, and it is open to the public. The candidate’s family, fellow students and colleagues are usually present.

•	Academic procession:
The doctoral candidate, the committee and the leader of the defence enter the auditorium
In procession in the following order:
	Leader of the defence (Dean)
	Opponent (the first opponent) 
	Opponent 
	Third member of the committee
	Doctoral candidate

•	Introduction by the leader of the defence:
      The leader of the defence gives brief information, stating:
- who the doctoral candidate is
- when he or she was admitted to the ph.d. programme
- who has (or have) been supervisor(s)
- that the programme of study has been completed
- the thesis, its title and submission date
- the composition of the evaluation committee and the approval of the thesis for defence
- the opponents

•	The doctoral candidate’s presentation:
      The doctoral candidate presents his or her work (objective and findings/ results) before the scholarly discussion starts. The presentation should last for approx. 30-40 minutes.

•	Opponents, examination and the evaluation of the doctoral candidate’s defence:
Two members of the evaluation committee act as opponents. The opponents agree in advance on the division of tasks between themselves and inform the leader of the defence.
•	The first opponent is given the floor. He or she gives a brief résumé (5-15 minutes) in which the doctoral candidate’s scholarly work is put in an international perspective.
	He/she then examines the candidate.

•	(Break, if applicable)

•	The second opponent is given the floor and examines the doctoral candidate.

•	The leader of the defence invites questions from those present.

•	The committee and the leader of the defence withdraw to evaluate the presentation and defence of the thesis, the order is as follows:
Leader of the defence (Dean)
Opponent (the first opponent) 
Opponent 
Third member of the committee

•	The committee and the leader of the defence return to the auditorium. 
       If desirable, the opponents may be given an opportunity to make further comment.

•	The leader of the defence announces the outcome of the evaluation and the defence proceedings are closed.

•	The doctoral candidate’s speech of thanks:
The doctoral candidate (if he/she so wishes) is given the floor (to make a speech of thanks etc.).

•	The academic procession out of the auditorium:
	The doctoral committee, the committee and the leader of the defence march out in academic procession. As a tribute to the doctoral candidate’s new status, the order is as follows:	
             The doctoral candidate 
             Opponent  (the  first opponent) 
             Opponent 
             Third committee member
             Leader of the defence (Dean)