# The Defense and Seminar

Students are expected to adhere to the [General Rules of Conduct](https://ismms-gs.gitbook.io/graduate-student-handbook/chapter-1/academic-policies/general-rules-of-conduct-for-ismms-students). Failure to abide by the rules may result in termination of the defense by the Chair of the examination committee.

**The Defense is comprised of two parts:**

**Open Seminar** Open to the scientific community and the examination committee and is hosted by the thesis advisor(s). The seminar will include a 45-minute talk, followed by 15 minutes for discussion. The seminar is presented before the oral defense, but the committee examiners may not ask questions at the public seminar. They will ask questions only in the closed defense examination.

**Closed Examination** The examination is a closed defense session with the candidate and the Dissertation Committee – no other people are present. The Chair of the committee presides over the defense, beginning with a brief among committee members, without the presence of the advisor(s) and student to consider the oral presentation and decide upon a general focus of the discussion for the defense. Following this, voting committee members question the candidate about their dissertation and research. The thesis advisor(s) is not a voting member of the committee and is a silent observer at the dissertation exam.

The examination will run until the committee agrees that the discussion is completed.

See [Defense Guidelines](https://gradschool.mssm.edu/wp-content/uploads/Dissertation-Defense-Guidelines-2025.pdf) for an overview of the procedure.

