Course of a public defence

Beforehand

• Public defences preferably take place in the auditorium of the Arenberg Castle at 10:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., or 5:00 p.m. The doctoral student makes the reservation himself or herself.
• The chair and the secretary are the same as those at the preliminary defence.
• The secretary collects the folder with documents in advance from the registrar.

Presentation and defence

• The doctoral student presents his or her work for a maximum of forty-five minutes.
• The chair introduces the members of the Examination Board to the public.
• The Examination Board’s questioning follows the order set by the chair (in English, if there are non-Dutch-speaking members).
• The chair gives the public the opportunity to ask questions or to make remarks.
• The questioning part will take about 45 to 60 minutes.
• The Examination Board retires for deliberation.
• The Examination Board returns to the room, the chair proclaims the appropriate text, and the doctoral student is promoted.
• (The supervisor addresses the doctoral student and the public.)
• The secretary hands the certificate to the PhD-holder.
• Dresscode: the members of the Examination Board are expected to wear formal clothing preferably in dark colors to match the black gowns. The doctoral student is supposed to wear suitable clothing as well.