The final seminar should take place 3 months before the candidate plans to submit the thesis and should be based on a comprehensive draft of the thesis.
At the final seminar, an opponent will be appointed to consider and discuss the candidate's draft thesis. The seminar will take the form of a two-hour seminar where the candidate will have the opportunity to present the thesis (20-30 minutes), with the remaining time spent on the opponent’s assessment of the thesis and discussion between the opponent and the candidate.
Other interested parties are free to attend the seminar as long as the candidate does not have any objections. This is to be discussed between the candidate and the administration who will then either advertise the seminar as open event, or as a closed event.
The purpose of the final seminar is to support the candidate as he or she nears completion of the thesis. The seminar should be perceived as a positive experience, and all participants should focus on giving the candidate constructive feedback.
If desired, the draft thesis can be made available for colleagues who plan to attend the seminar, within a reasonable time before the seminar.
Schedule
The final seminar should preferably be held 3 months before the candidate plans to submit the thesis. This is to give the candidate time to make necessary adjustments before the submission. The candidate and candidate's supervisor have a joint responsibility to keep a track of the milestone and plan the final seminar in advance.
The opponent should receive the draft of the thesis at least one month before the date of the seminar. Any delays should be discussed and agreed upon between the opponent and the candidate.
The candidate, supervisor and opponent will agree on a date for the final seminar, and communicate the date to the administrative PhD coordinator who will book the appropriate venue.
Formalities
The PhD Coordinator, supervisor and candidate will jointly find an appropriate opponent, and suggest the name for the Head of Phd and PhD coordinator. The opponent is normally an academic not employed at the IMK, but it will often depend on the topic of the thesis. Please note that the opponent at the final seminar can not be asked to be a member of the adjudication Committee on a later stage.
Please note that if the opponent is employed at the UiO, but at a different Department / Faculty, the opponent has to contact his/her administration to receive permission to act as an opponent, as this task is registered as "frikjøp" from the opponent's teaching duties.
A seminar is obligatory for the IMK PhD candidates and gives 1 ECTS.