Stage 4 - Final seminar (PhD students only)

What is the final seminar?

The final seminar gives you the opportunity to present your thesis to an internal panel of experts and an audience of peers, before the formal submission for external examination. Ideally, the thesis is ready to go to the examiners. However, often the panel will recommend revisions that will add rigour to your thesis and lead to a better examination outcome.

When does it occur?

The final seminar take place about 3 months before the maximum due date for the submission of the thesis.

Who sits on the final seminar panel?

The panel membership is tailored for each student's research, and provides objective advice regarding the candidate's thesis.

The panel consists of:

• a chairperson, usually from within your school
• another panel member who represents the QUT Business School at the faculty level and usually comes from outside your school
• the principal and associate supervisor or supervisors.

What is the outcome of the final seminar panel's deliberations?

The panel may:

• approve lodging the thesis for examination as it is presented
• provide you with written advice and recommend minor changes, to be approved by the supervisor, before you lodge your thesis for examination
• provide you with written advice and recommend major changes, to be approved by the supervisor,  before you lodge your thesis for examination.

What form does the final seminar take?

You will have access to the seminar room for half an hour before the presentation time. The chair will introduce you. You will then present a synopsis of your thesis for approximately 45 minutes. Candidates normally use PowerPoint slides to showcase the main research ideas.

The chair then invites questions from the audience for approximately 15 minutes. After the presentation and question and answer session, you and the audience leave the room. You should wait in the vicinity of the room. The panel will remain to discuss the presentation and the draft thesis.

After approximately 30 minutes, you will be invited to return. The chair will summarise the panel's feedback verbally. Within a week, a written will be provided that formalises the panel's advice and a timeframe for revisions.

What happens in advance of the final seminar?

The Higher Degree Research Officer will normally contact you several weeks in advance of the event about the panel composition and seminar scheduling.

Thesis hard copies

A thesis document needs to be provided for each of the panel members. The copies should be delivered to the Higher Degree Research Officer, within the Research Support Office, at least two weeks before the seminar date. Please note that the printing is your responsibility. The documents should be double-sided and secured by spiral binding. The thesis should be formatted according to the Research Students Centre preparing and lodging your thesis.

Thesis soft copy

You must send an electronic copy of the thesis to the Higher Degree Research Officer two weeks before the seminar.

Abstract

You must send a separate abstract suitable for advertising the event to the Higher Degree Research Officer as soon as possible. This should be approximately 200 words in length, and should show a title.

PowerPoint slides

You must send the PowerPoint slides to the Higher Degree Research Officer when they are finalised, usually on the day of the seminar. You must make 20 copies of the slides and make these available to the seminar audience. If you anticipate a larger audience, you must make more copies. We recommend that you use a memory stick during the presentation.

Further information

Frequently asked questions