The Final Defense is open to the academic community and guests of the candidate.
The intent of the Final Defense is to demonstrate that the doctoral candidate has obtained the level of scholarly achievement which permits them to be recommended to the university for the doctorate. At the Final Defense, candidates defend the dissertation findings and participate in scholarly challenges to methodology, analysis, and conclusions.
Presentation format is similar to the Preliminary Oral.
20-40 minute presentation
Questioning session
Committee deliberation
Although chairpersons may conduct the Final Defenses differently, they generally consist of three components.
The student presents their research findings.
A question and discussion period follows.
A decision is made by the committee.
After the Final Defense, the committee signs Form F3 (Final Defense Completion) which indicates the outcome of the Final Defense.
There are three possible outcomes:
The student passes with no modifications.
The student passes with modifications required.
The student does not pass the Final Defense.
If there are any requested changes from the committee, the chair will summarize these in a letter and inform the student. Following the Final Defense, a copy of the manuscript and Form F3 are maintained on file with the Dissertation Support Office.
Preparing for Final Defense
Incorporate any last modifications as required by Chair
Prepare 350-word abstract with chair input
Review Dissertation Support website for procedures
Coordinate date and time of Final Defense with committee
File required (Form F1 and F2) documents at least two weeks before Final Defense
Final Defense Preparation.pptx
To file for a Final Defense, the doctoral candidate emails the following to gsepeddissertations@pepperdine.edu
Form F1 - Final Defense Schedule Request
Form F2 - Information for Final Defense Announcement
Professional Photo
Electronic copy of dissertation manuscript
A minimum of two weeks between filing and the Final Defense is required and strictly enforced. This is to ensure that the Final Defense is announced on the Education Division Dissertation Calendar, where all GSEP faculty have an opportunity to view upcoming orals, review the manuscripts, and provide feedback to the chair.
Completion of Final Defense
The faculty committee signs Form F3 and submits to gsepeddissertations@pepperdine.edu upon completion of your final defense. The chair is responsible for documenting any required modifications which will accompany the form which is then entered into the student file.