Doctoral Examiners

Find out more about the processes for doctoral examiners

A doctoral thesis is examined by three examiners who are people with standing in the field of study.

  • The ‘Internal Examiner’ is most often an academic member of Victoria University of Wellington. The Internal Examiner will be present in person at the oral defence and will usually oversee the Candidate’s corrections and amendments following the oral.
  • The ‘New Zealand Examiner’ (sometimes called the ‘External Examiner’) is usually from a university or institution within New Zealand but may be from Australia or another country with a similar time zone to New Zealand. They are expected to attend the oral defence via video conference (unless they are in Wellington on the day, in which case they can attend in person).
  • The ‘Overseas Examiner’ will normally be a member of an overseas university or similar institution. This is to establish a common standard between New Zealand and overseas scholarship and to preserve the international standing of our University’s PhD degree. The Overseas Examiner is not usually expected to attend the oral defence but is asked to provide questions to be asked at the oral on their behalf. These questions are not shared with the Candidate ahead of their oral defence, so please do not include them in your report.

Each examiner is asked to return an examination report and give their recommendation as to the quality of the thesis by the agreed due date (usually within 8 weeks of receiving the thesis).

The examiner’s report

There is no set format for these reports, although they are typically of at least 3–4 pages in length and are expected to provide the Candidate with constructive feedback. In addition to that feedback, the Dean would appreciate your comments on the following:

  • The extent to which the Candidate has demonstrated originality, critical insight, and the capacity to carry out independent research
  • The extent of the contribution to knowledge made by the thesis, and in particular its contribution to the understanding of the subject with which it deals
  • The suitability of the material contained in the thesis for publication.

Where revisions are called for, you are encouraged to be very specific about those revisions that you feel are crucial to the acceptability of the thesis, bearing in mind that a specific set of revisions will be agreed upon by the Examination Committee present at the oral defence.

Examiners’ reports must be independent. Consultation among examiners before their reports have been submitted is not permitted. In cases where examiners make differing recommendations in their reports, the Dean may require consultation to occur before the oral defence.

The Dean’s List

You will be asked if you recommend the candidate to be considered for the Dean’s List. The Dean’s list is reserved for theses that are judged to be of exceptional quality. That quality is expected to be shown in every aspect of the candidate’s work, including the originality and significance of the research and scholarship, and the quality of expression and overall presentation. The Dean will also receive a recommendation on the quality of the oral defence and the level of correction required. Timeliness of completion may also be taken into consideration.

The Dean’s List recipients are announced twice each year, before the May and December graduation ceremonies.

The viva

The viva (oral examination) is a mandatory part of the examination process at Victoria University of Wellington. The viva will usually be conducted by the “New Zealand” and “Internal” examiners under an independent chair. Questions provided by the “Overseas Examiner” will be presented to the Candidate. In certain circumstances, the Dean may invite the Overseas Examiner to join via video conference. However, overseas examiners are still required to submit questions in writing. The primary supervisor will normally attend but is not part of the examining panel and will not be present during the examiners’ deliberations about the outcome of the viva.

Progression to the viva is not automatic but requires scrutiny of all reports by the Dean. As noted above, further consultation with examiners may sometimes be necessary before the viva can be approved. At such time, anonymised reports will be circulated among the examiners.

A time and date for the viva will be arranged by the FGR Exams Team shortly after the thesis is sent out to examiners. The arrangements are made well in advance because we understand the constraints on examiners’ schedules. This date is provisional until the Dean has approved the viva, after considering the three examiners’ reports. The setting of a provisional date does not in any way imply an expectation of a particular outcome.

Distribution of reports

Once the decision to proceed to the oral examination has been confirmed, all examiners’ reports will be made available simultaneously to the Candidate, the supervisor(s), and other examiners at least five working days prior to the vival. Reports will be released with the names of the examiners. The Candidate will not receive a copy of the examiners’ recommendations. However, the comments, suggestions and overall assessment of the thesis will indicate matters that may arise in the viva.

Amendments or revisions and confirmation of results

At the oral defence the examination panel will determine what corrections or amendments the Candidate is required to make to the thesis before the degree can be awarded. These will be documented by the panel and conveyed to the Candidate. Approval of such corrections is managed by the School and usually delegated to the Internal Examiner. If the Candidate is required to revise and resubmit the thesis for a second examination, they will need to complete the revisions under supervision. The Dean FGR will confirm the overall recommendation of the examination panel.

For more information, refer to the relevant notes for examiners: