In The Netherlands, the PhD defense is conducted in public. It lasts for an hour and starts with the opening by the Rector Magnificus. I had a 10 minute presentation aimed at apprising the audience of my phd work. This presentation is followed by questioning round of nearly 45 minutes. The candidate is questioned by around 10 experts of different fields (related to PhD work)who have been provided with the thesis work well in advance. The candidate has to survive this onslaught before he is saved by the bang of the beadle. After the questioning session the jury is adjourned to come back and announce the decision of the jury. After the decision the degree is handed over to the candidate and the next important step is ...party (see photos too below)
