Oral examination

The oral defense of all dissertations is generally open to all examiners at NAT.

The examination committee and the candidate may also decide to open the defense - or parts of it - to additional attendees. Typically, the first part of the examination, which includes the presentation of the main results, is public. The second part is restricted to the candidate and the examiners.

Information required for the announcement of the oral examination

Please provide the following details:

  • Date:

  • Time:

  • Room of the oral examination:

  • Address of the oral examination: (e.g.: Physics Department, James-Franck-Str. 1)

  • Language: German / English

  • Public attendance: yes / no

  • Online link and information: (if applicable)

Members of the examination committee and the candidate must jointly decide whether any part of the defense will be public.

Public: Anyone may attend.

Non‑public: Attendance is strictly limited to the candidate, the committee, and NAT examiners. No other persons (family, friends, colleagues) may be present or observe.

Organization of the oral exam

  1. Exam coordination:

    • After the acceptance procedure (Umlauf-Verfahren), the committee chair organizes the exam date and location with both the examiners and the candidate.

    • The agreed-upon date must be submitted to the Dean’s Office. It’s preferable for the exam to take place in a NAT building or, at least a room at TUM.

    • Please take into account the important information in section f) Conduct of the oral doctoral examination

  1. Announcement of exam date:

    • Once the acceptance procedure is finished, the Dean’s Office will announce the exam date. This date must be at least seven days after the announcement.

    • The Dean’s Office is responsible for inviting both examiners and candidates to the oral examination.

  2. Public information:

    • The Dean’s Office will publicly share details about PhD committees and exam dates.

    • The oral defense of the PhD is generally open to all examiners at NAT. Exam committees may also choose to allow other attendees, so it’s important to confirm this directly with your committee (and report it for the invitation).

  3. Adjustments to the thesis:

    • During the exam, the examination committee may suggest modifications to the dissertation to improve its quality and ensure it meets academic standards.

    • If no changes are noted during the exam, the candidate is required to publish the thesis as it was submitted, except for adding any missing information on the title page.

  4. Documentation:

    • The Dean’s Office will supply the necessary examination documents to the committee chair.

    • After the oral exam, the committee chair must return the completed documents to the Dean’s Office, which will then forward them to the central examination office.