phd proposal defense presentation ppt

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PhD Defense Template

You’ve done the hard work to prepare your PhD dissertation, and now there’s only one step left: your defense. And Beautiful.ai has the perfect presentation template to help you along the way.

These customizable template slides have all the basic elements of a PhD defense presentation, including an abstract, methodology, research findings, executive summary, and more. The result? A streamlined presentation that’s as professional as it is impressive. All with just a few clicks of the mouse. 

Our PhD defense template can also help you:

• Customize your PhD presentation for different audiences
• Synthesize months of academic work into a concise presentation
• Successfully defend your PhD thesis to your panel

Use our template to create an effective PhD defense presentation

Your PhD defense presentation is a critical step in your academic journey – one that requires a smart and sophisticated format, layout, and story flow. That’s why our template includes everything you need to create an effective presentation. Tailoring this defense template to your unique PhD thesis is simple. Whether you need to create additional data points or showcase more findings, you can quickly bring your visions to life with these customizable templates and our entire library of professionally designed template slides.

Pro Tips for creating your own PhD defense presentation template

When you are thinking of creating your own impactful Phd defense presentation, keep these best practices in mind:

Condensing hours and hours of research can be daunting. Build an outline or table of contents first, then simply stick to that structure as you create your presentation.

It can be easy to get caught up in your research and findings, but don’t forget to answer critical questions like, ‘Why is this important?’ and ‘What results have you achieved?’

Remember: You aren’t recreating your entire thesis into a visual presentation. Limit the amount of content and data you add to each slide.

Your PhD defense presentation is your chance to share all of your hard work. Don’t be afraid to showcase bits of your personality throughout.

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Dissertation proposal defense: 12 tips for effective preparation, published by steve tippins on may 11, 2020 may 11, 2020.

Last Updated on: 22nd May 2024, 04:08 am

The dissertation proposal defense is a nerve-wracking time for even the most hardened of doctoral students.

Even a pirate (writing his dissertation on effective cutlass techniques), will quake a bit in his boots before delivering his dissertation proposal defense.

However, it doesn’t need to be a stressful time. 

As a longtime Dissertation Committee Chair and committee member, I’ve overseen more dissertation proposal defenses than I can count. I’ve also helped students through the process as a coach . 

If you follow these tips for preparing and delivering your presentation, you shouldn’t have any problem passing your proposal defense.

Dissertation Proposal Defense Tips

Preparing for your Dissertation Proposal Defense

1. anticipate questions.  .

In your presentation, try to answer all of the questions you expect your committee to ask. That way, you control the material. Your committee will be more satisfied with your preparation and understanding and it will be less likely that you have to answer questions that you aren’t prepared for.

2. Look for Weaknesses.  

If there are potential weaknesses (in your study, proposal, or presentation), address them ahead of time. Ask peers or mentors to review your proposal or presentation for weaknesses. Look at it yourself with a critical eye. Even if you’re not able to eliminate a weakness, take steps to address it as best you can so that your committee can be confident that you’re aware of it and able to handle it.

3. Practice.  

Ideally, you would practice with someone who has been a committee member before. They’ll point out the types of questions they would see your committee asking, so you can prepare for those. I can’t understate the value of having this kind of feedback beforehand so that you can properly prepare. I offer this service as part of my dissertation coaching package .

4. Avoid Wordiness on PowerPoint Slides . 

Most dissertation proposal defenses have PowerPoints. Don’t put too many words on the slides! People will start reading the slides instead of paying attention to you. Then they’re off somewhere else which will produce questions that you’ve already answered when they weren’t paying attention.

5. Be Able to Pronounce the Words Correctly. 

This might sound obvious, but as a dissertation committee member , I’ve heard far too many students struggle through pronunciations of important terminology. This is probably because, up until this point, they’ve only read them and not spoken them out loud. 

However, it gives the committee the impression that they don’t know what they’re talking about. Make sure you can properly pronounce all the words you plan on using (like “phenomenological” and “anthropomorphism,”). 

6. Watch Recordings of Previous Defenses.  

Some schools have recordings of previous defenses. Listen to one or two. See how the procedure goes. Even if it’s not anything in your discipline, it will still help you get familiar with the procedure itself, which will help you be more comfortable when the time comes.

During your Dissertation Proposal Defense:

7. breathe . .

I’ve seen way too many people try to do their dissertation proposal defense seemingly in one breath. Give your committee time to hear and understand what you’re saying. Remember to leave some moments of silence to allow your audience to digest what you say. Also remember that one second of actual time feels like about thirty minutes to someone who’s giving an important presentation. Breathe. 

8. Remember: They Want to Pass You.  

If you’ve gotten to the point where your committee has scheduled a dissertation proposal defense for you, that means they believe that you can pass it. They want to pass you. Remember that. 

They’re not out to screw you, they’re not out for “gotchas.” They’re saying, “we believe you’re ready, show us that’s true.” While they will be rigorous in their evaluation because they have a responsibility to make sure that they don’t allow you to move forward until you are ready to, it’s helpful to remember that they believe you can pass. 

9. Answer the Question, No More.  

When committee members ask questions, answer only the question–don’t give them anything more than that. Imagine that you’re a witness in a courtroom (or don’t if that makes you more nervous). Committee members value direct, relevant answers and often find tangents irrelevant and frustrating.

10. Dialogue With Your Committee.  

If the committee disagrees with something you said, it can be a discussion. You don’t need to just roll over and say “Yes, you’re right. I made a mistake and I’m very bad.” That’s not what your committee wants to hear, either. 

A much better response would be, “I hear what you’re saying, however, this is the reason I’m going in this other direction. What do you think about that?” So you’re beginning to engage in discussions as a scholar. Your committee will be impressed by your ability to think critically and your willingness to engage in dialogue.

However, do not make it adversarial. It’s incredibly important to be respectful in these conversations. After all, your committee members have significant control over your life for as long as you’re writing your dissertation.

11. Make Life Easy for Your Committee.  

It’s always good to send your committee members a copy of your PowerPoint presentation and the most recent copy of your proposal the day before the defense. They likely already have a copy, but when in doubt, make their lives easier. It doesn’t cost you anything. Someone might accidentally have an old copy, or might take them some time to find the copy they have. You want their life to be as easy as possible so they can focus on moving you forward.

12. Pay Attention to Time. 

Ask your Chair (in the preparation stage) how long you have to make your presentation. It’s extraordinarily important to stay within this timeframe. If you’re told 25 minutes but you take 50 minutes, committee members are predisposed to say “why isn’t this person better prepared, and why are they wasting my time?”

Likewise, if you run through a 30-minute presentation in ten minutes (nervousness can sometimes lead to very fast talking–that’s why it’s important to practice beforehand), your committee will be wondering why you didn’t use the whole time that was allotted to you. And you’ll likely have to field a lot of questions you weren’t prepared for.

Dissertation Proposal Defense Summary

As long as you prepare properly, your dissertation proposal defense should be nothing to worry about. Your committee thinks you’re ready: all you have to do is show them you’re right.

If you’d like help preparing for your defense, or if you’d like to reduce the amount of time it takes to finish your dissertation, take a look at my Dissertation Coaching Services .

Steve Tippins

Steve Tippins, PhD, has thrived in academia for over thirty years. He continues to love teaching in addition to coaching recent PhD graduates as well as students writing their dissertations. Learn more about his dissertation coaching and career coaching services. Book a Free Consultation with Steve Tippins

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UTC RAVE Alert

Proposal process.

Data collection may not begin until the Dissertation Proposal has been successfully defended and the study has received IRB approval. 

The Dissertation Proposal

The Proposal should be prepared in accordance with UTC formatting/APA style guidelines and should include a committee page similar to the committee page for the Dissertation, as shown in the  Thesis and Dissertation Standards  (link:  Thesis and Dissertation ). The Dissertation Proposal should also include a Title page which replaces the word “Dissertation” with “Proposal.”

The Proposal includes the first three chapters (Introduction, Literature Review, and Methodology) and their traditional elements, the References, and appropriate Appendices (surveys, assessments, measurement scales). The Proposal typically begins with a description of the context or background for the research question(s) in the study. It also defines key terms and variables and identifies hypotheses.

For additional information, please refer to  Writing the winning thesis or dissertation: A step by step guide  by Joyner, Rouse, and Glatthorn.

The Proposal PowerPoint 

The Proposal defense includes a 20-25 minute PowerPoint presentation. The candidate will provide the Chair with a draft of the Proposal PowerPoint presentation  at least 14 days prior to  the Proposal defense.

The Proposal PowerPoint should focus on the research design process and should not typically exceed 14 slides total (not including references). The Proposal PowerPoint recommended organization follows:

• 1-2 slides introducing the topic
• 2-4 slides summarizing the background/literature (Chapter 2)
• 5-8 slides describing the research questions and research design process (Chapter 3)
• Slide(s) with references 

Defense and Approval of the Dissertation Proposal

The Proposal defense serves as an opportunity for the candidate to share with the Committee a complete first three chapters of the proposed study that is a comprehensive and well-defined plan for the dissertation. The format of the Proposal defense is a 20-25 minute brief and succinct presentation (including the PowerPoint presentation guidelines above) followed by questions from the Committee. The Dissertation Chair will determine when the Proposal is ready for review by the committee. The Chair provides the Committee with the draft manuscript  at least 14 days prior to  the Proposal defense. The Chair will then contact the candidate and Committee to set a Proposal defense date and time (allotting 90 minutes). Once the date and time have been established, the Chair will notify the Program Office ( [email protected] ). The Program Office will distribute appointment invites for the defense. 

Participants are expected to dress in professional business attire for the defense presentation. On the day of Proposal defense, the candidate will provide a brief and succinct overview of the Proposal, ensuring that the following major points are addressed in a thorough yet clear manner:

• Significance of the proposed research
• A summary of key points extracted from the literature on the topic
• A description of the conceptual framework and how the problem will be measured or assessed
• A proposal for analysis and interpretation of data or evidence

The Proposal defense requires demonstration of two elements: 

• The candidate, Chair, and Committee have thought deeply and carefully about the Proposal; the “big picture” is defensible
• The candidate is able to weigh the suggestions of the Committee and accept those that will strengthen the study

Following the candidate’s presentation, each Committee member will be given the opportunity to present questions to the candidate; this is intended to probe the candidate’s understanding of the Proposal and to clarify, to both the candidate and Committee members, information which has been presented. Committee members may also suggest changes in any aspect of the Proposal at this point. It is imperative to remember that opinions may differ; should differences arise, the Chair will provide guidance.

After all Committee members have had opportunities to ask questions and make suggestions or comments, the Committee will deliberate and determine whether or not the Proposal has been successfully defended and can be approved. An approved Dissertation Proposal functions as a document/plan specifying that, assuming the candidate carries out the project as described in the Proposal, the Committee cannot find the Dissertation defense unacceptable based solely upon the research plan. However, it is important to note that approval of a Proposal does not ensure approval of Chapters 1-3 when defending the Dissertation.

• If upon completion of the Proposal defense, the Proposal is not ready for approval, the Chair will notify the Program Office ( [email protected] ) to hold the Examination Results Form. The candidate will work with the Chair to complete the Proposal based upon the Committee’s feedback and another defense meeting will be convened within a time frame agreed upon by the Dissertation Committee.
• If there are revisions needed for the Proposal, the Chair will notify the Program Office ( [email protected] ) to hold the Examination Results Form. Once the requested revisions have been made and approved, the Chair will submit a copy of the manuscript to the Program Office and request that the Program Office circulate the Examination Results Form from each Committee member and the Program Director/Advisor.
• If the Proposal is approved (with no revisions), the Chair will submit a copy of the manuscript to the Program Office ( [email protected] ) and request that the Program Office circulate the Examination Results Form for digital signatures from each Committee member and the Program Director/Advisor. 

Once the Proposal has been approved by the committee and Program Director/Advisor, the candidate may move forward with the IRB application process (link:  Academic Research Integrity ).  Data collection may not begin until the Dissertation Proposal has been successfully defended and the study has received IRB approval. 

Minimum Degree Credit Hours 

The Learning and Leadership doctoral degree requires a minimum of  66 total graduate credit hours (Ed.D.) / 75 total graduate credit hours (Ph.D.).   Each candidate is required to successfully complete  a minimum of 12 Dissertation credit hours (Ed.D.) / 15 Dissertation credit hours (Ph.D.)  and defend the Dissertation. Candidates who do not complete the Dissertation hours within the 12 credit hour timeframe (Ed.D.) or 15 credit hour time frame (Ph.D.) must take an additional 2 Dissertation credit hours each semester through graduation. The candidate must be enrolled in a minimum of 2 Dissertation credits (LEAD 7999) during the semester in which the Final Dissertation Defense is held.  

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• PowerPoint Templates

17 Free Research Proposal PowerPoint Templates for Scientific Project, Thesis Defence

Are you a scientist who wishes to create a research proposal presentation in the best manner? If you do, then this excellent list of Research Proposal PowerPoint Templates is truly a demand!

The research proposal is a document that a researcher needs to write, It outlines the details of a research project and gives team members or readers a summary of the information in a project.

In order to allow readers to understand the project information more clearly, a research proposal presentation will be a better way to present the information of a research project.

A research proposal PPT should include the following:

• Research title or topic: make sure your title can clearly describe the research project, or supplement your research project with a short statement.
• Research background: why do this research project
• literature review: describe research progress on your research topic, and the gap or remaining questions need to research.
• Research aim, objective, and hypothesis
• Research method: explain how to conduct your research, how data is collected and analyzed.
• Results: the results you expect.
• Question: provides an overview of the problems encountered during the research process, and how to solve them.
• Summary: make sure the reader has a complete understanding of your research project.

Note: this PDF file made by Australian National University provides more information about the research proposal presentation.

In this collection, you’ll find numerous and diverse styles of research proposals ppt templates that you can pick as part of your inspiration.

Table of Contents

Free research proposal powerpoint templates, premium research proposal powerpoint templates, 1. rea thesis presentation template.

You can create a professional research proposal with Rea in a matter of minutes. Why? Because you don’t need any design knowledge or sophisticated design software like Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator, the Rea ppt template gives you everything you need to create a research proposal, it provides a complete pre-built slide set. What you need to do is focus on your study.

To assist you in presenting your research proposal in a structured way, the Rea template divides your research proposal into seven sections: introduction, literature review, research, results, discussion, conclusion, reference list. The majority of research proposals can follow this structure.

The Rea ppt template features a modern, creative design, the alternation of light slides and dark slides will attract the viewer’s attention well.

Unique slides: 33

2. Master Thesis Defense PowerPoint Template

The Master Thesis Defense PowerPoint Template is a thesis PowerPoint presentation for students. It features a clean, sophisticated design, the unified layout allows you to easily adjust or add slides in your presentation. This template is perfect for a master’s thesis.

Unique slides: 21

3. Blue Graduation & Thesis Defense Presentation

This PPT template is made for thesis defense presentations, such as bachelors thesis, PhD thesis, masters thesis, or doctoral thesis. It comes with a blue background cover slide and a lot of useful infographic slides.

4. Red Dissertation proposal defense powerpoint presentation

This research proposal PowerPoint template uses a striking red as the main color, features 21 editable slides. The table of contents slide and break slide will help you organize your content.

5. Green Dissertation defense presentation template

Green Dissertation defense presentation template comes with 21 unique slides and a clean layout, suited for chemistry thesis or biology thesis.

6. PhD Dissertation Defense Presentation Template

PhD Dissertation Defense Presentation Template features a clean, minimal design. It’s well organized and easy to use. The only thing you need to focus on is your research.

7. Blue Medical research proposal powerpoint template

Blue Medical is a free multipurpose PowerPoint template for medical presentations. This template is also perfect for medical research proposals, chemical project research proposals.

Unique slides: 41

8. Master’s Thesis Defense PowerPoint Template

Master’s Thesis Defense Free PowerPoint Template is one of the best research proposal templates. You don’t need to build anything from scratch, it’s more or less just a matter of dragging and dropping, editing text and charts.

Unique slides: 28

9. Research presentation Template

This PPT template is a simple alternative that helps you create a research slide. It includes 5 steps to guide you through the research process. If you want a simplest PowerPoint template, this will be the right one.

Unique slides: 9

10. Minerva Master Thesis Defense PowerPoint Template

Minerva is a free minimalist master’s thesis defense presentation template. It has 34 comprehensive and unique slides. Use this template to present your research now!

Unique slides: 34

11. Professional Thesis Project Proposal PowerPoint Template

Professional Thesis Project Proposal PowerPoint Template is a free research paper ppt template. It comes with 21 easy-to-use slides that include every aspect of your thesis, from the purpose of your study to method, data analysis, results, and discussion.

12. Thesis Presentation Powerpoint & Google Slides Template

This presentation template is one of the best free research proposal ppt templates that help you stand out. It features 20 pre-built research slides with modern, minimal layouts.

13. The effects of technology learning Research Presentation Template

This cool presentation template is designed for students to present their school projects. It includes many illustrations and graphs.

14. Free Thesis Defense Presentation Template

This beautiful PPT template is for anyone who needs a quick but professional thesis defense template. Utilize professionally designed slides for your introduction, methodology, results, and conclusion. The template includes 22 animated slides.

15. Black and white Research Proposal Presentation Free download

A free research proposal presentation template for PowerPoint and Google Slides, contains 29 unique slides.

16. Simple Research Proposal Presentation

The template comes with a simple, minimal, and modern design. It would be perfect for any type of research proposal.

17. Glassmorphism Thesis Defense PPT Presentation

Another thesis proposal powerpoint template with aesthetic glassmorphism design. It comes with 27 unique slides for thesis defense or thesis proposal presentation.

Thesis Science Powerpoint Template

Thesis Science Powerpoint Template offers 20 unique slides. All slides have been organized and categorized to adhere to the guidelines stipulated by the thesis defense format.

SOLOZ – Dark Background Science Thesis Defense Powerpoint Template

SOLOZ PPT template contains 30 unique slides with a dark background. The unified color scheme and master slides make it easy to customize and quickly build an impressive presentation.

Thesis Defense – Design Powerpoint Template

This thesis defense PowerPoint template uses a design interior theme as a preview. It comes with 30 unique slides, dark and light backgrounds, and widescreen & standard ratio.

Research Proposal PPT Template

The Research Proposal PowerPoint Template offers over 50 slide designs with a modern and professional look. This template is available in three various formats: PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Keynote.

Thank you for visiting Just Free Slide and reading this article! We hope this article helped you find the best research proposal PowerPoint template.  We highly appreciate it! Now you might want to get more free PowerPoint templates . Below you’ll find more PowerPoint templates related to the research proposal:

• 8 Best Academic PowerPoint Templates
• 42 Pages Thesis Defense PowerPoint Presentation Template (Premium)

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Wonderful article! I have found an amazing site on Google it’s http://www.kridha.net . Here you can explore professionally designed fully customizable research templates which are easy to use.

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PhD Dissertation

It seems that you like this template, phd dissertation presentation, free google slides theme, powerpoint template, and canva presentation template.

In order to achieve the highest academic degree there is, you need the best presentation for your dissertation. Years of hard work will pay off with this free template by Slidesgo, which can help you focus on your message without having to worry about the visual design.

The color palette is neutral, as it plays with gray, conveying maturity. You’ll find several inspiring pictures with a grayish blue filter, and these come with a nice variety of topics that reinforce the human side of things. Use our slides to place quotes, tables, timelines and graphs to properly display references, data, schedule and statistics. You’ll find it very easy to distribute your text within the composition, and the typography focuses on seriousness and stability. Everyone will soon address you as Doctor!

Features of this template

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PhD Dissertation Defense Slides Design: Additional Resources

• Tips for designing the slides
• Presentation checklist
• Example slides
• Additional Resources

Video resources

• Presentation Skills - CMU GCC
• Design Effective PowerPoint Slides - Part I
• Design Effective PowerPoint Slides - Part II
• THE “SNAKE FIGHT” PORTION OF YOUR THESIS DEFENSE
• << Previous: Example slides
• Last Updated: Jan 9, 2024 11:18 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.cmu.edu/c.php?g=883178