PhD > Thesis and defence > Nominating an assessme...
Nominating an assessment committee
Two months before submitting your PhD thesis, you must nominate an assessment committee for the assessment of your thesis and the PhD defence. You and your principal supervisor nominate the committee by submitting the form "Nominating an assessment committee".
Appointing an assessment committee
- The principal supervisor is responsible for nominating the members of the assessment committee
- Nominations must be sent to the Graduate School at least two months before the thesis is submitted via the form "Nominating an assessment committee"
- The nominees for the committee must consent before submitting the form
- The Graduate School submits the proposed nominees to the PhD Study Board and the Dean’s Office for approval
- The Graduate School informs all members of the assessment committee, the PhD student and the principal supervisor of the newly appointed committee.
Composition of the assessment committee
The assessment committee consists of three members:
- A chairperson, who must be employed by the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences as an associate professor, senior researcher, professor, clinical associate professor or clinical professor
- A representative from a Danish research institution (must not be employed at the University of Copenhagen)
- A representative from a research institution abroad, representing international research.
Rules applicable to all members of the committee
- All members must be at an academic level corresponding to associate professor or higher in the relevant subject area. If an assessor does not have the title "professor" or "associate professor", the CV of the relevant assessor must be submitted in the form "Nominating an assessment committee"
- None of the suggested members must have published articles together with the PhD student nor worked on manuscripts together
- None of the PhD student’s supervisors can be members of the assessment committee.
Assessment committee for industrial PhDs
If you are a PhD fellowships financed through the Industrial PhD scheme; at least one of the members of the assessment committee must have company-relevant research experience within the relevant field.
The work of the assessment committee
The assessment committee for a PhD student consists of three members. The principal supervisor of the PhD student is responsible for nominating the members of the assessment committe.Assessment of thesis
- The assessment committee has two months to reach a conclusion on whether the PhD thesis can be recommended for public defence
- The principal supervisor must be available for questions during the assessment committee’s work
- The PhD student is not permitted to have any contact with the assessment committee from the start of the assessment process until the assessment has been sent to the principal supervisor and the PhD student
- The principal supervisor must read and if relevant comment on the assessment before it is sent to the Graduate School
- The chairperson signs the assessment on behalf of the assessment committee and submits the assessment by email to the Graduate School. The assessment must be submitted no later than three weeks prior to the expected defence. Otherwise it might delay the further planning of the defence.
- The Graduate School will send the assessment to the PhD student and the principal supervisor.
- If the thesis is not recommended for defence, the Graduate School will facilitate the next step in the process.
After the thesis has been recommended for defence
- The members of the assessment committee must be present during the PhD defence and ask questions to initiate an academic discussion with the PhD student
- After the defence the assessment committee makes the final recommendation as to whether the PhD student should be awarded the PhD degree. All three members must sign the signature form and the chairperson submits the form to the Graduate School.