Rules for the Pre-Defense at JKU Computer Science

(Version July 4, 2021)

• A single-column 4 page report has to be submitted to the chair of PhD affairs (Prof. Josef Küng for candidates in Computer Science and Prof. Johannes Fürnkranz for candidates in Artificial Intelligence) two weeks before the pre-defense in order for the chair and examiner to prepare questions. They will get the report before the pre-defense starts and should prepare one or two questions each.
  
  
• The report should contain 3 parts:
  1. scientific part (maximum 2 pages, 11pt font, standard margins)
     - motivation (for the general audience)
     - approach, results, future work
  2. progress part (maximum 1 page, 11pt font, standard margins)
     - published/submitted/planned papers or other output (including talks, SW, systems, stay abroad, organized events, awards etc)
     - description of the candidate's contributions, impact
  3. references (1 page, but actually without page limit)
     
     
• The examination is split into a presentation of 15 minutes (10 slides) and 15 minutes questions and answers. The talk should be structured in the same way as the report (10 minutes scientific + 5 minutes progress). The candidate has to make sure that the talk (without questions) fits into 15 minutes!
  
  
• The examination committee for each PhD student consists of one chair and one examiner both assumed to be without conflict of interest with the candidate. They will read the report and ask questions based on the talk and the report. The composition of this committee is usually different for different candidates. The examiner will go first with questions followed by the chair. If time permits the audience is free to ask further questions afterwards.
  
  
• After a session of (2-3) examination talks there will be a closed meeting of the faculty which will discuss the performance and perspective and will collect issues. The grade will be determined in this discussion of the faculty and each closed meeting will last for at most half an hour.
  
  
• Each examination chair will prepare a short (two paragraph) evaluation based on the student report and the examination, which will be sent to the student within a week. The idea is to (i) help the student to improve the dissertation project and (ii) to judge past and (iii) expected performance and in particular (iv) if the dissertation project is on track and whether it is conceivable that an acceptable thesis can be produced and submitted within one year.