An oral examination will follow within seven to ten days of completion of the written examination. The oral examination should last no more than three hours, and will involve only the student, the Examining Committee, and the Chair of the Examining Committee. The Chair of the Examining Committee is responsible for all aspects of the oral examination.
As with the written examination, the purpose of the oral examination is to allow the student to demonstrate critical appreciation of the scholarship within the research area, and familiarity with the broader scholarly field of the PhD program. The period between the written and the oral examinations allows the student to reflect further on the questions in the written examination; to prepare to defend, elaborate, or reconsider the written answers; and to prepare answers to the questions not answered.