When the permission for the public examination has been granted, the Research Council appoints one or two opponents for the doctoral research on the proposal of the Contact Teacher, as well as the Custos for the public examination. The suggestions are discussed at Tutke’s Faculty Meeting, and the opponents are appointed by the Research Council, based on the recommendations by the Contact Teacher and the supervisors of the doctoral candidate.
At least one of the opponents must hold a doctorate. One or both external examiners can be appointed as opponents. Disqualification issues (see the Regulations on disqualification of the University of the Arts) and the doctoral student’s wishes will be considered in the selection of the opponents. The opponent shall bring forth a possible disqualification issue. Grounds for disqualification are e.g. supervision, joint projects or joint publications. The opponents are appointed primarily from outside the Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts.
The manuscript of the commentary that has been finalized after the external pre-examination, as well as the statements by the external pre-examiners and the recordings of the artistic parts are submitted to the opponents. The opponents are given two months for the examination of the commentary.
All practical arrangements concerning the public examination, such as the date and time, are agreed upon with the Planning Officer.
The Custos settles the questions concerning the public examination process with the defender and the opponents. It is the responsibility of the Custos to make sure that the defender and the opponents are familiar with the nature and the course of the public examination in advance. The Planning Officer submits written instructions covering the process to the defender and the opponents.
The commentary of the doctoral research as a whole is assessed based on how justifiably it provides such knowledge, conclusions and artistic solutions that it claims to produce. The commentary must demonstrate the author’s in depth understanding of the artistic tradition and practice in the field, as well as the relevant research. The commentary must also demonstrate the author’s ability to work independently, identify problems and produce new knowledge, as well as capacity for artistic activity and clear and coherent articulation.
The commentary is to form a coherent whole that is motivated in relation to the artistic parts, and in which different texts and articulations of artistic work are structured in an understandable way.
The public examination of the doctoral research takes place between the opponent (or the opponents) and the defender. It follows an academic protocol defining the roles and the responsibilities of the participating persons. These roles and responsibilities are expected to be familiar to and respected by those participating in the public examination. The public examination proceeds as follows: opening statement by the Custos, introductory lecture by the defender, general statement by the opponents, examination of the doctoral research, final statement by the opponents, possible questions from the audience, closing the public examination. How each phase is conducted depends on the nature of the doctoral research and the wishes of the defender and the opponents.
The Custos acts as the chair of the public examination and monitors its course. The Custos will also submit a report on the public examination to the Research Council.
If there are two opponents, they will agree on their mutual roles together with the Custos. The defender must be informed of the arrangements in advance. The defender and the opponent must ask the Custos for advice or permission in case the course of the event is for some reason different from what has been agreed upon in advance.
The Custos, the opponents and the defender agree on the performative arrangements of the public examination in advance, as well as on how assistants, assisting performers and technical facilities are used during the event. It is also possible for the opponents to present extra material contributing to the examination. The matter must be agreed upon with the Custos, the defender and the possible other opponent in advance. If spontaneous needs for illustrating the subjects of the discussion arise during the public examination, the Custos must be consulted for a permission.
The duration of the public examination is negotiated with the Custos. It shall not exceed four hours and can include pauses when necessary. During the event, the Custos announces the pause to begin and to end.
The defender, the opponent(s) and the Custos wear dark suits, formal dark dresses or academic dresses with possible academic insignia. Possible academic insignia (such as doctor's hats) are carried in one’s left hand and placed
on the table for the public examination. It is possible to be flexible about the dress code for justified reasons. The matter is to be discussed with the Custos.
● The doors to the space reserved for the public examination are opened for public five minutes before the time published in the invitation. Those concerned arrive at the public examination 15 minutes (academic quarter) after the time published in the invitation, in the following order: the defender, the Custos, and the opponent(s). The audience remain standing until the Custos, the opponent(s) and the defender have taken their seats. Possible academic insignia (such as doctor's hats) are carried in one’s hand and placed on the table for the public examination.
● When everybody present have taken their seats, the Custos opens the public examination. Next, the Custos presents the opponents and their titles and describes the course of the public examination.
● Standing up, the defender presents the introductory lecture (lectio praecursoria), i.e. the defender’s statement in which the central research questions and the contributions of the doctoral research are presented. The length of the introductory lecture is approximately 20 minutes, or a maximum of 30 minutes in case the defender presents artistic examples. Including artistic or practical parts in the introductory lecture is agreed upon with the Custos well in advance. At the end of the introductory lecture, the defender asks the opponents to present their critical comments on the doctoral research.
● The opponents rise to make their general statements on the doctoral research. The general statement is a speech prepared in advance by the opponents, in which they present the central substance of the doctoral research with respect to the art field and the research previously carried out within the field in question. The opponents can write the general statement in collaboration, and it can include performative material.
● After the general statement both the defender and the opponents take their seats. The examination of the doctoral research is based on the questions presented by the opponents and the answers by the defender. The questions critically address the contents of the doctoral research. When applicable, the opponents submit to the defender an appendix of remarks on minor factual and formal mistakes, instead of discussing them during the public examination.
● When the opponents have no more remarks, they rise to make their final statement on the quality and importance of the doctoral research, taking the arguments and the material presented by the defender during the public examination into account. In order to prepare for their final statement, the opponents can, if they so wish, ask the Custos for a 10-minute pause for negotiation. The opponents, or the defender and the audience will move to a separate space for the pause as requested by the Custos. At the end of the final statement, the opponents announce whether they recommend to the Research Council of the Theatre Academy of the University of the Art that the doctoral research be accepted or rejected. The statement presented at the public examination cannot be conditional, i.e. it cannot include requirements for changes or corrections in the work.
● The defender remains standing while the opponents make their final statement and while thanking the audience.
● After expressing the thanks to the opponents, the defender turns to the audience and invites those present having questions or remarks to ask the Custos for the floor. The Custos presides over and monitors the discussion. In case the discussion brings forth evidence having effect on the assessment of the doctoral research, it will be considered by the Research Council when it makes its decision on accepting the doctoral research. The Custos instructs the speaker after the public examination has ended.
● The Custos declares the public examination closed.
Karonkka is a party in honor of the opponents. The Theatre Academy has no special traditions concerning the karonkka, nor does it expect that other academic traditions are observed, so the defender can give a party that highlights his or her personality. However, it is expected, that the Defender invites at the least the opponents and the Custos for dinner after the public examination.
After the public examination, the opponents are given one month for writing their final written statements on the doctoral research. In the statement they take the course of the public examination into account and evaluate the doctoral research in its entirety. They cannot critically refer to a point that they have not presented during the public examination. The opponents can also submit a joint final statement. The recommended length of the written statement is 2–5 pages. In addition, the opponents can submit an appendix with minor factual and formal mistakes they have noticed. The final written statement is addressed to the Research Council of the Theatre Academy and sent to the Research Coordinator.
If the final written statement is unfavourable, the defender is entitled to submit a written counterstatement on the opponents’ statements to the Research Council.
The Research Council decides on the accreditation of the doctorate based on the statements and the possible counterstatement. The Custos’s account concerning the public examination will also be sent for the attention of the Research Council. Rejecting the doctoral research during the public examination phase is in principle possible, but very rare.