Complex Thesis and Final exam Guide here

Evaluations
Review
The reviewer of the thesis is the thesis supervisor, along with a designated second reviewer, who also evaluates the thesis in writing. If the evaluations of the two reviewers differ by more than two grades, the Head of IIPE will ask a third person to review the thesis. The reviews include an evaluation of the thesis (strengths, limitations) along with a specific question that must be answered during the defense. The supervisor will ask a question closely related to the thesis, while the second reader will pose a more theoretical question related to intercultural studies ("topic"). The review must be uploaded to the appropriate Neptun platform at least two weeks before the date of the final exam so that the student can access it in time and prepare for the oral defense of the thesis during the final exam.

Criteria for the Review
1.Topic: novelty, relevance, usability
2. Theotical background: quality and quantity of the used literature, elaboration on it
3. Methodology: hypotheses, method, procedure
4. Empirical analysis: professionalism, complexity, interpretation
5. Form and structure: standardization, structure, proportion
6. Language: (professional) terminology, style, elaboration
7. Alltogether: coherence, independence, strength

The Final Exam
The Committee
During the defense, the committee consists of the chair (a university professor from IIPE, a habilitated associate professor, or an associate professor—typically the Head of the Institute) along with 2-4 permanent members from the IIPE faculty and one external member. Additionally, the thesis supervisor and, if possible, the second reader will be present as invited guests.

Tasks During the Defense
The candidate has four main tasks during the defense:
1. A concise presentation of the thesis (recommended duration: 8-10 minutes);
2. A response to the reviews (if they contain critical remarks that need to be addressed);
3. Answers to specific questions posed by the supervisor and the second reader;
4. Responses to questions posed verbally by the committee (if there are any).

Time Frame and Scheduling
The total available time is a maximum of 15 minutes, but certainly no more than 17 minutes. Thus, good time management is important. The candidate can structure the 15 minutes as they see fit; for example, they may address points 1-3 in order, or they may integrate responses to the reviews and/or the supervisor’s question within the thesis presentation. The question from the second reader ("topic") must be answered separately. It is advisable for the candidate to inform the committee at the start of the exam about the strategy they will follow, i.e., how they plan to address the sub-tasks! It is common for the reviews to indicate a lack of some theoretical background or analytical aspect; in such cases, the candidate may choose to supplement the thesis presentation with the missing points. Therefore, it is worthwhile not only to respond to criticisms and questions but also to "add" to the presentation! The daily schedule allocates a total of 30 minutes for each person. We kindly ask everyone to arrive on time! (Preferably a bit earlier than the given time).

Presentation
It is highly recommended to prepare a supplementary presentation for the defense (ppt/prezi/infographic, etc.). Considering the time available (15 minutes), it is advisable to create a maximum of 10-15 slides. Suggested titles (appropriately adapted to one's own research): Topic Introduction, Theoretical Background, Hypotheses, Method, Results, Summary-Outlook. The general principle is that the slides should primarily accompany the thesis presentation, complementing the oral exposition. It is important to strive for minimal but essential information on the slides; they should not be cluttered! In addition to presenting the thesis, it is worth dedicating 2-4 slides to briefly summarize the answers to the questions raised in the reviews (if they are presented separately from the thesis). To prevent unexpected technical issues, it is advisable to store the materials prepared for the defense in at least two independent locations (e.g., a USB drive and an online platform).

Evaluation
Following the defense, the committee will briefly dismiss the candidate and evaluate the performance with a five-point grading scale for 1.) the thesis defense and 2.) the response to the "topic" question. Subsequently, the candidate will be called back, and the result will be announced by the Chair.