When you are faced with a master’s defense, you should know that each project is different and every committee will be different too. This means that every defense will need to be different. That being said, there are some general observations and tips that you can follow:

1. Remember that no one wants you to fail. Your committee wants you to succeed. They have already seen drafts of your project. They have already given you comments. They already know whether you are likely to succeed and that is why they have let you get this far. The questions they ask will be hard, but not impossible.
2. Remember that you have the answers. Once you reach the stage of the dissertation defense, you have been working with this project for years. You have been living, breathing, and eating it. You have written about it, talked about it, thought about it, and worried about every aspect of it for a long time. Just remember that you know the project inside and out. You have the answers.
3. Recognize when you should stop talking. If you are unsure of the correct answer, or you are nervous, you might ramble. Don’t let this happen. The more you ramble in hopes that the right answer will magically flow out of your mouth, the more you will flounder and the further you will stray from your topic. Just stop talking and see if there are any follow up questions which might help you.
4. Remember that the committee is being graded too. They are performing for their audience the same way that you are performing for them. Bear this in mind and it can alleviate a lot of intimidation.
5. Keep things simple. Just tell them point blank what you did. Keep things simple.
6. Don’t hesitate to be honest. If you don’t know, just say so. Tell them that you don’t know exactly how to answer their question. This might cause them to give you some guidance or to clarify their question, which will make it easier for you to find the right answer. This ties directly to the third tip about knowing when to stop talking. You cannot possible know everything and the committee is well aware of this. If the questioning exceeds your topic, and you are not familiar with the direction it has gone, just say so.

1. What it is:

The thesis statement is the controlling sentence of every writing assignment. It should clearly state the main point or argument that you, the writer, plan to make. It should be one sentence in length – no more, no less. It can be a complex sentence with a semicolon and several commas.

2. Where should it go:

This important sentence should appear at the beginning of the essay. In most cases, it goes at the very end of the first paragraph. However, if you have a long essay, you should put the sentence at the end of the introduction. Readers will expect to see it at the end of the first paragraph, simply because they were taught to put the sentence there, too. If you put the statement in the middle of the paragraph, your reader will not recognize it.

3. How should it read:

It is vital that this sentence is specific, but not overly so. The statement should change as your paper grows because your argument might change a bit. It is a good idea to have conjunctions that help the reader understand the argument you are going to make in relation to the statement you plan to make. If the statement is too general, then you will have difficulty proving it. This is why so many writers will use a complex sentence rather than a short, choppy sentence.

4. What to avoid:

It is wise to avoid using general words, like “many”,”a lot”, “some”, “none”, and “people.” These are too general and will not give you the focus that you need. It is also a good idea to avoid using jargon or technical language. Many writers will avoid cliche terms, too.

Who to write for:

In most cases, you will be writing for your instructor, who will look for your writing ability and your knowledge. Despite this, it is a good idea to write for a general audience. So, it is a good idea to avoid using terminology that is specific to the class in the thesis. It is perfectly acceptable to use the terminology later in the essay, as long as you define it there.