Geraldine Van Beuren: We need to celebrate the award of a PhD

Glasnost and Europe do not necessarily go hand in hand, but in the awarding of doctorates Europe is more open to public scrutiny.

Doctoral examinations in England are drab affairs. A nervous candidate is examined privately in an uninviting room by examiners, who receive minimal recognition for considerable work. Candidates, when successful, receive a polite handshake; years of hard work ends without proper recognition or celebration. Candidates whose supervisors have a sense of occasion may buy drinks and lunch but it is not the norm. Although there is a degree ceremony, it is often months away and is part of a larger group occasion.

This year, however, the European Union commemorates the 50th anniversary of its founding, so it is timely to consider how European universities, ancient and modern, conduct their doctoral examinations. Also whether England can benefit from Europe's approach, particularly as English doctorates epitomise what Nelson Mandela so often criticises as the western lack of ritual; there is little appreciation of the importance of rites of passage at each stage of life.

I was invited to chair a doctoral examination panel at one of Europe's most scenic universities, the European University Institute in Florence. Seating was arranged for an audience consisting of the candidate's family, friends and fellow doctoral students. The questioning was of the usual intense and expert standard, but after the result was announced there was a sense of occasion in the air and a public recognition of well-earned achievement. Not only the candidate and the examiners, but also the family, dined together afterwards, creating for them a memorable rite of passage.

The public defence of a doctorate has many advantages. First, when doctoral examinations are held in public they are transparent, reducing areas of possible complaint. In private oral examinations both the examiners and the examined are more vulnerable.

Second, future doctoral candidates are able to watch others before their own public defence. This reduces the need for supervisors to arrange mock oral defences. The postgraduate students in Florence found this to be of greater value than a rehearsal with a supervisor.

In the internet age, with its increased possibilities for plagiarism, the public defence of dissertations, whilst not preventing plagiarism, does make it more difficult to conceal. The greater the audience at the public defence, the wider the well-read expertise within the candidate's field.

By imbuing doctoral examinations with a sense of ceremony and occasion, public doctoring also demystifies the doctoral process. It provides universities with a much needed stage for promoting doctorates to students who may know little about them and may not have seriously considered the possibility of further postgraduate study.

Public doctoring also demonstrates to the public how universities spend public money and may help reinforce public confidence in the importance of postgraduate higher education to society. It is also a display of public confidence. It is a demonstration to the public about how public money is spent, bringing out the perceived distant and arcane world of academia.

In short, the public defence of doctorates is a win-win situation. Although there are possible drawbacks, they are minimal and may also apply to the English tradition of in-camera doctoral examinations. Some doctoral candidates may not regard themselves as sufficiently eloquent to defend an argument in public but the sizes of audiences are rarely overwhelming, and these candidates may feel equally nervous when being examined in private. A public examination of doctorates also provides good preparation for lecturing and public speaking. There is the risk that candidates with controversial theses may invite supporters, or those who decry the results of a controversial dissertation may try to abuse the occasion with protests. But neither is common and such a thesis could attract similar pressure during the research and upon publication.

There is nothing to prevent universities from conducting public defences of doctorates, and it would be timely for English vice-chancellors to hold a public consultation of academics and of current and past doctoral students across a wide range of disciplines. If England wishes to attract more candidates to England to read for doctorates, then, apart from grants, the making of the process more attractive to students through public defences would help. In academia the days of a good wine needing no bush have long gone.

The writer is Professor of International Human Rights Law in Queen Mary, University of London and Visiting Fellow, Kellogg College, Oxford

education@independent.co.uk

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