Michael Byram is Professor Emeritus of Education, Durham University, England.

Maria Stoicheva is Jean Monnet Chair and Professor of Political Science, Department of European Studies, Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria.

1. Introduction Part I: Transversal studies 2. Standards and criteria: Is there a case for international comparability? 3. The experience of examiners and examining 4. The final oral examination 5. The role of languages in doctoral examination Part II: Case studies of universities Africa 6. Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique 7. Makerere University, Uganda Asia 8. Beijing Language and Culture University, China 9. A Japanese University 10. Thammasat University, Thailand South America 11. Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina 12. The University of São Paulo, Brazil The West 13. University of Aveiro, Portugal 14. University of Connecticut, USA 15. Durham University, England, United Kingdom 16. Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland 17. Macquarie University, Australia 18. Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria 19. Afterword

This book provides an authoritative overview of the criteria and standards of the doctorate across a wide range of international settings, with a particular focus on the practices of examining.
Presenting case studies and research from 13 universities in 13 countries across Africa, Asia, North and South America, Australia, and Europe, the book is based on in-depth interviews and comparative analyses of the PhD examining experience. It reveals the variations and similarities in different academic traditions and investigates the extent to which there are comparable expectations and standards across countries. It suggests that criteria and standards - both written and unwritten - are broadly similar, but shows that there is a need for much more explicitly formulated criteria and standards for an internationalised approach to doctoral assessment.
Following on from the 2019 book The Doctorate as Experience in Europe and Beyond, this book will be of great interest to current and potential doctoral examiners, researchers of higher education, and university administrators.