V-day (how an EngD viva goes down)
I yesterday acquired a new set of initials to use before my first name, after passing my thesis examination viva with minor corrections. I am the first of many to do so with the title of 'doctor of engineering' at Reading University, and I am already being bombarded with questions as to what to expect, given the differences to a traditional PhD viva.
The first caveat to state is that each experience will be different, based on the specific nature of your thesis, the choice of examiners and the institution's requirements.
That being said, here's my experience.
To my understanding the differences seem to be quite minimal. Reading University requires that the EngD thesis demonstrates novelty every bit as much as a conventional PhD examination. Other institutions do not necessarily have the same requirements (my external examiner, who has examined an EngD before at another university, commented that the criteria were more lax in this regard). So that's good and bad news for the TSBE; the good news is your viva will be very similar to a normal PhD, the bad news is that means you have to do every bit as much work for your thesis BUT you will also have to demonstrate industry impact with your research as well as passing all those modules that add up to the equivalent of the exam work for an MSc. No wonder EngDs are thought of highly.
I submitted my thesis at the beginning of June, and within a month we had the examiners agreed. An agreeable date was set for mid August, so 2.5 months after submission. On the day, I was asked to sit outside the room and twiddle my thumbs while the internal examiner, external examiner, the chair (an independent adjudicator not always present) and my primary academic supervisor all had a discussion about the viva. I don't know exactly what went on there, but I understand that the examiners notes on my thesis were shared with my supervisor and any extenuating circumstances were discussed. This means your supervisor already has a pretty good indication if you're about to enter a car crash exam or whether you're likely to pass.
I was then invited in, and my supervisor left. This is optional - the supervisor is allowed to sit in on the viva, but they are not allowed to speak, so there's not really any help in them being there. I believe you're actually allowed to have other people in the room too if you wish, but with the same rule - no speaking. I wouldn't recommend it anyway; it could quickly turn into a circus.
The chair opened the session and introduced everyone, and from then on the viva was really led by the external examiner. I was first asked to explain my research's industry impact, followed by my academic contribution to knowledge. I was then asked a number of general questions about my research approach and why I had chosen it. Another specific was what I felt the advantages and disadvantages of the EngD were over the PhD to my thesis.
We then moved onto more specific territory, with both internal and external examiners having tabbed and annotated copies of my thesis to challenge me on specific points or seek clarifications on others. In my case they felt my initial chapters (1-2) set the scene very well and had no questions on them. All the questions were really focused on my method and four core research chapters. Some were testing my understanding of power electronics (e.g. I was asked how AC interconnectors work), some were quite direct (e.g. you did this approach... was it any good?), and a lot were just asking for clarification on various things.
When they got on to my discussion and conclusions chapters (8-9) they said that these very well supported and critiqued and had no questions. A specific commendation was given to the way my thesis was structured to very clearly identify my research questions at the start, then come back to these same questions at the end and explain my contribution to knowledge.
I actually found the discussion very enjoyable. It did not feel high pressure, it was more of a casual chat about my research and why it was interesting. If you go in there with a solid thesis, and you know your research, you'll really have nothing to worry about.
When finished I was asked to leave the room for a final short conferring, and then I was invited back in with my supervisor. The external examiner then made a summary of their findings, saying lots of lovely things and informing me that I had passed.
I hope that settles some fears!