With the help of his faculty adviser, the candidate for a master's degree selects members of a committee that will judge his work. This choice is not always left up to the student; in some cases, the department decides the second and third members of the jury. The student must submit his thesis, bound and in its final form, to the committee members within a period of time specified by the department, usually no later than 10 days before the final defense.
It is uncommon to have more than three members of a committee for a master's degree defense; these faculty members usually have Ph.Ds or other terminal degrees (like J.D.s or M.F.A.s) in their respective fields. After the student hands in her thesis, the members of the committee read the paper critically and prepare questions.
Master's degree students normally begin their thesis defense by giving a 20- to 30-minute presentation of their major ideas and findings. During this presentation, the student may talk about difficulties or problems he encountered along the way, research methods and strategies and further research that remains to be done. A comprehensive summary of the research isn't necessary, as each of the faculty members will have read the thesis; however, a broad overview can be helpful, as it helps the committee to situate the research in a broader context.
After the student has made her presentation, the faculty members will weigh in with their questions for the student. These questions may have to do with the research methodology used, the particular content of the thesis, or any number of details about which the student has written. Professors may make suggestions for specific changes that the student could make as well.
After the thesis defense, the student will leave the room, and the committee will deliberate on the results. The thesis is usually graded on a pass or fail basis, but this may vary by university; some schools may have additional honors to recognize an especially well-written thesis. Normally, the thesis is passed by a majority vote, though some schools may have different rules about what constitutes a passing thesis.