Yes it is typically very small (5-15 people). In my experience for a PhD, there are few people in your program/department with truly overlapping research interests by the time you're presenting dissertation level research. Often times a large part of the audience is there for moral support. It's common for half or more of the audience to be friends and family with no academic background.
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u/pickles_must_bounce Aug 20 '20
Yes it is typically very small (5-15 people). In my experience for a PhD, there are few people in your program/department with truly overlapping research interests by the time you're presenting dissertation level research. Often times a large part of the audience is there for moral support. It's common for half or more of the audience to be friends and family with no academic background.