CoGS Academic Regulations 29 August 2007_1109

Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes

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College of Graduate Studies (CoGS)

This handbook contains academic regulations for all postgraduate students at UNITEN.

These regulations replace\all regulations contained in previous documents.

29 August 2007


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This document is essentially made up of two parts: the Main Document, which contains general academic regulations, procedures and guidelines common to all programmes offered at UNITEN; and the Addendum: Structures, which contains those pertaining only to each of Structure A, Structure B and Structure C. A third part is a general warning on Plagiarism. ��

1. Programmes, Structures and Offerings ……………………………………………….. 3 2. Student Status and Duration of Study ………………………………………………… 4 3. Credit Hours and Course Offerings (Structures B & C) …………………………….. 5 4. Application ……………………………………………………………………………….. 6 5. Entry Requirements (incl. Language) …………………………………………………. 6 6. Upon Acceptance: Before and Upon Arrival ………………………………………….. 7 7. Registration ………………………………………………………………………………. 7 8. Fees ………………………………………………………………………………………. 8 9. Interruption of Period of Study:

Withdrawal, Defaulting, Termination & Deferment …………………………………... 9 10. Rest of Document …..…………………………………………………………………… 10 11. General Provisions ……………………………………………………………………… 10 ��

A. Structure A ……………………………………………………………………………….. 11 B. Structures B & C ..……………………………………………………………………….. 19 Each of the above contains the following sections, with the page numbers being given in the last two columns:

A B&C Generalities 11 19

(i) Before Registration 11 20 (ii) Registration 12 21 (iii) Getting Started 13 22 (iv) Progress 14 23 (v) Pre-Examination/ Submissions 16 27 (vi) Examination 16 27 (vii) Post-Examination/ Pre-Graduation 17 28 (viii) Graduation 18 29 ��!�"�� …………………………………………………………………….. 30

Note: All usage of single gender words (e.g. he/his) in this document refer to both genders.


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#$ ��"�� %�� &&��" Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) offers postgraduate programmes within the academic fields of engineering, information technology and business leading to:

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – in Engineering, Information & Communication Technology (ICT), Industrial Science, Business

• Master Mechanical Engineering (MME) • Master of Electrical Engineering (MEE) • Master of Civil Engineering (MCE) • Master of Information Technology (MIT) • Master of Industrial Science (MIS) • Master of Business Administration (MBA) • Master of Engineering Management (MEM)

These programmes are administered by the College of Postgraduate Studies (CoGS), which is supported by three academic colleges:

� College of Engineering (CoE) � College of Information Technology (CoIT) � College of Business Administration (CoBA)

The programmes are offered via one, two or all three of the following structures:

� Structure A (research mode): Candidates conduct research under academic supervisors and prepare a thesis for complete fulfillment of the graduation requirements.

� Structure B (mixed mode):

Candidates will have to register and pass a certain number of taught courses as part fulfillment of the graduation requirements. In addition, they will have to complete a research project under academic supervisors and prepare a dissertation for the remaining part fulfillment of the graduation requirements. The contribution of each component (coursework and dissertation) is about 50%.

� Structure C (coursework mode):

Candidates will have to register and pass a certain number of taught courses as part fulfillment of the graduation requirements, as well as complete a project and prepare a project report for the remaining part fulfillment of the graduation requirements. The contribution of the coursework component exceeds 80%

The programme offerings that are currently being conducted following these 3 structures are as follows, noting also the total credit hours required for graduation (none allocated for Structure A):

� PhD: Structure A ' Engineering ' Information & Communication Technology ' Industrial Science ' Business


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� Masters: Structures A & B (40 credit hours) ' Mechanical Engineering (MME) ' Electrical Engineering (MEE) ' Civil Engineering (MCE) ' Information Technology (MIT) ' Industrial Science (MIS)

� Masters: Structure C (40 credit hours)

' Master in Business Administration (MBA) ' Master in Engineering Management (MEM)

($ �� &��) Candidates may register as either full-time or part-time students, these being defined as follows:

Full-Time Part-time Structure A Registered and present for all 3

semesters per year

Registered and fulfilling a residential requirement of at least 10 working days a year

Structure B Structure C

Registered and present for at least 12 credit hours in each of Semesters I & II, and at least 3 credit hours in Semester III

Registered and present for less than 12 credit hours in each of Semesters I & II, with a minimum of 1 credit hour

Note: There are also Non-Graduating Students, who are defined as those who are registered for certain postgraduate courses or are conducting part of their research work at UNITEN but are not registered for any of the full programmes, neither as part-time nor as full-time students. The status of candidates as either part-time or full-time students determine the duration of their minimum and maximum periods of study:

All programmes are offered full-time and part-time Minimum (years) Maximum (years)

PhD (full-time) 2 5

PhD (part-time) 3 7

Masters (full-time) – Structure A 1 3

Masters (part-time) – Structure A 2 4

Masters (full-time) – Structures B & C 1.5 3

Masters (part-time) – Structure B & C 2.5 4

Notes: • A candidate has to graduate within the minimum and maximum period, i.e. not before the

minimum and not later than the maximum. • Although not advisable, a candidate may apply to convert from full-time to part-time, and vice-

versa. The conversion will be based on the remaining number of days from the date of application and before the expiry of the maximum period at an exchange rate of 1:2.


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*$ ��+�� &&��" �,�� -��. For taught courses (Structures B & C – not applicable for Structure A), 1 credit hour is equivalent to 1 contact hour in terms of lectures, tutorials, laboratories, seminars, group discussions, etc. Usually, 1 course is made up of 3 credit hours. The credit hours for dissertations and projects are allocated only to show their contribution (or weightage) towards the programme. Based on the above, the courses offered per programme for each Structure are as given below (note that Semester III is a short semester of normally about 7 weeks):

� Structure B (mixed mode): consists of 7 courses x 3 credit hours = 21, and a 19 credit hour dissertation project, hence a total of 40 credits hours.

Year I Year II STRUCTURE B

Semester I Semester II Semester III Semester I 7 Taught Courses (21 credit hours)

(4 courses) 12

(3 courses) 9

0

0

Dissertation project (19 credit hours) 0 3 4 12 Total (40 credit hours) 12 12 4 12

' Full-time candidates:

� The above table is recommended, but the taught courses may alternatively be spread over the maximum 3 year period (giving allowances for possible repeats).

� The dissertation project is a fixed period registration. Once registered, it will have to be completed and submitted within a 3 uninterrupted semester brace. This is inclusive of a semester III but not including the very first semester of the programme. Credit hour registration per semester is as in the table, i.e. 3 for the 1st semester of registration, 4 for the 2nd, and 12 for the 3rd, which has to be a full semester (I or II).

' Part-time candidates:

� Candidates are recommended to take 2 courses (6 credit hours) a semester, but the taught courses may alternatively be spread over the maximum 4 year period (giving allowances for possible repeats).

� The dissertation project is a fixed period registration. Once registered, it will have to be completed and submitted within a 5 uninterrupted semester brace, inclusive of semester IIIs. The project cannot begin in the very first semester of the programme and nor in a semester III. Credit hour registration per semester is 3 for the 1st semester of registration, 2 for a semester III, and 4 for each full semester (I or II).

� Structure C (coursework mode): consists of 11 courses x 3 credit hours = 33, and a 7

credit hour project, hence a total of 40 credits hours.

Year I Year II STRUCTURE C Semester I Semester II Semester III Semester I 11 Taught Courses (33 credit hours)

(4 courses) 12

(4 courses) 12

0

(3 courses) 9

Project (7 credit hours) 0 0 4 3 Total (40 credit hours) 12 12 4 12

' Full-time candidates:

� The above table is recommended, but the taught courses may alternatively be spread over the maximum 3 year period (giving allowances for possible repeats).

� The project is a fixed period registration. Once registered, it will have to be completed and submitted within a 2 uninterrupted semester brace, possibly including a semester


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III but not including the first two semesters of the programme. Credit hour registration is 4 for the 1st semester of registration and 3 for the subsequent semester.

' Part-time candidates:

� Candidates are recommended to take 2 courses (6 credit hours) a semester, but the taught courses may alternatively be spread over the maximum 4 year period (giving allowances for possible repeats).

� The dissertation project is a fixed period registration. Once registered, it will have to be completed and submitted within a 4 uninterrupted semester brace, including a semester III. The project cannot begin in the first two semesters of the programme and nor in a semester III. Credit hour registration per semester is 1 for the very 1st semester of registration and 2 for each subsequent semester.

/$ �00!�� All applications are to be addressed to:

Administrative Officer College of Graduate Studies (CoGS) Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) Km7, Jalan Kajang-Puchong, 43009 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia

Applications can be made via:

� postal mail (address as above), � fax: 60-3-89212065 (addressed to above) � e-mail: [email protected] � web-site: http://www.uniten.edu.my

Other than through the web-site, which will have the required on-line forms, the necessary forms will be forwarded to the candidate to be filled and returned to our office. Acceptance (or rejection) from the date of receipt of an application will be notified as follows:

• Structure A: Applications may be made at anytime in the year. Notification of acceptance/rejection will be within 3 calendar months from the date of receipt of the completed application form.

• Structure B & C: The date of closure of the application period is usually 1 month before the beginning of the programme. Notification of acceptance/rejection will be within 1 week after the date of closure. Overseas candidates are recommended to apply well before the closing date, whereupon acceptance/rejection may be notified at least a week upon receipt of the completed application form but not earlier than 3 months before the commencement date of the programme.

1$ ��)��2�� ,��!$��"��"�. In general, the academic entry requirements for acceptance into the programmes are based on the following qualifications (and experience if applicable): Note: The terms ‘relevant’ and ‘related’ to particular domains stated below will be defined elsewhere and may vary and change from year to year. Exceptions to these will have to be applied for and will be taken on a case-to-case basis.


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Programme Requirements* Structure A PhD

• Masters in the relevant domain, or • Masters in a related domain with 2 years experience in the domain

(including at least 2 publications in the domain), or • Bachelors in the domain with 1st class with honours or CGPA 3.75

and above Structure A Structure B

Masters • Bachelors in the relevant domain with 2nd class upper with honours or CGPA 2.75 and above, or

• Bachelors in the relevant domain with 2nd class lower with honours or CGPA 2.33—2.74, and 1 year experience in the domain and at least 1 publication in the domain, or 2 years professional experience in the domain

• Bachelors in a related domain with 2nd class upper with honours or CGPA 2.75 and above, and 1 year experience in the domain (including at least 1 publication in the domain)

Structure C Masters (as offered)

• Bachelors in the relevant or related domain with 2nd class lower with honours or CGPA 2.50 and above

• Applicants with minimum 2 years experience are preferred

* All degrees must be recognised by UNITEN All courses and examinations will be conducted in English, and project reports, dissertations and thesis are to be written in English. As such, all candidates need to have an appropriate level of competency in English, without which they will have to either attain the required level before submitting their application, or choose to follow and pass an intensive English course at IKAL in UNITEN prior to registration – Intensive English Programme for International Students (IEP). The necessary level of competency of English is defined as one of the following:

• Credit 6 in the Malaysian Certificate or Education (MCE)/ Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM)/ General Certificate of Examination (GCE).

• MUET band 2 or 3 / TOEFL score of 550 / IELTS score of 6.0 • Equivalent score of any of the above obtained at undergraduate level at a recognised

university (document of proof of equivalence from the said university will have to be submitted).

3$ 0��0��&��0��4�! Upon acceptance to a postgraduate programme, the list of things to be done and the general regulations to comply to (such as to enter the country), and any other necessary information relevant to before and upon arrival at UNITEN, will be compiled and delivered to the candidate in a separate document.

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� Registration of New Students

� New students pursuing postgraduate studies must register their candidature according to the terms and conditions offered and the dates determined by the University.

� If a new student fails to register without written permission from the Dean of CoGS, the acceptance offer will be considered automatically withdrawn.


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� A student is allowed to be registered in only one programme at any one time.

� Throughout a student’s candidature at UNITEN, he is not allowed to register for or have

been registered in any other similar programme, in a local or foreign university, without written permission from UNITEN.

� Once enrolled in a programme, the candidature of a student shall only be interrupted by

withdrawal, defaulting, termination, deferment, or graduation (see below for details)

� Registration of Continuing Students

� All continuing students are required to re-register at the beginning of each subsequent semester. A student must maintain continuous registration throughout his period of study, failing which he is assumed to have defaulted his candidature.

� Those who are not in a position to register on the required date will have to apply in writing to the Dean of CoGS, and the written permission will have to be obtained prior to the date of registration.

� Under certain circumstances and at the sole discretion of the Dean of CoGS, those

without the said written permission may still be allowed to register late, but not later than 14 days after the date of registration, after which the student’s candidature will cease automatically (i.e. he is assumed to have defaulted his candidature). This late registration is also subject to a penalty calculated at a daily rate.

� The candidature of a student ceases automatically once he exceeds the maximum

period of study for the programme. Under certain circumstances (see later), the student may apply for an extension, but this has to be done well before the maximum period.

� The candidature of a student also ceases automatically when he has fulfilled all

graduation requirements for the programme.

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� Fees are to be collected per semester and there is a penalty for late or non-payment: � Fees are to be paid within a fixed period:

� Structure A: by end of week 2 � Structures B & C: by end of week 6 (2 weeks after limit for dropping courses)

� Candidature will be suspended if the above is not met.

� Structure A: Candidate will not be considered as a UNITEN student (no meeting with supervisor, no usage of facilities, etc.) while the maximum period of candidature remains unchanged.

� Structures B & C: Same as above, plus no right to attend classes and to sit for coursework and examination, the marks for which will be set to 0 without possibility of appeal.

� Structures B & C:

� Fees are pro-rated over the total credits for the programme � Fees are charged for credits registered per semester


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� Structure A:

Type of Candidature Minimum (years)

Maximum (years)

Norm (years)

PhD (full-time) 2 5 3.5 PhD (part-time) 3 7 5.0 Master (full-time) 1 3 2.0 Master (part-time) 2 4 3.0

� A norm for expected completion is set for each type of candidature � Full fees are collected within the norm

i.e. divided by the norm and collected per semester within the norm period � Balance of fees is waived for early completion � Additional fees are charged in each semester after the norm. ��

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� Withdrawal of Candidature

� A candidate may submit a written request to withdraw from a programme at anytime.

The request is to be submitted to the Dean of CoGS.

� If the request is made and accepted within the first month of a semester, the student is entitled to a refund of all fees excluding the registration and other service fees.

� A candidate who has withdrawn his candidature may apply for readmission by

submitting a fresh application for consideration.

� Defaulting & Termination of Candidature

� A candidate is considered to have defaulted his candidature if he fails to register in any one semester during his period of study.

� The University, via CoGS, may terminate a student’s candidature according to the rules and regulations as stipulated within each programme offered (see later).

� A student who has defaulted his candidature or has been terminated by the university

may apply for reinstatement. Reinstatement is allowed only once, and is subject to approval by the University Senate. Conditions for reinstatement are as follows:

• Good academic standing • Free from any misconduct • All outstanding and current fees and all other charges (including for the period

the student did not register) are duly settled • The lapsed time between defaulting/termination and reinstatement does not

exceed 12 months.


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� Deferment of Candidature

� A student who has been certified by a medical officer to be ill and medically unfit to proceed with his studies can apply for a deferment of candidature up to a maximum of two (2) semesters only. This deferment period will not be counted as part of the total period of study.

� A candidate may also apply for deferment of candidature based on reasons other than

medical, again for up to a maximum of two (2) semesters only. This application must be submitted and approved before the commencement of the following semester, and the deferment period will be counted as part of the total period of study.

� Deferment of candidature (of any kind) may be granted at most twice only within a

period of study. The two periods must not be consecutive, and with each duration not exceeding more than two (2) semesters. All other situations will have to be taken on a case-to-case basis and subject to Senate’s approval.

� A student under deferment of candidature covering a full semester will be exempt from

fees for that semester. If the fees have already been paid for a given semester, and the student has applied and received approval for deferment within the first two weeks of the semester, the fees shall be credited to the following semester. No provision will be made for after the two week period.

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The second part of the document, entitled Structures:Addendum, will provide the detailed rules and regulations for each of the Structures A, B & C. ##$ ��!��4� ��

� The University Senate reserves to right to introduce any further and future methods and

implementation procedures within any of the provisions of these academic regulations. All such methods and implementation procedures must be observed by the student.

� The Vice Chancellor shall consider any appeal on any of the provisions under these regulations at his discretion and he shall make any considerations and exceptions as he sees fit and deems necessary.

---- END OF MAIN DOCUMENT ---- Verified by the Senate of Universiti Tenaga Nasional On 1st August 2007 …………………………………………… Prof. Dato’ Ir. Dr. Mashkuri Yaacob Vice Chancellor and Chairman of Senate Universiti Tenaga Nasional


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�$ �� A programme offered via structure A is a full research programme. Unless specifically required by CoGS to attend some classes as pre-requisites for graduation, the candidate’s sole responsibility is to work with his Supervisor(s) to conduct research and submit a thesis, either for a Masters or a PhD degree. The thesis is to be written following the format and contents as required by the document entitled ‘Guide to the Preparation of Theses’. Once submitted, the candidate will be examined through a viva-voce, consisting of an oral presentation and defense of the thesis to a Panel of Examiners. A candidate having graduated with a Masters through a Structure A programme should be able to demonstrate a mastery of the chosen domain, together with hands on skills and some level of contribution to the body of knowledge of the domain. He should be able to conduct research at a higher level, either in a team or supervised by an experienced researcher. A candidate having graduated with a PhD should have all the above and a significant level of contribution to the body of knowledge of the domain. He should be able to conduct independent research from then on. ,�. ��&��"� ��

� Research Proposal

� Candidates with a research proposal:

• Although not obligatory, candidates are advised to think of possible projects for the thesis, and better still to get in touch with a potential supervisor at UNITEN. Some information for this may be available at the College website.

• A proposal of not longer than 5 pages, indicating the area of research and what the candidate intends to carry out, should then be submitted to the Dean of CoGS. The emphasis should be on the research contribution, and less on the product that may be the outcome of the work.

• A Postgraduate Committee will study the brief research proposal. Should it meet the standard or depth of knowledge required to fulfill the requirements, the committee will appoint a Supervisor in the area that was chosen. Else, the candidate will be asked to modify the proposal accordingly for resubmission.

� Candidates without a research proposal:

• In cases where the candidate does not have a research proposal, a list of potential projects will be provided to the candidate upon request, in order to begin as above.

� Supervisors

' Supervisors will be UNITEN academic staff with some expertise in possibly more

than one area of study.

' If needed, a Co-Supervisor may be appointed. On a case-to-case basis, an additional external consultant or Co-Supervisor from another university may be appointed to enhance and facilitate project supervision.


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' A student has the right to ask to be supervised under his preferred area of research and also to request for a particular Supervisor. However, the final decision will have to be based on mutual consent

� Other General Information

� Computers are made available in laboratories in UNITEN, but the candidate may

prefer to equip himself with his own laptop installed with the appropriate software for the project.

� A candidate may bring previous work as part of the contribution towards his Masters or PhD at UNITEN, but in doing so it will be his sole responsibility to ensure that there will be no patent or copyright infringements. Such work must also be declared to his Supervisor(s) before or upon arrival. In any case, the minimum period of study will remain unchanged.

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� Main Registration

� General regulations for registration are as listed in the Main Document.

� Candidates accepted for Structure A may register at CoGS at any time of the year,

but the exact period allowed for registration for each candidate will be determined by UNITEN. After this given period, the offer will lapse and the candidate will have to reapply from the beginning.

� After this initial registration, the candidate will have to register again at the beginning of the immediate next semester and all subsequent semesters.

� Programme Conversion

� From one programme to another (Masters to Masters, or PhD to PhD):

• Application for transfer to another programme at the same level has to be submitted to the Dean of CoGS, and this must be done within one year of registration for full-time students and within two years for part-time students.

• The application may only be considered if the candidate provides very strong justifications for such a request and that he must have not been terminated from the programme.

• Such a conversion is not encouraged from Structure A to Structure B or to Structure C as the course requirements in the latter Structures would require additional time and difficulties in scheduling.

• The maximum period of study will remain unchanged.

� From a Masters programme to a PhD programme: • Application for transfer from a Masters programme to a PhD programme has

to be submitted to the Dean of CoGS, and this must be done not earlier than six months and within one year of registration for full-time students, and not earlier than one year and within two years for part-time students.

• The application has to be fully supported in writing by the Supervisor(s) and accompanied by a document that would show enough merit to cover the equivalent of the following two reports (see Progress below) blended into one: � 1 year report for Masters (2 years for part-time) � PhD proposal (usually 6 months for full-time and 1 year for part-time)


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• The application will be evaluated via a mini viva-voce by a Panel of Examiners for Conversion, to be convened by the Dean of CoGS. The Panel will prepare a report with its recommendations for submission to the Senate, where the final decision will be made.

• Once approved, the minimum duration to complete the PhD programme is 2 years after the date of conversion for full-time students and 3 for part-time. The maximum periods of study are 5 and 7 years respectively from that date.

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� First meetings

� All new students are required to make the necessary appointments to meet with the

following two persons immediately after registration (in any order): • Programme Coordinator (for the domain) for a general briefing. • Appointed Supervisor to confirm and discuss details of the research scope

and proposal (or to make alternative arrangements).

� Thesis Project and Supervisor

� Thesis topic and Supervisor • All students are required to confirm the thesis topic and supervisor within two

months of registration. These are to be submitted in writing to the Dean of CoGS via the Programme Coordinator and Dean of College (not of CoGS).

• The topic must be relevant to the programme and approved by the Supervisor and the Dean of College.

• The Supervisor must be an academic staff of UNITEN and must not be in any way personally related to the candidate. The candidate must furnish a written agreement of the Supervisor and for the chosen topic.

• The candidate may also nominate a Co-Supervisor but only with a written agreement of the Supervisor and the proposed Co-Supervisor.

� Changing thesis topic:

• An application to change a thesis topic must be made in writing to the Dean of CoGS via the Supervisor, Programme Coordinator and Dean of College.

• Applications for minor changes in the title can be made at anytime during the candidate’s period of study, but fundamental changes cannot be made later than half-way through the maximum period of candidature.

• All changes will have to be ultimately approved by Senate. • There will be no change in the maximum period of candidature.

� Changing Supervisor:

• A candidate is required to nominate a replacement Supervisor in the event the Supervisor withdraws from being a Supervisor or terminates his services at UNITEN. This is to be done in writing and with the endorsement of the proposed replacement Supervisor.

• A candidate, supported by strong justifications, may appeal to the Dean of CoGS via the Programme Coordinator to substitute the appointed Supervisor. In such a situation, the candidate has to nominate a replacement Supervisor and furnish a written acceptance from the proposed replacement.

• The Decision of the Dean of CoGS will prevail with no right of further appeal by the student, but subject to formal endorsement by Senate.

• There will be no change in the maximum period of candidature.


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,�4. ��"��

� Fully Initialised Status

� After the first registration and throughout a student’s candidature, he is supposed to

ensure the following at all times: • Registered for the programme. • Paid the required fees. • Confirmed the title and Supervisor(s) for the thesis. • Fixed his status: active (all above) or not active (deferred, suspended, etc.).

� Grade & Termination

� A candidate will be given one of the following two grades at all times:

• S – Satisfactory • U – Unsatisfactory

� Any candidate given grade U for a continuous period exceeding 4 months (6 months

for part-time) will be terminated from the programme.

� A student may appeal against the termination of his candidature. This is to be made in writing to the Dean of CoGS and within one month of the date of termination and supported by strong justifications. The appeal will be considered by Senate, which will make the final decision.

� Attendance & Progress Report

� All students must comply to the following residential requirements, failing which he

would be considered as having defaulted on his candidature: • Full-time: Registered and present for all 3 semesters per year. • Part-time: Registered and present at least 10 working days a year

� A candidate must meet his Supervisor immediately after registration, immediately

before submission of thesis, and at least once every two months in between (four months for part-time). Failing this, the Supervisor may recommend for the candidate’s grade to be changed to U.

' Each candidate must submit a progress report (not exceeding 300 words) together

with a duly completed form provided by CoGS to the Programme Coordinator at the end of each semester. Failure to do this will result in the student not being allowed to register for the following semester.

� Thesis Proposal Defense

� A candidate must go through a thesis proposal defense to a Panel of Examiners for

Thesis Proposal to be convened by the Dean of CoGS within the following periods: • Masters (full-time): 6 months, • Masters (part-time: 9 months, • PhD (full-time): 9 months, • PhD (part-time): 12 months

� The proposal defense presentation must contain at least the following:

a) Objectives & Deliverables b) Research Background/ Literature Review c) Project Methodology


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d) Work Schedule (see below under Thesis Progress) e) Preliminary Results

� Should the Panel of Examiners for Thesis Proposal decide that the proposal has not

met the requirements, the candidate’s grade will be changed to U, but only at the point when the thesis proposal defense period as stated above has expired.

� The candidate may request for up to a total of three (3) opportunities (including the first one) to pass the thesis proposal defense, where success will place the student’s grade at S. Failure at the third attempt, or when the U grade exceeds the allowed period (whichever is earlier), will result in the termination of the student’s candidature.

� Thesis Progress

� In the Work Schedule within the thesis proposal defense, the student has to submit

a plan that contains at least the contents of the following table (or reasonably equivalent to), with the periods given not exceeding those in the table:

Masters Full-Time

Masters Part-Time

PhD Full-Time

PhD Part-Time

Project Proposal 6 months 9 months 9 months 12 months

Analysis & Design 12 months 18 months 24 months 30 months

Mid-Project Draft 21 months 30 months 38 months 52 months

Draft Submission 30 months 40 months 52 months 75 months

Final Submission 33 months 45 months 57 months 81 months

The first column in the table refers to documents that have to be submitted to show the progress of the thesis, while the other columns give the maximum timelines that have to be adhered to as they are tied to the maximum period of candidature for the student.

� Referring to the table above, the Project Proposal document has been described

earlier. A typical thesis covers the following aspects, which should be covered in total by the Draft Submission and the Final Submission:

a) Introduction � Objectives & Deliverables � Contribution to Knowledge

b) Research Background/ Literature review c) Research Methodology/ Analysis & Design d) Implementation/ Results & Discussion e) Conclusion & Future Work

The Analysis & Design document needs to cover at least up to (c), while the Mid-Project Draft has to cover substanstial elements of (d).

� Except for the Project Proposal and the Final Submission (which are to be submitted

to CoGS), all other submissions are to be made to the Supervisor. Failure to do so, or should the Supervisor deem that the contents do not meet the merit requirements of a thesis at the given stage, the Supervisor may recommend that the student’s grade be changed to U.

� Redemption for a grade U given by the Supervisor can only be made by a proper submission deemed acceptable by the Supervisor. Any appeal will have to be made in writing to the Dean of College or to the Dean of CoGS.


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,4. ��<�=�� >��?� � ��

� Notice of Submission

� A student is required to submit a notice of submission of thesis to the Programme

Coordinator via a form provided by CoGS at about six months before the actual date of submission.

� The period for the notice of submission is very important to allow time for CoGS to set up the Panel of Examiners, the members of which will eventually examine the thesis as well as participate in the viva-voce. The examination of the thesis by an examiner would normally take two months.

� Thesis Submission

� Permission to submit:

• Once the thesis is completed, the candidate should first seek consent from his Supervisor to submit the thesis via a form provided by CoGS.

• In very extreme circumstances and a very much discouraged situation, should the Supervisor disagree to the submission and the candidate still insists on doing so, he may submit the thesis with a registered disagreement from the Supervisor via a special form provided by CoGS.

� Final submission:

• An unbound copy of the thesis shall first be submitted to the Programme Coordinator to be checked for conformity to the format stipulated in the ‘Guide to the Preparation of Theses’ before it can be allowed to be submitted for examination.

• Once deemed to conform, 5 bound soft cover copies (6 if there is a Co-Supervisor) and a softcopy on CD shall be submitted to the Programme Coordinator for examination, together with a form provided by CoGS to be duly completed.

� Fees

' All fees are to be fully paid before a viva-voce can be held.

,4�. �=��

� Convening of the Viva-Voce

� The evaluation shall comprise 3 components: examination of the final submission of

thesis by the examiners, viva voce, and meeting of the Panel of Examiners.

� The viva voce will be convened once the reports from all the examiners have been received. The notice given may be very short, and as such candidates are advised to keep CoGS always informed of their whereabouts and contact numbers.

� Viva-Voce

� At the viva-voce, the candidate is required to make a 20 minute oral presentation

covering all aspects of a typical thesis as listed earlier, but in a very concise form. � This will be followed by a defense of the thesis: questions and answers (Q&A).


Page 17 of 30

� After the Q&A, the candidate will be asked to leave the viva room while the Panel of Examiners deliberates. The candidate will be called back in very soon after.

� The Decision

� Once the candidate is called back into the viva room, the Chairman of the Panel of

Examiners will detail out (if any) the exact amendments to be made to the thesis as suggested by the Panel. The list will also be handed over to the student by the Supervisor after the session

� One of the following decisions shall be made on the thesis as the conclusion of the viva-voce:

• Accepted [1]: The thesis is accepted as is, or is subject to formatting, typographical, spelling corrections.

• Accepted with Minor Modifications [2]: The thesis contains errors in grammar and presentation; minor improvements in the substance of the thesis may also be required.

• Accepted with Major Corrections/Re-examination Required [3]: The thesis contains serious flaws and major revisions are required, the results of which will have to be resubmitted for re-examination.

• Rejected [4]: The thesis does not meet the minimum standards required of a Masters or a PhD degree. (In the latter case, if deemed suitable, the thesis may be recommended for re-submission as a Masters thesis)

,4��. �� <�=�� >��<��

� Thesis Amendments: [1] & [2]

� A candidate whose thesis is rated as [1] or [2] is given 60 days to submit the final

bound hard cover copies of the thesis to the Dean of CoGS. • Within that period the candidate shall have to submit the penultimate draft (an

unbound copy) to the Supervisor at the soonest possible date to ensure all processes thereafter may be completed in time.

• The Supervisor, together with one of the Examiners, will verify that all required amendments have been made.

• If required, the candidate can apply through his Supervisor to the Dean of CoGS for an extension of the period. At his sole discretion, the Dean can extend the period of submission, but the extension shall not be for more than 30 days, and only one extension shall be granted.

� During the period after the viva-voce and up to the point of submission of the final

bound hard cover copies, the candidate shall have to continue to be a registered student and will be subject to the relevant fees.

� Bound Hard Cover Submission

� Once ready within the approved period, the candidate shall submit 4 bound hard cover copies and a softcopy on CD to the Dean of CoGS. In addition, 1 bound hard cover copy shall be given to the Supervisor, and 1 to the Co-Supervisor (if any).

� A candidate who fails to submit the amended thesis within the approved time is deemed to have the thesis Rejected [4].


Page 18 of 30

� Re-Examination: [3] & [4]

� A candidate whose thesis is rated as [3] or [4] shall be given by the Chairman of the Panel of Examiners a specific timeframe to complete his work and to resubmit a revised thesis.

• Only one re-examination is allowed. • No application for a further extension of the given period will be approved. • During this period, the candidate shall have to continue to be a registered

student and will be subject to the relevant fees. � Re-examination process:

• The candidate will have to initiate the process of re-examination with a notice of submission of thesis, this time about three months before the actual submission date.

• The rest of the examination process up to the viva-voce remains the same as the first time round.

� At the second viva-voce,

• A thesis that is finally rated [1] or [2] will follow exactly the same processes as described above.

• A thesis that is still not rated [1] or [2] will be automatically considered to be rejected [4].

� PhD [4] to be Resubmitted as a Masters Thesis

� A candidate whose PhD thesis is rated as [4] but is recommended for award of a

Masters degree will be given by the Chairman of the Panel of Examiners a specific timeframe to complete his work and to resubmit a revised thesis.

� In such a case, apart from the approved timeframe which may differ, all other rules

and regulations will be the same as the case for a thesis being rated [1] or [2]. ,4��. ��

� Conferment of Degree

� The Senate shall award the degree upon the recommendation of the Dean of CoGS once all Requirements for Conferment of Degree as stated below have been met.

� Requirements for Conferment of Degree

� A candidate is deemed academically eligible to be conferred the degree if:

• All the requirements under Post-Examination/ Pre-Graduation have been met. • Has completed the minimum period of study and not exceeded the maximum

period allowed, as well as satisfied all residential requirements.

� Apart from the academic requirements, all the following administrative requirements also need to be fulfilled:

• Is currently registered (not withdrawn, defaulted, deferred or terminated); • Has made full settlement of fees and is free of any financial commitments and

debts to the University; • Is free from any disciplinary action or any other pending disciplinary action; • Has made a formal application to graduate via a special form provided by

CoGS and has received an official verification to graduate.


Page 19 of 30

�$ �� -�� A programme offered via structure B may be referred to as a mixed-mode programme, as it is a combination of Structure A (full research) and Structure C (coursework). The comparison can be seen in the following table.

Courses (3 credit hours each)

Project Component

Structure A 0 Thesis Structure B 7

(21 credit hours) Dissertation

(19 credit hours) Structure C 11

(33 credit hours) Project Report (7 credit hours)

The courses in Structure B are meant to give a strong foundation of the domain together with some level of specialisation, but not to the level of detail as in Structure C. The contents of the courses are what one would expect a student in Structure A would cover by independent reading while doing his project. Given the above, the level of the project leading to the dissertation in Structure B is expected to be lower but still quite close to that expected of a Structure A thesis. On the other hand, the project in Structure C is essentially meant only to be a hands-on application of the contents of the courses. The level is nonetheless expected to be significantly higher than a final year project. The courses in both Structures B & C will be examined like any other courses offered by the university, while examination of the dissertation and project will be via a viva-voce, very much like the examination of a Structure A thesis. Both the dissertation and project are treated as courses with credit hours and grades when it comes to the computation of the CGPA. Indeed as with any masters programme, a student having graduated through a Structure B programme should be able to demonstrate a mastery of the domain (via the courses), together with hands on skills and some level of contribution to the body of knowledge of the domain (via the dissertation). As for Structure C, the programmes tend to be geared more towards training professionals, which should include mastery of a specialised domain and with emphasis on techniques for a structured application of knowledge. Recall that (as given in the Main Document) programmes for Structures B & C are offered in the following manner (with a variation for part-time students):

Year I Year II STRUCTURE B Semester I Semester II Semester III Semester I

7 Taught Courses (21 credit hours)

(4 courses) 12

(3 courses) 9

0

0

Dissertation project (19 credit hours) 0 3 4 12 Total (40 credit hours) 12 12 4 12

Year I Year II STRUCTURE C

Semester I Semester II Semester III Semester I 11 Taught Courses (33 credit hours)

(4 courses) 12

(4 courses) 12

0

(3 courses) 9

Project (7 credit hours) 0 0 4 3 Total (40 credit hours) 12 12 4 12


Page 20 of 30

,�. ��&��"� ��

� Generalities

� Although not obligatory, candidates are advised to think of possible projects for the

dissertation and project, and better still to get in touch with a potential supervisor at UNITEN. Some information for this may be available at the College website.

� Computers are made available in laboratories in UNITEN, but the candidate may prefer to equip himself with his own laptop installed with the appropriate software for the project.

� Credit transfer/substitution for courses is possible (details are given below), and should a candidate qualify for this, all proper documentation as proof will need to be prepared and submitted to the Dean of CoGS to be verified and accepted prior to registration.

� Credit Transfer/ Substitution

� A candidate may apply to obtain a credit transfer/credit substitution with the intention

of obtaining an exemption from one or more required courses in a programme if he has passed the courses from another recognised institution, and that the courses have been accepted by UNITEN to be of a similar stature.

� Two types of courses taken at other institutions can be given due consideration:

• Credit Transfer - courses that are taken prior to admission into UNITEN. • Credit Substitution – courses taken after admission into UNITEN but the

candidate has not yet graduated from a programme (in cases of programme transfer/conversion within UNITEN – see below).

� The application to obtain a credit transfer/credit substitution must be accompanied

by an original transcript of the examination results and the course syllabus certified by the issuing institution.

� Some principles adhered to:

• The institution from which the credits are to be transferred or substituted has to be recognised by UNITEN as an institution that can be accepted for credit transfer/substitution.

• The programme from the recognised institution has to be accepted by UNITEN as a programme which is worthy of credit transfer/credit substitution for one or more of its courses.

• A course identified for credit transfer/substitution in a programme which has been recognised will have to be accepted by UNITEN as similar or nearly similar to one or more courses in a programme at UNITEN.

• Course(s) can only be accepted for transfer/substitution if the candidate has achieved a minimum grade of B.

• The credit transfer/credit substitution can only be granted for course(s) taken not more than 4 years after the released date of the examination results of the course(s) applied for.

• The university reserves all rights to require a candidate who is applying for the credit transfer/credit substitution to be given a written or oral examination (or both) in that particular course.

• A candidate at UNITEN, who wishes to study at another recognised institution for the purpose of obtaining a credit substitution, will have to obtain a written permission from the Dean CoGS.


Page 21 of 30

• A credit transfer will not be taken into account in the calculation of the CGPA. The CGPA will only be calculated based on the total passes at UNITEN.

• Course substitution as approved by the University for any required courses will be taken into account when calculating the GPA or CGPA.

� Minimum and maximum credit transfer/substitution:

• Any application for credit transfer/credit substitution will not be entertained if the course is less than 3 credit hours per semester.

• The total credit hours for the course at UNITEN that can be given a credit transfer/substitution must not exceed the credit hours taken at the original institution.

• The maximum total credit hours transferable is 50% of the total credits needed to graduate from a programme at UNITEN.

,��. ��"� ��

� Main Registration

� General regulations for registration are as listed in the Main Document.

� The administrative registration is done centrally and is for confirming programmes,

payment of fees, and settling other administrative matters. � Registration for courses will be done on-line and by the student himself within the

first week of registration. � Once this registration has been completed, the adding and dropping of courses will

have to comply to certain rules and regulations, and the same goes for conversion into other programmes.

� Adding & Dropping Courses

� Adding courses:

• A candidate may add a course(s) within the first two weeks of a semester, with the approval of the Dean of CoGS.

• Adding a course after the first two weeks of the semester is strictly prohibited.

� Dropping courses: • Once registered, a candidate may drop a course(s) within the first 30 days of

a semester, with the approval of the Dean of CoGS. • Dropping a course after the first 30 days of the semester is strictly prohibited. • A candidate who drops a course within the first 30 days is entitled for a refund,

or that the paid amount is to be credited to the next semester.

� Programme Conversion

� From one Masters programme to another: • Application for transfer to another Masters programme has to be submitted to

the Dean of CoGS, and this must be done within one year of registration for full-time students and within two years for part-time students.

• The application may only be considered if the candidate provides very strong justifications for such a request and that he must have not been terminated from the programme.

• Such a conversion is not allowed from Structure C to Structure B.


Page 22 of 30

� From a Masters programme to a PhD programme:

• Such a conversion is not allowed for Structures B & C students. . ,��. ��"��

� Dean’s Briefing

� All new students are required to attend the CoGS Dean’s briefing immediately after

the registration period.

� Dissertation/ Project Topic and Supervisor

� Topic and Supervisor • All students are required to discuss with the Programme Coordinator as well

as other lecturers to choose and confirm a dissertation/project topic and nominate a Supervisor before the end of the semester prior to the semester of commencing the project. Submission is to the Programme Coordinator.

• The topic must be relevant to the programme and approved by the Supervisor and Programme Coordinator.

• The Supervisor must be an academic staff of UNITEN and must not be in any way personally related to the candidate. The candidate must furnish a written agreement of the Supervisor and for the chosen topic.

• The candidate may also nominate a Co-Supervisor but only with a written agreement of the Supervisor and the proposed Co-Supervisor. This is however not highly recommended for Structure B & C projects.

� Changing dissertation/project topic:

• An application to change a dissertation/project topic must be made in writing to the Dean of CoGS via the Supervisor and Programme Coordinator.

• The application has to be made before the end of the first semester of registration of the project for full-time students, and the second semester for part-time students.

• There will be no change in the period for completing the project.

� Changing Supervisor: • A candidate is required to nominate a replacement Supervisor in the event the

Supervisor withdraws from being a Supervisor or terminates his services at UNITEN. This is to be done in writing and with the endorsement of the proposed replacement Supervisor.

• A candidate, supported by strong justifications, may appeal to the Dean of CoGS via the Programme Coordinator to substitute the appointed Supervisor. In such a situation, the candidate has to nominate a replacement supervisor and furnish a written acceptance from the proposed replacement.

• The Decision of the Dean of CoGS will be final with no right of further appeal. • There will be no change in the period for completing the project.


Page 23 of 30

,�4. ��"��

� Fully Initialised Status

� After the first registration and throughout a student’s candidacy, he is supposed to

ensure the following at all times: • Registered for the programme. • Paid the required fees. • Registered for courses/project. • Confirmed the title and Supervisor(s) for the dissertation/project. • Fixed his status: active (all above) or not active (deferred, suspended, etc.).

� Attendance

� All students must attend at least 80% of all lectures for each course:

• Disciplinary action will be taken against any student whose attendance is less than the required 80% (unless given written permission by the Course Lecturer, Programme Coordinator or the Dean of CoGS).

• Under disciplinary action, unless repealed by the Dean of CoGS, the student will not be allowed to attend any subsequent lectures nor sit for any form of course assessment or examination.

� For the dissertation/project, the candidate must meet the supervisor immediately

after registration, immediately before submission, and at least once a month in between. Failing this, the same disciplinary action as for courses may apply.

� Assessment

� All courses registered will be evaluated via the following assessment components,

with the percentage contribution being fixed based on each programme or course: • Coursework/Assignment • Examination.

� Dissertations and projects are considered as 100% Coursework/Assignment and

are also graded, via usually the following sub-components: • Proposals, interim reports, etc. • Viva-voce.

� Other than for projects and dissertations, the Coursework/Assignment component

for courses is given continuously throughout the semester via: • Tests, quizzes, assignments, mini projects, term papers, case studies,

presentations, etc. • Usually not more than 70% is allocated for such continuous assessment.

� Unless given prior permission by the Course Lecturer (for Coursework/Assignment),

and the Programme Coordinator or the Dean of CoGS (for examinations, projects, dissertations), all unattended assessment sessions and unsubmitted assignments will be automatically given grade point 0 (including for students under disciplinary action).

� Dissertation/Project

� Dissertations and projects are fixed period registrations with the length of the project

depending on the programme structure and the student status. Each student will have to submit the following documents and according to the given schedule:


Page 24 of 30

Project Full-Time

Project Part-Time

Dissertation Full-Time

Dissertation Part-Time

Project Proposal Middle of 1st Semester

End of 1st Semester

Middle of 1st Semester

End of 1st Semester

Analysis & Design End of 1st Semester

Middle of 3rd Semester

Middle of 2nd Semester


Draft Submission Middle of 2nd Semester

Middle of 4th Semester


Middle of 5th Semester

Final Submission 1 month before end of 2nd Semester

1 month before end of 4th Semester

1 month before end of 3rd Semester

1 month before end of 5th Semester

� Submission and contribution of above documents:

• The exact dates for submitting each of the above documents will be fixed by the Programme Coordinator and distributed to all candidates at the beginning of the 1st semester of registration.

• Each of the above documents will be graded and the grade points will contribute towards the final grade point, the percentage of which will be determined by the programme.

• Failure to submit a document on time will result in a grade point of 0 for that component. No extension is allowed, except for medical reasons, and this is to be certified by a Medical Officer.

� CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) System

� UNITEN adopts the CGPA system for assessment.

� Evaluation for all courses (including for coursework/assignments as well as for

projects/dissertations) will be graded according the following scheme:

Grade Grade Point Meaning A 4.00 Outstanding A- 3.67 Very Good B+ 3.33 Good B 3.00 Pass B- 2.67 Marginal Pass C+ 2.33 Marginal Pass C 2.00 Marginal Pass C- 1.67 Marginal Pass D 1.00 Marginal Pass E 0.00 Fail

� The CGPA for a student at any particular time will be calculated in the following way:

�i [grade_pointi x crediti] ________________________ �i crediti

where grade_pointi refers to the grade point obtained for a registered and examined coursei, and crediti refers to the credit hours for coursei, with i ranging from 1 to N = total number of courses taken so far; and �i refers to the sum from I to N.

� Academic Standing

� Good Standing: a student is considered to be in good standing if he maintains a

minimum CGPA of 3.00.


Page 25 of 30

� Probation: a student with a CGPA of below 3.00 but not less than 2.25 is

considered to be under probation. � Terminated: a student will be terminated should he not attain

• a CGPA of 2.25 and above in any one semester • a CGPA of 3.00 and above immediately after a semester under Probation.

� Termination

� The Probation and Termination rules above apply to all semesters (long and short),

including those when only the dissertation is being carried out (Structure B – based on project proposals, interim reports, etc.).

� A student may appeal against the termination of his candidature. This is to be made in writing to the Dean of CoGS and within one month of the date of termination and supported by strong justifications. The appeal will be considered by the University Senate.

� Computation of the Grade Point for a Course

� Coursework/Assignment components and the examination contribute to the grade

point for a course taken, which will be calculated in the following way:

�i [grade pointi x PCi]

where grade pointi refers to the grade point obtained for a Coursework/Assignment component i of the said course, and PCi refers to the percentage contribution of the same component i within the course, with i ranging from 1 to N = total number of such components for the course; and �i refers to the sum from I to N. Naturally, each PCi is within the range of 0.00—1.00, and the total sum of all the N such PCi‘s would be 1.00.

� Raw marks are usually used for each component grade pointi above, which would

be out of 100. The resulting percentage will then be converted to the final grade point.

� Grade points may also be used for each component grade pointi. In such, a case, when the resulting figure for the grade point is different from those in the table for CGPA (Grade Point column), the rounding off to determine the final grade point will be according to the table below:

Grade Grade Point Range A 4.00 3.75—4.00 A- 3.67 3.50—3.74 B+ 3.33 3.10—3.49 B 3.00 2.75—3.09 B- 2.67 2.50—2.74 C+ 2.33 2.10—2.49 C 2.00 1.75—2.09 C- 1.67 1.25—1.74 D 1.00 0.75—1.24 E 0.00 0.00—0.74


Page 26 of 30

� Course Status

� On the whole and at any given time, all courses registered (including for projects/ dissertations) will be given a status according the following scheme:

TH Absent (Tidak Hadir) LU or GA Pass (Lulus) or Failed (Gagal) BS Incomplete (Belum Selesai) PK Credit Transfer (Pindah Kredit) TD Withdraw (Tarik Diri) AU Audit

� The interpretation of the above are as follows:

• TH (Absent): a candidate who has dropped or withdrawn from a course after the stipulated period is considered “Absent” and he will be given a grade point 0 towards the calculation of his GPA and CGPA.

• LU (Pass) or GA (Fail): These are for courses that have been already completed by the student and would have the corresponding grade points. LU status will be given to a student who is considered to have satisfactorily completed all the requirements for a registered course; GA will be given to a student who is considered to have not completed all the course requirements successfully.

• BS (Incomplete): → The status BS is given to projects and dissertations that have not expired

its fixed period registration and hence cannot be given a grade point. → The only other situations for this status are when a student fails to sit for

an examination or to complete a coursework/assignment due to medical reasons, and that this has been certified by a Medical Officer, or for any other reasons approved by the Dean of CoGS. In such a case:

� The student would be required to sit for a special examination as a make-up for the examination missed or to complete the incomplete assignment at a due date agreed upon by the Dean of CoGS.

� The BS status is valid only until the end of the following semester, after which the status automatically changes to GA.

� Under very exceptional circumstances, the Dean of CoGS may authorise an extension of the approved period.

• PK (Credit Transfer): this status is given to a student who has received a credit transfer for a course according to the specified regulations. The course will be given the credit hours but its grade point will not be taken into account for the computation of the CGPA

• TD (Withdrawn): a status given to a course chosen to be withdrawn by the candidate within the stipulated period. No grade point will be available and as such will not be included in the calculation for the CGPA. The course will be nonetheless recorded in the transcript.

• AU (Audit): to be registered in the transcript of a student who chooses to attend lectures in a course but not to be assessed.


Page 27 of 30

,4. ��<�=�� >��?� � ��

� Taught Courses

� For all taught courses, all Coursework/Assignment components will have to be

completed and submitted according to the schedule set by the Course Lecturer, with the last being one week before the examination period.

� Dissertation/ Project

� Final submission:

• An unbound copy of the dissertation/project shall be submitted to the Programme Coordinator to be checked for conformity to the format stipulated in the ‘Guide to the Preparation of Theses’ before it can be allowed to be submitted for examination. Failure to conform may result in the reduction of grade points (possibly by one grade point).

• Once deemed to conform, 5 bound soft cover copies (6 if there is a Co-Supervisor) and a softcopy on CD shall be submitted to the Programme Coordinator for examination.

,4�. �=��

� Taught Courses

� Examination for all taught courses will be carried out during the examination period

and following the University Examination Regulations.

� Dissertation/ Project

� The evaluation shall comprise 3 components: examination of the final submission of dissertation/ project report, viva voce, and meeting of the Panel of Examiners.

� The candidate is required to make an oral presentation and a dissertation/project defense at the viva-voce, which will be convened before the examination period.

� Results of the viva-voce will be treated like any other examination for a taught

course, and hence withheld from the candidate until Senate’s endorsement. � For Structure B students (dissertation), the candidate will be:

• Called back into the viva room to be asked to make certain modifications to the dissertation (if any)

• Given 2 weeks to make the appropriate changes and resubmit an unbound copy to the Programme Coordinator for verification,

• Once verified, be given a further 2 weeks to submit 3 bound hard cover copies and a softcopy on CD to the Dean of CoGS. In addition, 1 bound hard cover copy shall be given to the Supervisor, and 1 to the Co-Supervisor (if any). Failure to comply with this will result in the viva-voce component being given a grade point of 0.


Page 28 of 30

,4��. �� <�=�� >��<��

� Examination Results

� The final grade for a course will only be released to the student after Senate’s

endorsement, which is typically a month after the examination period.

� An appeal can be made by a student to review any particular grade obtained in an examination for any course. This is to be made in writing to the Dean of CoGS, within two weeks of the release of the results and following the procedures as stipulated by the current University Examination Regulations.

� The above also apply to dissertations and projects.

� Pre-Graduation Checklist

� The candidate is responsible for checking whether he has fulfilled or is about to fulfill

all requirements for graduation, and if so has to submit a formal application to graduate (via a form available at the CoGS office). This can be done prior to the final semester’s results being released, i.e. based on projected results.

� Within the academic requirements, the following points are very pertinent: • A candidate who has failed a core course is required to repeat the course until

he passes with a Grade B. • A failed elective course may be replaced by another elective course. • The grades for all attempts will be recorded in the candidate’s academic

transcript, but only the best results will be taken into account when calculating the CGPA (i.e. repeat courses will be considered as replacements).

� Direct consequences of a failed dissertation/project:

• The dissertation/project is a fixed period course and as such will receive a grade point after that period: � There is no extension to the project period. � A grade point of D is considered a pass.

• Depending on the status of the dissertation/project as a course (core or elective) within the programme, the following will have to be take place � Core: course: the dissertation/project will have to be repeated until a

Grade B is attained. � Elective course: the dissertation/project may be replaced by other

courses with an equivalent total of credit hours.


Page 29 of 30

,4��. ��

� Conferment of Degree

� The Senate shall award the degree upon the recommendation of the Dean of CoGS

once all Requirements for Conferment of Degree as stated below have been met.

� Requirements for Conferment of Degree

� A candidate is deemed academically eligible to be conferred the degree if all the following are fulfilled:

• Achieved a CGPA of not less than 3.00 calculated based on all courses taken (passed or failed) throughout the duration of study.

• Passed all core courses with a grade point of not less than 3.0. • Passed the necessary number of elective courses. • Has completed the minimum period of study and not exceeded the maximum

period allowed, as well as satisfied all residential requirements.

� Apart from the academic requirements, all the following administrative requirements also need to be fulfilled:

• Is currently registered (not withdrawn, defaulted, deferred or terminated); • Has made full settlement of fees and is free of any financial commitments and

debts to the University; • Is free from any disciplinary action or any other pending disciplinary action; • Has made a formal application to graduate and has received an official

verification to graduate.


Page 30 of 30

��!�"��

� General Statement

� In the tradition of scholarly pursuit, students are advised against committing plagiarism according to ‘UNIVERSITIES AND UNIVERSITY COLLEGES ACT 1971, UNIVERSITI TENAGA NASIONAL (STUDENTS’ DISCIPLAINARY COMMITTEE)’.

� Prohibition Against Plagiarism

� A candidate shall not plagiarise any idea, writings, data or invention belonging to

another person.

� For the purpose of this rule, plagiarism includes: • The act of taking an idea, data or an invention of another person and claiming

that the idea, data or invention is the result of one’s own findings or creation; or • An attempt to make out or the act of making out in such a way, that one is the

original source or the creator of an idea, data or an invention which has actually been taken from some other source.

� Without prejudice to the generality of the above sub-rule, a student is considered to

plagiarise when he: • Publishes with himself as the author, an abstract, article, scientific or academic paper, or

book which is wholly or partly written by some other person; • Incorporates himself or allows himself to be incorporated as co-author of an abstract,

article, scientific or academic paper, or book when he has not at all made any written contribution to the abstract, article, scientific or academic paper or book.

• Forces another person to include his name in the list of co-researchers for a particular research project or in the list of co-authors for a publication when he has not made any contribution which may qualify him as a co-researcher or co-author;

• Extracts academic data which are the results of research undertaken by some other person, such as laboratory findings or field work findings or data obtained through library research, whether published or unpublished, and incorporates those data as part of his academic research without giving due acknowledgement to the actual source;

• Uses research data obtained through collaborative work with some other person, whether or not that other person is a staff member or a student of the University, as part of another distinct personal academic research of his, or for a publication in his own name as sole author, without obtaining the consent of his co-researchers prior to embarking on his personal research or prior to publishing the data;

• Transcribes the ideas or creations of others kept in whatever written, printed or available in electronic form, or in slide form, or in whatever form of teaching or research apparatus, or in any other form, and claims either directly or indirectly that he is the creator of that idea or creation;

• Translates the writing or creation of another person from one language to another whether wholly or partly and subsequently presents the translation in whatever form or manner as his own writing or creation, or;

• Extracts ideas from another person’s writing or creation and makes certain modifications without due reference to the original source and rearrange it in such a way that it appears as if he is the creator of those ideas.

Documents

CoGS Academic Regulations 29 August 2007_1109