UNIVERSITI BRUNEI DARUSSALAM REGULATIONS FOR THE

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE PROGRAMME

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CONSTITUTION OF UNIVERSITI BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

(Section 29)

REGULATIONS FOR THE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE PROGRAMME

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CONSTITUTION OF UNIVERSITI BRUNEI DARUSSALAM (Section 29)

REGULATIONS FOR THE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE PROGRAMME

General 1. The Universiti Brunei Darussalam (hereinafter referred to as the “University”)

Regulations for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree Programme (hereinafter referred to as “the Programme”) is the parent regulations for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree Programme of the University (hereinafter referred to as the “Parent Regulations”).

2. The University confers the Doctor of Philosophy degree in recognition of the

original works of research and systematic studies that advance knowledge. The procedures described in this Parent Regulations allow candidates to meet the requirements of the University for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

3. Subject to the approval of the Senate and the Council, the University The

University offers a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme by research. Interpretation 4. In this Parent Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires:

“Application Form” means the form submitted by a candidate to the Registrar for enrolment of a Doctor of Philosophy Degree Programme; “Assistant Registrar” means the Assistant Registrar of the Faculty; “Assistant Vice Chancellor” means the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs of the University;

“Board of Examiners” means the chairperson and members selected from the University for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree Programme by research as specified in Paragraphs 39 (a) and 39 (b); “Chairperson” means the Chair of the Board of Examiners; “Constitution” means the Constitution of the University;

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“Council” means the Council of the University;

“Dean” means the Dean of the Faculty, School or Academy concerned;

“Director” means the Director of the Institute or Centre concerned; “Director of Studies means the Director for the Office of the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs of the University; “Doctor of Philosophy Degree Programme” means the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree Programme by research;

“Double Degree Programme” means a Doctor of Philosophy Degree Programme offered by the University where a candidate is allowed to enroll in other programme in other universities, and will be conferred two (2) certificates jointly as specified in Paragraph 9 (c); “Dual Degree Programme” means a Doctor of Philosophy Degree Programme offered by the University where a candidate is allowed to enroll in other programme in other universities, and will be conferred two (2) certificates independently as specified in Paragraph 9 (d);

“Faculty” means a Faculty, Institute, School, Centre, Academy and Institution established under section 18(1) of the University Constitution; “Faculty Board” means the Board of the Faculty, Institute, School, Centre, Academy or Institution concerned;

“FGSC” means the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee; “Institution” means an institution of the University as defined in section 2 of the University Constitution;

“Joint Degree Programme” means a joint Doctor of Philosophy Degree Programme offered by the University and a recognised partner institution overseas, and will be conferred a single certificate as specified in Paragraph 9 (a); “Master of Philosophy Degree Programme” means the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) Degree Programme by research;

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“Parent Regulations” means the University’s Regulations for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree Programme;

“Programme Leader” means the Programme Leader appointed by the Vice Chancellor for a Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree and PhD Programmes; “Progress Report” means the progress report on the candidate’s work at the end of each six (6) – month period as specified in Paragraph 16 (c)( i) ; “Registrar” means the Registrar and Secretary of the University; “Registrar’s Office means the office of the Registrar and Secretary of the University;

“Senate” means the Senate of the University; “Supervisor(s)” means the Supervisor(s) appointed by UGSC among the full-time staff of the University to supervise the work of the candidate;

“UGSC” means the University Graduate Studies Committee; “University” means the Universiti Brunei Darussalam; “Vice Chancellor” means the Vice Chancellor of the University.

University Graduate Studies Committee 5. The University Graduate Studies Committee (hereinafter referred to as “UGSC”)

shall be appointed by the Vice Chancellor to act on behalf of the Senate, except as otherwise specified in this Parent Regulations.

6. The duties and responsibilities of the UGSC shall include, but not limited to:

(a) Receiving the report of the Boards of Examiners constituted under Paragraph 7 of this Parent Regulations these Regulations, and recommending to the Senate the award of the Master of Philosophy degree or Doctor of Philosophy degree;

(b) Making decisions on the termination of a candidate’s registration as a student

of the University, based on the candidate’s academic performance, the Academic Regulations governing the Programme and the recommendations of the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee;

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(c) Granting of Leave of Absence from the programme, either for reasons of ill-

health or for personal reasons;

(f) Dealing with any other matters pertaining to the candidate’s candidature and examinations covered by these Regulations or any matter, which has been referred to the Committee by the Faculty Board.

Faculty Graduate Studies Committee 7. The Faculty Graduate Studies Committee (hereinafter referred to as “FGSC”) is

empowered to act on behalf of the Faculty Board concerned. 8. The duties and responsibilities of the FGSC shall include, but not limited to:

(a) Receiving reports from the supervisor(s) of the candidate and monitoring the progress of the candidate; and

(b) Making recommendations on the admission and re-admission of a candidate to the University, making recommendations to the UGSC regarding termination, extension and matters relating to a candidate’s candidature, based on the Regulations governing the Programme and the aforesaid reports mentioned in Paragraph 8 (a).

Joint, Double and Dual Degree Doctoral Programmes 9. A candidate may undertake an approved Joint, Double or Dual Degree Doctoral

Programme with another university.

(a) The terms and conditions of the said programme shall be approved by the Senate and clearly stated in a memorandum and agreement made between the Faculty and another University.

(b) For a Joint Degree Programme, a candidate shall be awarded a single Doctoral

degree certificate jointly offered by both institutions upon fulfillment of the graduation requirements of the programme.

(d) Deciding on the award of exhibitions and prizes where such awards are provided for;

(e) Reporting to the Senate on any matter relating to the standard or manner in

which the examinations of any of the programmes has been conducted; and

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(c) For a Double Degree Programme, a candidate shall be awarded two Doctoral degree certificates from each institution respectively upon the successful completion of the graduation requirements of both programmes.

(d) For a Dual Degree Programme, a candidate shall be awarded two Doctoral

degree certificates independently from each institution upon the successful completion of the graduation requirements of each institution.

Admission 10. In addition to the general admission requirements of the University, a candidate

should have a Master’s degree. In exceptional cases, with approval from the Senate, a first class Honours Bachelor degree, or relevant qualifications from an institution recognised by the Senate, may be admitted. A candidate must submit evidence of adequate training and ability to undertake the proposed programme.

11. (a) Notwithstanding Paragraph 10, the UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate,

may, on the recommendation of the FGSC and depending on the merits of each case, permit a Master’s by research degree candidate of the University to convert to a PhD candidate if the candidate satisfies the following requirements:

(i) He/she is registered as a candidate for a Master’s degree in the same discipline;

(ii) The field or topic of his/her research for the Master’s degree is related or relevant to that proposed for the degree of PhD;

(iii) He/she has completed at least twelve (12) months and not more than eighteen (18) months as a Master’s candidate; and

(iv) The FGSC has evaluated the candidate’s performance and makes a strong recommendation to the UGSC in support of his/her transfer to the PhD programme.

(b) When admitting a candidate under Paragraph 11 (a), the UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate may, on the recommendation of the FGSC and depending on the merits of each case, have whole or part of the period spent as a Master’s degree by research candidate counted as part of the minimum period of the PhD candidature provided, that the period counted does not exceed twelve (12) months for conversion to a full-time PhD candidate, or twenty-four (24) months for conversion to a part-time PhD candidate.

(c) For the purpose of Paragraph 11 (b),

(i) Each period of one month completed as a full-time Master’s candidate

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shall count as one completed month of full-time study or two completed months of part-time study for the PhD; and

(ii) Each period of two months completed as a part-time Master’s candidate shall count as one completed month of full-time study or two completed months of part-time study for the PhD.

12. A full-time staff member of the University may be admitted as a part-time candidate if the academic requirements for admission are satisfied as stated in Paragraph 10 and approved by the UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate.

Exemption for Admission Requirements 13. The UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate, may, in exceptional circumstances and

on the recommendation of the FGSC, grant such exemptions as it deems fit from the requirements of Paragraphs 10 to 12.

Application for Admission 14. An application for admission must be made on the prescribed Application Form

and submitted to the University, giving details of the applicant’s qualifications, research experience and proposed scheme of advanced study and research.

15. An application for admission shall be submitted in the first instance to the FGSC

concerned for consideration. The FGSC shall then send a recommendation to the UGSC, giving the following details:

(a) The proposed field of research; (b) The type of candidature proposed, that is whether as a full-time or part-time

candidate;

(c) Any course or courses to be taken by the candidate and whether any prescribed examination is required;

(d) The language in which the thesis is to be written, i.e. English or Malay or Arabic; and

(e) Any other matter that the FGSC may wish to highlight or bring to the attention of the UGSC.

The decision of the UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate, on an application shall be final.

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Appointment of the Supervisor 16. (a) The FGSC shall, when recommending the admission of a candidate,

recommend to the UGSC the appointment of the Supervisor from among the full-time staff of the University. The Supervisor shall be principally responsible for the supervision and guidance of the candidate. One or more co-supervisors may additionally be appointed. The Supervisor and co-supervisor(s), if any, should possess appropriate expertise and experience in the research field.

(b) The Supervisor shall monitor the progress of the candidate. In case of

unsatisfactory progress, the Supervisor may recommend termination of the candidature to the FGSC.

(c) The Supervisor shall submit to the FGSC, through the Programme Leader and

the Dean or the Director concerned, the following confidential reports on the candidate’s study and research;

(i) A progress report at the end of each 6-month period, calculated from

the date of admission; and

(ii) A final report when the candidate is submitting his/her thesis for examination.

Annual Registration and Payment of Fees 17. A candidate must, on admission, register as a student of the University and pay

the prescribed fees. A candidate who fails to register as a student of the University before the final registration date each semester (normally four (4) weeks after the start of the semester) shall be assumed to have withdrawn from the University and their candidature will be terminated with effect from the start of that semester, except in the following cases:

(a) A candidate given leave of absence is not required to register as a student

during the period of approved leave.

(b) The final registration date may be extended for individual students or groups of students who are on official duties overseas (e.g. attending Sports Meetings, Science Olympiads etc.) and who are unable to register by the normal final registration date, at the discretion of the Registrar’s Office, at the request of the appropriate Dean or Director.

(c) A candidate who is temporarily suspended from the University for any reason is

also required to register at the start of each semester.

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Period of Candidature and Residency Requirements 18. (a) A candidate is required to complete the approved scheme of advanced study

and research, within thirty-six (36) months in the case of a full-time candidate, or within sixty (60) months in the case of a part-time candidate.

(b) Subject to Paragraph 26 (c), the period of candidature for any Programme shall be:

(i) not less than thirty-six (36) months and not more than sixty (60) months for a full-time candidate;

(ii) for a part-time candidate of the PhD Programme, not less than thirty-six (36) months and not more than eighty-four (84) months;

(c) The UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate may grant the extension of a six (6) month period for each extension, of the candidate’s candidature with the recommendation of the FGSC up to a maximum period of 60 months in the case of a full-time candidate, or eighty-four (84) months in the case of a part-time candidate. The UGSC may consider to grant further extension of candidature for exceptional circumstances concerning the candidate’s health, or personal or technical reasons related to the research project upon strong recommendation by the FGSC.

(d) A candidate may apply only once for change of status from full-time to part-time or vice versa, within two years in the case of full-time candidate or three years in the case of part-time candidate. The application for the change of status shall be recommended by the FGSC and approved by the UGSC. Additionally, the UGSC may consider an application for change in status beyond these time limits in exceptional cases upon strong recommendation by the FGSC. For the purpose of determining the period of candidature of such a candidate, one month of full-time candidacy shall be deemed equivalent to two months of part-time candidacy.

19. A candidate (whether full-time or part-time) is normally required to spend not less than twenty-four (24) months of residency at the University, with the exception of the Joint, Double and Dual Degree Doctoral Programmes governed by Paragraph 9. However, the UGSC may allow a shorter period of residency of not less than twelve (12) months upon the recommendation of the FGSC that the candidate has completed his/her research work successfully.

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20. Subject to Paragraphs 19 and 21, the UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate may, on the recommendation of the FGSC concerned, permit a candidate (full-time, part-time, Joint Degree, Double Degree or Dual Degree) to undertake part of the approved scheme of advanced study and research in an approved institution outside the University, within or outside the country (hereinafter referred to as “the approved place of research”), for up to a maximum period of twelve (12) months, subject to the following conditions:

(a) The FGSC shall, wherever possible, recommend a suitably qualified person

from the approved place of research for appointment as a field supervisor under Paragraph 16 (a) to assist in guiding the candidate; and

(b) There must be frequent and regular contact between the candidate and his/her Supervisor/co-supervisor(s).

21. Notwithstanding Paragraph 20, if a candidate’s research requires him/her to

undertake fieldwork away from the University for long periods, the FGSC, on the recommendation from the Supervisor may recommend that the candidate’s fieldwork schedule be approved by the UGSC. There must be frequent and regular contact between the candidate and his/her Supervisor.

22. A full-time candidate is not permitted to engage in full-time employment. The

UGSC may permit a full-time candidate to undertake employment not exceeding ten (10) hours per week, provided that such employment is compatible with the candidate following the PhD programme full-time. The employment, however, is subject to the Laws and Regulations of Brunei Darussalam governing immigration and employment of university students.

23. A candidate must follow and attend such lectures, tutorials, seminars, class or

practical work as may be prescribed by the FGSC or by his/her Supervisor. Faculty Board may prescribe, with the permission of Senate, compulsory and/or optional modules, for a maximum of sixteen (16) modular credits as a requirement for graduation. These modules will be required to be completed before the qualifying assessment.

Qualifying Assessment and Master of Philosophy 24. A candidate must pass the prescribed qualifying assessment in order to proceed

further to PhD degree. The assessment by the Faculty Board must take place not earlier than twelve (12) months and not later than eighteen (18) months of the candidature for full time candidate, and not earlier than eighteen (18) months and not later than twenty-four (24) months of the candidature for part time candidate. The Senate shall approve, on recommendation by the Faculty Board, a prescribed method of assessment that may include presentations, interviews, written tests or combination of these.

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25. The UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate shall, having considered the report by the Faculty Board, recommend as follows:

(a) Candidate qualifies to proceed to the PhD programme;

(b) Terminate from PhD programme but refer to Board of Examiners if candidate does not have sufficient research work to continue for PhD but has completed sufficient work to consider for the award Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree; and

(c) Terminate from PhD programme if candidate fails to qualify to proceed to the

PhD programme and did not complete sufficient work to award Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree. Faculty board may make recommendation to the candidate to join other Master programme when appropriate.

26. (a) Subject to Paragraphs 26 (b) and 26 (c) of this regulation, a candidate

must complete the approved scheme of advanced study and research and submit his/her thesis for examination not later than sixty (60) months if he/she is a full-time candidate or not later than eighty-four (84) months if he/she is a part-time candidate, calculated from the date of admission to the date of submission of the thesis for examination, failing which his/her candidature shall be deemed to have lapsed.

(b) Notwithstanding Paragraph 26 (a) of this regulation, the UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate may, on the recommendation of the FGSC concerned, consider extending the candidature of a candidate beyond the maximum period specified in Paragraph 26 (a) subject to such conditions as the UGSC may determine, normally up to twelve (12) months, or longer under exceptional circumstances.

(c) Notwithstanding Paragraph 18 (b), the UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate may grant, a Leave of Absence to a candidate, of normally up to twelve (12) months or longer, under exceptional circumstances. Sick leave or a period of absence granted by the UGSC shall not be counted as part of the prescribed period of candidature. Any period of absence due to disciplinary procedures shall, however, be included in the prescribed period of candidature.

Termination 27. The FGSC may recommend to the UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate that a

candidature be terminated. The UGSC may terminate the candidature of any candidate whose progress is considered by the UGSC to be unsatisfactory, or who has failed to qualify to proceed to PhD degree after prescribed assessment or who has failed to comply with these PhD regulations. A candidate may appeal to the

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UGSC against such termination, but in the case of such appeal the decision of the UGSC shall be final.

Submission of Tit le of Thesis 28. (a) A candidate must, after consultation with his/her Supervisor, submit the

following for approval of the UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate, through the FGSC:

(i) The provisional title of his/her thesis, not later than six (6) months in the case of a full-time candidate or not later than twelve (12) months in the case of a part-time candidate, calculated from the date of admission;

(ii) The firm title and synopsis of the thesis, at least six (6) months prior to the proposed date of submission of the thesis for examination; and

(iii) Any changes in the provisional title, proposal and time schedule stated in Paragraph 28 (a)( i) .

(b) If the UGSC is of the opinion that the provisional or firm title is different or has deviated from the approved field of research or that the firm title is different or has deviated from the provisional title, the UGSC may require the FGSC to review the candidate’s entire research work before permitting the candidate to submit his/her thesis for examination.

Submission of Thesis for Examination 29. (a) A candidate is required to give at least three (3) months’ notice of his/her

intention to submit his/her thesis for examination. Such notice must be given on the prescribed submission form through the Supervisor to the relevant Dean or Director.

(b) The Supervisor shall indicate his/her agreement to the candidate’s submission of the thesis on the prescribed submission form. The Supervisor shall make such indication of his/her agreement known to the candidate.

(c) The Supervisor must submit a final report on the candidate’s candidature, to the UGSC, through FGSC and the Dean or Director concerned.

30. (a) A candidate must submit the original and four softbound copies of his/her

thesis as well as a digital copy to the relevant Dean or Director for examination.

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(b) The UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate shall approve, on recommendation by the Faculty Board, a format for the thesis submission for the examination. The Faculty Board shall recommend one of the following two (2) formats:

(i) A specified number of academic journal articles and/or book chapters with an executive summary; and

(ii) Both the thesis and a specified number of academic journal articles and/or book chapters.

(c) The thesis must be submitted in the form given below: (i) A thesis written in English or Malay Language must be printed in Times

News Roman font, and in Arabic Language must be printed in Simplified Arabic font, at 12 point size, 1.5 lines spaced, on A4 size paper and single or double sided printing;

(ii) Each page must have a binding margin of 4.0 cm;

(iii) The thesis must include the following prefatory materials: title page, dedication (if any), acknowledgements, declaration of originality, abbreviations, table of contents, an abstract not exceeding five hundred (500) words; and

(iv) Prefatory materials must be numbered in Roman numerals and pages of the text must be numbered in Arabic numerals; if the thesis consists of more than one volume, one sequence of numbering must be used for the text.

(v) The Faculty Board recommendation shall include the maximum number of words for the thesis.

(d) For the academic journal article format submitted with or without the thesis submission, the Faculty Board recommendation shall include the specified number of academic journal articles and/or book chapters, submission or acceptance status, quality of journal, and authorship policy. The journal articles, which are not, yet published, shall be submitted together with the “Instruction to Authors” of the journal where the article will be published.

(e) For the academic journal article format without the thesis submission, an executive summary must be submitted together with the academic journal articles and/or book chapters. The executive summary must not exceed ten-thousand (10,0000) words, including footnotes but excluding appendices, tables, diagrams, bibliography, maps, charts, statistical tables, graphs, illustrations and other additional materials if any, unless the prior permission of the UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate has been obtained to exceed this limit.

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(f) The Faculty Board shall recommend, book chapter, patent filing, digital copy of software application or software platform or any equivalent recognised work evidences, to be submitted instead of academic journal article.

(g) Candidates may be given the exemption to publish due to the confidentiality of the data to be reported, subject to the endorsement by the UGSC.

(h) For Paragraph 30 (b)( i) , the journal articles and/or book chapters, together with the Executive Summary, shall be given to examiners for assessment. For Paragraph 30 (b)( i i ) , the assessment shall be mainly on the thesis but the journal articles and/or book chapters will be given to the examiners for information only.

(i) If the thesis is approved by the Board of Examiners or if there are amendments or corrections required by the Board of Examiners and all amendments or corrections have been made to the satisfaction of the Board of Examiners, the candidate shall then be required to have the approved thesis bound in the form mentioned in Paragraph 30 (b) of this regulation. In addition:

(i) the title and the author’s name shall be printed in block letters on the cover;

(ii) the title or abbreviations thereof and the author’s name shall be printed on the spine of the thesis; and

(iii) the thesis must be bound in dark blue cloth with stiff boards with gold lettering not exceeding 16 point font size.

(j) The original and four copies of the bound thesis must be submitted to the Director of Studies not later than two months from the date of written notification of the examination results. The prior written approval of the Director of Studies must be obtained if additional time is required for the binding and final submission of the thesis.

31. A thesis written in a language other than English must contain an English Language translation of the abstract. A thesis written in a language other than Malay must contain a Malay Language translation of the abstract.

32. With the exception of the Joint Doctoral Programme governed by Paragraph 9, a

candidate may not submit as his/her thesis work which has been submitted for a degree of the University or any other university or institution. A candidate is, however, not precluded from incorporating any part of such work in the thesis provided that he/she clearly indicates in the thesis that part of the work, which has been so incorporated. He/she may in addition submit other published work, provided it has not already been submitted for a degree of the University or any other university or institution.

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33. The thesis shall be assessed for plagiarism by the respective Programme Leader

or a member assigned by the FGSC who is not the supervisor and the status of the plagiarism assessment shall be presented to the Board of Examiners for consideration.

34. For all academic journal publications or any other form of publications, the

candidate must seek permission from the Chair of the UGSC and due acknowledgement are made to the University in all publications. The publication rights are subject to the University’s existing Intellectual Property Policies and related Regulations.

35. The original and copies of a thesis, whether approved or not, shall remain the

property of the University. The original of an approved thesis shall be kept in the Office of Examinations and Registration and one hardbound copy as well as one digital copy shall be deposited in the University Library.

Appointment of Examiners 36. Subject to Paragraph 34, the UGSC shall, having considered the

recommendation of the FGSC, appoint the following to examine the thesis of a candidate:

(a) Two (2) external examiners from outside the University, at least one of whom

shall be from outside Brunei Darussalam; and

(b) One (1) internal examiner from among the academic staff of the University other than the candidate’s supervisor(s).

37. If no academic staff member can be found for appointment as internal examiner,

the UGSC shall appoint an additional external examiner. Examination Procedures 38. To be awarded with a doctoral degree, a candidate must pass both thesis and oral

examination components. Board of Examiners and Examination 39. (a) An oral examination is to be held at the University on the subject matter of

the candidate’s thesis before a panel. The panel will report the to the Board of Examiners and shall consist of the following members:

(i) The Assistant Vice-Chancellor as Chairperson or his/her nominee; (ii) The Dean or the Director of the Faculty concerned or his/her nominee;

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(iii) The Programme Leader concerned or a Faculty member in the area of specialisation of the candidate, as nominated by the Dean or the Director;

(iv) The external examiners if present at the University; (v) The internal examiner; (vi) The Supervisor(s) of the candidate as an observer; and (vii) The Assistant Registrar of the Faculty as the Secretary to the Board of

Examiners. (b) The examiners’ reports on the thesis shall be submitted to the Board of

Examiners concerned, consisting of the members, as stipulated in Paragraph 39(a).

40. The Board of Examiners shall, having considered the examiners’ reports,

recommend as follows:

(a) Accept the thesis with no/minimal amendments to the thesis and to award distinction. Such amendments, if any, should be made to the satisfaction of the supervisor(s) and the revised thesis need not be re-examined.

(b) Accept the thesis with no/minor amendments to the thesis. Such

amendments, if any, should be made to the satisfaction of the supervisor(s) and the revised thesis need not be re-examined.

(c) Accept the thesis with major amendments to the thesis. Such amendments

should be made to the satisfaction of the examiner(s), or supervisor(s), or both, and the revised thesis need not be re-examined.

(d) Major amendments and re-examination. The candidate should revise the

thesis and amendments should be made to the satisfaction of the examiner(s), or supervisor(s), or both, and the revised thesis needs to be re-examined. A student may spend an additional period of research work before resubmission.

(e) Not to award the PhD degree to the candidate. Depending on the candidate’s

completed research work, the Board of Examiners may recommend the UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate to award the candidate with the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree.

41. The Board of Examiners shall submit a report to the UGSC, acting on behalf of the

Senate, for approval. The UGSC shall make appropriate recommendations to Senate for the award of the degree.

42. If the decision of the Board of Examiners is as set out in Paragraph 40 (d), the

candidate shall submit the revised thesis for examination as set out in Paragraphs 30 to 35, and subject to Paragraph 41. The Board of Examiners may recommend further extension of candidature as deem necessary, to the UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate, for approval, in order to allow an additional

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period of research work and/or revision before the resubmission of thesis for examination.

43. A candidate may seek leave to appeal the decision of the Examination Board in

writing through the Director of Studies to the UGSC. The decision of the UGSC, acting on behalf of the Senate, shall be final.

Award of Degrees 44. A candidate may be awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy if he/she has:

(a) Fulfilled the requirements of these Regulations; (b) Been recommended by the Board of Examiners concerned for the award of the

degree of Doctor of Philosophy; and (c) Paid all of the prescribed fees, where applicable.

45. A candidate may be awarded the degree of Master of Philosophy if he/she has:

(a) Fulfilled the requirements of these Regulations; (b) Been recommended by the either Faculty Board or Board of Examiners

concerned whichever applicable for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy; and

(c) Paid all of the prescribed fees, where applicable.

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SCHEDULE A: Format of Submission of Thesis for Examination for the Humanities and Social Sciences Fields [Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), Academy of Brunei Studies (APB), Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE), UBD School of Business and Economics (UBDSBE), Sultan Omar ‘Al i Saifuddien Centre of Islamic Studies (SOASCIS), Institue of Asian Studies ( IAS) and Institute of Policy Studies (IPS)] [To be read with Paragraph 30 ‘Submission of Thesis for Examination’]

1. For the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences Fields (FASS, APB, SHBIE, UBDSBE,

SOASCIS, IAS and IPS), as the requirement for thesis submission, a candidate shall submit both the thesis and at least two pieces of academic work which are academic journal articles and/or book chapters.

2. The thesis must not exceed one hundred thousand (100,000) words, including footnotes but excluding appendices, tables, diagrams, bibliography, maps, charts, statistical tables, graphs, illustrations and other additional materials if any, unless the prior permission of the UGSC has been obtained to exceed this limit. If the thesis incorporates reproduction or translation of a text such material shall not be counted but the candidate’s own comments or criticism shall be counted. An application to exceed this limit must be made in writing to the UGSC, through the Supervisor, the FGSC, and the UGSC, at least three months prior to the date of submission of the thesis for examination, giving the reasons why it is not possible to adhere to the prescribed limit.

3. (a) The academic journal articles and/or book chapters must be from the candidate’s PhD research project.

(b) At least one of the academic journal articles and/or book chapters must be at the stage of accepted and the other(s) submitted in academic journals and/or books, which must be refereed or peer‐reviewed, and approved by the UGSC. If the academic journal article or the book chapter is at the submitted stage, the candidate must provide the submission acknowledgment by the Editor.

(c) The candidate must be the first or sole author for all the academic journal articles and/or book chapters, and “Universiti Brunei Darussalam” must be mentioned as the affiliation in all the publications.

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SCHEDULE B: Format of Submission of Thesis for Examination for the Sciences Fields [Faculty of Science (FOS), Faculty of Integrated Technologies (FIT) and PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences (PAPRSB IHS)] [To be read with Paragraph 30 ‘Submission of Thesis for Examination’]

1. For the fields of Sciences (FOS, FIT and PAPRSB IHS), as the requirement for thesis

submission, a candidate shall submit both the thesis and at least two pieces of academic work as academic journal articles and/or book chapters.

2. The thesis must not exceed one hundred thousand (100,000) words, including footnotes but excluding appendices, tables, diagrams, bibliography, maps, charts, statistical tables, graphs, illustrations and other additional materials if any, unless the prior permission of the UGSC has been obtained to exceed this limit. If the thesis incorporates reproduction or translation of a text such material shall not be counted but the candidate’s own comments or criticism shall be counted. An application to exceed this limit must be made in writing to the UGSC, through the Supervisor, the FGSC, and the UGSC, at least three months prior to the date of submission of the thesis for examination, giving the reasons why it is not possible to adhere to the prescribed limit.

3. (a) Instead of academic journal articles and/or book chapters, the candidate may opt for one of the following items in electronic or digital format with the approval of UGSC:

(i) One patent submitted for filing in any country; or

(ii) A digital copy of software application or software platform.

(b) The academic journal articles and/or book chapters or items under 3(a) must be from the candidate’s PhD research project.

(c) At least one of the academic journal articles and/or book chapters must be at the stage of accepted and the other(s) submitted in academic journals and/or books, which are indexed by Scopus and/or the Web of Science. If the academic journal article is at the submitted stage, the candidate must provide the submission acknowledgment by the Editor.

(d) Items under 3(a) shall be at the stage of submitted and the candidate must provide evidence of the submission to be approved by the UGSC.

(e) The candidate must be the first or sole author for all the academic journal articles and/or book chapters, and “Universiti Brunei Darussalam” must be mentioned as the affiliation in all the publications.

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SCHEDULE C: Format of Submission of Thesis for Examination for the Centre for Advanced Material and Energy Sciences (CAMES) and the Centre for Lifelong Learning (C3L) [To be read with Paragraph 30 ‘Submission of Thesis for Examination’]

1. For the candidates registered in the Centre for Advanced Material and Energy

Sciences (CAMES) and the Centre for Lifelong Learning (C3L), as the requirement for thesis submission, a candidate shall submit at least four accepted academic journal articles with an executive summary (as stipulated in Paragraph 30 (e)).

2. However, a candidate may opt in submitting both thesis and at least two pieces of academic journal articles, with the permission of the UGSC, at the later stage of candidature if the candidate does not successfully publish the required number of journal articles.

3. The thesis must not exceed one hundred thousand (100,000) words, including footnotes but excluding appendices, tables, diagrams, bibliography, maps, charts, statistical tables, graphs, illustrations and other additional materials if any, unless the prior permission of the UGSC has been obtained to exceed this limit. If the thesis incorporates reproduction or translation of a text such material shall not be counted but the candidate’s own comments or criticism shall be counted. An application to exceed this limit must be made in writing to the UGSC, through the Supervisor, the FGSC, and the UGSC, at least three months prior to the date of submission of the thesis for examination, giving the reasons why it is not possible to adhere to the prescribed limit.

4. (a) The academic journal articles must be from the candidate’s PhD research project.

(b) The academic journal articles must be accepted in academic journals which are indexed by Scopus and/or the Web of Science.

(c) For the option of at least four accepted academic journal articles with an executive summary, the candidate must be the first or sole author for at least two academic journal articles.

(d) For the option thesis and at least two pieces of accepted academic journal articles, the candidate must be the first or sole author for at least one academic journal article.

(e) In all the publications, “Universiti Brunei Darussalam” must be mentioned as the affiliation.

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SCHEDULE D: Guidelines for PhD Qualifying Assessment [To be read with Paragraphs 24 to 26 ‘Qualifying Assessment and Master of Philosophy’]

The PhD Qualifying Assessment is for PhD candidates enrolled in August 2013 and subsequent intakes. 1. Purpose of the PhD Qualifying Assessment

The main purpose of the assessment are to assess whether a candidate is working at the expected level and pace of twelve (12) to eighteen (18) months of PhD programme for full-time candidate or eighteen (18) to twenty-four (24) months for part-time candidate, and whether the candidate provides evidence of their potential to complete a full PhD degree within the maximum candidature.

2. Period for the Assessment

According to the Regulations for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Paragraph 24, the assessment must take place not earlier than twelve (12) months and not later than eighteen (18) months of candidature for full time candidates and not earlier than eighteen (18) months and not later than twenty-four (24) months of the candidature for part time candidates.

3. Assessors and Assessment Committee

3.1 Two assessors shall be nominated by the Programme Leader concerned in consultation with the supervisor(s), and subsequently shall be approved by the FGSC. The assessors could be from the same or other Faculties/Institutes/Centres but they must have relevant expertise to assess the candidate research area and must not be involved in the PhD project.

3.2 The assessment committee shall include the Dean or the Director or his/her nominee (as the chairperson), two assessors (as members) and Programme Leader (as secretary). The supervisor shall be present but shall not take part in discussion unless invited to do so by the assessors or the chairperson. In case of Programme Leader as the supervisor of the candidate, the Dean or the Director will appoint a Faculty member for the role of Programme Leader. In case of Dean or the Director as the supervisor of the candidate, the Dean or the Director will appoint a Faculty member for the role of the Chairperson.

4. The Three Outcomes of the Assessment

The assessment outcomes shall be referred to the Regulations for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Paragraph 25).

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5. Assessment Procedure

5.1 The exact date of assessment shall be set by the Programme Leader in consultation with the main supervisor.

5.2 The candidate shall submit a written report in the form of both soft and hard copies to Programme Leader not later than two weeks before the assessment date. The reports will then be forwarded to the assessors. The report shall include:

5.2.1 A maximum of fifteen thousand (15,000) words including: a working title and clear outline of the research project; a critical review of the relevant research literature; conceptual or theoretical framework; and a discussion of methodology. The preliminary analysis of data may be included if it is available;

5.2.2 A record of the research training undertaken by the candidate to date and a plan of the research training to be undertaken in the future; and

5.2.3 A Gantt chart indicating the timetable for research activities in order to complete the doctoral thesis.

5.3 The assessment shall include a maximum of thirty (30) minutes presentation by the candidate, followed by Questions and Answers session. After the Questions and Answers session, the candidate shall leave the room and the assessors shall present their independent assessment report to the committee. Finally, the outcome of the assessment shall be decided by the committee to recommend to FGSC.

5.4 If the outcome of assessment could not be agreed by the two assessors, the chairperson may decide the outcome or Programme Leader may nominate the third assessor as in 3.1. The same procedure as in 5.1 to 5.3 shall be followed to obtain the decision from the third assessor.

5.5 The outcome of the assessment shall be presented to the FGSC by the Programme Leader, and the Chair of FGSC shall present the FGSC’s recommendation to the UGSC for the final approval.

5.6 The Programme Leader will inform the candidate in writing the decision of FGSC together with two assessors’ written reports after the FGSC has made the decision. The assessor reports shall include the strength and weakness of the project and the candidate, and recommendations. The assessor shall give the written report not later than a week after the assessment date.

5.7 The candidate may appeal to the chair of FGSC regarding the outcome in writing within a week after the Programme Leader has informed the candidate. The appeal will be considered by FGSC whether it will reconsider the appeal, repeat the assessment process or reject the appeal. The decision shall be later endorsed at UGSC.

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END OF DOCUMENT

Amended and approved: 5th June 2013 Amended and approved: 30th April 2015

Amended and approved: 20th February 2016 (Effective from the August 2016 Intake Onwards) Amended and approved: 3rd November 2016

Amended and approved: 24th June 2017 Amended and approved: 29th June 2019