Regulations of USIM - Master by Coursework

REGULATIONS OF UNIVERSITI SAINS ISLAM MALAYSIA (GRADUATE STUDIES) 2008 MASTER BY COURSEWORK

1.

NAME AND INTERPRETATION 1.1

These Regulations may be cited as the Regulations of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (Graduate Studies) 2008, Master by coursework.

1.2

For the purpose of these Regulations:“Graduate studies” refers to studies at the level of master, doctor of philosophy and postgraduate diploma; “TOEFL” refers to Test of English as a Foreign Language conducted by Educational Testing Service International; “IELTS” refers to International English Language Testing System conducted by the British Council; “MUET” refers to Malaysian University English Test conducted by Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia; “Suspension of registration” refers to permission to defer registration granted to postgraduate candidates who have been offered places to pursue study in postgraduate programmes; “Postponement of study” refers to permission not to proceed with postgraduate studies granted to postgraduate candidates whether they have registered or not for the semester; “University Committee for Graduate Studies” refers to the committee established by the Senate to control and be responsible for the general direction of admission, instruction, research and examination at the postgraduate level and chaired by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and International); “Coursework” refers to the type of study whereby the candidates are required to undertake stipulated courses within stipulated time periods in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree pursued;

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REGULATIONS OF UNIVERSITI SAINS ISLAM MALAYSIA (GRADUATE STUDIES) 2008 MASTER BY COURSEWORK

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ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS Applicants who wish to apply for the graduate studies should have the following academic requirements:2.1

2.2

Master’s degree 2.1.1

Suitable Bachelor degree with honours and good grades with (CGPA = 2.50 and above) from USIM; or

2.1.2

Suitable Bachelor degree with honours and good grades; or Jayyid; or CGPA = 2.50/4.00 and above; or 55% and above (the transcript should be examined) from another institution of higher learning recognised by the Senate; or

2.1.3

Other qualifications (credit hours = 120 and more) equivalent to a Bachelor degree and relevant professional experience recognised by the Senate.

Language Requirements 2.2.1

Applicants are required to demonstrate their proficiency in Arabic and English. Evidence of proficiency should be attached to application forms.

2.2.2

Applicants are required to obtain a score of at least 460 in TOEFL (paper based) or 140 in TOEFL (computer based) or Band 5 in IELTS or Band 4 in MUET.

2.2.3

Applicants for courses conducted in English have to fulfill the requirement of proficiency in Arabic. They have to register and pass Arabic courses determined by the University.

4.

APPLICATIONS 3.1

Application made to Graduate studies may be made by completing the prescribed forms. The completed application forms should be sent to the Dean of Graduate Studies.

3.2

Each application shall be deliberated and approved by the University Committee of Graduate Studies, once the faculty under which the programme applied endorses it.

REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT 4.1

Candidates who are accepted into graduate studies are required to register for every semester throughout the period of study and settle all stipulated fees.

4.2

Candidates will not be allowed to register for a further semester until all financial outstanding are settled.

4.3

Candidates who fail to pay the fees within the first two (2) weeks, the candidates’ statuses will be declared as inactive. If the candidates’ statuses are inactive within two weeks of the commencement of the semester without prior approval from the dean to defer study, the candidature of the candidates may be terminated.

4.4

Failure to register within two weeks due to any financial outstanding will not entitle the candidate to register at a later date even though the outstanding has been cleared.

4.5

Candidates who failed to register for two (2) consecutive semesters without permission as stipulated by paragraph 7 of this Regulation are deemed to have failed and the candidature will be terminated.

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3.

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5.

MODE OF STUDY (MESYUARAT SENAT KALI KE-66 BIL 6/2011,

7 DECEMBER 2011)

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Candidates who are accepted into graduate studies shall pursue their study through the coursework mode of studies.

5.1

6.

Type of Study 5.1.1

Candidates may choose to register either as full-time or parttime students.

5.1.2

Candidates who are currently employed are required to provide evidence indicating that they have been given permission to pursue their study from their employer.

5.1.3

Under certain circumstances, candidates may apply from the Dean of Graduate Studies to change their type of study from full time to part time or vice versa. If permission for such request is granted, the type opted for shall be final and no further application throughout the remaining period of study shall be entertained.

DURATION OF STUDY Candidates who pursue graduate studies by coursework shall be subjected to the following duration of study:6.1

Master’s Degree 6.1.1

Full time study period is between minimum three (3) semesters to maximum six (6) semesters; and

6.1.2

Part time study period is between minimum five (5) semesters to maximum eight (8) semesters.

Exemption from the Requirement of Minimum Semesters 6.1.3

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Senate may exempt Master’s degree candidates who have shown excellent performance throughout the period of study, upon application made in writing to the Dean of Graduate Studies, from the requirement of minimum number of semesters.

SUSPENSION OF REGISTRATION, POSTPONEMENT OF STUDY AND WITHDRAWAL FROM STUDY 7.1

7.2

Suspension of Registration 7.1.1

Candidates who have been offered admission may apply to suspend their registration by writing directly to the Dean of Graduate Studies.

7.1.2

Candidates application for suspension of registration must be received within four (4) weeks from the date of registration, failing which the offer shall be treated as null and void.

7.1.3

Suspension of registration may be allowed for a period of not less than one (1) semester and must not exceed two (2) semesters except for health reasons.

7.1.4

Candidates whose application to suspend registration is approved shall not be considered as the the students of this university and are not allowed to use any of University’s facilities except to seek advice on resumption of study.

Postponement of Study 7.2.1

Candidates who are accepted into graduate studies may apply to postpone their study with a reasonable cause by writing directly to the Dean of Graduate Studies for approval upon receiving such recommendation from the Dean of the faculty.

7.2.2

For the purpose of these Regulations, reasonable causes to be considered, include:7.2.2.1

illness which has been certified by a government medical officer / certified medical practitioner; or

7.2.2.2

pregnancy for a period of six (6) months or more at the commencement date of the semester registration; or

7.2.2.3

any other cause considered by the Dean of Graduate Studies as sufficient to justify the postponement of study.

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7.3

7.2.3

Applications for the postponement of study must be submitted not later than the tenth (10th) week of the semester, (the exception of) candidates who fall under paragraphs 7.2.2.1, 7.2.2.2, or candidates who are pregnant and have been certified by a government medical officer / certified medical practitioner as having the inability to pursue their study for that semester.

7.2.4

Postponement of study may be allowed for a period of not more than two (2) consecutive semesters except for health reasons and subject to the minimum and maximum number of semesters for the candidates to complete their study; as stated in paragraphs 7.1 and 7.2 of these Regulations.

7.2.5

The semester postponed shall not be included in the calculation of the minimum and maximum number of semesters for the candidates to complete their study except for cases mentioned in paragraph 7.2.2.3 of this Regulation.

7.2.6

The postponement shall be effective from the date the application is received.

Withdrawal from Study 7.3.1

Candidates who intend to withdraw from study may write directly to the Centre for Graduate Studies notifying their intention.

7.3.2

The withdrawal shall be effective from the date of the notification received.

REIMBURSEMENT OF THE PAID FEES 8.1

Candidates are required to settle all fees before leaving the University; either resulting under the condition postponement of study or withdrawing from it.

8.2

If the study fee has been settled (prior to postponement), the University shall reimburse the fee of the semester based on the following calculations:

8.3

8.4

8.2.1

If the effective date of the postponement or withdrawal is within the first four (4) weeks of the semester, 75% of the paid fee shall be reimbursed;

8.2.2

If the effective date of the postponement or withdrawal is between the fifth (5th) week and the tenth (10th) week of the semester, 50% of the paid fee shall be reimbursed; and

8.2.3

If the effective date of the postponement or withdrawal is after the tenth (10th) week of the semester, no fee paid shall be reimbursed.

If no payment has been made for the study fee of the semester, the outstanding amount to be paid is based on the following calculation:8.3.1

If the effective date of the postponement or withdrawal is within the first four (4) weeks of the semester, 25% of the fee shall be due;

8.3.2

If the effective date of the postponement or withdrawal is between the fifth (5th) week and the tenth (10th) week of the semester, 50% of the fee shall be due; and

8.3.3

If the effective date of the postponement or withdrawal is after the tenth (10th) week of the semester, full amount of the fee shall be due.

No other remaining fees shall be reimbursed and the candidates are required to pay those other fees in full if they have not been settled irrespective of the effective date of the postponement or withdrawal.

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9.

COURSE REGISTRATION (MESYUARAT SENAT KALI KE-66 BIL 6/2011, 7 DECEMBER 2011)

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All students are required to register within the first two weeks of the commencement of every semester.

9.1

Late registration will be permitted only under special circumstances and subjects to the approval of the Dean of the respective faculty.

Late registration is only permitted for a period of two (2) weeks after the specified registration dates. Beyond that all applications for late registration will be referred to the Dean of the Graduate Studies for approval. A certain amount for late registration fee will be charged in all late cases.

9.2

Full-time students pursuing a programme of study can take minimum of nine (9) credit hours and a maximum of twenty (20) credit hours each semester. Part time students can take at minimum between three (3) to twelve (12) credit hours each semester (excluding projects/ dissertations/re-sit)

9.3

Application for course exemption for courses which were taken at maximum (5) years prior, must be made within the first three (3) weeks of the first semester. The relevant forms are available at the respective faculty and approval of the Dean must be obtained. Grade obtained must be at least B or equivalent.

9.4

Each course registered must be indicated by one of the following codes :WP = Core Programme EP = Elective Courses

10.

ADD/DROP OF COURSES 10.1 Any add/drop of courses must be made on the Add/Drop Form available at Centre For Graduate Studies or the Faculty. The form must be signed by the respective Dean/ Deputy Dean and submitted to Centre For Graduate Studies immediately.

10.2 To add courses

Courses can be added within the two (2) weeks after the registration.

10.4 Tuition and examination fees will be credited into students account for the following semester if the courses are dropped within the first two weeks of the semester.

10.5 No refund of tuition and examination fees will be made for courses dropped after the second (2) week of the semester.

11. EXAMINATIONS 11.1 Students must attain a minimum of 80% of total attendance based on e-HADIR system to be eligible for examination.

11.2 Examination slips are required for admission into the Examination Hall.

11.3 Examination entry slips can be printed from the e-WADI portal after completing the e-NILAI. 11.4 It is the responsibility of the students to comply with and to be present at the Examination Hall during the stipulated time, date and place of the examination 11.5 In cases of an emergency, and students are unable to sit for any examination, they are required to immediately notify the Examination Unit, Centre for Graduate Studies in writing. Medical certificates must accompany this notification.

11.6 Students must comply with all academic requirements (for lectures, tutorials, practicals, etc) in order to qualify to sit for the examinations.

11.7 The examination process is based on the principle of continuous assessment that comprises the coursework and the written examination components. The coursework component can be based on participation in tutorials, tests, essays, project work, studio work, fieldwork, etc.

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10.3 To drop courses

Courses can be dropped up to sixth (6) week after the registration.

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11.8 Grading System 11.8.1 R E G U L AT I O N S O F U N I V E R S I T I S A I N S I S L A M M A L A Y S I A ( G R A D U AT E S T U D I E S ) 2 0 0 8 MASTER BY COURSEWORK

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Marks 80 -100 75 – 79 70 – 74 65 – 69 60 – 64 0 - 59

Performance are assessed according to the examination grading method, which is the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) based on the scale below :Grades A AB+ B BE

Points 4.00 3.75 3.50 3.00 2.75 0.00

Classification Excellent Credit Pass Weak Pass Fail

11.8.2

The CGPA is the scale used to assess students’ academic achievement throughout the duration of candidature from the first semester of registration to the final semester.

11.8.3

Candidates who failed to submit their final project within the stipulated time will be given incomplete (TL) status and are required to submit within 2 weeks after the beginning of the next semester. If the candidates failed to do so, they have to submit a written application to the dean of the faculty to bring forward to the following semester with an acceptable reason.

11.9 Evaluation System 11.9.1

The passing grade for all coursework programmes is Grade B.

11.9.2

If a student obtains Grade B- or below for any course, students are allowed to repeat the course either during the regular semester (Semester 1 or Semester 2) or during the third semester depending on students duration of candidature.

(Mesyuarat Senat Kali Ke-66 Bil 6/2011, 7 December 2011)

11.9.3

Courses which are graded as follows will not be taken into account in the calculation of the GPA & CGPA.

TL (incomplete) DK (exempted) SM (Progressing) SB (Graduation Requirement)

11.9.4

A research project in the coursework mode programme will be given a grade. 

11.9.5

Candidates who are ill or facing other problems during the examination may apply to the Dean to delay sitting for examination. The faculty must be informed of the reasons with verification letter. e.g (medical leave certification etc) for the deferral within a period of 48 hours after the examination ended. (Mesyuarat Senat Kali Ke-66 Bil 6/2011, 7 December 2011)

11.9.6

The replacement examination will be conducted within the first two weeks of the following semester. (Mesyuarat Senat Kali Ke-66 Bil 6/2011, 7 December 2011)

11.10 Appeal On Examination Results 11.10.1

Students, who wish to appeal against the results of the final examination, must send their appeal in writing to the Dean of the respective faculty within two (2) weeks after the examination results have been announced. Any appeal received after the stipulated period will not be considered.

11.10.2

Any appeal sent must state the name of the subject for which the answer script is to be re-examined.

11.10.3

The charge for re-examining will be sent together with the appeal letter.

11.10.4

The Dean (Academic) of the respective faculty will form a committee to re-examine the paper together with the original examiner. The re-examination is to determine the technical mistakes that exist in terms of addition of marks or any part of the answer not being marked or marks being given wrongly for any part of the answer.

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11.11 Reminder Regarding Academic Dishonesty

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11.11.1

Involves all actions by students who violate the examination regulations including plagiarism of project papers, academic exercises and others,

11.11.2

Taking an examination or preparing an assignment (project paper, thesis, etc) on behalf of someone else

11.11.3

If a student is found to have plagiarized, the valid certification of the thesis or dissertation released by the board of examiners may be annulled and the Master qualification will be revoked.

11.12 Academic Status 11.12.1

A CGPA 3.0 and above for the semester is necessary for an “LTP” status and opportunity to continue the course.

11.12.2

A CGPA below 3.0 but greater or equals to 2.5 for the semester will be categorized as “LBS” status.

11.12.3

A fail and terminated (GDB) status will be awarded for failure to obtain CGPA greater than or equal to 2.5.

11.12.4

The candidates may appeal to the Dean, Centre of Graduate Studies within 4 weeks after the official announcement of the examination result. A certain amount will be charged for the appeal.

11.12.5

A (GDB) status student cannot apply for the same programme but can apply for another programme.

11.12.6

Registration for courses in semester 3 is not allowed for those involved in industrial/practical training. However under certain circumstances, the Dean may grant permission to exceptional cases.

11.12.7

Projects/dissertation have to be completed during the stipulated period. Those are repeating projects/dissertation are required to select new topics for their projects dissertation.

12. DEGREE CONFERRED

12.1.1

have successfully fulfilled the entire requirement for degree conferment as required by the rules and regulations of postgraduate studies;

12.1.2

have been verified for degree conferment by the Graduate Examiner Committee and endorsed by the Senate; and

12.1.3

have settled all stipulated payments and have returned any property of the University, borrowed.

13. TERMINATION OF CANDIDATURE The candidates’ candidature can be terminated based on the following condition:a)

Failure to register in two consecutive semesters.

b)

Unable to complete within the specified period of studies as stated in part 6.

c)

Fail to obtain CGPA of greater than or equal to 2.5.

d)

If the student’s academic status is LBS in two consecutives semesters as stated in Part 11.12.

e)

Fail to comply with the graduation requirements as stated Senate within prescribed duration of study.

f)

The candidates’ candidature can be terminated by the senate at any time if the performance of the candidate is found to be unsatisfactory or for any other reasons deemed as appropriate by the Senate.

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12.1 A Master’s degree may be conferred to candidates who:-

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14. GENERAL

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14.1 The University’s Senate reserves the right to take any action it deems proper; if the candidate is found to have given false information to gain entry into the programme offered.

14.2 Any student found guilty of plagiarism will be subjected to dismissal.

14.3 Any student charged for any criminal offence and found guilty will be subjected to dismissal.

14.4 Any student involved in any gross misconduct and unethical behavior that affect the good image of the University on its discretion may reprimand the student, and this may lead to termination.

14.5 Any appeal relating to the rules, regulations and schedule of the same rules and regulations of the postgraduate studies from any registered candidates, must be submitted to the Dean of Postgraduate Studies through their respective supervisor or chairman of supervisory committee.

14.6 The Dean of Graduate Studies shall then submit and consult the appeal to the University Committee for Graduate Studies for deliberation and decision. If he need arises, the Dean of Graduate Studies may put forward the appeal to the Senate for the same purpose before informing the candidate.

14.7 If there is any need to interpret these Regulations, it shall be referred to the Centre for Graduate Studies.

14.8 The Senate may exempt the enforcement of any part of these Regulations as it deems proper and just.

14.9 The University Post Graduate Committee have the right to reject application without informing the reason to the candidates. * specific regulations for programmes offered by coursework and combination of thesis and coursework are provided separately but must be read with this Regulation.

Endorse by The Senate of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia Bil 3/2010 Kali Ke 57 on 23 June 2010.