A. Introduction
1. The thesis examination is mandatory for those enrolled in research postgraduate programs and is conducted by a Thesis Examination Committee.
2. An MPhil Thesis Examination Committee consists of three faculty members appointed by the head of the candidate’s department /program director. One is the thesis supervisor and another is appointed as Chairman.
3. A PhD thesis examination normally consists of a Chairman and five voting examiners appointed by the Provost (or his/her designate). The examiners include the thesis supervisor(s), two academic staff members from the candidate’s major department, one academic staff member from outside the department, and one member external to the University who has expertise in the field being examined.
B. Conduct of Thesis Examination
1. A thesis examination takes place in a single session and comprises four parts, the first two of which are open to all members of the University and to guests invited by the department, the third part is closed to all but the candidate and the Thesis Examination Committee, and the fourth is a closed session of the Thesis Examination Committee in the absence of the candidate.
2. The first part is an oral presentation by the candidate, outlining the major elements of the research and the results obtained. The candidate is expected to apportion no more than 60 minutes for the presentation.
3. The second part is an open questioning period, involving members of the Thesis Examination Committee, and others in attendance.
4. The third part is a closed session involving a less formal discussion between the candidate and the Thesis Examination Committee on the candidate’s research. Other than the candidate and the Thesis Examination Committee, other personnel are not allowed to attend this part of a thesis examination. However, in exceptional circumstances, with the prior agreement of the candidate, the thesis supervisor and the Chairman of the Thesis Examination Committee, other personnel may be allowed to attend this part of a thesis examination as observers. It should be noted that observers are not permitted to participate in the examination or affect the examiners in their assessment of the thesis examination. They must leave the examination venue together with the candidate, when the Chairman and examiners conduct their assessment of the thesis examination in the fourth part of the examination.
5. The fourth and final part is a closed session involving only the Thesis Examination Committee to assess the quality of the thesis, and the performance of the candidate during the examination.
In arriving at a decision, the votes of members of the Thesis Examination Committee carry equal weight. The Chairman is responsible for advising the committee the vote of the external examiner in absentia, if applicable.
C. Outcome of Thesis Examination
A thesis examination can have one of the following results:
Passed;
Passed subject to minor corrections;
Passed subject to major corrections;
Failed but may be resubmitted; or
Failed.
Appendices
D. Reports on Thesis Examination
Report on Thesis Examination Results for Research Postgraduate Degrees
1. The examination result will be reported in a proforma entitled
“Report on Thesis Examination Results for Research Postgraduate Degrees”. The Chairman of the Thesis Examination Committee shall collect Part 2 of the report from all the examiners and complete Part 3 and Part 4.1 of the report. The report, duly signed by all members of the Thesis Examination Committee, must include all comments that the Thesis Examination Committee or the Chairman wishes to make on the conduct of the examination, the quality of the thesis, the contribution of the thesis to the field of study, the performance and competency of the candidate in the thesis examination, or any other remarks relating to the thesis and the examination.
2. If a thesis has been graded “Passed”, “Failed but may be resubmitted” or “Failed”, the Chairman should forward the duly completed report to the head of the candidate’s department.
After signing the report, the head of department/program director will forward it to the dean for endorsement, and finally to the Admissions, Registration and Records Office (ARRO) for follow-up action and record.
3. If a thesis has been graded “Passed subject to minor corrections”, the Chairman should pass the entire set of documents to the thesis supervisor who should keep the report until the candidate has submitted a revised thesis to his/her satisfaction before the deadline as described in Para E2 below.
The full set of documents should then be forwarded to the head of department/program director and the dean for endorsement before passing to ARRO for action and record.
4. If a thesis has been graded “Passed subject to major corrections”, the Chairman should pass the entire set of documents to the thesis supervisor who should keep the report until the candidate has submitted a revised thesis to the satisfaction of the Thesis Examination Committee before the
deadline as described in Para E3 below. The full set of documents should then be forwarded to the head of department/program director and the dean for endorsement before passing to ARRO for action and record.
Chairman’s Report on Thesis Examination
5. The Chairman is also required to submit a “Chairman’s Report on PhD/MPhil Thesis Examination” to the PG Secretariat within one week from the date of the thesis examination, reporting any irregularities observed during the conduct of the thesis examination.
E. Post-Thesis Examination Arrangements
1. If a thesis has been graded “Passed” with no corrections required, the candidate must, within one week, submit two identical clean unbound original copies of the thesis to the department to complete the degree requirements.
2. For candidates who have passed their thesis examination but subject to minor corrections, their final thesis copies must be submitted to the University within three months from the date of the thesis examination, or a date specified by the Thesis Examination Committee, whichever is earlier. This requirement is applicable regardless of the mode of registration of the candidate. The corrections are to be made to the satisfaction of the thesis supervisor. Candidates should allow sufficient time for the thesis supervisor to check and verify their final version of the thesis before the clean unbound original copies are submitted to the University via the department to complete the degree requirements.
3. For candidates who have passed their thesis examination but subject to major corrections, their final thesis copies must be submitted to the University within 12 months from the date of the thesis examination, or a date specified by the Thesis Examination Committee, whichever is earlier. This requirement is applicable regardless of the mode of registration of the
Appendices
candidate. The revised thesis requires the approval of the full Thesis Examination Committee. The committee may recommend that a re-examination be held before a final assessment is arrived at. If a re-examination is required, the membership of the Thesis Examination Committee should be the same as that for the first examination, unless otherwise recommended by the department.
If the members are satisfied with the revised thesis, the clean unbound final thesis copies must be forwarded to the department to complete the degree requirements.
4. The result “Failed but may be re-submitted” requires that the entire examination process be repeated, including the re-establishment of a Thesis Examination Committee. The membership of the committee may or may not be the same as that for the first examination. At least six months must pass before the second thesis examination can be conducted. A candidate who has failed in the second attempt of thesis examination will result in the automatic withdrawal of the candidate from his or her program of study and termination of registration at the University.
5. A “Failed” grade results in the automatic withdrawal of the candidate from the program of study and termination of registration at the University.
F. Submission of Final Thesis
1. On successful completion of the thesis examination, an MPhil or PhD student must submit two identical clean unbound original copies of the thesis to the department, which will arrange for the appropriate signatures of approval to be obtained. The department will then forward the signed copies to ARRO for follow-up action. When bound, one copy will be retained by the department and one by the Library as an archival copy in the open collection for the student author and other interested visitors to access on campus.
At the time of submission of the printed copies to the department, the student should have submitted an electronic
copy of the thesis to the University Library’s E-thesis Database (http://library.ust.hk/th-submit.pl). Students are required to provide a printed copy of the email acknowledging receipt of the e-thesis when they submit the printed copies of the thesis to the department for forwarding to ARRO as proof.
2. If a candidate misses the deadline for the submission of the final thesis copies, the candidate will be viewed to have failed to meet the thesis examination requirements and will be deemed to have failed the requirements of the degree program being pursued. If the delay in submitting the final thesis copies is no fault of the candidate, he/she may appeal for an exception to be made for the above rules to be lifted.