In addition to the general University regulations described in this section, specific departmental iequirements are found in the departmental entries in the Calendar. In some cases, departmental regulations are more restrictive than those described here.
Postgraduate students should make themselves familiar with the general and postgradu- ate University requirements, as well as those of their major department.
The Master of Science (MSc), Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees are basically course work degrees, although project work and a report may also be required. The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees are basically research degrees, although usually course work is also required.
Academic Regulations
Full-time and Part-time Study
. Most postgraduate degrees are available on a part-time or full-time basis. The taught programmes leading to the MSc, MA and MBA degrees may be the most suitable for students interested in part-time study. The MPhil and PhD are research degrees, and students in somedisciplines may be required to participate in research on afull-time basis.
Postgraduate students may apply to their department, prior to the beginning of any semester, for transfer from full-time to part-time status or from part-time to full-time status. When such a transfer is allowed, the remaining degree requirements will be determined.
Full-time students in taught programmes are expected to be in attendance during those semesters and sessions for which their programmes are scheduled. In many programmes, research students may be expected to be in attendance on a year-round basis. For part-time students, attendance shall be as above except on a part-time basis as defined by the requirements of their programmes.
Duration of Study
For full-time students, the normal periods for the completion of MSc, MA, and MPhil degrees are one and a half years, and two years for the MBA. For the PhD degree it is four years after the first degree with a reduction of one and a half years if a relevant Master's degree is earned prior to entering the PhD programme. Part-time students may expectto take abouttwicethe timeof full-timestudents. Students may apply for reductions to these periods.
The maximum time for degree completion is five years for the Master's degrees and eight years for a PhD degree (with a one and a half years' reduction in the circumstances noted in the preceding paragraph), and this holds whether or not the student is in continuous registration. The time limits for part-time study are the same as for full-time study.
Course Requirements
Credit requirements for postgraduate degrees apply only to course and project work, not to thesis research. Forthe MSc, MA, MPhil and PhD programmes, the normal full course-load is 10 credits per semester, and the maximum part-time load is 6 credits per semester. Unless restricted by departmental regulations, a maximum of two undergraduate courses may be used for postgraduate degree credit, and these should be at the 300 level. Of the two, only one may be from the student's major department. For the corresponding MBA requirements, see the entry for the School of Business and Management.
For all postgraduate programmes, no course with a grade less than C may be counted towards a degree, and the average grade obtained in the courses used to satisfy degree requirements must at least be B. Only two courses in a degree programme may be retaken, and each may be repeated only once.
Academic Regulations Academic Rezulations
Postgraduate Grades
Students receive alettergrade in each course in which they areenrolled. Grades range in equal increments from A+ to F, with F carrying zero credit. The grades C- to D-, and E, are not used in postgraduate courses. The grades used are shown in the following table.
Letter Grades Definitions A+
A Excellent Performance
A- B+
B Good Performance
B-
Marginal Performance Failure
Pass, ungraded
Other Designations Definitions Audited lncomplete
Withdrawal without Penalty Permitted to Proceed
The Audited (AU) designation will be assigned when an auditing student has completed, to the satisfaction of the instructor, any conditions established at registration as an auditor. If the conditions are not met, the course will be deleted from the student's record.
An Incomplete (I) grade must be converted to a regular grade at the beginning of the next semester, otherwise it is converted to F. This grade is used when work is necessarily delayed through no fault of the student, such as a medical problem or an equipment breakdown.
The Withdrawal without Penalty (W) grade is given when astudent withdraws from a course after the "adddrop" period and prior to six weeks before the end of classes.
When progress on thesis or project work is satisfactory but not scheduled for completion at the end of a semester, the Permitted to Proceed (PP) grade is utilised.
Academic Standing
The academic standing of all postgraduate students is periodically reviewed by their departments. Unsatisfactory performance can result in students being denied the opportunity to continue their studies.
Residence Requirements
Normally, a full-time research student is required to be on campus full-time and consequently in such geographical proximity as to be able to participate fully in the University activities associated with the programme. Residence provides the student with an opportunityto become immersed in the intellectual environment of the University. Also included in residency are periods during which thestudent's research requires off-campus field or non-HKUST laboratory work.
Normally, the residence requirement for an MPhil degree is three full-time semesters and that for a PhD degree is eight. In many departments, the semester may include all or part of the subsequent session. A semester of residency of a part-time student counts as a one-half semester of residency. Students who have not completed their thesis work should continue their registration on a full or part-time basis, without interruption.
These residence requirements do not apply to taught postgraduate programmes which are defined by the semesters and sessions in which the programmes are scheduled.
MSc and MA Programmes
These are course work degrees for which students must fulfil a minimum credit requirement of 30. Students may also undertake a project as described in the departmen- tal Calendar entries. Projects require the submission of a written report and carry credit, as specified by the department, to a maximum of nine. The reports will be read by two faculty members, one of whom is the supervisor, and are graded "Pass" or "Fail". AWPass"
grade may be denoted "Pass with Distinction" when appropriate.
MBA Programme
The requirements for the full-time and part-time MBA programme are described in the School of Business and Management section of the Calendar.
MPhil Programmes
In addition to course work requirements, if any, described in the departmental entries of this Calendar, MPhil students will undertake a programme of thesis research under the direction of a supervisor appointed by the department.
Academic Regulatiotls
Each MPhil student is, on the commencement of study, assigned an interim supervisor. This supervisor works with the student to map out a tentative programme of study and research, and to identrfy a research supervisor. The research supervisor, when appointed, replaces the interim advisor.
MPhil research is conducted underthe general supervision of a thesis committee of at least three faculty members, one of whom is the designated thesis supervisor and committee chairman.
When the thesis is ready for examination, to the satisfaction of both the student and the supervisor, the department head appoints an examination committee consisting of three faculty members. One is the supervisor and another is appointed as chairman.
The committee examines the thesis and conducts an oral thesis examination. Theses are graded Pass or Fail. A Pass grade may be denoted Pass with Distinction when appropriate.
PhD Programmes
PhD programmes focus on original research by the student, but most also require course work. Doctoral students proceed from admission to the programme, to candidacy for the degree, and then to defence of the thesis. Each has a thesis supervisor who oversees the student's research. Candidacy is obtained by the successful completion of qualifying examinations specified by the department.
PhD research is conducted under the general supervision of a thesis committee of at least three faculty members, one of whom is the designated thesis supervisor.
The thesis examination committee is appointed by the Senate Committee on Postgraduate Studies on the recommendation of the department. The five-member examination committee is chaired by an individual from outside the school, and is appointed by the Committee on Postgraduate Studies upon recommendation by the dean. This person presides over the examination, but is not one of the five members who are : the thesis supervisor, two academic staff members from the department, one academic staff member from outside the department or discipline, and one additional member from outside the department. Theses will be graded Pass or Fail. A Pass grade may be denoted Pass with Distinction when appropriate.
Conduct of Thesis Examinations
A student wishing to appear before a thesis examination committee must so indicate to the major department at least six weeks before the examination, and have delivered to the department a sufficient number of examination copies at least four weeks before the examination. For a PhD thesis, the number of copies is six, and for the MPhil three.
Academic Regulations
and the third closed to all but the student and the committee. The first part is an oral presentation by the student emphasising the major elements of the research and the results obtained. Next is an open question period, led by any external examiners present followed by other members of the examining committee, and ended by the thesis supervisor. Finally, others in attendance may also ask questions. During this portion of the examination, all questions are addressed via the chairman and any dialogue limited to the student and individual questioner. The third, and closed, part of the examination is resewed for a less formal examination of the student and thesis by the examining committee.
The thesis examination can have one of several results:
Passed (or Passed with Distinction)
Passed (or Passed with Distinction) with minor corrections Passed with major corrections
Failed but may be resubmitted Failed
Minor corrections must be made to the satisfaction of the supervisor, but major corrections require the approval of the full examining committee, or a d.esignated sub- committee. The result "Failed but may be resubmitted" reauires that the entire examina- tion process be repeated, including the re-establishment of an examination cornmittee.
At least six months must pass before re-submission of the thesis. A grade of "Failed"
results in the automatic withdrawal of the student from the programme of study and terminates registration at the University.
The examination takes place in a single session and comprises three parts, the first two of which are open to all members of the University and to departmental guests,