Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)

Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes

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ACADEMC REGULATON8

PO8TGRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMME8


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


Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
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TABLE OF CONTENT8

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.


Part - Main Document

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


Part - Addendum: 8tructures

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


Part - Plagiarism.. 30




Note:
All usage of single gender words (e.g. he/his) in this document refer to both genders.
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Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
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Part - Main Document



1. Programmes, 8tructures and Offerings

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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Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
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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)


2. 8tudent 8tatus and Duration of 8tudy

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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Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
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3. Credit Hours and Course Offerings {8tructures B & C}

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 1
st
semester of
registration, 4 for the 2
nd
, and 12 for the 3
rd
, 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 1
st

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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Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
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III but not including the first two semesters of the programme. Credit hour registration
is 4 for the 1
st
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 1
st

semester of registration and 2 for each subsequent semester.


4. Application

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: postgrad@uniten.edu.my
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.


5. Entry Requirements {incl. Language}

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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Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
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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 1
st
class with honours or CGPA 3.75
and above
Structure A
Structure B

Masters Bachelors in the relevant domain with 2
nd
class upper with honours
or CGPA 2.75 and above, or
Bachelors in the relevant domain with 2
nd
class lower with honours
or CGPA 2.332.74, 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 2
nd
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 2
nd
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).


6. Upon Acceptance: Before and Upon Arrival

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.


7. Registration

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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Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
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A student is allowed to be registered in only one programme at any one time.

Throughout a students 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 students 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.



8. Fees

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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Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
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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.




9. nterruption of Period of 8tudy:
Withdrawal, Defaulting, Termination & Deferment

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 students 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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Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
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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 Senates 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.


10. Rest of Document

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


11. General Provisions

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 1
st
August 2007



Prof. Dato Ir. Dr. Mashkuri Yaacob
Vice Chancellor and Chairman of Senate
Universiti Tenaga Nasional


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Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
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Part - Addendum: 8tructures



A. 8tructure A

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 candidates 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.


{i} Before Registration

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.

{ii} Registration

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.

{iii} Getting 8tarted

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
candidates 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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{iv} Progress

Fully Initialised Status

After the first registration and throughout a students 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
candidates 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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Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
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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 candidates 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
students 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 students
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 students
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.

Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
Page 16 of 30
{v} Pre-Examination/ 8ubmission

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.

{vi} Examination

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).

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

{vii} Post-Examination/ Pre-Graduation

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].

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

{viii} Graduation

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.

Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
Page 19 of 30
B. 8tructures B & C

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



Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
Page 20 of 30
{i} Before Registration

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

{ii} Registration

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.
Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
Page 22 of 30

From a Masters programme to a PhD programme:
Such a conversion is not allowed for Structures B & C students.
.

{iii} Getting 8tarted

Deans Briefing

All new students are required to attend the CoGS Deans 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.







Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
Page 23 of 30
{iv} Progress

Fully Initialised Status

After the first registration and throughout a students 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:
Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
Page 24 of 30

Project
Full-Time
Project
Part-Time
Dissertation
Full-Time
Dissertation
Part-Time
Project Proposal Middle of 1
st

Semester
End of 1
st

Semester
Middle of 1
st

Semester
End of 1
st

Semester
Analysis & Design End of 1
st

Semester
Middle of 3
rd

Semester
Middle of 2
nd

Semester
Middle of 3
rd

Semester
Draft Submission Middle of 2
nd

Semester
Middle of 4
th

Semester
Middle of 3
rd

Semester
Middle of 5
th

Semester
Final Submission 1 month
before end of
2
nd
Semester
1 month
before end of
4
th
Semester
1 month
before end of
3
rd
Semester
1 month
before end of
5
th
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 1
st
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_point
i
x credit
i
]
________________________

i
credit
i


where grade_point
i
refers to the grade point obtained for a registered and examined
course
i
, and credit
i
refers to the credit hours for course
i
, 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.
Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
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 point
i
x PC
i
]

where grade point
i
refers to the grade point obtained for a Coursework/Assignment
component i of the said course, and PC
i
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 PC
i
is within the range of 0.001.00, and the total sum of all the N such PC
i
s
would be 1.00.

Raw marks are usually used for each component grade point
i
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 point
i
. 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 3.754.00
A- 3.67 3.503.74
B+ 3.33 3.103.49
B 3.00 2.753.09
B- 2.67 2.502.74
C+ 2.33 2.102.49
C 2.00 1.752.09
C- 1.67 1.251.74
D 1.00 0.751.24
E 0.00 0.000.74



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










Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
Page 27 of 30
{v} Pre-Examination/ 8ubmissions

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.


{vi} Examination

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 Senates 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.






Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
Page 28 of 30
{vii} Post-Examination/ Pre-Graduation

Examination Results

The final grade for a course will only be released to the student after Senates
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 semesters 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 candidates 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.















Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
Page 29 of 30
{viii} Graduation

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.




























Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes
Page 30 of 30

Part - Plagiarism



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 ones 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 persons 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.