Submission of Thesis for Examination/Re-examination

a.

Please click here for general guidelines on format of thesis. Candidates who wish to apply for an extension of the word limit for their theses will have to seek approval from their supervisors and Heads of Departments.

b.

Deadline for Submission

Candidates have to submit their theses for examination (after being approved by the supervisor(s) and Head of Department) by the maximum period of candidature or such date as stipulated by the supervisor(s) or the University, whichever date is earlier.  A grace period of up to 2 weeks can be given by the Registrar’s Office [request must be supported by the supervisor(s)] without the need for candidate to apply for extension of his/her candidature. However, this does not exempt the candidate from the administrative fee payable when applications for extension of candidature is done after the expiry of candidature.

However, candidates who are unable to do so by the approved submission deadline should consult their supervisor(s) first before applying for extension of their candidature by completing the downloadable prescribed form(s).  The application must be submitted through the supervisor(s), Head of Department and the Faculty’s Vice-Dean (Graduate Studies), preferably 2 months before the expiry of the candidature.

c.

Thesis Submission Date & Fees Payable

Tuition and miscellaneous fees are payable until the thesis is submitted for examination.  However, the insurance premium will continue to be payable for full-time students unless the student converts his/her candidature to part-time.

Exemption of fees will take effect from the semester after the thesis is submitted for examination, except if the thesis is submitted during the first two Instructional weeks of the semester.

Note:   For research scholars, the last day of award will be the date the thesis is submitted to the Registrar’s Office or the date of the supervisor’s signature on the Thesis Submission Form, whichever is earlier.

d.

Procedures for First Submission of Thesis for Examination

e.

Procedures for Re-submission of Thesis for Further Examination

Once the thesis is ready for re-submission, please submit the following at the Student Service Centre (Level 1, Yusof Ishak House) during office hours:

• 1-2 copies of soft bound revised thesis (will be indicated in the letter)
• 1-2 copies of soft bound original thesis (will be indicated in the letter)
• Supervisor’s Report on Amended Master’s/Ph.D. Thesis (RO.86/03) duly signed and completed (if applicable).

f.

Final Amended Thesis

If your thesis does not require further examination please submit the following to the Student Service Centre by the stipulated deadline:

• Supervisor’s Report on Amended Master’s/Ph.D. Thesis (RO.86/03) duly signed and completed (if applicable).
• Report on Amended Ph.D. Thesis (after Oral Examination) (RO.87/03) duly signed and completed (if applicable).
• Detailed summary of amendments made (if applicable).
• CD-ROM which stores the soft copy of the final approved thesis (in PDF format).  The candidate’s name, thesis title and degree should be labelled on the CD-ROM. If more than one CD-ROM is used, each CD-ROM should be labelled as Part 1, Part 2, etc.
• Electronic Thesis Submission Form (RO.85/03) duly signed and completed (if applicable)

2.

Process of Thesis Examination

(Important: Please note that you should not, under any circumstances, communicate with any examiner on matters related to your thesis examination.) 

a.

Nomination of Thesis Examiners

Candidates should inform their supervisor(s) who should in turn notify the Head of Department at least one month before the thesis is expected to be submitted for examination.  This is to allow sufficient time for the approval of the proposed examiners, so that the thesis can be sent for examination upon submission.

b.

Period of Thesis Examination

A Master’s thesis will be examined by two examiners (one of whom may be an external examiner, as decided by the Head of Department and the Vice-Dean) while a Ph.D. thesis will be examined by three examiners (at least one external examiner).  Ph.D. candidates are required to attend an oral examination after the thesis has been examined.  (Candidates are to bring a copy of the thesis for the oral examination).

c.

Outcome of Thesis Examination

i. After all the examiners’ reports are received:

Please note that if major revisions to the thesis are required, the candidate may have to pay fees for 1 semester, even if the period granted to do the revision is less than 6 months. If the candidate is unable to complete the revisions in 6 months, he/she may be required to pay another semester's fees.

ii. After examination/re-examination, if no or only minor amendments are required, the final approved thesis must be uploaded electronically.  One printed copy of the final approved thesis should be submitted to the supervisor. 

3.

Award of Degree

You will be considered for award of degree by the Board of Graduate Studies:

• if all minor/major revisions are incorporated in the thesis to the satisfaction of the supervisor(s) and the Oral Panel member (if applicable); and

• after the uploaded electronic thesis has been verified by the respective Department/Faculty.

After the degree has been awarded by the Board of Graduate Studies, the Chancellor’s approval will be sought for the degree to be conferred in writing.  The approximate timeframe for approval by Board of Graduate Studies and Chancellor is about two months after your uploaded thesis has been verified.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Do remember to inform the Registrar’s Office of any change in your mailing address by updating it online so that the outcome of the thesis examination can be communicated to you promptly.