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Student Corner

Macao Polytechnic University
Academic Regulations Governing Master's Degree Programmes

Article 1
(Scope)

This set of regulations applies to the master’s degree programmes offered by the Macao Polytechnic University (hereafter referred to as ‘the University’) and their students.

Article 2
(Rules and Regulations)

Students shall observe all relevant rules and regulations prescribed by the University.

Article 3
(Admission)

  1. An applicant shall be considered for admission to a master’s degree programme of the University if s/he

    a) holds a Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent from an accredited higher education institution;
    b) fulfils other admission criteria prescribed by the programme of study concerned; and
    c) satisfies the examiner(s) in an interview (if required).
  2. The admission criteria stated in Clause 1 Item b) shall be specified by the academic unit concerned in the programme specifications.
  3. Should an interview stated in Clause 1 Item c) be required, the academic unit concerned shall inform the applicant of the interview arrangements. Any failure to attend the interview shall lead to disqualification.
  4. An applicant who has been offered admission on a conditional basis is required to fulfil the requirements delineated in the conditional offer letter within the prescribed period in order to gain full admission.
  5. The admission schedule, including key dates for application and release of admission offer, shall be announced annually on the official website of the University.

Article 4
(Student Registration)

  1. Students reading for a master’s degree at the University shall be regarded as ‘full-time programme students’.
  2. An applicant who has been offered admission shall pay the fees and register by the prescribed deadlines to confirm his/her student status at the University. Anyone who fails to do so shall be deemed to have declined the offer.
  3. An applicant who has been offered admission and wishes to defer registration shall submit an application in writing before the specified registration period; application for deferred registration on medical grounds should include a medical certificate issued by public services in healthcare or a registered hospital.
  4. A student shall register in the name that appears in his/her identification documents.
  5. A student shall register for the programme of study to which s/he has been offered admission. Requests for transfer of programme of study during the period of study shall be accepted only under exceptional circumstances and will be considered by the academic unit concerned on a case-by-case basis.

Article 5
(Fees)

  1. Students are required to pay fees following the rules and regulations prescribed by the University in relation to fee standards and payment.
  2. A student who has outstanding fees, whether in part or in full, for three weeks shall be considered to have withdrawn from studies.
  3. All fees once paid shall not be refunded unless otherwise specified.

Article 6
(Academic Calendar)

An academic calendar defines the class and examination periods as well as holidays in an academic year, which consists of two semesters.

Article 7
(Period of Study)

  1. The period of study of a master’s degree programme is counted by semesters.
  2. Except otherwise specified in the programme specifications, the normal period of study of a master’s degree programme is 4 semesters (i.e. 24 calendar months), the minimum period of study is 3 semesters (i.e. 18 calendar months), and the maximum period of study is 8 semesters (i.e. 48 calendar months). Any periods of deferment and suspension of study shall be counted towards the maximum period of study.
  3. A student granted leave of absence as stated in Article 22 shall follow a separate regime in terms of period of study. His/her period of study shall be calculated in the following way with decimals rounded to the next whole number: the summation of the normal period of study and 150% of the period of leave of absence.
  4. A student who fails to gain eligibility for graduation within the maximum period of study or the period of study specified under the regime stated in Clause 3, whichever is applicable, shall be automatically discontinued from his/her study. In special cases, on the recommendation of the academic unit concerned, the Senate may grant a student an extension beyond the maximum period of study.

Article 8
(Programme Structure)

  1. A master’s degree programme is comprised of learning modules of the following categories and bears no less than 30 credits, each of which consists of 15 normative hours of face-to-face instruction:

    a) Taught modules; and
    b) Capstone experience.

  2. Taught modules may either be:

    a) compulsory, which students must take and pass; or
    b) elective, which students may select from a list of available options given by their programme of study and pass to accumulate sufficient credits for graduation.

  3. Capstone experience is a student-driven learning opportunity which may take one of the following forms:

    a) Thesis;
    b) Project and project report; or
    c) Internship and internship report.
  4. A student should submit his/her thesis, project report or internship report within 6 months counting from the month of registration for the capstone experience except otherwise stipulated or upon approval of the academic unit concerned for deferred submission. Any late submission shall lead to failure in the registered capstone experience.

Article 9
(Graduation and Award)

  1. To be eligible for graduation, a student must:

    a) earn all the credits required for graduation by his/her programme of study; and
    b) pass other assessment exercises prescribed by his/her programme of study (if any).
  2. A student shall be entitled to the award of a master’s degree upon confirmation of the Pedagogic Committee of the academic unit concerned on his/her eligibility for graduation.
  3. Distinction shall be awarded upon graduation to a student whose academic performance meets the criteria specified in Article 18 Clause 4.

Article 10
(Transfer of Credits)

  1. Transfer of credits, or advanced standing, refers to the procedures of granting students credits and exemptions of learning modules prescribed by their programme of study at the University in recognition of their prior learning.

  2. Students may apply for transfer of credits in a prescribed form together with relevant supporting documents (e.g. degree certificates, transcripts, course outlines, professional licenses, etc.) within a specified period using their prior learning:

    a) credits earned through training received from a tertiary programme of a higher education institution in Macao;
    b) successfully achieved from academic studies or training received in higher education institutions; or
    c) in terms of professional training or experience.
    Late or incomplete applications shall not be accepted.

  3. Transfer of credits:

    a) may be granted for no more than one third of the total credits required for graduation;
    b) may be granted for no more than 20% of the total credits required for graduation using prior learning described in Clause 2 Item c);
    c) may be granted with due consideration given to the comparability between prior and current learning in terms of level, depth and area of study;
    d) cannot be applied to capstone experience.
  4. The Senate shall scrutinise applications for transfer of credits and determine the number of credits to be granted and the consequent learning modules to be exempted with reference to the comments of the academic unit concerned.
  5. The credits granted to a student via transfer of credits are in effect only within the period of study of his/her registered programme in which the application for transfer of credits is submitted. The effect is neither extendable nor traceable.
  6. The learning modules where credits are granted via transfer of credits shall be shown on the academic transcript with ‘X’ (exemption) as the grade, which will not be counted towards GPA.
  7. The rules and regulations stated above in this Article are not applicable to studies completed under exchange or other study programmes jointly organised by the University and its partner institutions. In these cases, the applicable methodologies shall be proposed by the academic unit concerned and endorsed by the Senate.

Article 11
(Enrolment of Learning Modules)

  1. Students are required to enrol in learning modules following the study plan of their programme of study as well as the rules and regulations governing module enrolment.
  2. Students may retake their failed modules but are not allowed to retake learning modules they have successfully completed or gained exemption from.
  3. The academic unit concerned shall decide about all matters not covered by these regulations in the area of module enrolment.

Article 12
(Attendance)

  1. Students are obliged to attend all learning activities of the learning modules enrolled.
  2. A student who is prevented from attendance for medical causes shall submit an application in writing to the academic unit concerned, together with a medical certificate issued by the Health Bureau or a registered hospital in Macao.
  3. A student who is prevented from attendance for personal causes shall submit an application in writing to the academic unit concerned, together with a detailed description of the reason(s) for the absence.
  4. A student who has been absent without approval from his/her academic unit for 20% of its total lecture hours or more shall receive a failing grade for the learning module concerned.

Article 13
(Assessment of Taught Modules)

  1. Students’ learning outcomes in individual taught modules may be assessed by means of a written, practical or oral test, or by continuous assessment, or by any combination of these. The assessment method(s) and relevant marking scheme(s) shall be specified in individual syllabi.
  2. Should a final examination be included as an assessment method, students are obliged to sit for the examination. A student who is absent from a prescribed examination shall receive a failing grade for the module concerned except for cases described in Clause 3.
  3. A student who is prevented by illness or other unavoidable reason(s) to sit for a prescribed examination shall submit an application for supplementary examination in writing for approval of the academic unit concerned within seven calendar days. Application on medical grounds shall be accompanied by a medical certificate issued by the Health Bureau or a registered hospital in Macao.
  4. No supplementary or re-sit examinations shall be arranged except with the approval of the academic unit concerned for cases described in Clause 3.

Article 14
(Supervision of Capstone Experience)

  1. Before commencement of the capstone experience, a student shall be allocated a supervisor, who is responsible for guiding and advising him/her to conduct relevant learning activities and write about them.
  2. The appointment of supervisors and relevant management affairs shall be handled by the academic unit concerned, which should have mechanisms in place to manage the supervision load of its faculty members.

Article 15
(Thesis Defence Examination)

  1. The thesis examination panel is composed of:

    a) Two examiners, one of whom shall serve as the chair; and
    b) Supervisor.
  2. The examiners stated in Clause 1 Item a), one of whom may be external to the University, shall be served by academics in relevant field of study.
  3. The composition of the thesis examination panel shall be nominated by the academic unit concerned with the endorsement of the Senate and appointed by the Rector.
  4. The academic unit concerned shall publish the composition of the thesis examination panel as well as the corresponding schedule for thesis defence examination(s) in writing.
  5. Within 15 working days after thesis submission, the thesis examination panel shall notify the student of acceptance of his/her thesis or of suggestions for revision with reason(s) provided.
  6. A student who receives suggestions to revise his/her thesis from the thesis examination panel may submit either a revised thesis or a statement declaring renunciation of revision within 60 days. Late submission should be regarded as renunciation of revision.
  7. The thesis defence examination shall be conducted with the presence of all members of the thesis examination panel, or otherwise shall be rescheduled by the academic unit concerned.
  8. When the thesis defence is completed, the thesis examination panel shall determine the final resolution by open ballot with supporting reasons. No abstention is permitted.

  9. The final resolution shall be delivered in any of the following forms:

    a) Pass; or
    b) Fail: The student shall be discontinued from his/her study.
  10. In addition to the final resolution stated in Clause 9, a grade shall be given to the thesis by the thesis examination panel using the grading system described in Article 18 for the calculation of GPA in the assessment towards the award of distinction as stated in Article 9 Clause 3.

  11. A master’s degree thesis must be written and submitted in accordance with relevant rules and guidelines of the University.

Article 16
(Project Examination)

  1. The project examination panel, which is responsible for assessing the project reports and examining the student in the project viva, is composed of:

    a) Two examiners, one of whom shall serve as the chair; and
    b) Supervisor.
  2. The examiners stated in Clause 1 Item a) shall be served by academics in specialised field of study of the master’s degree programme concerned.
  3. The composition of the project examination panel (including the chair) shall be appointed by the academic unit concerned.
  4. The academic unit shall publish the composition of the project examination panel and corresponding project viva schedule at least 14 days prior to date of project viva in writing.
  5. The final assessment outcome shall be the average of the grades given by individual panel members using the grading system described in Article 18.
  6. A student who has passed the examination is required to submit both bound and soft copies of his/her project report in accordance with the requirements of the academic unit concerned.

Article 17
(Internship Assessment)

  1. The assessment and examination method(s) shall be specified by the academic unit concerned in relevant course syllabi.
  2. Internship reports shall be assessed by two academics in specialised field of study of the master’s degree programme concerned who have not been involved in the supervision of relevant students.
  3. A grade will be given as the final assessment outcomes using the grading system described in Article 18.

Article 18
(Grading System)

  1. The following grading system is adopted in the master’s degree programmes offered by the University:

    Letter Grade Mark Ranges Grade Point Grade Definition
    A
    A-    		 93 – 100
    88 – 92    		 4.0
    3.7    		 Excellent
    B+ 83 – 87 3.3 Very Good
    B
    B-    		 78 – 82
    73 – 77    		 3.0
    2.7    		 Good
    C+
    C
    C-    		 68 – 72
    63 – 67
    58 – 62    		 2.3
    2.0
    1.7    		 Satisfactory
    D+
    D    		 53 – 57
    50 – 52    		 1.3
    1.0    		 Pass
    F 0 – 49 0 Fail

  2. The following letter grades are adopted to signify module enrolment statuses or module results not being counted towards GPA:

    Letter Grade Definition Remark
    X Exemption Assigned to a module that has been exempted.
    I Incomplete Assigned to a module in progress.
    P Pass Given to a module where the results are not counted towards GPA.
    NP Fail
    W Withdrawal Assigned to a module which has not been completed due to withdrawal of study.

  3. A student’s performance is measured by the weighted grade point average, which is calculated as follows, where n is the number of modules taken:

  4. Distinction stated in Article 9 Clause 3 will be awarded upon graduation to a student who achieves a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or above.

Article 19
(Appeals)

  1. A student who wishes to apply for checking of procedural irregularity or technical error of the following results shall submit an application on a prescribed form within three working days after the release of the results:

    a) Application for transfer of credits;
    b) Assessment of taught modules;
    c) Assessment of capstone experience.
  2. Late applications and applications against academic judgement shall not be accepted.
  3. The application shall be considered by the academic unit concerned and the outcome of the checking shall be announced on the Student Information Web within three weeks after submission of the application. This outcome shall be regarded as final. No applications for further checking shall be accepted.

Article 20
(Publication)

  1. Any publication based on work approved for a master’s degree should:

    a) state the primary affiliation of the authoring student is ‘Macao Polytechnic University’; and
    b) contain a reference to the effect that the work was submitted to the University for the award of the degree.
  2. The student concerned shall normally be shown as the first author on any such publication.

Article 21
(Certificates and Testimonials)

  1. A degree certificate shall be issued to a student eligible for award of a master’s degree as stated in Article 9.
  2. The degree certificate shall be issued once only. No re-issuance shall be permitted.

  3. A student may apply for the following documentations following relevant established procedures:

    a) Academic transcript: A comprehensive academic record of a student at the University which lists all learning modules enrolled, relevant assessment results, the cumulative GPA, and the number of credits acquired as of the date of issuance.
    b) Testimonial: A document certifying a student’s enrolment status at the University at the time of issuance.
  4. A student who has any outstanding fees, whether in part or in full, or has otherwise failed to discharge all obligations to the University, shall not be issued the degree certificate and any other documentations.

Article 22
(Interruption of Study)

  1. A student’s study may be interrupted under the following circumstances:

    a) Deferment of study due to personal reasons;
    b) Suspension of study as a disciplinary consequence;
    c) Leave of absence granted under exceptional medical circumstances as stated in Clause 2.

  2. A student who is prevented from learning under the following circumstances may apply for leave of absence:

    a) Temporary or permanent physical or sensory disabilities; or
    b) Maternity, severe illness, infectious or contagious disease, or illness that requires a long-term rehabilitation as confirmed by a registered hospital or public services in healthcare that would adversely affect his/her study.
  3. A student who wishes to defer his/her study should apply to the academic unit concerned on a prescribed form before the assessment period of the particular semester. Leave of absence due to health causes should be accompanied by a medical certificate issued by a registered hospital or public services in healthcare.
  4. Leave of absence stated in Clause 2 should be applied in writing to the academic unit concerned. The application should be accompanied by a medical certificate issued by a registered hospital or the public services in healthcare. The medical certificate should clearly state the required period of absence from learning, which will be regarded as the length of the leave of absence once granted.
  5. A student who has been granted interruption of study should submit an application on a prescribed form to the academic unit concerned for resumption or further interruption of study within the period as prescribed by the University. A student who fails to do so shall be regarded as having withdrawn from his/her study.
  6. A student who returns to his/her study after interruption of study shall follow the latest study plan of the programme of study in which s/he has registered.

Article 23
(Termination of Study)

  1. A student who wishes to terminate his/her study at the University due to personal reasons shall apply for withdrawal of study following the established procedures. The results of any incomplete enrolled modules shall be marked as ‘W’ (withdrawal) on the academic transcript while the results of completed modules shall be recorded as they are.
  2. A student discontinued from his/her study due to failure in meeting the requirements stipulated in this set of regulations or violation of any other relevant rules or regulations prescribed by the University, shall be considered to have withdrawn from his/her study.
  3. The application by a student discontinued from his/her study as stated in Clause 2 for admission to the same programme of study in the subsequent academic year shall not be considered.
  4. Under exceptional circumstances, a student who has withdrawn from his/her study for reasons stated in Article 5 Clause 2 and Article 22 Clause 5 may apply in writing for resumption of study before the assessment period of the particular semester within the maximum period of study (towards which the period from withdrawal to application for resumption is counted). Upon approvals by the academic unit concerned and the Rector, after settlement of all outstanding fee(s) and administrative fee(s) as regulated by the University, s/he may resume his/her study.
  5. Except for cases stated in Clause 4, a student who has terminated and wishes to continue his/her study at the University is required to apply for admission following rules and regulations governing general admission.

Article 24
(Academic Integrity)

  1. Academic integrity is expected of every student of the University in all academic undertakings. Students should avoid committing any act of academic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating and plagiarism.
  2. Any act of academic dishonesty shall be handled according to relevant rules and regulations of the University.

Article 25
(Change of Personal Information)

  1. Students are responsible for ensuring that their personal and contact information given to the University is correct and up-to-date.
  2. A student who wishes to change their personal information should apply on a prescribed form. S/he may change their contact information on the Student Information Web.
  3. A graduate may update his/her contact information only.

Article 26
(Questions and Omissions)

Any questions and omissions arising out of the application of these Regulations shall be resolved by the Senate.

 

This English version is a translation of the original regulations in Chinese. For any discrepancies between the two versions, the Chinese version shall prevail.

 

 

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