The University of Baltistan, Skardu shall follow the following set procedures in connection with the undergraduate and graduates thesis examinations.
MPhil Dissertation Processes
All the MS/MPhil students shall perform research work as partial fulfillment of the requirement of the degree under the supervision of a faculty member.
a) The thesis supervisor shall fulfill the HEC criteria for MS/MPhil supervision, appointed by the Board of Advance Studies and Research (BASR) on the recommendations of the Chairman of the department and the Dean of the faculty concerned. Where necessary and desirable, a co-supervisor shall be appointed.
b) A student shall select a topic for dissertation which shall be endorsed by the supervisor and the chairman of the department concerned.
c) The proposal shall be submitted to the BASR for the approval within thirty days of the commencements of the third semester.
d) Towards the end of the third and fourth semesters progress reports of the students shall be shared with the Controller of Examinations office. If two consecutive reports are unsatisfactory, the degree/program shall be ceased.
e) Upon showing a satisfactory progress report in the third semester and maintaining a CGPA of 2.5 on the basis of course work taken up in that semester, the student shall continue his/her studies.
f) A student, who fails to complete the requirements of the MPhil degree in the normal period of four semesters, shall cease to be student unless provided the benefit of prescribed/stated below:
g) In case a student fails to complete the MPhil requirements within the normal period of four semesters, the BASR may allow him/her an extension for one semester on the recommendation of the supervisor duly endorsed by the chairman concerned.
h) Extension for another semester may be allowed by the Board of Advanced Studies and Research, provided the supervisor justifies the extension to the satisfaction of the board by indicating the circumstances which led to non-completion of MPhil program within five semesters.
i) No fellowship or financial assistance shall be provided during the extended period of 5th or 6th semesters.
j) No extension beyond six semesters shall be granted under any circumstances. A student failing to submit his/her dissertation by the end of the sixth semester shall cease to be a student of the university.
k) A student, who has received extension as per the regulations, shall be allowed to submit his/her dissertation within the extended period. He/she shall be required to pay such charges for use of facilities as the university may prescribe from time to time.
l) After the completion of research, each student shall submit five copies of the dissertation approved by the supervisor to the Controller of Examinations’ office before the final examination.
i. One for the external examiner
ii. One for the examination section
iii. One for the department office
iv. One for the student
v. One for the supervisor
m) After the viva-voce examination and incorporation of the examiners’ comments/feedback (if any), a student shall make four copies of the final hard-bound dissertation for the submission and get them signed by the Supervisor, Chairperson, and Dean. The Five copies shall be submitted to the following.
i. One copy for the examination section
ii. One copy for the central library
iii. One copy for the departmental office
iv. One copy for the supervisor
v. For his/her own record
n) In case of recommended revision by the examiners, the following process shall be followed.
i. Concerning major changes suggested, the thesis shall be submitted for re- examination within the given timeframe.
ii. Concerning minor changes suggested, the certificate by the supervisor endorsed by the Chairman of the department shall be submitted along with the hard copies.
o) Dissertation format endorsed by the Departmental and Academic Council shall be used. The dissertation shall be printed on A4 size (11”x 8.5”) paper and shall have a dark green hard binding with the golden letters on the front and the spine.
MPhil Synopsis/Dissertation Proposal
a) An MS/MPhil student who successfully completes his course work with minimum CGPA of 2.5 shall submit his/her research proposal to the office of the Chairperson/HoD through proposed supervisor(s).
b) The research proposal shall be submitted in form of synopsis employing the approved format, following the channel from the supervisors to the HoD office for the consideration of the Departmental Graduate Committee (DGC). The HoD shall forward the synopsis on the recommendations of DGC to the office of the Director Academics through the concerned Dean for the approval of the BASR.
c) The BASR shall approve, suggest amendments or reject the synopsis. The Office of the Director Academics, after approval of the minutes of the meeting of BASR by the competent authority shall forward comments of the BASR to the respective HOD for compliance.
d) The research work (fieldwork) on the project shall only be allowed upon receiving approval of the BASR.
MPhil Dissertation Examination
a) A student, who has completed all the requirements for the MPhil degree program, shall submit an application on a prescribed form to the Controller of Examinations for final viva/dissertation.
b) The final thesis, before sending to evaluation, shall undergo a plagiarism check at the departmental level and the report shall be submitted along with the examination application form.
c) Publication of one research paper in HEC recognized journal (visit HEC website for details) shall be a prerequisite for the thesis submission.
d) The supervisor shall consult the Controller of Examinations through the HoD/Chairman/Chairperson and the Dean to choose the final date of viva-voce.
e) The Supervisor, Concerned Chairman and Dean shall develop list of at least three potential external examiners, who shall be active researchers having a PhD degree in the relevant field (their two-page resume shall be enclosed) and endorse them by the BASR and forward it to the Controller of Examinations. The list then shall be submitted to the Vice Chancellor by the Controller Examinations for the approval of an external examiner.
f) The Vice Chancellor shall appoint an external examiner from the provided list of examiners.
g) Upon receiving the approval from the Vice Chancellor, the Controller of Examinations shall write to the selected examiner and schedule the examination.
h) The board of examiners shall comprise of the following.
i. Chairman/HoD/Principal (Ex-Officio)
ii. External Examiner (One)
iii. Research Supervisor/s (Internal/s)
i) The examination shall be held on the university campus on such dates notified by the Controller of Examinations in consultation with the supervisor/chairman of the department concerned.
j) The evaluation shall be completed within six weeks of thesis submission.
k) The candidate shall have to be present before the Board of Examiners for the assessment of his/her thesis and comprehensive examination.
l) The Chairman/Director Academics shall forward the names and particulars of successful candidates to BASR and the Controller of Examinations for award of the Degree of MS/ M.Phil.
m) On receiving the names and particulars of successful candidates, the Controller of Examinations shall notify the result within three working days.
Thesis/Project For Undergraduate Programs
a) An undergraduate student shall qualify the examination by obtaining GPA 2.5.
b) Only one chance of resubmission shall be given to a student and if the revised Project/Research is not approved under the set procedures the Project/Research Report shall be rejected.
c) The grading of the report and viva-voce examination shall be included in the cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of the result.
d) The students shall develop thesis proposals/synopsis under the supervision of their respective supervisors as per the policies and submit to the Departmental Council for review and notification.
e) The Departmental Council shall review the project/thesis proposals and notify the students to conduct their respective field or lab work. A copy of the notification shall be submitted to the Controller of Examinations Office.
f) Thesis for the BS degree shall not be accepted earlier than 8th semester and later than 12th semester (additional four semesters) after the date of first registration.
Conduction of Project/Thesis Examinations at Undergraduate Level
a) At the end of their respective course of studies, all the research students shall submit to the office of the Chairperson three copies of the Project/Research reports for examination purposes signed and endorsed by their respective supervisors.
b) All the research students shall attend scheduled oral examination on their Project/Research as a mandatory.
Appointment of Examiners for BS Thesis Examinations
a) On the recommendation of the Chairperson, the Dean of Faculty/Director Academics shall appoint an external examiner for the Project/Thesis examinations and submit a copy of the same to the Controller of Examinations office (two-page resume of the potential examiner shall be submitted along with the recommendation).
b) The respective Head of Department/ Chairperson and the supervisors shall be the internal members of the thesis/project examination.
c) The board of examiners shall comprise of the following.
i. Chairperson/HoD/Principal (Ex-Officio)
ii. External Examiner (One)
iii. Research Supervisor/s (Internal)
d) The examiner shall evaluate the thesis/dissertation and submit the results through the Chairperson/HoD to the Controller of Examinations, UoBS.
e) After the viva-voce examination and incorporation of the examiners’ comments/feedback (if any), a student shall make five copies of the final hard-bound dissertation and get them signed by the supervisor, external examiner, chairperson, and Dean.
iv. One for examination section
v. One for central library
vi. One for departmental office
vii. One for supervisor
viii. One for student’s own copy
f) Upon receiving the results and hard copies of the theses, the Controller of Examinations shall notify and upload the results within three working days.