Bye-Laws of 1999 for the Degrees of Master of Philosophy ­ M.Phil. ­ and Doctor of Philosophy ­ Ph.D. ­ in the Faculty of Education

Citation and Interpretation

1. (1) The title of these bye-laws is Bye-Laws for the Degrees of Master of Philosophy - M.Phil. - and Doctor of Philosophy - Ph.D. - in the Faculty of Education.

(2) In these bye-laws, unless the context otherwise requires ­

"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Education;

"the Degree" means the Degree of Master of Philosophy - M.Phil. - or the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy - Ph.D. - as the case may be; and

"the Faculty" means the Faculty of Education.

Applicability

2. These bye-laws shall be applicable from October 1991 onwards.

Admission Requirements

3. (1) To register for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Education, candidates must be in possession of the following qualifications:

(a) a Bachelor of Education (Honours) and a Master's degree; or
(b) a Postgraduate Certificate in Education or an appropriate qualification, in addition to the first degree or equivalent, which should be directly related to the area in which the research is to be carried out, and a Master's degree; or
(c) a Master of Education. All candidates are required to produce satisfactory evidence of their ability to carry out research work in the field of Education.

(2) Before registering for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Education, candidates shall normally be required to register in the first instance for the degree of Master of Philosophy. Only in exceptional circumstances shall candidates be considered for direct registration to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

4. (1) To register for the degree of Master of Philosophy in the field of Psychology, candidates must be in possession of a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) degree normally with at least Second Class Honours (Upper Division) or of an equivalent qualification from this or another university recognised by the Senate for the purpose.

(2) To register for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Psychology, candidates must be in possession of a Master of Philosophy in Psychology or a Master of Psychology degree or of equivalent qualifications from this or another university recognised by the Senate for the purpose.

5. Candidates' research proposals should indicate clearly the research questions in the field of Education to be addressed, the hypotheses to be tested and the methodology to be adopted in dealing with the research issues, Where necessary, candidates may be required to demonstrate competence in those skills required by the related nature of their investigation, such as statistical and other quantitative methods and the use of specific computer packages.

6. Before registering for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy candidates shall normally be required to register in the first instance for the degree of Master of Philosophy. Only in exceptional circumstances shall candidates be considered for direct registration to the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Progress and Supervision

7. Students shall be required to register every twelve months on the written recommendation of their supervisor.

8. In cases where a student's appointed supervisor is unable to continue providing supervision, another supervisor shall be appointed to enable the student to proceed with his studies.

9. The Faculty attaches great importance to the association of Degree students with other research students and members of staff, and consequently they shall be required to participate fully in the Faculty's research seminars.

10. Students' theses should report the discovery of new facts and/or demonstrate that they have exercised independent critical power in reaching the reported conclusions. In both respects students must indicate clearly the extent to which their thesis embodies the results of their own research and observations, and to what extent their investigation advances the study of the subject.

11. Any changes to the title of the students' theses must first be approved by the Board on the written recommendation of the supervisor, and shall then be submitted for the approval of Senate.

Thesis Format and Presentation

12. The thesis should not normally exceed 60,000 words, exclusive of appendices, bibliographies, glossaries and footnotes.

13. Three typewritten or printed copies of the thesis shall be submitted for examination. Within one month of passing the examination of the thesis, students shall submit two copies of the thesis, one of which should be deposited at the University Library, bound as follows:
in cloth (preferably black) with stiff boards and good quality end papers; with lettering (preferably in gold) on the front and spine showing:

(i) the name of the student;
(ii) the title or short title of the thesis;
(iii) the degree for which the thesis is submitted; and
(iv) the year of submission.

Maps, diagrams, graphs, printed material, etc. should be bound with the thesis, but if this is not possible, they should be presented separately in special folders or volumes and numbered.

14. The text must be typed on A4 sheets, on one side only, in double spacing and with a margin of 40 mm to the left and at least 20 mm top, bottom and right.

15. A short abstract of the thesis of not more than 300 words shall be bound with each copy submitted to the University.

16. Students may publish the whole or part of their thesis prior to its submission for examination, provided that in the published work it is not stated that it is under consideration for a higher degree. Such published work may later be incorporated in the thesis submitted for examination, provided that a statement to this effect is included in it as required by the Regulations for the degrees of Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy.