Thesis Submission and Assessment
Thesis Submission
Students who wish to submit a thesis for examination should notify SGS one month before their expected date of thesis submission. Applications should be sent to the School, together with an abstract of the thesis and the original payment receipt of the examination fee.
Normally, a thesis is expected to be submitted not earlier than six months before the expiry of the normal period of candidature. Early submission of theses before the said date requires special approval from SGS.
Students must submit a thesis for examination by the end of their maximum study period. Students should not submit, as the main content of the thesis, work previously accepted for a degree or any other award of the University or of any other institution, but they may incorporate such work in the thesis if the incorporated material is specified.
Panel of Examiners
A panel of Examiners will be formed to assess a student's thesis and conduct an oral examination. The panel should consist of:
- A Panel Chair (who is an Internal Examiner)
- One additional Internal Examiner
- One External Examiner
- The supervisor of the student
The internal and external examiners should normally be at the grade of Associate Professor or above, and have appropriate expertise related to the subject area of the student's thesis. Individuals studying for a higher degree should not be appointed as examiners. The Panel Chair and the internal and external examiners should have no supervisory relationship with the student. The supervisor, with the consent of the student concerned, may invite other qualifying panel members to join the oral examination as observers.
Thesis Assessment and Oral Examination
The thesis examination should include an oral examination and other assessment arrangements, as may be required by the Panel of Examiners. The oral examination is compulsory. It should normally take place in Hong Kong and be conducted in English. Students who have not fulfilled the coursework requirement in the taught component or any other academic requirement stipulated by the University will not be allowed to sit for the oral examination.
Under normal circumstances, the oral examination will take place within two to three months from the submission of the thesis, depending on the timing of receiving the examiners’ comments. However, for students who fail to give advance notice for submission of their thesis or fail to submit their thesis by the intended submission deadline, a longer period of time will be required to arrange the examination.
Students who have satisfied all the requirements for the EngD degree will be recommended for the award of EngD by the Panel of Examiners.
Students who are required to make minor revisions to their thesis, but have satisfied all other academic requirements, may be recommended for the award, subject to resubmission of the thesis after making minor revisions by the deadline set by the Panel.
If there is disagreement among the Panel members concerning the performance of the student, the examiners should submit individual reports to SGS. An additional external examiner may then be appointed and be required to make a report and recommendation to SGS. The reports from the Panel members and additional examiner will be forwarded to the Department and College for consideration, and the Committee on Research Degrees Candidature will make a final decision based on the advice of the Department and College.
If a student is required to submit a revised thesis, the Panel should set a deadline for resubmission not exceeding 12 months from the date of the oral examination. After re-examining the revised thesis, the examiners should make a recommendation to SGS. If the examiners are satisfied with the revised thesis, they may recommend that a second oral examination be waived.
The award of Engineering Doctorate is classified Pass-Fail. Graduates of the programme will be able to use the abbreviation “Dr.” before their names.
Re-examination
Students must pay a re-examination fee to sit for a second oral examination. The Panel of Examiners for the re-examination should be the same as for the first examination, unless otherwise recommended by the Department and College. Students who fail to satisfy the Panel of Examiners in a re-examination are not permitted to present themselves for re-examination on a further occasion.
Copyright Ownership
(Please refer to the University's Policy on Intellectual Property for more details.)
According to the University’s intellectual property policy, the copyright for all original work produced by students in the course of or for the purposes of their studies, scholarship or research with or at the University will be owned by the students concerned. The University will, however, have a royalty-free and non-exclusive perpetual licence to use such work for normal University educational and operational purposes. (These rules also apply to work created by students that has been either partly or wholly funded by a consultancy project, unless copyright ownership is otherwise specified in the contract terms.)
Despite the above, for work created by students in research projects either partly or wholly funded by the University or ITF or other external organisations (other than in the context of a consultancy project), the copyright ownership of the work will be determined by the terms of the project contract. If the terms are silent on this issue, the copyright will be owned by the University.
Bound Theses
Students should submit one properly bound printed copy and three electronic copies of their thesis to SGS within one month after approval by the Panel of Examiners of their theses and of any revisions required:
The electronic copies will be distributed to the supervisor, the Department and the Library respectively. The Library will upload an electronic copy onto the online databases for both internal and public access. The bound copy will be sent to the Library. The submission of the bound thesis forms part of the graduation requirement. SGS may withhold the student’s award certificate and transcript if he or she fails to submit the thesis by the specified date.
The required formats for the printed and electronic copies are detailed in the Regulation for the Form of Theses. When preparing the printed version of a thesis, students are advised to refer to Regulation for the Form of Theses. When preparing the printed version of a thesis, students are advised to refer to a sample of the front cover, the spine, and the title page of a thesis. SGS will make available a signed Thesis Acceptance Form for students to include in their bound theses. For guidelines on preparing the electronic version of a thesis, please visit the Library Web site.
Under normal circumstances, the thesis will be made available for reference as soon as they have been placed in the Library. A student who wishes to restrict access to his or her thesis for a valid reason may write to SGS. Such requests will be considered on the basis of the justifications provided, and are subject to the recommendation of the Department and approval of the College.
Students may make an appeal in writing to SGS on matters relating to their studies. An appeal against the examination result should be made in writing to the Board of Graduate Studies through SGS within 10 working days of the notification of the results. The appeal will be considered only if there has been a material administrative error, or some other material irregularity. The decision of the Board of Graduate Studies will be final.
Congregation
With the approval of the Senate, students who have satisfactorily completed the EngD programme will be conferred the award at the annual Congregation, which usually takes place in November. Students who wish to graduate and participate in the annual Congregation should submit their thesis to SGS by late June of that year to allow sufficient time for examination arrangements and for subsequent approval.
Students eligible for academic awards for that particular year will be notified in writing of the details for the Congregation and the collection of their academic dress and award certificate. The award certificate will be issued once only, as there will be no second printing. Students are strongly advised to ensure the safe keeping of this important document. The University reserves the right to withhold conferment of an award to a student who is subject to a penalty imposed in accordance with the Code of Student Conduct, or who has not paid fees or other monies owing to the University or who has otherwise failed to discharge all obligations towards the University.