Chapter One General Rules

Article 1 In light of the actual situation of international master students, these rules are formulated according to relevant rules and regulations of the People’s Republic of China including Regulations on Academic Degrees of the People’s Republic of China and Interim Measures on Academic Degrees of the People’s Republic of China, and relevant rules of Statutes of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in order to enhance the training and administration of international graduates for master’s programs and improve the training quality.

 

Article 2 With the concept of elite education as the guiding principle of graduate education, the university train civil and honest talents with a wide range of basic theories and systematic expertise of their subjects as well as the ability to carry out scientific research independently or undertake technical work, who observe laws and disciplines and keep healthy in both body and mind.

 

Article 3 The training and administration of master’s students shall embody the administration at both the university and department level. The university, school and supervisor should respectively fulfill their responsibility specified by these rules.

For the training of master’s students, the university and each subject shall have reasonable arrangements including course learning, social practice, scientific research and academic exchange etc. Students should not only have a firm command of basic theories and expertise but also cultivate their abilities to grasp scientific research and to take on designing and management independently.

Chapter Two Period of Schooling and General Arrangement

Article 4 Master’s programs are completed in 2 to 2.5 years.

Generally, master’s programs shall not be extended. Provided that the student fail to finish study or research tasks or take part in thesis defense until due time for some special reasons, he could extend the period of schooling on condition that he applies three months in advance, and that the application is signed by his supervisor, approved by the subject committee and the department, and reviewed by the Graduate School. Generally, the extension should not be longer than one year.

 

Article 5 Subject committees that have the right to confer master’s degrees shall formulate individual training programs for master’s students based on this measure and the actual situation in their subjects and majors. The training programs shall be passed by the Degree Evaluation Subcommittee of the school, signed by the chair of the Degree Evaluation Subcommittee, and implemented after reviewed and recorded by the Graduate School.

 

Article 6 Master’s students shall finish the tasks prescribed in the training programs including course learning, teaching practice, social practice, surveys and research, thesis writing etc.

A Master’s student could apply for master’s thesis defense provided that he finishes the specified course learning, reaches the lowest credits required, and publishes academic papers that meet the requirement of Rules on the Application for Master’s Degrees of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Chapter Three Supervisors and Individual Training Plans of Graduates

Article 7 Supervisors and students could choose each other within the first month after freshmen registration. After the application is approved, students could confirm their supervisors through two-way selections. The daily trainings of doctoral students are carried out by their own supervisors with the support and help of other teachers.

 

Article 8 Provided that a supervisor fails to perform his duty for some reason, the change of supervisors shall be conducted under the regulations of Rules on the Responsibilities of Graduates’ Supervisors of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

 

Article 9 Supervisors take full responsibility for the daily trainings and education of master’s students, including:

1. instructing master’s students to formulate individual training plans;
2. urging master’s students to attend classes and to complete studying tasks;
3. checking how the study and research plans are implemented and putting forward specific opinions;
4. cultivating in master’s students morally excellent characters and manners as well as good studying habits;
5. directing and checking the thesis writing of master’s students;
6. putting forward dropout advice for those failing to meet the training requirement.

 

Article 10 Based on this measure and professional training programs of the subject, supervisors shall instruct master’s students to formulate practical individual training plans in line with personal condition within the first month after registration.

Individual training plans shall be submitted to the Department Academic Office to be put on file after reviewed by supervisors and the subject leader. Both Master’s students and supervisors shall observe the established training plans.

 

Article 11 Provided that the training plans are changed for objective reasons and could not be implemented or only partly implemented, master’s students shall fill in the application form for amendment within two weeks after the changed course begins. The application form shall be submitted to the Academic Office in the department to be amended and filed after approved by supervisors and the subject leader.

Chapter Four Course Learning and Evaluation

Article 12 The course learning of master’s students is conducted under the credit system.

Each subject and major shall specify corresponding credits for each course in the training programs. The sum of credits of courses shall not be lower than 28 points. Each School (Department/ Institute) or subject could define credit requirement on this basis with the values not less than the primary standard. Each master’s students could get the corresponding credits after he completes the prescribed courses and pass the evaluation.

 

Article 13 basic components of course credits:

1. Common courses: a Brief Introduction to Chines Culture (2 credits), Chinese (2 credits)
2. Professional courses: basic professional courses, selected professional courses. This type of courses shall be set up according to the training requirements for graduates in first-level subject.

Chapter Five Mid-term Evaluation

Article 14 The mid-term evaluation is an important part of the training of master’s students, and also a key measure to standardize education and administration of graduates and to guarantee the training quality. The main contents of evaluation include: self-summary of graduates, review of course learning, paper publishing and awards, supervisors’ evaluation and interviews of the evaluation team and thesis defense, etc.

 

Article 15 basic requirements of mid-term evaluation: right attitude towards study; to complete all courses prescribed in the training plans and get qualified scores; the sum of obtained credits not less than the lowest points required by the school; smooth  thesis proposal

 

Article 16 The mid-term evaluation shall be completed within the first month after the third semester begins. Evaluation levels: A (excellent); B (qualified, continue for degrees); C (alert, put forward correcting measures); D (unqualified, advise to quit school).

 

Article 17 Master’s students whose evaluation results are above level B could go on for thesis writing.

For students who have right attitude towards study but fail to meet the course learning requirement, the school shall give a warning and ask them to propose correcting measures and report to the school (department). Students who have submitted the correcting report could go on for thesis writing. The school (department) concerned shall track and supervise the implementation of the correcting measures.

For students who have wrong attitude towards study, behave improperly,

 

Article 21 Provided that the students have wrong attitudes towards study, behave improperly, have low scores, and make no progress in thesis writing, especially that they commit fraud in academic research, cause great losses in research or experiment or do other things undermining the honor of the university, they shall be rendered disqualified. Each school (department) shall give preliminary opinions about those disqualified in accordance with actual conditions and report to the Graduate School.

 

Article 18 The mid-term evaluation form shall be preserved by the Academic Office in the school (department) after summarized.

Chapter Six Master’s Thesis

Article 19 An academic thesis is an important part of the training of master’s students. It is overall training of the students to conduct scientific research and undertake technical work and forms a key link to cultivate originality and the ability to discover, analyze and solve problems. Master’s students shall take active part in the scientific programs conducted by their supervisors and select subjects of high practical values. The academic thesis shall contain new work and ideas.

 

Article 20 The work related to the master’s thesis include: thesis proposal, mid-term inspection and review and thesis defense.

 

Article 21 Thesis Proposal

1. Master’s thesis proposal shall be completed after the mid-term evaluation. The forms needed in the thesis proposal are formulated by the Graduate School. Contents:

1. thesis title;

2. research meaning, analysis of current research status at home and abroad;

3. research target, contents, key issues to be solved;

4. research method, technical route and schemes to adopt, and the feasibility study;

5. originality of the topic;

6. intended schedule, progress, outcome;

7. materials related to the subject and existing preliminary research outcome.

1. The thesis proposal meeting shall be held in public within the subject or related subjects. The subject group leader or supervisor shall gather at least three experts from related subjects to argue the thesis proposal.
2. Master’s students shall give detailed report on the chosen topic in the thesis proposal meeting. The supervisors could give necessary explanations and demonstrations. The expert group shall argue the originality and feasibility of the chosen topic of the speaker, and put forward specific opinions and advice on the research of the topic.
3. The subject group shall designate a person to record the thesis proposal meeting. The thesis proposal and experts’ opinions shall be put on file by the Office of Graduate Education of the subject (school/department).

 

Article 22 Mid-term Inspection

1. Each subject shall conduct mid-term inspection of a master’s thesis within the semester before the thesis defense.
2. The evaluation team shall appraise the thesis work at current stage of master’s students. The evaluation results could be divided into three classes: excellent, qualified and unqualified. Unqualified students shall be warned and asked to submit individual correcting reports. And their theses shall be rendered school-wide blind review before thesis defense.

The mid-term evaluation report shall be preserved by the Academic Office in the school (department) after summarized.

 

Article 23 See the specific rules of each school (department) for the format of the master’s thesis. Thesis defense and degree application shall be implemented under the Rules on the Application for Master’s Degrees of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

These rules shall come into force upon promulgation. The Graduate School is responsible for interpreting the rules.