Chapter One General Rules

Article 1 In light of the actual situation in the training of international doctoral students, the rules are formulated under the relevant 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 doctoral programs and to improve the training quality.

 

Article 2 With the concept of elite education as the guiding principle for the education of doctoral students healthy in both body and mind, the university brings up civil and honest talents of the highest academic degree with a wide range of basic theories and systematic expertise of their subjects as well as the ability to carry out scientific research, teaching and practicing in an independent and original way.

 

Article 3 The training and administration of doctoral students shall reflect the administration at both the university and department level. The university, department/ school, subject committee, supervisor team, and supervisors should respectively fulfill their responsibility specified by these rules.

For the training of doctoral students, the university and each subject shall reasonably arrange course learning, social practice, scientific research and academic exchange etc. The university shall attach importance to developing students with a good habit of studying, the exploration spirit, originality, and the ability to take on scientific research independently.

 

Article 4 Doctoral students shall deepen and broaden basic theories and expertise, grasp the latest research result of the subject frontier and related knowledge, improve originality and paper qualities, and enhance social adaptability after graduation.

Chapter Two Period of Schooling and General Arrangement

Article 5 Doctoral programs are usually completed within 3 to 4 years. Extension is possible if approved, but no longer than 6 years (including suspension of schooling). Consecutive doctoral programs are usually completed in 5 years. Extension is possible if approved, but no longer than 7 years (including suspension of schooling).

 

Article 6 Subjects that have the right to confer doctoral degrees shall formulate individual training programs for doctoral students. 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 7 Doctoral students shall finish the tasks prescribed in the training programs including course learning, teaching practice, surveys and research, dissertation writing etc.

A doctoral student could apply for doctoral dissertation defense provided that he finishes the specified course learning, reaches the lowest credits required in this measure, and publishes academic papers that meet the requirement of Rules on the Application for Doctoral Degrees of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Chapter Three Supervisors, the Supervisor Team and Individual Training Plans of Doctoral students

Article 8 The daily training of doctoral students is carried out by their own supervisors with the support and help of other teachers. Every subject shall set up a supervisor team with doctoral student’s supervisor as the head in accordance with situation of faculty and actual needs. After admission, doctoral students shall choose their supervisors who are responsible for helping them make training programs. It is a two-way choice between students and supervisors and has to be decided before the end of the first semester.

 

Article 9 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 10 Supervisors take full responsibility for the daily training and education of master’s students, including:

1. Instructing master’s students to formulate individual training plans;
2. urging doctoral students to attend classes and finish study tasks during course learning;
3. checking how the study and research plans are implemented and put forward specific opinions;
4. cultivating in doctoral students excellent moral characters and manners, and a good style of study;
5. directing and checking the thesis writing work of doctoral students;
6. putting forward the advice of elimination for those who fail to meet the training requirement.

 

Article 11 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 Academic Office in the department / school to be put on file after reviewed and approved by supervisors and the subject leader. Both doctoral students and supervisors shall observe the established training plans.

 

Article 12 Provided that the training plans are changed for objective reasons and could not be implemented or only partly implemented, doctoral 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 put on file after approved by supervisors and the subject leader.

Chapter 4 Course Learning and Evaluation

Article 13 Doctoral students shall achieve at least 16points in course learning, and graduates for consecutive doctoral programs shall achieve 35points.

Common compulsory courses are: a Brief Introduction to Chines Culture (2 credits) and Chinese (2 credits).

Each school (department/ institute) or subject could define credit requirement on this basis with the values not less than the primary standard.

 

Article 14 Doctoral students shall be given course evaluation to finish their courses in the form of tests, quizzes or papers.

Chapter Five Comprehensive Examination of the Subject

Article 15 The comprehensive examination is a major part of their training programs happening after the end of course learning and before the beginning of the paper work. It mainly includes:

1. The completion situation of personal training programs and exam results;
2. The grasp of research frontier in his subject;
3. Personal professional skills.

Comprehensive examination is a necessary preparation for dissertation proposal, so they can be done together but no replacement each other.

 

Article 16 The comprehensive examination is in the charge of the subject group which shall set up a small comprehensive examination team to arrange it.

The small team consists of at least 3 senior teachers of the same field or related and also appoints a person to lead the exams. Supervisors can take part in the team but not as the head.

The comprehensive examination team of the same subject and grade shall be kept for the sake of fairness.

 

Article 17 The comprehensive examination shall be finished in a month in the third term after admission. The examination team shall inform doctoral students of test time one month ahead.

 

Article 18 The subject comprehensive examination team shall give every doctoral student an assessment in terms of their performance in the comprehensive examination by five standards of excellent, good, medium, pass or fail( or described as A,B,C,D) and then finally write down a comprehensive comment based on their performance in daily life, school performance and scientific research.

 

Article 19 Each subject group shall submit test papers, answer sheets, records as well as comprehensive comments to the Academic Office in the department so as to be kept in their personal files within one week from the comprehensive examination.

 

Article 20 Those who fail to pass the comprehensive examination can apply for another opportunity within half a year. Another failure will stop him from any paper work which in turn makes him unable to graduate.

   Chapter Six Qualification Test and Step-by-step Elimination Mechanism for Graduates in Consecutive Doctoral Programs

Article 21 The qualification test is organized by Graduate School together with each school and to check the qualification as PhD in the fourth semester after admission. It includes comprehensive examinations. Examination panel is organized according to Article 22.

 

Article 22 The procedures to recognize the qualification of a student in consecutive doctoral program are as follows:

1. A student in consecutive doctoral program shall first fill in a qualification recognition form. After academic dean has confirmed grades in the form, his supervisor shall honestly write down his comments about the student’s moral character, research capacity and style of scientific research and then submit it directly to the head of examination panel.
2. The examination panel shall select 2-3 specialized basic courses as the subjects of the test. According to their performance of the interview, the examination panel shall make corresponding conclusions: excellent (above 85), pass (above 60) or fail (below 60). It will then be checked, approved and finally put on record in Graduate School after signed by both the head of the panel and the dean of the school.

The students in consecutive doctoral programs who are qualified for the PhD programs after Graduate School’s evaluation and approval can start their paper.

 

Article 23 If students failed twice in qualification tests, they should be disqualified from consecutive doctoral programs. For students who are qualified for the application of master's degrees, they shall submit applications. After the approval of supervisors, the deliberation of the school (department) and the reconsideration of the Graduate School, students can be transferred to master's programs. Master's programs and defense shall be finished within one year. Students can be awarded Master's degrees if they fulfill requirements of Training Programs for International Graduates of Master’s Degrees of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Otherwise, doctoral diploma will not be awarded.

Chapter Seven   Doctoral Dissertation

Article 24 The work related to the doctoral dissertation include: dissertation proposal, mid-term inspection, oral defense application and review and dissertation defense

 

Article 25 Doctoral students shall select those issues in frontier domains or of great significance to technology advance, economic and social development as the topic of their dissertations, which can show that authors are not only capable of doing scientific research independently, but also have a good grasp of basic theory as well as systematic and in-depth professional knowledge.

Students shall choose scientific, academic, innovative, advanced and feasible topics for doctoral dissertations. They are encouraged to relate topics to projects of National Science Foundation of China and key research projects at province-level.

 

Article 26 After comprehensive examination, dissertation proposal shall begin before the end of the fourth semester. Graduates in consecutive doctoral programs who pass qualification test shall complete it before the end of the sixth semester.

 

Article 27The forms needed in the dissertation proposal are formulated by the Graduate School. Contents:

1. dissertation 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;
8.  research budget and fund-raising.

 

Article 28 In order to make the topics scientific and advanced, improve its social assessment and avoid repeating existed work, supervisors shall decide whether to do novelty searches of the chosen topics. The methods of novelty searches and database used can be decided by each subject according to their researches.

 

Article 29 The dissertation proposal meeting shall be held in public within the subject or related subjects. Doctoral students shall give detailed report on the chosen topic in the dissertation proposal meeting. The subject group leader or supervisor shall gather at least three experts from related subjects as the expert team to argue the dissertation proposal and put forward specific opinions and advice on the research of the topic.

 

Article 30 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).

Expert members, the recorder and speaker shall all sign on the record.

Dissertation proposal and the opinions given by experts shall be filed in the subject or school since they are necessary materials for mid-term inspection and dissertation pre-defense.

 

Article 31 After dissertation proposal, doctoral students shall present an annual report which elaborates on the progress of dissertation and primary achievements. Supervisors shall comprehensively assess their annual reports and urge them to do their subject research and write the dissertation. If the student is considered unqualified for doctoral training programs, he can be awarded a certificate on completion of courses after approval by the supervisor, deliberation of the school and reconsideration of the Graduate School. Otherwise, no certificate will be awarded.

 

Article 32 The annual reports of doctoral students have to be submitted to their subjects. Supervisors shall make comments, which include the opinions on the work already done, especially how the plan is carried out, the performance of students and their estimate of follow-up work.

Each subject shall set up an evaluation team to assess the annual reports of doctoral students. The team consists of at least 3 people, one of which shall be supervisor of the student or the head of steering group. The evaluation can take the form of graduate academic discussion or monographic study seminar.

 

Article 33 See the specific rules of each school (department) for the format of the doctoral dissertation. Dissertation defense and degree application shall be implemented under the Rules on the Application for Doctoral Degrees of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

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