MARINE SCIENCE INSTITUTE University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City
M.S. MARINE SCIENCE PROGRAM GUIDELINES TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Objectives of the Program ……….. 1
2. Student Responsibilities ………. 1
3. Administration of the Program ………... 1
4. Admission into the Program ………... 1
5. General Requirements for the M.S. Degree ………... 2
6. Program of Study and the Role of the Program Committee ... 2
7. Course Requirements and Transfer of Credits ………... 3
8. Grade Requirement ………. 3
9. Seminar Requirement ………. 3
10. The Master’s Thesis ………... 3
11. Defense of the Master’s Thesis ……….. 4
12. Residence Requirements ……… 5
13. Requirements for Graduation ………. 6
14. Straight Ph.D. Track ………... 6
1. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM
The program leading to the degree of Master of Science in Marine Science (Marine Biology, Marine Physical Sciences, and Marine Biotechnology) aims to provide: (1) basic understanding of the nature of biological and physical processes in the ocean. 2) rigorous training formulating and carrying out independent research.
2. STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
It is the student’s responsibility to be informed of all regulations and procedures required to obtain his/her degree. In no case will a regulation be waived or an exception be granted because student pleads ignorance or asserts that he/she was not informed by an advisor or other authority. The student should become familiar with his/her graduate program Guidelines.
3. ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM
The program shall be administered by the Graduate Committee of the Marine Science Institute. The Committee shall be composed of all regular faculty members with a doctorate degree and shall be chaired by the Institute Director. 4. ADMISSION INTO THE PROGRAM
4.1 Academic Requirements – Admission into the Program shall require: (a) a high degree of intellectual capacity and aptitude for research and advanced studies, and (b) a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution of higher learning; (c) a weighted average of at least 2.25 or its equivalent in the natural sciences and mathematics; [In exceptional cases this requirement can be waived. The basis for reconsideration includes research experience, publications, highly favorable recommendations from respected people in the field and/or former professors] (d) physics - through thermodynamics and motion, mathematics-through calculus, chemistry-through organic chemistry, and general biology. In addition, for those who would like to specialize in Marine Biotechnology, elementary biochemistry is required while for those who would like to specialize in Marine Physical Sciences, Geology 11 is required (they may sit-in/audit
simultaneous with Physical Oceanography and Chemical
Oceanography).
If the potential undergraduate students is lacking only 1 course (e.g. either Organic Chemistry or Biology 11) but has passed the other entrance requirements, the student may be accepted into the program and will be required to take the course s/he lacks during the first semester of his/her enrollment as graduate student. The students are to be reminded though that the MRR clock starts ticking the moment they enter the program.
4.2 Formal requirements – The student shall submit the following not later than six weeks before the registration period.
4.2.1. A letter of application; 4.2.2. Curriculum vitae;
4.2.4. The original and duplicate copy of the undergraduate and graduate official transcript of records;
4.2.5. Duly accomplished recommendation forms from
two former professors and/or supervisors. (only 2 if both have doctorate degrees; 3 if only one has a doctorate degree, the other 2 must have master’s degree);
4.2.6. Payment of application fees (non-refundable); 4.2.7. For foreign applicants, whose native language
and medium of instruction are not English, certification of English Proficiency (Test of English as a Foreign Language, TOEFL average score of 500);
4.2.8. Satisfaction of additional University
requirements such as a health clearance and other special admission requirements that may be imposed by a Graduate Committee.
Completed applications shall be submitted to the Graduate Office of the College of Science. The Institute’s Graduate Committee evaluates applications and endorses acceptance to the Dean.
5. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE M.S. DEGREE
To qualify for the M.S. Marine Science (Marine Biology, Marine Physical Sciences, and Marine Biotechnology) Degree, the following conditions need to be satisfied:
5.1. Completion of an approved Program of Study (cf. 6.2).
5.2. Maintenance of a Cumulative Weighted Average Grade (CWAG) of
not lower than 2.0 for the duration of the study (cf. 8.2).
5.3. Completion of graduate seminar course (cf. 9) and the yearly presentation/report of research progress requirement.
5.4. Completion and successful public defense of a Master’s Thesis (cf.12).
5.5. Submission of at least six (6) unbound thesis copies and CD-ROM copy of the approved Master’s thesis (cf. 14.2).
5.6. To qualify for a major, the student must take 12 units of electives in either the biological, physical sciences or biotechnology and have his or her thesis in the corresponding discipline (please see attached matrix)
The thesis proposal and defense can only be scheduled from the first day of the semester until a month before the end of classes. Whenever possible, it should be held on a weekday, when there are no classes.
6. THE PROGRAM OF STUDY AND THE ROLE OF THE PROGRAM COMMITTEE
6.1. Each student admitted into the M.S. Program shall be assigned a Program Adviser to be designated by the Graduate Committee. The Program Adviser shall advise, guide and evaluate the student until the latter obtains a Thesis Adviser.
6.2. The Program of Study.
6.2.1. Within the first semester of the student’s initial year in the Master’s Program, a Program of Study shall be designed by the Program Adviser, in consultation with the student and on the basis of the latter’s academic preparation and desired specialization.
6.2.2. A copy of the approved Program of Study shall be kept in the files of the Assistant to the Deputy Director for Instruction (DDI) and the Graduate Office, College of Science.
6.2.3. The approved Program of Study shall be a prerequisite for further enrollment. Any revision in this Program shall have to be authorized by the Program Committee and the same shall be communicated at once to the Graduate Office through proper channels.
6.2.4. The normal load of formal graduate courses shall be 9 to 12 units per semester.
7. COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND TRANSFER OF CREDITS 7.1. Course Requirements
Every student shall be required to complete at least 24 units of formal graduate courses. All students are required to take 9-12 units of core courses as specified for each area of specialization in the curriculum.
7.2. Transfer of Credits from Another University
Subject to the recommendation of the Graduate Committee and the approval of the Dean, graduate courses taken by a student in another University may be credited towards his or her M.S. course requirements, provided that (a) these courses were taken within the last five years prior to his or her admission to the M.S. Program, (b) these courses have been validated through appropriate means by the Graduate Committee of the Institute, Department or Program concerned, and (c) the total number of graduate credits which may be transferred shall not exceed three-eight’s of the total number of units in the student’s M.S. course requirements. However, condition (b) shall not apply if the course were taken in an institution with which the University of the Philippines has a special academic arrangement and if these courses were taken after the student had been admitted into the M.S. program.
7.3. Transfer of Credits from Another Program
Subject to the recommendation of the Graduate Committee and the approval of the Dean, graduate courses taken by the student under another program of the University of the Philippines may be transferred for credit to his or her M.S. course requirements, provided that (a) these courses were taken within the last five years before the student’s admission or transfer to M.S. program and (b) these courses have not been credited to an undergraduate or graduate degree previously obtained by the student.
8. GRADE REQUIREMENT
8.1. Grading System
The following numerical grades shall be used in graduate courses: 1.0 (Excellent), 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2.0, 2.25, 2.5, 2.75, 3.0, 4.0 (Conditional
Failure), 5.0 (Failed), and INC (Incomplete). In certain special courses, however, the following non-numerical grades may be given: “P” (Pass), “R” (Repeat), “S” (Satisfactory), or “U” (Unsatisfactory).
8.2. Cumulative Weighted Average Grade (CWAG)
A Cumulative Weighted Average of 2.0 or better shall be maintained by the student for the duration of his or her study to remain in good standing. The student’s CWAG shall be computed after taking at least 9 units, and after every additional 6 units, until and upon completion of the required units in the Program of Study. This shall be reported by the Graduate Committee to the Graduate Office.
8.3. Incomplete Grades
A student shall not be allowed to register if he/she has two or more standing grades of “Incomplete”.
8.4. Failure to Satisfy the Grade Requirement and Disqualification A student who fails to satisfy the M.S. grade requirement at the end of each evaluation period (see 7.2) shall be placed on probation. The Graduate Committee may decide, on justifiable grounds and upon the recommendation of the student’s Program Adviser, to put him or her under probation until completion of another 6 units. Failure to obtain the minimum CWAG after the probation period shall automatically disqualify the student from the M.S. program.
9. SEMINAR REQUIREMENT
Every student in the M.S. program shall complete one unit of graduate seminar in addition to the formal course requirements.
10. THE MASTER’S THESIS 10.1. Master’s Thesis
10.1.1. Standards for the Master’s Thesis
Each student in the program shall be required to submit a master’s thesis, which must demonstrate the candidate’s ability to undertake scientific investigation and must embody
the results of a publishable work in the proposed field of study.
10.1.2. Format of the Master’s Thesis
The master’s thesis must be written in whole or in part, as a publishable manuscript complying with “Instruction to Authors” of a chosen journal covered in Current Contents.
10.2. The Thesis Committee
After a student finds a suitable Thesis Adviser from the available graduate faculty of the Institute, the Graduate Committee shall form a Thesis Committee which shall be composed of the Adviser who must come from the unit where the student is enrolled and a Thesis Reader who shall belong to an external institution. A Thesis Co-Adviser from the Institute or from an external unit or institution may also be appointed, if necessary. The members of the Thesis Committee shall be formally appointed by the Dean upon the recommendation of the Graduate Committee concerned. They shall be responsible for (1) advising the student in the preparation of his/her Thesis Proposal, (2) guiding and supervising his/her thesis research (3) submitting a yearly evaluation report to the Graduate Committee, and (4) endorsing his/her master’s thesis for defense in Master’s Examination. Endorsement/approval will be based on readiness of the Thesis for defense as evidenced by the work’s substance and form (with very minor corrections/revisions).
10.3. Change of Adviser/Reader
Advisers cannot be changed during the Thesis process, unless approved by the Graduate Committee with very strong reasons as pointed out by the student. The student makes a written request to the Dean with proper recommendation by the Graduate Committee. There is no need for the consent of the old Adviser when changing Thesis Advisers.
If a faculty adviser/reader shall go on leave for more than one semester, the Dean/Director shall appoint a new Adviser/Reader upon the recommendation of the appropriate bodies. A student who wishes to change and Adviser/Reader shall write the Dean/Director, through channels.
An Adviser or a Reader may request to be relieved of his/her duties for justifiable reasons.
10.4. The Thesis Proposal
The student upon the recommendation of his/her proposed Adviser shall schedule a proposal presentation. The thesis proposal presentation shall be a public oral presentation designed to evaluate both merit of the proposed research and the suggested methodologies to conduct the study. A written thesis proposal incorporating corrections and suggestions given during the presentation must then be submitted to the student’s Thesis Committee for approval. Upon approval of the proposal by the Thesis Committee, the student may proceed to carry out his or her thesis research. A certified copy of the approved thesis proposal must be submitted by the Graduate Committee to the CS Graduate Office within one month after the oral presentation.
If there is a significant deviation from the approved Thesis Proposal, the student must confer with his/her Thesis Committee as soon as possible. The Committee decides 1) if the change is major (change in topic, research questions, and/or major objectives); 2) if the student needs to orally present the new Thesis Proposal; and 3) if there is also a need to change the composition of the committee. The new approved written Thesis Proposal is then re-submitted by the Graduate Committee to the Graduate Office.
11. DEFENSE OF THE MASTER’S THESIS 11.1. The Master’s Examination Panel
Upon completion of the master’s thesis and its endorsement by the Thesis Committee to the Graduate Committee, the latter shall recommend to the Dean the formal appointment of two Thesis Examiners.
The two Thesis Examiners together with the Thesis Adviser and Thesis Reader (plus the Thesis Co-Adviser, if any) shall constitute the Master’s Examination Panel which shall be chaired by the Thesis Reader or one of the Thesis Examiners as designated by the Thesis Adviser.
11.2. Administration of the Master’s Examination
The Master’s Examination, in which the student must defend his/her thesis before the duly constituted Master’s Examination Panel, shall be held within the College at any mutually convenient time upon the recommendation of the Panel, the endorsement of the Graduate Committee, and the formal authorization of the Dean. The examination shall be administered by the Panel.
The Master’s examination shall not be held until and unless: (a) the student has already satisfied the course and seminar requirement endorsed for defense by thesis adviser and reader; (b) the thesis manuscript has been received by each member of the Master’s Examination Panel at least one month before the examination schedule; (c) all members of the examination panel are present, except for programs that require the inclusion of foreign-based Co-Advisers or foreign-based external examiners. If the latter is absent, he/she shall be required to send his/her comments to the Chair of the panel who shall integrate this in the final report. If any other member of the panel is absent, the defense shall be rescheduled; and (d) the examination is authorized by the Dean.
The schedule and place of the examination shall be officially announced by the Dean and publicized throughout the College by the Graduate Committee at least three weeks prior to the date of the examination. Any change from the publicized schedule shall require the approval of the Master’s Examination Panel, the Graduate Committee, and the Dean.
The Master’s Examination shall be a public and oral examination lasting no less than two hours and no longer than four hours. Questions may be asked by anybody in the audience, but the evaluation and rating of the student’s thesis defense shall be reserved to the Master’s Examination Panel in a closed-door meeting to be held immediately after the defense.
11.3. Rating of the Master’s Examination
The results of Master’s Examination may be given any of the following ratings: “Pass”, if the defense is deemed acceptable; “Provisionally Pass”, if the defense is deemed acceptable subject to
certain minor revisions in form or content; or “Fail”, if the defense is unacceptable.
The overall rating of the dissertation by the Thesis Examination Committee during the defense shall be based on the scheme provided in the Manual of Graduate Program Protocols.
11.4. Passing or Failing of the Master’s Examination
If a student gets a rating of “Provisionally Pass”, he/she must comply with the conditions imposed by the Committee within six (6) months after the defense.
If the student fails the defense, he/she must re-defend his/her Thesis not earlier than six (6) months but not later than twelve (12) months after the first defense. A student shall be disqualified from the program if he/she fails to re-defend within the required period or when he/she gets a rating of “Failed” in the second examination. The result of the defense shall be submitted by the DDI’s office to the Graduate Office within the first working day after the defense. 12. RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS
12.1. One Year Residence Before Graduation
The student must be officially enrolled in the College for at least one academic year before the conferment of his or her degree.
12.2. Maximum Residence Rule
The time limit or “maximum residence period” for the completion of all M.S. requirements is five (5) years. The counting of the period of residence shall start from the student’s first enrollment in a graduate course after admission into the M.S. Program and shall include all leaves of absence. For graduate students transferring from another University, the maximum residence shall be reduced by one semester for every nine units or its equivalent in the discipline of the program. 12.3. Extensions of Residence
In exceptionally meritorious cases, extension of the residence period beyond the maximum may be granted by the Dean upon the
recommendation of the Graduate Committee. The extension shall not exceed one calendar year at a time but in no case totaling more than five (5) years. However, the student shall be required to complete additional units of graduate courses in his/her discipline during the extension period at the rate of 3 units for every two years of extension or a fraction thereof.
12.4. Non-Compliance with Maximum Residence Rule
A student who fails to complete all the requirements for the degree within the maximum residence period and any approved extension thereof shall be disqualified from the program.
12.5. Absence Without Leave
Any student who goes on absence without leave (AWOL) from a PhD Program shall be automatically dropped from the program.
13. REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION 13.1. Application for Graduation
After completion of all the requirements for the program, the student must submit an application for graduation, accompanied by a recommendation from the Graduate Committee.
13.2. Submission of Thesis Copies
The applicant for graduation must submit to the Graduate Office six (6) thesis copies and a CD-ROM copy of the approved master’s thesis as a prerequisite for graduation. The thesis copies must conform to the standard College format and contain the official approval of the thesis by the Thesis Adviser (and Thesis Co-Adviser, if any) and the Thesis Reader, the official endorsement by the Chairman of the Graduate Committee concerned, and the official acceptance of the thesis by the Dean. The thesis copies must be submitted to the Graduate Office within one (1) calendar year after the defense.
13.3. Conferment of the Master’s Degree
After the graduation of the student is recommended by the Graduate Faculty Council and College Assembly, endorsed by the University Council, and approved by the Board of Regents, he/she shall be officially conferred the Master’s degree by the University.
14. STRAIGHT PHD TRACK
Students will be considered for a straight PhD program after 18 units, provided they (a) attain a 1.25 designated average; (b) have no grade lower than a 1.75; and (c) have shown a capacity to conduct independent research.
A senior staff would need to nominate a qualified student. The Graduate Committee will then review and decide whether or not to endorse the student to the straight PhD program. Once approved, the Graduate Committee will submit its recommendation to the Dean of the College of Science for formal action.
/arlene 14 October 2008 /ATY 29 May 2012
