Rules & Regulations for MS

Award of Master's Degree and Academic Standards for Master Students

1. Award of Master's Degree. The University, on recommendations of Board of Faculty, shall award Master's degree to the students who satisfy the following conditions:
   1. Course Work. The minimum course work required shall be 24 credits of graduate level course work or as approved by PEC/HEC for each program of master's degree.
   2. Research Work. In addition to the course work, all students should either enrol for 6 Cr Hrs of research thesis or two additional courses of 3 Cr Hrs each to complete the program.
   3. Successful Thesis Defense. Details are given in paragraphs 15-20 of this Chapter.
   4. Other Conditions:
      1. Achieved a minimum CGPA of 2.50.
      2. No unclear 'F' grade(s).
      3. Cleared all dues.
2. Eligibility for Admission. To be eligible for admission to Master's program in the concerned discipline, a candidate:
   1. Shall possess bachelor’s or equivalent degree in Engineering/Islamic Studies/Management Sciences/Mathematics etc (minimum 16 years of education), from a HEC recognized university/institute. It shall be candidate’s responsibility to get the equivalence established through HEC/PEC/IBCC etc, if required.
   2. Shall be up to the medical standards for going through the intense studies and training in the University.
   3. Serving in a private or Government organization, shall also attach a “No Objection Certificate” of his employer/Head, and route the admission form through proper channel.
   4. A student previously withdrawn from HITEC University on disciplinary grounds will not be eligible to apply again for any degree program.
   5. In case of any dispute, decision of the Vice Chancellor shall be final for the grant of admission to any student in any master’ program.
   6. Interdisciplinary admission shall be processed as per guidelines listed in graduate education policy issued by HEC.
3. Application / Registration
   1. Desirous applicants shall apply for admission in response to advertisements appearing in the press by the University, on the prescribed Application Form along with necessary documents (in duplicate) to the Registrar (Admission Office) of the University. The Admission Office will issue a receipt of acknowledgement to the candidate.
   2. After initial scrutiny, the application form of eligible candidates will be forwarded to the concerned department for evaluation and recommendations as described below:
      1. The admission will be granted by each Departmental Committee to be constituted by the University on the recommendation of Dean and concerned Chairperson.
      2. Candidates with good academic record from a local/foreign university/institution of repute, shall only be considered for admission at HITEC University. The minimum laid down standards as per policy including CGPA/percentages in Bachelors/Masters shall be strictly adhered to.
      3. Relevance, strength and GPA of the courses taken by the candidate during Bachelors/Masters at previous university/institution to the program applied for shall be given due weightage.
      4. The score obtained in GRE (General)/GAT (General) conducted by National Testing Service (NTS)/HITEC University’s Entrance Test should be as per policy guidelines of HEC.
      5. Evaluations and recommendations by the concerned departments will be forwarded to Admission Office.
   3. Each successful candidate will be issued 'Admission Letter' by the Admission Office.
4. Transfer of Credits. Course credits may be transferred from other local accredited or foreign HEC recognized institution(s), if they are relevant and appropriate to a Master’s program in a discipline approved by the University. Following shall be applicable:
   1. Only the course(s) with 'B' grade, equivalent or higher shall be considered for transfer.
   2. The candidate will have to complete the program in the stipulated time as laid down by the HEC / Universities, and it shall include the time already spent in the previous institution.
   3. A maximum of 12 Cr Hrs (for MBA 50% of Cr Hrs) earned in the previous institution can be transferred to HITEC University.
   4. The transfer of credits is subject to acceptance by the concerned Departmental Board of Studies.
   5. The transfer of research work is subject to acceptance by the concerned Departmental Board of Studies keeping in view the university regulations and HEC policy/guidelines.
5. Academic Deficiencies. A student shall be dropped from the Masters’ program if:
   1. Fails in more than one course in MS (six Courses for MBA) in whole course work.
   2. First semester GPA is less than 2.00 (less than 0.75 for MBA).
   3. CGPA remains below 2.50 after completion of course work even after availing repetition of courses allowed under the rules.
   4. CGPA less than 2.50.
   5. 'I' (Incomplete) grade in any course.
6. Disposal of Academically Deficient Students. The cases are disposed off by the Board of Faculty on the recommendation of Departmental Board of Studies. The Board may award one of the following disposals:
   1. Masters less MBA Programs.
      1. Probation
      2. Withdrawal
   2. MBA Program.
      1. Probation
      2. Relegation
      3. Withdrawal
7. Probation
   1. Definition. Probation means that a student is deficient in academic standards and is either likely to be relegated or withdrawn from the program.
   2. Policy for Masters’/MPhil less MBA Program. Board of Faculty shall recommend and place a student on academic probation under any of the following conditions:
      1. CGPA is equal to 2.00 or above and less than 2.50 at the end of a semester.
      2. Student fails in a subject.
   3. Policy for MBA Program Only. A student will be placed on probation if:
      1. GPA is less than 2.50 and greater than or equal to 0.75 in the first semester.
      2. CGPA is less than 2.50 but greater than or equal to 2.00 in the second and subsequent semesters.
      3. Student fails in one subject.
   4. Relegation (For MBA Only). A student may be relegated once during MBA studies if he/she:
      1. Obtains GPA less than 0.75 in the first semester.
      2. Obtains CGPA less than 2.00 in the second semester.
      3. Fails in more than three subjects in the first semester.
      4. Fails in more than four subjects in the entire course work.
   5. Withdrawal. A student will be withdrawn from the University if:
      1. He/She fails to achieve CGPA 2.50 at the end of maximum permissible duration of the program.
      2. He/She fails twice in a course after availing repetition as permissible under the rules.
      3. He/She is unable to complete the program within maximum duration allowed.
      4. His/Her case falls under disciplinary grounds.
   6. Improvement of CGPA. A student may be allowed to repeat a course in which he/she has obtained a grade lower than B to improve the CGPA, subject to the maximum permissible duration of the program.
   7. Duration. Minimum period for completion of MS program shall be 1.5 years and maximum 4 years. Minimum for MBA shall be 1.5 or 3.5 years and maximum 3.5 or 6 years depending on credit hours.
   8. Allocation of Supervisor for Thesis (MS program only). A supervisor from amongst the faculty shall be allocated to each student for guidance in research.
   9. Change of Supervisor for Thesis (MS Program only). May be allowed on recommendation of the Board of Studies and approval of the Dean.
   10. Co-Supervisor/Co-Advisor. May be appointed if required, subject to approval of the Board of Studies.
   11. Proposal Writing & Submission. Each student shall submit a research proposal duly approved by the supervisor to the Board of Studies.
   12. Presentation before Board of Studies. Student shall present the proposal before the Board of Studies for evaluation and approval.
   13. Approval of Research Title. Final title of the research shall be approved by the Board of Studies.
   14. Mid Seminar before Board of Studies. Student shall present progress in a mid seminar before the Board of Studies.
   15. Pre-Defense before Board of Studies. Student shall present the thesis before pre-defense board for comments and improvements.
   16. Appointment of External Examiner/Supervisor. External examiner shall be appointed by the Board of Studies for evaluation of the thesis.
   17. Submission of Thesis. Thesis shall be submitted after endorsement by the supervisor and completion of all formalities.
   18. Research during Master Program. Research work shall be carried out under the guidance of supervisor/co-supervisor.
   19. Evaluation of Thesis. Thesis shall be evaluated by the external examiner and the internal supervisor. Viva voce shall be conducted.
   20. Change of External Expert. Allowed in case of non-availability or conflict of interest, subject to approval.
   21. Submission of Final Thesis. After incorporation of corrections, final thesis shall be submitted to the University in hard and soft form.
   22. Award of Masters Degree. Upon successful completion of all requirements, the degree shall be awarded.
   23. Fee and Other Dues. Each student shall be required to pay tuition fee and other charges as prescribed from time to time.
   24. Thesis / Project MBA Program. The submission and evaluation of MBA Thesis/Project will be done under Departmental Boards.
   25. Plagiarism Test. Plagiarism test must be conducted on the thesis before its submission to external expert or as applicable by the QAC.