Academic Standards of work

A student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00/4.00 during his/her study at the College of Engineering and Technology in order to graduate. No unresolved ( I ) grades may be part of the program of study. At the beginning of the final semester the student should review the program of study as necessary and obtain approval to ensure that all graduation requirements are met.

Transfer of credit

Credit gained in a previous graduate education may be transferred to the College of Engineering and Technology graduate program and would therefore sufficiently substitute a similar Master's course.

Only courses with grade B (Good) or higher are eligible for transfer. A maximum of 6 credit hours from an accredited Master's program may be transferred into the Master’s program of the College of Engineering and Technology, given they had not been previously counted for another degree.

No course that has been taken more than 3 years before the student's acceptance may be transferred into the program of study.

Grades

The student shall be credited a total score and a corresponding letter grade by the end of each course. The College uses a system of letter grades and equivalent grade points for evaluating the course work.

A student is not considered successful in any course unless he has at least a grade C+.

Grades are calculated as a Grade Point Average (GPA) by dividing the sum of weighted achieved points by the sum of credit hours attempted. An Incomplete ( I ) grade is not included until required work is completed and a grade is assigned. Withdrawal ( W ) is given no grade or points and courses with W do not contribute to the GPA. Only the highest grade of a course registered twice or more is calculated in the Grade Point Average (GPA).

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1. INCOMPLETE COURSEWORK

If, after the instructor and candidate have conferred, the candidate presented an acceptable excuse for not completing the coursework on schedule, and the instructor has assigned a date by which time all course requirements must be completed, the candidate receives a grade ( I ). If the coursework remains incomplete on the assigned date the grade will be changed automatically to a grade ( F ).

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2.WITHDRAWAL OF A COURSE

The candidate may withdraw a course(s) within 3 weeks from the beginning of the semester as a condition for partial refund.

Examinations and Attendance

A. Examinations

Course examinations are given at the instructor`s discretion. Final examinations are given only during the scheduled examination period (16th week). If applicable, there will be exams during the 7^th week and/or 12^th week. If the candidate is absent with an acceptable excuse from a final exam and wants a credit for the course, after the instructor and candidate have conferred, the candidate must complete a special exam before the end of the semester immediately following his/her absence.

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B. Attendance

Candidates are expected to attend each class session unless they have a valid and acceptable excuse for being absent. Candidates may be required at any time to account for undue irregularity in attendance. Any student who has been excessively absent from a course may be forced to withdraw from that course without credit or refund.

Readmission and Student Appeals

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READMISSION

A regularly admitted graduate candidate who has not registered for two semesters must apply for readmission. A candidate is not guaranteed continuing graduate status if (s)he does not enroll for a period of two consecutive semesters.

1. WITHDRAWAL

An applicant who is forced to withdraw from the program during the academic year or at the end of any semester may be granted the opportunity to return. However the period of withdrawal should not be for more than two consecutive academic semesters.

2. LEAVE OF ABSENCE

The College has adopted a leave of absence policy that permits the candidate to continue his/her education. The following principles govern the leave of absence policy:

• An applicant must make a written request for a leave of absence to the Dean. The request must include the reasons for the leave and the time the student plans to be away. Leave of absence will generally be granted for one or two academic semesters. A leave may be further extended upon written application and approval of the Dean.
• An applicant who is granted a leave of absence due to medical reasons may be requested to submit a clinical evaluation to the College before being reinstated to the Program.

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STUDENT APPEALS

The candidate is entitled to an explanation of the details of the grade achieved in any examination. This explanation can be given either orally or in writing by one of the examiners. A request for such an explanation must be based on facts. A grade can be appealed against. Such an appeal must be submitted no later than one week after the explanation of the grade has been given. Oral presentations and examinations cannot be appealed.

Candidates may petition the College for an appeal relating to grades. A petition for an appeal must be submitted by the candidate with full justification for the request.

Thesis

The final step of the graduate Master`s program is to submit a thesis. There is more to the thesis than satisfying the Academy`s procedural requirements.
The supervisor(s) and members of the examination committee will help the candidate meet the tangible requirements of an advanced degree and the intangible basics of conducting and communicating the results of original research in the area of specialty. A student has up to 5 years from the date of admission to complete all requirements of the degree. The supervisor(s) of the thesis may request an extension if progress of the student is satisfactory.

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1. PROCEDURES OF THESIS PREPARATION AND DISCUSSION

• The candidate shall prepare the thesis at the end of the study duration and submit it to the College in due course.
• The candidate shall submit three bound coverless copies of the thesis for examination purposes.
• The thesis must be written in English. A petition presented by the Department to the College may grant permission to the student to write the thesis in Arabic.
• An abstract written in both Arabic and English shall be attached to the thesis. The abstract shall comprise the objectives and conclusions of the research, as well as the research tools used in the preparation of the thesis.
• The Chairman of the academic Department shall determine the date of the examination in coordination with the supervisor(s) and the examiners.
• If the examiners cannot agree that the thesis is acceptable, the Examination Board may nominate an additional examiner and the majority of examiners will determine the result of the examination.
• If the defense of the candidate is not satisfactory, the Examination Board shall re-administer the examination within at most six months upon the recommendation of the viva voce examination board.
• After the examination, the candidate shall make all the modifications according to the comments of the board of examiners then submit four final copies of the thesis to the College, one of which shall be kept at the College, and three at the Library of the Academy.
• The examination board shall comprise at most three members nominated by the Dean of the College the Board shall comprise at least one external examiner and at most one examiner from the Academy.

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2. USING MATERIAL PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

When quoting extensively from copyrighted material, the candidate must obtain permission from the copyright holder and acknowledgements must be made.

Dismissal from the graduate program

Candidates who fail to maintain satisfactory academic grades, academic performance in the major field or a satisfactory performance in the required examinations shall be dismissed from the graduate program.
The candidate`s registration for the Master`s degree shall be cancelled by the College after the Dean`s approval. Cancellation shall be effected in the following cases:

• If the candidate fails to obtain the degree within five years starting from the date of registration, taking into consideration any leave of absence.
• If the candidate fails to meet the requirements of the study courses, if his final cumulative grade point average is less than 3.00/4.00, or if the number of the courses in which the candidate’s grade is 2.00/4.00 exceeds two courses.
• The candidate shall be officially notified if the supervisor(s) submits a report requesting cancellation of registration for reasons accepted by the Dean.
• If the candidate’s final technical report is unanimously rejected by the assessment or the examination committee.
• If the candidate requests cancellation of registration in writing or fails to pay the tuition fees