VI. CHOICE BASED CREDIT SYSTEM (CBCS)
REGULATIONS
What is CBCS?
Choice-Based Credit System is a flexible system of learning. ‘Credit’ defines the quantum of contents / syllabus prescribed for a course and determines the number of hours of instruction required. The distinguishing features of CBCS are the following:
It permits students to
• learn at their own pace
• choose electives from a wide range of elective courses offered by the University departments
• undergo additional courses and acquire more than the required number of credits
• adopt an inter-disciplinary approach in learning
• make best use of the expertise of available faculty
General Eligibility conditions for admission to Master’s Programme through formal education as per the UGC Regulations, 2003
No student shall be eligible for admission to a Master’s degree programme in any of the faculties unless he/she has successfully completed a three year undergraduate degree or earned prescribed number of credits for an undergraduate degree through the examinations conducted by a University /autonomous institution or possesses such qualifications recognized by the University of Madras as equivalent to an undergraduate degree.
In case of integrated Master’s Degree programmes of five or more years, no student shall be eligible for admission unless he/she has successfully passed the examination conducted by a Board / University at the Plus two level of schooling (either through formal schooling for 12 years or through open school system) recognized by the Central/State Government for this purpose or its equivalent.
1. Schools, Departments and Programmes
1.1 There are 66 Departments of study and research in the University which are grouped into 17 schools. Most of these departments offer programmes at various levels under the CBCS. The programmes offered include:
Master’s Degree programmes
1. M. Phil. programmes
2. PG Diploma programmes
3. Diploma programmes
4. Certificate programmes
2. Courses
2.1 A programme consists of a number of courses. A ‘Course’ is a component (a paper) of a programme. Every course offered by any University department is identified by a unique course code. A course may be designed to involve lectures / tutorials / laboratory work / seminar / project work / practical training / report writing / Viva voce, etc or a combination of these, to meet effectively the teaching and learning needs and the credits may be assigned suitably.
3. Semesters
3.1 An academic year consists of two semesters.
Odd Semester (I and III Semesters): July to November
Even Semester (II and IV Semesters): December to April
3.2 A semester normally extends over a period of 15 weeks. Each week has 30 hours of instruction spread over a 5 day week.
4. Credits
4.1 Credit defines the quantum of contents / syllabus prescribed for a course and determines the number of hours of instruction required per week. Thus, normally in each of the courses, credits will be assigned on the basis of the number of lectures / tutorials / laboratory work and other forms of learning required to complete the course contents in a 15 week schedule:
1Credit = 1 hour of lecture per week (1 Credit course = 15 hours of lectures per semester)
3 credits = 3 hours of instruction per week (3 Credit course = 45 hours of lectures per semester)
Instruction can take the form of lectures / tutorials / laboratory work / fieldwork or other forms. In determining the number of hours of instruction required for a course involving laboratory / field-work, 3 hours of laboratory / field work is generally considered equivalent to 1 hour of lecture.
5. Course Numbering
Every course offered by any University Department is identified by a unique course code.
Illustration
L T P C
|EAS C 001 |Geomorphology |3 |0 |0 |3 |
In this example:
EAS C 001 is the course code in which:
EAS – is the school code (School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences)
C – indicates that this is a Core Course
001 – is the serial number of the Course
Geomorphology – is the title of the Course
The figures under L, T and P indicate the weight (credits) attached to lectures, tutorials and practical work respectively
The figure under C indicates the total number of credits that the course carries (3 credits in this case)
6. Management and Administration of CBCS
6.1 CBCS Office
To discharge the responsibilities of CBCS programmes of the University, there is an exclusive administration wing called CBCS Office. The CBCS Office has the following functions:
• Advertisement of CBCS programmes, Approval of Admission of Students made by Departments, Course Registration, issue of Identity Cards, Coordination of Time Table and preparation of Academic Calendar, Attendance and Consolidation of awards in First Assessment, Second Assessment and the End-Semester Examination and forwarding the consolidated awards lists to the Controller of Examinations for scrutiny and distribution of Grade Sheets, Cumulative Grade Sheets and Provisional Pass Certificates, Convocation Degree / Diploma etc.
6.2 Dean
The Dean (Academic) will plan and coordinate all CBCS programmes. The Dean will be assisted by a committee consisting of Chairpersons of Schools. The responsibilities of the Dean (Academic) include:
• Preparation of (a) Academic Calendar (b)Application for Admission (c) Registration Form (d) Grade / Cumulative Grade Sheet (e) Student transcripts.
• Coordination of programmes between schools and other external institutions
• Coordination of common time tables in consultation with Schools.
• Consideration of appeals from students regarding the operational problems related to CBCS
• Coordination with Controller of Examinations and Heads of Schools for publication of results.
6.3 Boards of Studies
6.3.1 There shall be a school committee consisting of all the teachers of all departments of the school. In order to optimize the use of resources and talents, to avoid duplication of courses and, for effective coordination of CBCS programmes within a school, it is headed by a Chairperson.
6.3.3 The School Committee will prepare the common time-table in consultation with the Director of the Campus.
6.3.4 Each school committee will meet at least twice in a semester.
6.3.5 Meeting notices for the School Committee will be sent by the Chairperson of the School
6.3.6 The School Committee will also serve as the Board of Studies for all the Programmes offered by the various departments of the school. The Chairperson of the School will be the Chairperson of the Board of Studies. The Board of Studies will formulate and recommend:
i. Eligibility criteria for admission to CBCS Programmes
ii. Curriculum Content
iii. Model Question Papers for each course and assessment procedure
6.4 Departmental Committee
6.4.1 There shall be a Departmental Committee consisting of all the teachers of the Department. The Departmental Committee shall be responsible for admission to all the programmes offered by the Department including conduct of entrance tests, verification of records, admission, and evaluation.
6.4.2 The Departmental Committee will deliberate on courses and specify the distribution of credits semester-wise and course-wise. For each course it will also specify the number of credits for lectures, tutorials, practicals, seminars etc.
6.4.3 Courses (Core/Elective) are designed by teachers and approved by the Departmental Committees. Courses approved by the Departmental Committees shall be approved by the Board of Studies.
6.4.4 Course teacher: A teacher offering a course will also be responsible for maintaining attendance and performance sheets of all the students registered for the course.
6.4.5 Each teacher offering a course will give the attendance and performance sheets for Sessional Test I, Sessional Test II and End-Semester Examination to the Head of the Department who in turn consolidates all such performance sheets of courses pertaining to the programmes offered by the department. Then the School Committee meets to finalize the results of all courses offered under the school and forward the same to be processed by the Dean / CBCS office / Controller of Examinations.
7. Student Advisor
Every student will have a member of faculty of the Department as his/her student advisor. All teachers of the department shall function as Student Advisors and will have more or less equal number of students. The Student Advisor will advise the students in choosing Elective courses and offer all possible student support services.
8. Discipline
Every student is required to observe discipline and decorum both inside and outside the campus in accordance with the Madras University Students’ Conduct Rules
9. Prospectus and Hand-Book
9.1 The Prospectus issued along with the application form for the Master’s / M. Phil. and other programmes contains (i) A profile of the University of Madras (ii) List of Schools of the University and programmes offered in university departments (iii) Eligibility Conditions for various programmes (iv) Fee Structure (Course and Examination fee) (v) Time-table for Entrance Examination.
9.2 The Hand Book given to students admitted to University Departments at the time of admission, contains
(i) CBCS Regulations (ii) Complete List of Courses (Programme-wise) and (iii) the Academic Calendar for two years.
Structure of Master’s Programme
The term ‘Master’s programme is used to denote M.A., M. Sc., M. Com., M.B.A., M.C.A., M.S., M.Ed. or M.L. degree programmes offered by university departments under CBCS.A Master’s Programme consists of:
Core courses
Elective courses
Self-Study Courses (Optional, Not mandatory)
Soft Skills
Internship
A course may also take the form of a Dissertation / Project work / Practical training / Field work / Internship / Seminar, etc.
A Core course may carry 2 to 4 credits; an Elective / Self-study will be 3 credits and courses on soft skills will carry 2 credits. However, a dissertation / project work may carry up to 6 credits; a semester-long field work may carry 10-15 credits.
10.1 All Two -year Masters’ programmes will have the following components, viz.
Core Courses – Minimum 60 credits
Electives – Minimum 18 credits
(6 x 3 credits)
Self-study courses – Maximum 9
credits (3×3 credits) (not mandatory)
Soft Skills – Minimum – 8 credits
Internship – Minimum -2 credits
In order to qualify for a two-year master’s degree a student must acquire a minimum of 78 credits (60 credits from core and 18 credits from elective) and a minimum of 10 credits from soft skills and internship (8 credit from soft skills and 2 credit from internship).
10.2 The three year Masters’ programme, (e.g.M.Sc./MTech./ MCA) will have the following components viz.
Core Courses – Minimum 90 credits
Elective Courses-Minimum 27 credits
Self-study courses -12 credits (4×3 credits) (not mandatory)
Soft skills – Minimum 12 credits
Internship – Minimum 3 credits
In order to qualify for a three-year master’s degree a student must acquire a minimum of 117 credits (Core – minimum 90 credits and electives -minimum of 27 credits)
10.3 Duration
The minimum duration for completion of a two year Master’s Programme in any subject is four semesters. The maximum period for completion is Ten semesters counting from first semester.
The minimum duration for completion of a three year Master’s Programme in any subject is six semesters. The maximum period for completion is Twelve semesters counting from first semester.
Even if a candidate earns the required number of credits in less than 4 / 6 semesters, he/she has to necessarily study for 4 semesters for the two years Master’s programme and for 6 semesters for a three year Master’s programme.
4. Core Courses
Core courses are those, knowledge of which is deemed essential for students registered for a particular Master’s programme. Where feasible and necessary two or more programmes offered by the same department/school or courses offered by other departments may be prescribe one or more common core courses. A student must choose from the core courses prescribed for a particular Masters’ Programme. Core courses shall be spread over all the four semesters.
10.5 Elective Courses
Elective courses are intended to:
• Allow students to specialize in one or more branches of the broad subject area; or
• Acquire knowledge and skills in a related area that may have applications in the broad subject area; or
• bridge any gap in the curriculum and enable acquisition of essential skills (e.g. statistical, computational, language, communication skills, etc); or
• Help pursue an area of interest to the student
10.6 Self-study Courses
i. A Department may also allow students to choose three additional courses to enable them to acquire extra credits through self-study (Not to be taken into account for awarding grades / class).
ii. The course will be in advanced topics in a subject (core or elective) under the supervision of a faculty member. The student shall be required to make a minimum of two seminar presentations (as sessional tests for assessment) and submit a project report. There shall be a viva-voce examination on the report; the distribution of marks for the project report and viva-voce shall be 40 and 20 respectively.
10.7 Auditing
Students will be permitted to audit two courses without assigning any credits. It is left to the discretion of the individual faculty members to permit students.
10.8 Soft skills and internship
Courses in soft skills such as (i) Communication Skills (ii) Spoken English (iii) Knowledge of an additional Foreign Language (iv) Computer Skills and (v) Personality Development will enhance the professional competency and also increase the employment prospects of the students.
The soft skill courses will be two or three levels(e.g. basic, advanced) A student must not choose a course on soft skill closely related to his/her Master’s programme.
The Departmental Committee will decide which of the courses on soft skill are closely related to the PG programme(s) of the department.
Internship is intended to gain practical knowledge related to the study. The duration is for 4-6 weeks for 2 credit and 6-8 weeks for 3 credit and it should carried out in an organisation recommended by the Department during the summer vacation of the first year. A report must be submitted.
11. Course Registration
11.1 After admission to a Programme, a Registration Number will be assigned to every student by the Department.
11.2 Every student must register (in consultation with his/her advisor) for the courses he/she intends to undergo in that semester by applying in the prescribed proforma in triplicate (duly signed by the candidate, student advisor and the HOD), within the deadline notified in the Academic Calendar (Course titles are given in the handbook).
3. A student shall register for a minimum of 15 credits. However, in the final Semester, a student shall register for a minimum of 10 credits. Late Registration may be permitted by the Dean (Academic) up to two weeks after the commencement of the semester
11.4 Withdrawal from a course is permitted up to one week from the date of registration.
11.5 After registration, a student can drop an elective course agreed to earlier and can substitute it by another elective course for valid reasons with the consent of the Student Advisor, but before the deadline for withdrawal of courses provided that the candidate will be able to fulfil the required minimum attendance in the substitute course. Withdrawal from a course will not be permitted for those who undergo late registration. Cancellation of a course (Core / Elective/ Self-study) may be permitted before the conduct of First sessional test.
11.6 From the Second Semester onwards, registration for the courses will be done by students on or before a specified date in consultation with their Student Advisors. A student will become eligible for registration only if he/she has cleared all dues to the Institution, during the previous semester.
11.7 The courses registered after withdrawal should enable the student to earn a minimum of 15 credits.
12. Attendance
12.1 The teacher handling a course shall be responsible for maintaining a record of attendance of students who have registered for the course.
12.2 All teachers shall intimate the Head of the Department at least seven calendar days before the last instruction day in the semester the particulars of all students who have less than 75% attendance in one or more courses
12.3 A candidate who has less than 75% attendance shall not be permitted to sit for the End-semester examination in the course in which the shortfall exists.
12.4 However, it shall be open to the Dean (Academic) to grant exemption to a candidate who has failed to obtain the prescribed 75% attendance for valid reasons on payment of prescribed fee and such exemptions shall not under any circumstances be granted for attendance below 65%.
12.5 The HOD shall announce the names of all students who will not be eligible to take the End-semester examinations in the various courses and send a copy of the same to the Dean’s Office. Registrations of such students for those courses shall be treated as cancelled. If the course is a core course, the candidate should register for and repeat the course when it is offered next.
13. Examination and Evaluation
13.1 Evaluation will be done on a continuous basis, three times during each semester. For the purpose of uniformity, particularly for interdepartmental transfer of credits, there will be a uniform procedure of examination to be adopted by all teachers. There will be two sessional tests and one End-semester examination in each course during every semester.
13.2 Sessional Test I will be held during the sixth week of the semester for the syllabi covered till then.
13.3 Sessional Test II will be held during the eleventh Week for the syllabi covered between seventh and eleventh week.
13.4 Sessional tests (of one to two hours duration) may employ one or more assessment tools such as objective tests, assignments, paper presentation, laboratory work, etc suitable to the course. This requires an element of openness. The students are to be informed in advance about the nature of assessment. Students shall compulsorily attend the two sessional tests, failing which they will not be allowed to appear for the end semester examination. A Student cannot repeat Sessional Tests. However, if for any compulsive reason the student could not attend the test, the prerogative of arranging a special test lies with the teacher. In case of students who could not attend any of the sessional tests due to medical reason or under extraordinary circumstances, a separate test shall be conducted before the End Semester Examinations by the concerned faculty member.
13.5 The sessional tests will carry 40% (20%+20%) of total marks for the course. The marks of the two Sessional Tests shall be taken into account for the computation of Grades.
6. There shall be one End semester examination of 3 hours duration carrying 60% of Marks in each course covering the entire syllabus prescribed for the course. The End semester examination is normally a written / laboratory -based examination. The mode of End semester examination and evaluation will be decided by the teacher in consultation with the Departmental Committee. Model Question Paper for each course has to be prepared by the teacher and the same should be forwarded to the Head of the Department.
The end-semester examination schedule will be prepared by the Head of the Department and displayed in the notice board at lease one-week before the examination. The Head of Department will fix the date for Departmental Committee meeting to finalise the esults.
The course faculty must evaluate the answer scripts and submit the results to the Head of the Department before the Departmental/Class Committee meeting.
13.7 End semester Practical examinations shall normally be held before the theory examinations.
13.8 Valuation of Project Report / Dissertation and Viva-voce
The distribution of marks for the dissertation will be as below:
Periodical presentation -20 Marks
Concise Dissertation – 60 Marks
Viva-voce — 20 Marks
Total 100 Marks
Dissertation / project report will be valued jointly by the supervisor and one other examiner within the Department/ University or from out side the University (with out any financial commitment on the part of the University) nominated by the Head of the Department. Students may be asked to make a presentation before the faculty members and students.
14. Marks and Grading
The total performance within a semester and the continuous performance from the second semester onwards will be indicated by a Grade Point Average (GPA), Weighted Average Marks (WAM) Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and Overall Weighted Percentage Marks (OWPM), respectively. Hence CGPA and OWPM are the real indicators of a student’s performance. They are calculated by the formulations given below:
WAM = (( Ci Mi ) / (( Ci ), GPA = ( ( Ci Gi ) / (( Ci )
OWPM = (( ( Cni Mni ) / ((( Cni ),
CGPA = (( ( Cni Gni ) / ((( Cni ) where
Ci – number of credits for the ith course,
Mi – marks obtained in the ith course
Gi – grade point obtained in the ith course,
Cni – number of credits of the ith course of the nth semester,
Mni – marks of the ith course of the nth semester,
Gni – grade points of the ith course of the nth semester
1. A candidate has to secure a minimum of 50 percent of marks (Two Sessional Tests marks plus End-Semester examination mark) in the course taken, to pass in that course. A candidate who has not secured a minimum of 50 percent of marks in a course shall be deemed to have failed in that course.
Improvement is allowed only for the end-semester examination.
Candidates who have passed in theory paper/papers are allowed to appear again for theory paper/papers only once in order to improve his/her marks, by paying the fee prescribed from time to time within a maximum period prescribed thereto, counting from his/her first semester of his/her admission. If candidates improve his/her marks, then his/her improved marks will be taken into consideration for the award of classification only. Such improved marks will not be counted for the award of Prizes/Medals, Rank and Distinction. If the candidate does not show improvement in the marks, his/her previous marks will be taken into consideration.
No candidate will be allowed to improve marks in the Practicals, Project, Viva-voce, Field work.
14.2 A student with arrears can repeat End semester examinations for a maximum of three times (excluding the first appearance), along with the subsequent End semester examinations. The Sessional Marks obtained by the student will be carried over for declaring the result.
14.3 Final semester students of the Post-graduate programmes shall be allowed to appear for arrear papers in July each year.
14.4 A student who has passed in all the core courses and the minimum number of electives prescribed for the programme and earned a minimum of 72/108 credits will be considered to have passed the Master’s Programme.
14.5 The successful students are classified as follows:
I Class – 60 in OWPM
II Class – 50 and above but below 60 in OWPM
Students who obtain 75 and above in OWPM shall be deemed to have passed the Examination in FIRST CLASS (Outstanding) provided they have passed all the courses prescribed at the first appearance.
14.6 Grading System
The term grading system indicates a Six (6) point scale of evaluation of the performances of students in terms of marks, grade points, letter grade and class.
14.6.1 The marks and the grades obtained in the courses corresponding to the best 72 credits including the best 54 core credits and the best 18 credits for electives will be taken into consideration account in arriving at the OWPM (for two year Masters’ Programme).
14.6.2 The marks and the grades obtained in the courses corresponding to the best 108 credits including the best 81 core credits the best 27 credits for electives will be taken into account in arriving at the OWPM (for three year Masters’ Programme).
|OWPM |Letter Grade |Class |
|75 – 100 |O |Outstanding |
|65-74 |A+ |First |
|60-64 |A |First |
|55-59 |B+ |Second |
|50-54 |B |Second |
|0-49 |F |Fail |
14.6.3 Ranking
Ranks should be awarded for candidates who have passed all papers in the first attempt only. The first three ranks in every Master’s programme will be decided on the basis of Over all Weighted Percentage of Marks (OWPM) of the Core and Elective courses only. In the case of Five-Year Master’s Programme, separate classification, grading and ranking will be awarded for Part I Foundation courses and Part IV Social Orientation course.
14.6.4 Course-wise Letter Grades
The percentage of marks obtained by a candidate in a course will be indicated in a letter grade. A student is considered to have completed a course successfully and earned the prescribed credits if he/she secures a letter grade other than F. A letter grade F in any course implies a failure in that course.
14.6.5 The F grade once awarded stays in the grade card of the student and is not deleted even when he/she completes the course successfully later. The grade acquired later by the student will be indicated in the grade sheet of the subsequent semester in which the candidate has appeared for clearance of the arrears.
14.6.6 A student who secures F grade in a core course has to pass it compulsorily. A candidate who does not pass a core course in the stipulated period (eight / ten semesters as the case may be from the year of admission), may be permitted to re-register for the same course or a substitute core course by paying the prescribed fee when it is offered next in consultation with the student advisor.
14.6.7 If a student who secures F grade in an elective wants to change the elective he/she has to register by paying the prescribed fee and attend the classes for that course when it is offered
14.6.8 Any candidate who falls short of the required number of credits for the award of the degree may be permitted to register, by paying the prescribed re-registration fee, for the required number of courses (core and / or elective) when it is offered
14.6.9 If a student secures F grade in the Project Work / Dissertation, either he/she shall improve it and resubmit it if it involves only rewriting/incorporating the revisions suggested by the evaluators or the student can re-register by paying the prescribed re-registration fee and complete the same in the subsequent semesters.
14.6.10 Conversion of Percentage of Marks to Grade points
The percentage of marks obtained by a student in a course will be indicated by a grade point and a letter grade. A Six (6) point scale is used for the evaluation of the performance of the student as given below:
|Marks |Grade Point |Letter Grade |
|75-100 |5.50-6.00 |O |
|65-74 |4.50-5.49 |A+ |
|60-64 |4.00-4.49 |A |
|55-59 |3.50-3.99 |B+ |
|50-54 |3.00-3.49 |B |
|0-49 |0.00-2.99 |F |
The multiplication factors of 0.02 per mark between 75 and 100 marks, 0.11 per mark between 65 and 74, 0.1225 per mark between 50 and 64 and 0.061 per mark between 0 and 49 may be applied in calculating the exact Grade Point. These multiplication factors should not be applied to OWPM for conversion to CGPA.
14.6.11Grade Card
The Grade Card issued at the end of the semester to each student will contain the following:
a. The marks obtained for each course registered in the semester
b. The credits earned for each course registered for that semester
c. The performance in each course indicated by the letter Grade
d. The Grade Point Average (GPA) and Weighted Average Marks (WAM) of all the courses registered for that semester and
e. The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), Overall Weighted Percentage of Marks (OWPM), the class and grade of all the courses, after completing the programme.
Illustration: CUMULATIVE GRADE STATEMENT
|Course Code |
|EAS C001 |Geomorphology |4 |70 |5.05 |A+ |PASS |
|EAS C002 | |4 |60 |4.00 |A |PASS |
|EAS C003 | |4 |80 |5.60 |O |PASS |
|EAS E004 | |3 |75 |5.50 |O |PASS |
|EAS E005 | |3 |75 |5.50 |O |PASS |
|Grade Point Average |18 |71.67 |5.09 | | |
|Weighted Average Marks | | | | | |
|Second Semester |
|EAS C006 | |4 |60 |4.00 |A |PASS |
|EAS C007 | |4 |60 |4.00 |A |PASS |
|EAS E008 | |3 |55 |3.50 |B + |PASS |
|EAS E009 | |3 |75 |5.50 |O |PASS |
|EAS C010 | |4 |70 |5.05 |A+ |PASS |
|Grade Point Average / Weighted Average Marks |18 |63.89 |4.40 | | |
|Third Semester |
|EAS C011 | |3 |70 |5.05 |A+ |PASS |
|EAS C012 | |3 |65 |4.50 |A+ |PASS |
|EAS C013 | |3 |65 |4.50 |A+ |PASS |
|EAS C014 | |3 |60 |4.00 |A |PASS |
|EAS E015 | |3 |60 |4.00 |A |PASS |
|EAS E016 | |3 |55 |3.50 |B + |PASS |
|Grade Point Average / Weighted Average Marks |18 |62.50 |4.26 | | |
|Fourth Semester |
|EAS C017 | |6 |60 |4.00 |A |PASS |
|EAS C018 | |2 |70 |5.05 |A+ |PASS |
|EAS C019 | |2 |80 |5.60 |O |PASS |
|EAS C020 | |2 |85 |5.70 |O |PASS |
|EAS C021 | |3 |94 |5.88 |O |PASS |
|EAS C022 | |3 |65 |4.50 |A+ |PASS |
|TOTAL | | | | | | |
|Grade Point Average / Weighted Average Marks |18 |72.61 |4.88 | | |
|Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) / |72 |67.67 |4.66 | |First Class |
|Overall Weighted Percentage of Marks (OWPM) | | | | | |
(First Class and ‘A+’ Grade)
15. Performance sheets, Results and Student Redress:
15.1 The system of evaluation shall be transparent and students shall have the right to examine their marked answer scripts and for redress. The teacher of a course shall give the attendance and performance sheets for Sessional Test I, Sessional Test II and End-Semester Examination to the head of the department who in turn consolidates all such sheets pertaining to the programmes offered by the department. The School Committee shall then meet to finalize the results of all courses offered under the school and forward the same to be processed by the Dean / CBCS office / Controller of Examinations.
15.2 After finalization of results by the School Committee, the letter grades awarded to the students in each course shall be announced on the departmental notice board.
15.3 In case any student feels aggrieved, he/she can contact the concerned teacher for a second look at his/her performance within one week after departmental notification.
15.4 The aggrieved student may be shown his/her answer papers in the end semester examination by the teacher concerned. If the teacher feels that the case is genuine, he/she can re-examine and forward the revised grade, if any, to the Dean (Academic) through the Chairman of the School Committee with justification for the revision and with intimation to the Head of the Department. Revision should be done before the document reaches the Dean / Controller of Examinations.
15.5 The Controller of Examinations will accept the recommendations of the School Committee in respect of the Final Results and will publish the same and issue Mark and Grade Statements to the Students.
16. MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY PROGRAMMES
16.1 Master of Philosophy (M. Phil.) Degree Programme is offered by many departments of the University.
16.2 The minimum duration for completion of M. Phil. in a discipline is two semesters and the maximum duration is four semesters.
16.3 The M. Phil. Degree is awarded if a student has
• Registered, undergone and secured the required minimum number of credits for the core and elective courses including Dissertation specified in the corresponding programme within the stipulated time;
• Secured the required attendance;
• No dues to the University, Hostel or Library;
• No disciplinary action pending against him/her
16.4 Structure of the Programme
The M. Phil. Programme consists of:
Core courses which are mandatory for all students
Elective courses which students can choose from amongst the courses offered within the department or in other departments of the University or in other Approved Institutions.
Dissertation (Mandatory)
16.5 The distribution of credits will be as below:
i) Core Courses – Minimum two courses carrying 5 credits each (10 or more credits)
ii) Electives carrying 5 credits each – No minimum
iii) Dissertation 21 Credits
The total number of credits for core and electives shall be 15. Within this broad framework different M. Phil. programmes may prescribe and adopt one of the following two patterns:
• 2 core courses (10 credits) plus one elective (5 credits)
• 3 core courses (15 credits)
The research topic for the dissertation may be finalized even at the beginning of the M. Phil Programme, so that the collection of relevant literature and research design could be completed in the First semester leaving the entire Second Semester for the research work. The course registration for dissertation shall be in the First semester and a separate registration form shall be used for Registration.
16.6 The departmental committee will specify the credits for core courses (including dissertation and Viva-voce) but the minimum will be 36 credits.
16.7 Evaluation of the dissertation
16.7.1 The dissertation shall be jointly valued by the supervisor and one external examiner. The external examiner is to be drawn from:
i) An affiliated college within the city of Chennai; or
ii) Any accredited institution of higher education
and / or research within Chennai
The viva-voce examination on the dissertation shall be jointly conducted by the supervisor and the external examiner. The distribution of marks shall be as under:
• 20% marks for Periodical presentation (to be evaluated and awarded by the supervisor)
• 60% marks for the Dissertation
• 20% marks for Viva-voce
16.7.2 The last date for submission of Dissertation shall be 31st August every year without penalty. Those who do not submit the dissertation in time may be given an extension of a maximum of two months with a penal fee prescribed by the University (i.e. up to 31st October).
There shall be no further extension of time beyond this period. Any student failing to submit the dissertation within this period will be permitted to submit the dissertation only in the next academic year along with the subsequent batch of students.
16.8 Regulations of M. Phil. Programme
The rules and regulations governing course registration, attendance and discipline of students for M. Phil. Programme shall be the same as for the Master’s Programme.
16.9 Evaluation
The process of evaluation, examination, grading, etc for the M. Phil. programme shall be the same as for Master’s programme except for the dissertation; However, Final semester students of the M. Phil. should be allowed to appear for examinations in any arrear papers in the month of September / October each year.
Illustration: M. Phil. CUMULATIVE GRADE STATEMENT
|Semester and Course |Course Number |Credits earned |Marks Secured |Grade Point |Letter Grade |Result |
| | | |(Max.100) | | | |
|First Semester |
|Core |EAS C001 |5 |70 |5.05 |A+ |PASS |
|Core |EAS C002 |5 |60 |4.00 |A |PASS |
|Elective |EAS E001 |5 |75 |5.50 |O |PASS |
|Grade Point Average (GPA) / Weighted Average |15 |68.33 |4.85 | | |
|Marks(WAM) | | | | | |
|Second Semester |
|Dissertation and Viva-voce|EAS C003 |21 |64 |4.49 |A |PASS |
|Grade Point Average (GPA) / |21 |64 |4.49 | | |
|Weighted Average Marks(WAM) | | | | | |
|Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) |65.81 |4.64 |A+ |First Class |
|36 | | | | |
|Overall Weighted Percentage Marks(OWPM) | | | | |
First Class and ‘A+’ Grade
17 POST-GRADUATE DIPLOMA/DIPLOMA/ CERTIFICATE PROGRAMMES
17.1 The Process of Post Graduate Diploma/Diploma/ Certificate Programmes
The procedures for the P.G. Diploma, Diploma and Certificate Programmes such as course registration, etc will be similar to those applicable to the Master’s programme.
17.2 P. G. Diploma Programmes
i. Eligibility: A Graduate
ii. P.G. Diploma programme may be offered as a full-time programme or as a part-time add-on programme. The number of credits for a P.G. Diploma programme shall be 36 credits
iii. The courses prescribed for a P. G. Diploma programme may be fully independent of the courses for the master’s programme. Alternatively a Department may include some of the courses (core or Electives) offered under the Master’s programme in the P.G. Diploma programme. The Departmental / School committee shall decide on the exact structure and content of the P.G. Diploma programme conforming to the above broad structure.
iv. The minimum duration of a PG. Diploma programme shall be 2 semesters (Full-time) or 3 or 4 semesters (Part-Time).
The maximum period for completion is Four semesters for Full-time programmes and Six semesters for 3 or 4 semester programmes respectively counting from first semester.
v. Passing minimum for Post Graduate Diploma programme shall be 50% of marks in each paper/course.
17.3 Diploma Programmes
i) A Diploma programme shall carry 18 credits distributed as under:
Core Courses – 18 credits
ii} The minimum duration of a Diploma programme shall be
one semester (full-time) or two semesters (Part-time).
The maximum period for completion is Two semesters for Full-time programmes and Four semesters for Part-time programmes counting from first semester.
iii) Passing minimum for Diploma programme shall be 40% of marks in each paper/course.
17.4 Short-term Certificate Programmes
i) Certificate programme shall carry 9 credits.
ii) The duration of a certificate programme shall be one semester (Part-time) or 10 weeks full-time. The maximum period for completion is Two semesters Counting from first semester.
iii) Passing minimum for Certificate programme shall be
40% of marks in each paper/course.