Graduate Academic Rules and Regulations

Students enrolled at NDU may take courses at other recognized institutions of higher education.

A student registered at NDU may be permitted to cross-register if:

• He/She expects to graduate at the end of that particular semester and the said course is not offered at NDU but is a graduation requirement.
• The course to be taken carries the same content as that offered at NDU.
• The student’s academic advisor sends a written statement to the NDU Admissions and Registrar’s Offices who in turn contact their counterparts of the university concerned to confirm the above-mentioned conditions.

 

Students enrolled at other recognized institutions of higher education may take courses at NDU.

Students studying at other universities and who wish to take courses at NDU must secure the following to facilitate cross-registration:

• Written permission by the academic advisor to take specified courses at NDU (if any of the above mentioned conditions apply to the incoming student).
• The above documents are submitted to the NDU Admissions and Registrar’s Offices by their counterparts.
• Finalize registration according to cross-registration procedures at NDU.

An auditor is a student who has been admitted to course(s) after having satisfied the requirements for admission to this course as deemed appropriate by the Department concerned. He or she is required to pay 75% of the course(s) fees. Once an auditor is registered, he/she cannot change his/her status back to credit. Grades and credits will not be given for auditing course(s) and hence cannot be counted for financial aid purposes. However, they are entitled to a statement of enrolment upon request.

To meet graduation requirements, students may take courses on a tutorial basis. Registration for a tutorial course can only happen after the consent of the concerned professor and the approval of the respective faculty.

Any change from one graduate degree to another requires students to reapply and meet the admission requirements of the requested graduate program. Required courses may be substituted upon the recommendation of the student’s graduate advisor and the approval of the respective Faculty. A maximum of 9 substitute credits will be considered.

Prior to or upon enrollment in the final thesis course, and after consultation with the department chairperson, a student will approach faculty members for potential supervision in their field of expertise. Upon the supervisor’s recommendation that the thesis is ready for defense, the chairperson sets the defense date for the community. 

Courses taken as part of a student’s graduate study program fall in one of two categories, graduate or remedial, with different grading systems.

 

Graduate Level Courses

These are normally numbered 600 and above. The minimum passing grade for a graduate course is “B.” Students in graduate study are required to maintain a cumulative average of at least “B” in all courses taken for graduate credit. According to the NDU Attendance Policy, a student who is absent without excuse from more than one-third of the number of sessions in any one course, or who fails to sit for scheduled examinations, or fails to fulfill required written or oral work, will be given “F.” Results of tutorial courses and projects will be reported as Pass “P” or Fail “F.”

Grades on thesis courses may be assigned as either Pass (“P”) or Fail (“F”), or as letter grades (“A+,” “A,” etc.).

The faculties’ grading system for these courses is as follows: FAAD, FBAE, FH, FLPS and FNAS: letter grades; FE and FNHS: “P.”

  

Remedial Courses

These are usually undergraduate courses, taken to make up for any particular deficiencies. They do not carry graduate credit. The minimum passing grade for a remedial course is B; however, a department or program may set a higher minimum passing grade.

A graduate student admitted on probation should register and maintain course grades of "B" and a GPA of 3.0 within two consecutive semesters of enrollment. 

A graduate student may be placed on academic probation, if he/she does not maintain a GPA of 3.0.

A graduate student on probation may register for a maximum of 6 credits the following semester.

A graduate student on probation is dismissed from the program if:

• The probation status is not removed within a period of two semesters during which the student is registered.
• The student fails the thesis/ project defense twice. 

 

Where applicable, a student must pass a comprehensive examination after completion of most of the course requirements for the degree. The department concerned will schedule the examination. The purpose of the examination is to ascertain the student’s knowledge of the field of specialization and related areas. A student who does not pass the comprehensive examination may repeat it only once after a time lapse of at least three months but only with the approval of the concerned graduate committee.

As part of the requirements for the Master’s degree, a student must submit a thesis, when applicable, based on results of original and independent research. Except in Departments or programs in which the language of instruction is not English, the thesis must be in English.

An abstract not exceeding 350 words must be submitted with the thesis. If the thesis is in a language other than English, the abstract must be written both in that language and in English.

The Department concerned must ensure the availability of a copy of the Thesis Manual, which provides instructions on the preparation of theses. Its application is mandatory and theses not conforming to its requirements will not be accepted. For all matters not discussed in the manual, theses must follow the form and style described in the latest edition of K. L. Turabian, Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations (University of Chicago Press), or any other form specified by the Department or program provided this conforms to the manual.

Copies of the thesis, unbound but ready for binding, should be submitted to the members of the thesis committee at least 2 weeks before the defense. Copies may be obtained by any legible and durable form of reproduction. Additional copies may be required, as specified by the Department or program concerned.
In a thesis course, a grade of “PR” could remain on the student’s transcript for three consecutive, regular semesters, after which a different grade should be assigned. A student may petition for an extension beyond the three semesters if justified by the student’s thesis advisor. Otherwise, the “PR” grade will automatically turn into “F.”

Thesis Committee

The Master’s thesis committee should be composed of at least three members recommended by the Department or program and approved by the Faculty Graduate Committee. The proposal of the thesis topic and the selection of the advisor and the members of the Thesis Committee for candidates for the Master’s degree should have been approved by the Faculty or Graduate Committee at least four months before the student defends the thesis. It is advisable that the Thesis Committee includes one external member. This member may be from an institution other than NDU. All committee members should hold professorial ranks. The Thesis Committee approves the thesis topic and research program and conducts the thesis defense examination.

Thesis Defense

The thesis defense may be open to the public and must be carried out no later than June 10, October 30, or March 1 for students who wish to graduate at the end of the Summer session, the Fall, or the Spring semester respectively.
“Pass” or “Fail” is reported for the combined thesis and thesis defense. If “Fail” is reported, the student may resubmit the thesis and defend it after a period of at least three months. Failure on the second attempt results in discontinuation from graduate work.
Students must be registered for the thesis or at least one course in the session in which they expect to graduate in order to present their defense.

Deposit of the Thesis in the University Institutional Repository (IR)

After passing the thesis defense examination, the student is required to deposit an electronic copy of the final approved thesis, including a scanned copy of the signature page, in the University Institutional Repository (IR). After the Library verifies deposit of the thesis in the IR they will inform the Office of the Registrar so the student will be awarded the degree. When submitting the thesis to the IR the student must sign a release form, indicating whether or not the University Library is authorized to supply copies of the thesis to other libraries or individuals. The non-authorization option is valid for a period of two years only, after which copies of the thesis will be supplied on request.

Continuation in the graduate programs requires satisfactory progress toward a graduate degree. Evidence of such progress includes maintaining a 3.0/4.0 cumulative average throughout the course of graduate study. Furthermore, in order to graduate, a student must have at least a 3.0/4.0 cumulative GPA.

Failure to obtain a GPA of 3.0/4.0 for the first twelve credit hours will result in notification of probationary status. Any student who did not remove his or her probation in two semesters will be suspended from the University.

A graduate student will also be suspended if he or she obtains two “Fs.”

Preceding the withdrawal policy in the catalog (proposed statement): Continuation in the graduate programs requires satisfactory progress toward a graduate degree. Evidence of such progress includes maintaining at least a 3.0/4.0 cumulative average throughout the course of graduate study. Furthermore, in order to graduate, a student must have at least a GPA of 3.0/4.0. Failure to obtain a GPA of 3.0/4.0 for the first twelve credit hours will result in a probationary status. Any student who does not remove his/ her probation in two semesters will be dismissed from the University.

 

Leave of Absence

Graduate students may request a leave of absence from a program through a petition submitted to their academic advisors. A student who does not register for courses for more than one calendar year must apply for reinstatement to the graduate degree program.

 

Withdrawal from Courses

After the date of dropping and/or adding courses period, students are allowed until the end of the 14th week as of the beginning of a semester to withdraw from courses. “W” will be inscribed on their records. No withdrawal is allowed beyond this period. Late withdrawal may be accepted only in case of illness or circumstances beyond control.

Students who expect to graduate must complete and submit on SIS the “Application for Graduation.” Commencement is held once a year.

Registration Process

Registration information and procedures are electronically communicated to every graduate, and involves the following steps:

 

Payment of Fees

The first step in registration is the payment of fees. Every registrant must pay the fees in full, or make arrangement for payment two weeks before the beginning of registration. Regardless of the manner of payment, every student must clear his/her registration with the Business Office. Outstanding balances must be settled in full before a student is allowed to register. Those who fail to honor the terms of the arrangement of payment of fees will be denied the privilege of future arrangements.

 

Consultation with Academic Advisors

Each student is assigned an academic advisor. With a proposed semester course schedule, the student proceeds to his/her advisor for consultation and the finalization of the selected courses. Students should consult with their academic advisors in the places assigned them for registration. The selection of courses is initially undertaken by the registrant himself/herself. Registration in absentia or by proxy is not permitted. Continuing students should check the course requirements as prescribed for every major, and compare them with the ones they have already completed. In the light of this comparison, they should check the course offerings for the given semester and then fill in their semester course schedules. New students must make sure that all required documents, particularly those mentioned in the letter of admission, are submitted to the Registrar's Office. They should also have in hand their letters of admission and identity cards or passports to present them to their advisors. Students should follow the steps indicated in the registration guide.

A full-time graduate student must register for nine credits per semester. Students registered for less than nine credits per semester are considered part-time graduate students. Graduate students cannot register for more than six credits in the Summer session.

Upon approval of change of major, all grades on transferable or non-transferable courses taken by a student in his/her old major/area of concentration remain part of his/her official transcripts. Unlike the transferable grades, the non-transferable ones are not computed in the student’s GPA for the new major and are not counted toward the total number of credits required for graduation for the new major. A student cannot ask for a non-transferable course to be computed back in his/her GPA.

 

The students who benefited from the above rule (#1) cannot return to their old major, and cannot request to have their major changed again to any major which requires a non-transferable course grade, which was deleted from his/her GPA.

Students may register for courses on an auditing basis. Courses in which a student is so enrolled carry no credit but are listed in the student’s transcript as audit. The fee charged by the University shall be 75% of the fee paid by regular students. Student auditors should fulfill the same admission conditions as any other regular student.

The University does not disclose information and academic records of any student except with his/her prior consent. Exceptions to this principle are made only in compliance with judicial orders and health or safety emergency.