Assessment

Examinations and Quizzes

All courses normally have written final examinations. Such examinations are not required in seminars, field work, internship programs, studio courses and senior projects, but the instructor concerned may choose to give one. As to quizzes and progress tests, instructors shall give a minimum of two per course. If, for a legitimate reason acceptable to the instructor of the course, a student misses a quiz, he/she should arrange for a make-up with the instructor of the course within a maximum period of two weeks from the date assigned for that quiz. Final examinations shall count for a maximum of 40% of the final grade. Those exams should be comprehensive by nature. The remaining 60% account for quizzes, progress projects, tests, term papers and other requirements as specified by the respective department. A minimum of 40% of the course evaluation should be known by students prior to the official withdrawal deadline. Different sections of the same course must be given a common departmental final examination.

Final Examination Make-Up

If a student misses a final examination for a legitimate reason, he/she should make arrangements for a make-up examination with the instructor of the course and the chairperson of the department. If permission is granted, the student shall pay the University a make-up final examination fee of 200,000 L.L. Consequently, the final examination make-up shall be taken no later than the 8th week of the next academic semester if a grade of incomplete “I” is submitted to the registrar. In the case where a change of grade is not received by the Registrar’s Office within the set period, a grade of “F” shall be given for that course.

Graded Final Examination Paper

The graded final examination papers of a course offered during a given semester or the summer session must be submitted to the Department Chairperson concerned within 72 hours from the scheduled date of the final examination of that course. These papers must be kept at the department concerned for at least one semester along with a copy of the course syllabus, final examination and its solution.

Final Grades

A course’s final grades should be submitted to the Office of the Registrar 72 hours after the scheduled date of the examination for that course. The grades should first be approved by the Department Chairperson and Faculty Dean.

Courses and Grades

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, projects, or theses will be reported as Pass (P) or Fail (F).

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.

Comprehensive Examination

Where applicable, a student must pass a comprehensive examination after completion of most of the course requirements for the degree. The concerned department 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.

Thesis

In partial fulfillment 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 medium 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 concerned Department 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 two 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 concerned department or program.
Thesis Defense
The thesis defense maybe 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.