FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES. By-Laws of the Master of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology

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1 UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBO, SRI LANKA FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES By-Laws of the Master of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology By-Laws made by the Council of the University of Colombo under Section 135 of the Universities Act No. 16 of 1978 and its subsequent amendments. By-Laws 1. These By-Laws may be cited as the By-Laws governing the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology No.~ of 20 i l Part I 2. Subject to these By-Laws, a person may be awarded the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology (hereinafter referred to as the Masters Degree) if he/she has: (a) been a registered student of the University for this program for the period prescribed by these By-Laws; (b) thereafter pursued the program of study of the University to the satisfaction of the Vice-Chancellor as prescribed by these By-Laws and other Regulations and Rules of the University; (c) satisfied the examiners for the Masters Degree at the written examinations, dissertation, case study reports, process study reports, clinical placement/s and; viva voce examination/so (d) at least 90% attendance at classroom teaching activities and clinical placement/s (f) paid such registration, tuition, supervision, examination and other fees as may be payable to the University; and (g) fulfilled all other requirements prescribed by these By-Laws and other Regulations and Rules of the University. 3. A person who wishes to become a candidate for the Masters Degree shall obtain the prescribed application form and the prospectus on the payment of the prescribed fees. Applications will be invited through newspaper advertisement. He/she may make an application to the Deputy 1/9

2 l Registrar/Senior Assistant Registrar on the prescribed form and would supply all information as required in this form. 4. There shall be a Coordinator(s) for the program who shall be appointed by the Vice-Chancellor on the recommendation of the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies. 5. Applications received by the Registrar shall be referred to the Coordinator(s) of the program. The Coordinator(s), having examined the applications for necessary initial qualification, shall call the eligible candidates for an interview and an entrance test and/or group activity, on which selections may be made. The final list of candidates to be enrolled shall be recommended to the Faculty Board through the relevant Board of Study. 6. No person shall be considered for admission to the course leading to the Masters Degree unless he/she has satisfied the following qualifications: (i) A Bachelor's Degree (Special/Major/Honours) in Psychology with First or Second Class honours division pass from any university recognized by the University of Colombo, or (ii) A Bachelor's Degree (Special/Major/Honours) in Psychology with a Postgraduate Qualification in a relevant/related field from any university recognized by the University of Colombo, and (iii) A good working knowledge of the English language. Note: Clinical experience will be an advantage Successful candidates will enrol for the Masters Degree Program by registering with the University, which will require the payment of prescribed fees, including registration fee, tuition fee, library fee, supervision fee, examination fee, laboratory fee, etc as determined by the Council. 7.2 The minimum period of registration for the Masters Degree shall be two years. The first registration the date of commencement shall be valid for two years counted from of the course. 7.3 The registration for the Masters Degree shall be deemed to have lapsed at the expiry of its period of validity. A candidate may, with the approval of the Faculty Board, renew his/her registration for another year provided he/she is eligible to be so registered. 2/9

3 7.4 If the number of persons who have applied and/or who are registered for the course in any given year is not sufficient, in the opinion of the Faculty Board, to make the conducting of the course financially viable, the Faculty Board reserves the right not to conduct the course, subject to the University refunding any fees that may have been received, save the application fee. 7.5 Notwithstanding anything stated to the contrary, the University shall have the right to cancel at any time the registration of a candidate for cause shown. 7.6 No student shall keep away from classes or clinical training, withdraw from any written examination or classroom test without prior approval from the Faculty unless on medical grounds. Part II Course Details The Masters Degree Program shall be a two years' full-time course of study. The candidates will be required to attend lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials and other teaching events that cover the curriculum of the Degree. A minimum of 90% attendance is required at these teaching activities. 8.2 The Masters Degree Program shall include twelve course modules as indicated in the Schedule. The titles of course modules taught, the course structure, the syllabi and the scheme of evaluation thereof shall be those set out in the Schedule. 8.3 Throughout the two years of the Degree Program, with the exception of the first twelve weeks, candidates shall engage in supervised clinical work in suitable settings. There shall be clinical placement(s) that shall offer a variety of clinical work. Three days of clinical work shall be carried out every week (including Saturdays where applicable). Candidates shall be allocated clinical placements and supervisors (who shall be practising psychologists) approved by the Course in keeping with the clinical placement guidelines. A minimum of 90% attendance is required at the clinical placemenus), 8.4 Each candidate shall have a research supervisor. Such a research supervisor may be either a member of the Teaching Faculty or other suitable person to be appointed by the Faculty Board on the recommendation of the relevant Board of Study. 3/9

4 8.5 By the end of the first clinical placement, a candidate shall submit one single Case Report, thefirst of two. By the end of the second clinical placement, a candidate shall submit one single Process Report, the first of two. At latest six months before the end of the Second Year, the candidate shall submit both the second single Case Report and Process Report. Each case report is an account of work carried out with a client, as a scientist-practitioner during placement (s). The choices of methods of investigation and intervention must be justified, and the work placed in a theoretical context. The process report is a transcript of a particular session with a client during placement (s), with commentary to explain and justify the responses of the psychologist. The identity of the subject shall in every case be concealed. The single case reports and process reports are to be carried out under the guidance of the relevant Placement clinical supervisor and submitted with hislher approval..~ 8.6 Not later than eight months from the commencement of the course, each candidate shall submit to the course coordinator/s a research proposal following the format set out in the Schedule. The research proposal shall be evaluated by a Panel of Members of the Teaching Faculty constituted by the Faculty Board who will make its recommendations to the relevant Board of Study, and once approved by the relevant Board of Study the candidate may embark upon the project with the guidance of a supervisor approved by the Faculty Board. Two months prior to the end of the Second Year a candidate shall submit a dissertation based on hislher empirical research with the supervisor's approval. 9. The Senate shall have power, on the recommendation of the Faculty Board, to amend the number of course modules, the course structure, the syllabi, the number of question papers thereof and the scheme of evaluation. 10. The Senate, on the recommendation of the Faculty Board, shall appoint a Board of Examiners to conduct the examinations of the Masters Degree. The Registrar shall release results of the examinations held after each Year. 11. The medium of instruction and examination shall be English A candidate may not be evaluated unless she/he has duly registered as a candidate for the Masters Degree as from the commencement of the academic year as well as satisfied the attendance requirements at lectures, workshops, clinical placements etc. as prescribed in these Bye-Laws or as varied by the Faculty Board due to exceptional reasons All rules relating to the Examination Procedure, Offences and Punishment Regulation No. I of 1986, mutatis mutandis, apply to, or in relation to, all assessments/tests of the Masters Degree. 4/9

5 12.3 Without prejudice to the generality of the Regulation No.1 of 1986, rules relating to assignments/tests and dissertation shall be formulated and implemented by the Coordinator(s) with the approval of the relevant Board of Study and the Faculty Board and any matter, relating to them shall be decided by the Faculty Board on the recommendation of the Coordinator(s), the Dean of the Faculty and the Board of Study Rules relating to assignments/tests and dissertation shall be announced with the concurrence of the Board of Study and the Faculty Board from time to time, by the Coordinator(s) in consultation with the teachers and such rules shall not be changed or revoked unless otherwise so decided by the relevant Board of Study and the Faculty Board. Part III Scheme of Evaluation 13 A candidate shall be evaluated and expected to reach the required standards in both academic work and clinical work Each written examination paper shall carry a maximum mark of The pass mark for each written examination paper/report shall be 50% A candidate shall be evaluated out of 100 marks at (i) each of the two written examinations First Year, held at the end of the (ii) each of the two Single Case Reports and two Process Reports, which shall be based on the clinical work at the clinical placement(s), A candidate shall be evaluated as passed or failed at (iii) the research dissertation based on a clinically relevant empirical research and submitted nearing the end of the Second Year, (iii) the clinical skills viva voce examination the Second Year, and held at the end of (iv) each of the clinical placement evaluations by the respective clinical supervisor at the end of each clinical placement. 5/9

6 13.4 Written examinations shall be marked by two examiners. A candidate failing either or both of the two papers in the First Year examination shall re-sit the paper(s), within three months. If the candidate fails again, no further attempt shall be permitted and this shall constitute course failure (a) The dissertation shall consist of 15,000 to 20,000 words (excluding the contents pages, statistics, references and appendices) and shall be submitted to the coordinator(s) as indicated in Clause 8.6 of the By-Laws. The research dissertation shall be evaluated by a member of the Teaching Faculty and an external examiner appointed by the Senate on the recommendation of the Faculty Board. These two examiners shall also conduct the viva voce examination, part of which shall focus on the dissertation. Examiners shall deem a dissertation as satisfactory; or satisfactory subject to minor changes/corrections; or in need of major revision, which mayor may not require further empirical work; or failed. (b) A satisfactory dissertation shall be an account of research carried out by the student, making a contribution to knowledge in the field. The research question should be clearly formulated and based upon a review of the literature; the methodology justified by reference to the literature, and described sufficiently precisely to permit replication; the results must be clearly presented and analysed, using appropriate statistical procedures. (c) A dissertation requmng re-submission shall be handed in within nine months of the original viva voce examination. The examiners shall have the authority to decide on the acceptability of are-submitted dissertation without a further viva voce examination. When a dissertation is accepted, two bound copies shall be submitted to the university. If a dissertation is failed by the examiners, this constitutes course failure The single case reports and process reports shall be evaluated by two examiners appointed (as indicated in clause 13.5) for the examination of the dissertation and viva voce examination. The maximum possible marks for each of these reports are 100. These reports shall be of 4000 words (+/- 10%) and shall reflect a varied content of clinical work. All reports must be submitted to the coordinator(s) as indicated in clause 8.5 of the By-Laws Evaluation of performance by the clinical supervisor(s) shall be at the end of each clinical placement. However, there will be a detailed, formal feedback session mid-way through a placement at which point a student that may appear to be failing the placement would be so alerted. The coordinator(s) of the program will normally attend this mid placement review. A candidate may fail a placement if, in the view of the supervisor, 6/9

7 he/she has not shown the level of skills expected at the time or if there are significant professional/ethical issues. A decision to fail a candidate on a placement will be taken by the Teaching Faculty in consultation with the supervisor. Failure in the placement(s) will constitute course failure A candidate is deemed to havefailed in clinical work if he/she (i) obtains less than 50%for more than one of the four reports (i.e., case and process reports, and/or (ii) is evaluated as failed in the clinical skills viva voce examination, and/or (iii) is evaluated as failed at either one of the clinical placement evaluations by the clinical supervisor. In the event a candidate fails in clinical work he/she shall undertake an additional clinical placement and re-submit a single case or process report based on the decision of the Board of Examiners. Additional clinical placement shall be at the end of the course and shall be reevaluated. If the candidate fails again, no further this shall constitute Coursefailure. attempt shall be permitted and 14 Professional/ethical misconduct may lead to a candidate being expelled from the Program. Such a decision shall be made by the Faculty Board, on the recommendation of the Teaching Faculty and the relevant Board of Study after extending due process to the candidate. A candidate thus expelled from the Program may appeal to the Senate against the decision of the Faculty Board A candidate's performance at the written examinations, and the Single Case Reports and Process Reports shall be represented by the following Grade Table: Grade A } Grade B } Pass Grades Grade C } Grade D } Fail Grades Grade E } 7/9

8 15.2 A candidate shall be deemed to have been successful at the examination leading to the award of the Masters Degree ifhe/she obtains: (a) A pass mark or above (i.e. 50% or above) in the two written examination papers at the end of the First Year, and (b) A pass mark or above (i.e. 50% or above) on at least three of the four single case reports and process reports, and (c)a Pass Grade (i.e. 50% or above)for the dissertation, and (d)a Pass Grade (i.e. 50% or above)for the clinical viva voce examination, and (e) A Pass Grade (i.e. 50% or above) for evaluations. each of the clinical placement 16 There will be additional fees charged from referred and/or failed candidates as determined by the Council on the recommendation of the Faculty Board, depending on the expenses to be incurred by the University to service their repeat attempts in the Master's examination process. 17 The University shall announce through public notification the names of candidates who have passed the Masters examination. All candidates shall be informed individually of the results of their examinations and in case of failure, they shall be informed of the nature of their failure. 8/9

9 Part IV -<>; Interpretations 18. In these By-Laws unless the context otherwise requires "Council" means the Council of the University of Colombo constituted by the University Act No. 16 of 1978 as amended. "Senate" means the Senate of the University of Colombo constituted by the University Act No. 16 of 1978 as amended. "Faculty" or "Faculty Board" means the Faculty of Graduate Studies or the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Graduate Studies respectively. "Board of Study" means the relevant Board of Study established under the Faculty Board in the Faculty of Graduate Studies. "Registrar" means the Registrar, the Acting Registrar, Deputy Registrar or any other officer authorized to sign for and on behalf of the Registrar of the University of Colombo. "Application" means an application for registration or for entry to an Examination. Dr Chandrika Ismai1 MAPS Coordinator/MPCP IFGS, --- 9/9