Rules and Regulations Governing the Doctoral Degree Programme at the Maastricht School of Management

Transcription

1 Rules and Regulations Governing the Doctoral Degree Programme at the Maastricht School of Management

2 Rules and Regulations Governing the Doctoral Degree Programme at the Maastricht School of Management 2012, Maastricht School of Management Version February

3 Table of Contents Rules and Regulations Governing the Doctoral degree programme at the Maastricht School of Management General Description of the Programme Introduction Duration of the Doctoral degree programme DBA Thesis by Route of Journal Publications Oversight of the Doctoral degree programme Director of Research Research Board Supervisor(s) Appointment of the supervisor(s) Tasks of the supervisor Co-supervisor Appointment of the co-supervisor External Examiners Appointment of External Examiners Tasks of the External Examiner Admission to the Programme Admission Requirements Admission Procedure to the MPhil phase of the doctoral degree programme: MPhil Phase Coursework Coursework Assessment Notification of Results Evaluation of Lecturers Absenteeism Research proposal ( M.Phil Thesis ) Research Proposal Seminar ( M.Phil Defence ) Research proposal Seminar Committee: Research proposal Seminar Assessment of the Research proposal Ceremony of awarding the MPhil degree Continuation of the Doctoral Programme after obtaining the MPhil Field work Requirements: Dissertation Procedure to the Public Defence Dissertation Defence Committee Public Defence Assessment of the Dissertation Ceremony of Awarding the Doctoral Degree General Regulations Changing supervisors Settlement of Disputes Facilities and Services Financial Conditions Validity... 16

4 Rules and Regulations Governing the Doctoral degree programme at the Maastricht School of Management 0 Preamble The rules and regulations contained herein aim to ensure the quality of the programme and to provide for its sound management.. The rules and regulations contained herein will be adopted any partner institution of the Maastricht School of Management (MsM) where the MsM doctoral programme is offered, so as to ensure that the MsM doctoral programme is of the same quality throughout. Where partner institution practices or policies may deviate, these rules and regulations will prevail. 1 General Description of the Programme 1.1 Introduction a. The Maastricht School of Management offers a programme that leads to the degree of Doctor of Business Administration (DBA). b. The DBA programme can be offered by the Maastricht School of Management at its Maastricht campus or delivered in collaboration with a local partner institution (counterpart organisation) in any other location. In the latter case, the administration of the programme is the joint responsibility of the Maastricht School of Management and the counterpart organisation (partner). c. The Maastricht School of Management cooperates with a number of recognised universities in order to offer students the opportunity to pursue a degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). These universities have their own rules and regulations (known as promotiereglementen in The Netherlands). The rules and regulations of these institutions will prevail in the case of PhD programmes. d. The official language of the programme is English, unless otherwise agreed with the counterpart organisation and upon satisfactory arrangement with the counterpart organisation that MsM will be able to properly adjudicate at any time the quality, contents and outputs of the programme. e. The doctoral degree programme consists of four overlapping phases: The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) phase which includes the coursework and the research proposal seminar, a period of field research, a period of data analysis and a period of preparing and defending the dissertation. f. A doctoral degree programme is deemed to commence on the first day a participant starts in a module of the doctoral coursework. g. Doctoral degrees can be undertaken on a full-time or part-time basis. 1.2 Duration of the Doctoral degree programme a. Enrolment in the doctoral degree programme is for a normal period of four years, starting from the day mentioned in 1.1f. b. An extended programme may not exceed six years starting from the day mentioned in 1.1f. c. The MPhil phase should be completed within two years after the day mentioned in 1.1f. d. The following procedure will be observed in the case of extension after four years: 1. All requests for extension of the registration period in the doctoral degree programme will be submitted to the Director Research and should be accompanied by the recommendation of the Supervisor(s). 2. A request for such an extension shall be submitted at least six months before the extension is proposed to begin. 4

5 3. Extensions of registration in the doctoral degree programme may be granted for a maximum of one year at any one time, while the cumulative maximum shall in not exceed two years. e. For each (part of a) year of extension of the registration, an additional fee is charged. f. Throughout the programme every participant is required to submit progress reports as per the format prescribed by the Research Department. Progress reports must be submitted at least twice a year. The deadline for submission will be communicated. Failure to submit progress reports may lead to a candidate being denied permission to submit his or her thesis. 1.3 DBA Thesis by Route of Journal Publications a. It is possible to prepare a DBA thesis following the route of journal articles, instead of a single manuscript. For this minimally minimum of three journal articles on a related topic is required. The candidate should obtain approval from his or her supervisor and the Director Research as to the particular journals that are acceptable. The doctoral candidate has to be the first author of at least two of these papers. At the time of the public defence of the dissertation the participant needs to be in possession of an acceptance letter for at least one article, with a second article at least under review. The third article may still be in preparation for submission, but should have been completed to the satisfaction of the supervisor. 2 Oversight of the Doctoral degree programme 2.1 Director of Research a. The Director of Research is finally responsible to the Dean-Director for all aspects relating to the doctoral degree programme. b. The Director of Research provides leadership to the Research Department in terms of research focus, overall quality of research as in terms of publications, seminars and consultancy. c. The Director of Research is finally responsible to approve or disprove applications to the Doctoral programme, appointment or removal of supervisors and examiners/co-supervisors, accept or reject examiner reports and to determine the content and acceptable level of standard of doctorate coursework. d. The Director of Research obtains advice on the general policies and frameworks for the doctoral programme, and in the case of disputes, from the Research Board, of which he also serves as chairperson. 2.2 Research Board a. The Research Board serves as an advisory board for the doctoral degree programme of the Maastricht School of Management. b. The Research Board is composed of a Chairperson (Director Research), a Secretary (Manager Research Operations) and further members appointed on the advice of its current members and on the advice of the Dean Director and Director of Research. c. Functions of the Research Board: 1. To provide advice on the Rules and Regulations for the doctoral degree programme. 2. To advise on all policy decisions concerning Doctoral programmes and research in general, including advice on disputes if required. 5

6 2.2.1 Supervisor(s) Appointment of the supervisor(s) a. Supervisors are appointed by the Director of Research b. Each candidate in the programme shall have at least one supervisor that is a full professor or equivalent to a full professor in the Dutch higher education system. This will be the principal supervisor. c. A candidate shall as far as possible also be appointed a secondary supervisor (the co-supervisor). The secondary supervisor need not be a full professor. This clause will not be applied retroactively to student enrolments before d. The requirement for acting as a supervisor is possession of a DBA/PhD or equivalent degree. e. Supervisors can be either faculty of MsM or faculty from a partner institution Tasks of the supervisor a. To advise the participant on the formulation of the dissertation, the dissertation outline, elaboration of the research design, keeping high standards of research ethics, and on the preparation of the final version of the dissertation. b. To participate in the research proposal seminar and the public defence, given by the participant. c. To assess the dissertation outline and related research design and to submit this assessment to the Director Research. d. To indicate to the Director Research his or her approval of the research proposal (MPhil document) and the dissertation manuscript in its final (unedited) form (DBA thesis). e. To function as a member of the dissertation defence committee, that will assess the final version of the dissertation. f. Supervisors are required to submit progress reports twice annually. g. Unless explicitly exempted by the Director of Research, all MsM supervisors are expected to attend at least one supervisory capacity building and refreshment seminar/course as approved or organized by the Research Department during the duration of their supervision (four year period). h. To abide to the Guide for Doctoral Supervisors at the Maastricht School of Management. i. To maintain the highest moral and ethical standards in research and scientific practice, and set a laudable example to doctoral candidates under his or her supervision Co-supervisor Appointment of the co-supervisor a. The Director Research will assign a co-supervisor. For the MPhil and DBA defence the co-supervisor is a member of the academic staff of the Maastricht School of Management or one of its counterpart organisations and has a DBA/PhD degree. b. The main tasks of the co-supervisor is to ensure continuity in terms of supervision, to act as a soundboard for candidates, and to provide additional subject-specific or methodological support if and when needed. The co-supervisor s role is not to supplant that of the principle supervisor, and the co-supervisor is expected to coordinate where possible all communication and assistance to candidates with the principle supervisor. A cordial and mutually respectful relationship between the members of the entire supervisory team should enjoy high priority, wherein the interest of the doctoral candidate comes first. c. The co-supervisor will also fulfil the function of an internal reader that is to advise the Director Research upon request and in writing, whether the final dissertation is of sufficient quality to be submitted for examination. 6

7 d. To participate in the research proposal seminar or public defence of the dissertation given by the participant External Examiners Appointment of External Examiners a. After the participant has submitted the final version of the dissertation, the Director Research will assign two External Examiners on recommendation of the supervisor(s). b. External Examiners are not members of the academic Faculty of the Maastricht School of Management. c. External Evaluators should be full professors at a Dutch University or equivalent. External Examiners should be appropriately qualified in terms of subject matter and knowledge of research methods to be able to adjudicate a particular dissertation or thesis Tasks of the External Examiner a. To advise the Director Research on the quality of the dissertation. This assessment is meant to check whether the work done by the participant meets academic standards as is required for doctoral level work. The outcomes of this assessment shall be given to the Director Research in writing. b. To participate in the research proposal seminar or public defence of the dissertation given by the participant. 2.3 Admission to the Programme 2.4 Admission Requirements Requirements for admission to the MPhil phase of the doctoral degree programme: a. Candidates must hold at least a Master s Degree or its academic equivalent from a recognised university. The Director Research will decide about the equivalence of degrees. b. Candidates, of whose education has been in a language other than English, must submit evidence of proficiency in the English language. A score of at least 600 on the paper based TOEFL or an equivalent score on an approved alternative test is adequate. Exceptions are where a prior contractual agreement regarding the language requirement exists between MSM and a partner institution. Candidates submit a preliminary research proposal (in digital form) to the Director Research, which indicates: 1. A working title 2. The objective(s) of the research; 3. The positioning of the research within a particular area of theoretical debate; 4. The relevance of the research; 5. The hypotheses/ideas guiding the planned research activities; 6. The methodology to be used and the approximate time required for secondary and/or primary data collection. 7. The qualifications of the applicant, to prove their suitability for the programme. 8. It is desirable that the topic of research resort within a current research theme of MSM. c. A GMAT score of at least 600 is desirable. d. An academic who is willing to provide supervision can be found. 2.5 Admission Procedure to the MPhil phase of the doctoral degree programme: a. The Marketing, Recruitment and Admissions Unit will examine the requirements described in 2.4 and make a recommendation whether to admit a candidate or not to the Director of Research. If the Director Research is not fully satisfied he/she may arrange an examination or an interview, or may use any other means 7

8 it deems necessary to reach a conclusion concerning the applicant's qualifications for conditional admission or denial of admission to the doctoral degree programme. b. As soon as the Director Research has decided on the candidate's suitability for participation, the candidate will be informed of the decision by the Marketing, Recruitment and Admissions Unit. c. Admission to the MPhil phase of the doctoral degree programme remains valid any time in the twelve months following the selection. d. In case of an application to a doctoral degree programme conducted in collaboration with a counterpart organisation, the Director Research has the responsibility and authority over the admission of the participants. Any subsequent administrative arrangement related to the programme (including supervision, field research, defence and promotion) shall be initiated and taken care of through and by the Research Department. 3 MPhil Phase 3.1 Coursework a. The common coursework for every doctoral participant shall be in the fields of Research Methodology and Skills and such additional coursework as is deemed necessary by the Director of Research. The coursework can be followed as a fulltime programme or through a modular setup. b. The Director Research may require individual coursework in addition to the common coursework of the doctoral degree programme. Such individual coursework, for example, may be necessary where the entering doctoral participant lacks the general business knowledge background normally obtainable in a typical MBA degree. In the case of individual coursework, the Director Research shall decide upon the nature of the required coursework in consultation with the principal supervisor. c. The Research Board will advise on the curriculum of all coursework within the doctoral degree programme and subsequent research activities. d. Participants, during their stay in Maastricht, are expected to participate in all seminars organised for the doctoral degree programme, as well as attend all public seminars, workshops and conferences organized by MsM. 3.2 Coursework Assessment a. Each module of the coursework is completed by a written assignment. b. Each participant must fulfil the requirements for subjects taken. The deadline for submitting the work assigned in each written assignment is three months after the completion of the coursework module. If a participant does not submit in time, the examiners may deem him or her to have failed the subject on those grounds alone, unless an exception was granted in writing by the Research Director. c. Work turned in late without justification will receive a mark of zero, and the module has to be taken again. In this case an additional payment of 25% of the tuition fee due for the first year of the doctoral degree programme will be charged. d. Written assignments have to be submitted to the lecturer and the Research Department before 5:00 PM on the day due. e. Written assignments have to be submitted in digital form. f. Circumstances that justify failure to submit written assignments on time may include absence through illness, accidents or serious domestic emergencies, which should be reported in writing to the Director Research within one week. It is in the participant s own interest to ensure that relevant information is recorded promptly. 8

9 g. Individual course lecturers or other Faculty of the Maastricht School of Management have no power to relax deadlines, vary or waive the requirements for individual participants. Only the Director Research has authority to do so. Participants are advised to consult the Director Research directly, and inform the lecturer. h. The Director Research may indicate one of the following: 1. That the written assignment may be submitted after the deadline. 2. That an alternative written assignment be submitted after the deadline. i. Doctoral coursework shall be assessed by on pass/fail/resubmit basis. j. A score of at least 60 per cent is required to pass. A participant shall be given a maximum of three opportunities (within the period of twelve months after completion of the course) to resubmit failed assignments. Thereafter he or she will be unable to proceed with the programme. k. MSM considers plagiarism to be a serious and unacceptable offense. Candidates found guilty of such an offense may face expulsion from the doctoral programme. If the discovery of plagiarism is made after the awarding of the degree, the award will be struck from the School's records and all relevant persons will be duly informed. 3.3 Notification of Results a. The Research Department will notify each participant of his or her results in writing within twenty working days after the submission deadline. The grade sheet will be updated each time a grade has been received. This information is treated confidentially. b. Lecturers will provide comments on of written assignments through the Research Department c. A participant may appeal his or her grade. It is expected that participants should first discuss any concerns with their lecturer. If this does not lead to a satisfactory resolution within reasonable time, participants may appeal in writing to the Director of Research. 3.4 Evaluation of Lecturers a. At the conclusion of each subject module, participants will be required to complete a confidential evaluation sheet that will be provided by the Research Department. b. The Director Research will communicate evaluations to the Dean for his consideration and performance management system. 3.5 Absenteeism a. The assessment of an individual participant s performance in the doctoral degree programme requires full class attendance, and participation in all class activities. b. Any absence from the class requires permission granted by the Director Research or his or her delegate for this purpose. c. A participant is not allowed to submit written assignments if he or she did not attend at least 80 percent of lectures. d. Unannounced and regular class absence will generally be considered negligent and irresponsible behaviour and may be reported in final confidential reports about the participant s performance to the interested parties, including the sponsor or employer. e. Any form of absenteeism from class has to be reported to the Director Research (or his or her delegate for this purpose) in writing prior to the absence. 3.6 Research proposal ( M.Phil Thesis ) a. The research proposal shall be written under the guidance of the supervisor(s). b. The research proposal (or M.Phil thesis ) shall include: 9

10 1. A provisional title that succinctly encapsulate the topic and contents of the proposed study; 2. A detailed but concise outline of the proposed research, including a chapter plan indicating the methodology and types of sources to be used in each chapter; 3. A research outline. The research outline shall provide a detailed work plan and satisfactory research design. 4. A clear statement of expected contribution to professional practice. 5. An abstract, which shall be an executive summary of a maximum of four pages; 6. A table of contents; 7. bibliography list of all references; 8. Relevant exhibits and appendices. c. On the reverse page of the front page the following should be mentioned: 1. The supervisor; 2. The co-supervisor(s) 3. Organisations, which have contributed financially or in kind to the realization of the research proposal Research Proposal Seminar ( M.Phil Defence ) a. The research proposal seminar takes place in public at the Maastricht campus or via videoconferencing connection between the counterpart organisation and the Maastricht School of Management. b. The participant can only continue with the defence of the research proposal after successful completion of the Doctoral Coursework. c. Annually two weeks will be assigned in which the research proposal seminars can be scheduled. d. The Director Research decides on the actual date and time of the research proposal seminar, two periods of one week per year. e. On the first day of the month, four months prior to the month of the defence period (e.g. for defence in June, the deadline is February 1 st, and for defence in December, the deadline is August 1 st ), the participant shall submit a digital copy of the final version of the research proposal to the Research Department Research proposal Seminar Committee: a. The Director Research shall appoint a research proposal seminar committee for each participant, as soon as the participant has submitted the research proposal and the supervisor has given formal approval. This committee will assess the performance of the participant. b. The research proposal seminar committee shall consist of: the Director Research (or his or her delegate), the supervisor and the co-supervisor. c. The Director Research (or his or her delegate) will chair the seminar. d. Together with the formal approval of the research proposal, the supervisor has to inform the Director Research that a participant might be considered for an award of an MPhil with distinction. The co-supervisor(s) will be informed thereof and his/her comments will indicate whether he/she supports the distinction. 3.7 Research proposal Seminar a. The research proposal seminar shall include the presentation of: 1. A finalised, detailed outline of the proposed research, including a chapter plan indicating the methodology and types of sources to be used in each chapter; 10

11 2. A research outline. The research outline shall provide a detailed work plan and an academic framework for such data collection as will be required for the dissertation. b. The participant is allowed not more than 15 minutes to introduce the research proposal, after which the participant answers questions from the committee and (if time permits) from other invited guests. c. The Chairperson is responsible for arranging the sequence of questioning in such a way that the participant will have the opportunity to answer each question. d. The seminar will have the duration of maximal one hour. e. After the questions have been answered, the convocation is adjourned. 3.8 Assessment of the Research proposal a. The final assessment of the participant's research proposal presentation shall take place during the research proposal seminar, following which the result will be publically announced by the Chairperson. b. If a participant fails to defend the research proposal successfully within the first two years of the programme, the participant may be discontinued from the programme. 3.9 Ceremony of awarding the MPhil degree a. A successful completion of the research proposal seminar stage qualifies the participant for the award of the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree. b. The Maastricht School of Management holds one graduation ceremony per year (normally in September). c. In case an MPhil degree may be awarded, but the candidate is not permitted to continue with his or her doctoral study, the awarding of the degree will only be made once the participant has satisfied the requirements listed in these Rules and Regulations, and is not in possession of any property belonging to the Maastricht School of Management.. d. For the defence ceremony gowns, caps and hats may be borrowed from the Maastricht School of Management. Candidates may also purchase these from MsM. e. Participants must ensure that the Research Department is in possession of their full names as well as of their date and place and date of birth and that these are correctly spelled in all official documents Continuation of the Doctoral Programme after obtaining the MPhil a. Within three weeks after the successful defence of the research proposal, the Director Research shall decide whether the participant should be allowed to continue his or her studies with the DBA or with the PhD programme 1. b. This decision will take into consideration the following 1. The publication record of the participant 2. The written advice from the research proposal seminar committee 3. The duration of the participant s study and progress trajectory to complete the MPhil stage. c. In exceptional cases, a participant whose performance disqualifies him or her to continue with the rest of the programme, may be awarded the MPhil degree. In such a case the Research Director (or his or her delegate in this matter) will evaluate the merits of cases on an individual basis.. 4 Field work Requirements: a. The extent of fieldwork /empirical research will differ from study to study and should be approved by the supervisor before being undertaken. 1 The PhD programme is only conducted at the residential campus of a Dutch University. 11

12 b. During their fieldwork period, the participant is expected to provide regular progress reports to his or her Supervisor(s). 5 Dissertation A dissertation should be original work that results from individual study and research. The subject has to be treated thoroughly and objectively. The study may consist of papers, which have already been published or have been sent in to journals for publication. If any of these contributions are joint work, the supervisory team is responsible to ensure that the particular contribution of a participant is sufficiently substantial to merit recognition for the purposes of the doctoral degree. a. The research on which the dissertation is based, should meet the following requirements: 1. The participant can perform research independently and can clearly demonstrate his or her ability to perform research independently; 2. Research is conducted in accordance with the behavioural and professional principles, including high ethical standards and the MsM s code of conduct 3. Makes a clear and demonstrable contribution to professional practice and scientific knowledge within the field of study. In evaluation of the dissertation the following shall be considered: 1. The definition and description of the problem and its relevance and topicality. 2. The contribution that the study makes to professional practice. 3. The contribution that the study makes to scientific knowledge. 4. The rigour of the research design and use of appropriate research methods. 5. The interpretation of the literature and findings. 6. The presentation, style of writing, structure and balance of chapters, and technical care that has been taken with the written document. 7. The replicability of the study. 8. The use of literature, acknowledgement of all resources and respect for copyright. 9. Contribution to practice. b. The dissertation shall include: 1. A front page; 2. An abstract that should not exceed four pages (double spacing); the abstract should make explicitly clear what contribution the thesis makes to professional practice. 3. A table of contents; 4. A List of all References prepared according to the stylistic requirements of MsM. 5. Relevant exhibits and appendices. 6. A dissertation shall include a brief curriculum vitae of the participant. 7. A declaration that the same dissertation has not been submitted to any institution for a degree or any award. c. On the reverse page of the front page, the following should be mentioned: 1. The supervisor; 2. The co-supervisor (if applicable) 3. The external evaluators 4. Organisations that have supported the candidate financially or in kind. d. The dissertation will be printed as a book- also in the case where the dissertation has followed the article route Guidelines for submission and printing of the 12

13 dissertation can be obtained from the Research Department. It is obligatory to follow the MSM style guidelines for doctoral dissertations. e. In case of doubt, candidates should contact the Research Department for assistance and clarity regarding these guidelines, for obtaining the ISBN number, and related issues. f. The costs related to producing the booklet are to be carried by the doctoral candidate. MSM will support the candidate by means of providing clear formatting guidelines, editorial and grammatical oversight, and will take care of obtaining the ISBN number for the booklet. 5.1 Procedure to the Public Defence a. The public defence takes place at the Maastricht campus. b. The principal supervisor will give permission to the participant to start the procedure that leads to the public defence after the final version of the dissertation manuscript has been assessed and approved. c. The Director Research determines on the date and time of the research proposal seminar. d. The participant shall submit an electronic copy of the approved final version of the dissertation to the Research Department, as well as a list of his or her invitees for the public defence. e. Within eight weeks of receiving the approved final version of the dissertation, the co-supervisor(s) will inform the Director Research in writing concerning the assessment of the approved final version of the dissertation. f. If satisfied, the Director of Research will send the final version of the dissertation to the external examiners. If not, the candidate may be given opportunity to improve the dissertation to satisfaction of the Director of Research, following which the dissertation will be externally examined. g. Within eight weeks of receiving the final version of the dissertation the external examiners will provide the Director Research with a written assessment. Based on this assessment the Director of Research will decide whether or not to invite the candidate to publically defend his or her dissertation, and/or to require the candidate to address shortcomings pointed out by external examiners. h. If invited to the public defence, the participant should delivered 30 copies of the printed dissertation (the final booklet) to the Research Department, after which the the public defence shall be announced. 5.2 Dissertation Defence Committee a. The Director Research shall appoint a dissertation defence committee for each participant, as soon as the participant receives formal approval of the dissertation manuscript from his or her supervisors and submits this final version of the dissertation. This committee will assess the performance of the participant. b. The dissertation defence committee shall consist of: the Director Research (chair), the supervisor, the co-supervisor, two external evaluators. Together with the formal approval of the dissertation, the supervisor has to inform the Director Research that a participant might be considered for the DBA award with distinction. The examination committee members will be informed thereof and their comments will indicate whether they support the distinction. 5.3 Public Defence a. The Director Research (or his or her delegate) will chair the public defence. Also the other members of the dissertation defence committee will have to be present at the public defence. b. The participant is allowed 15 minutes to introduce the research topic of the dissertation and to make clear the theoretical and practical contributions of his or her study. 13

14 c. All members of the dissertation defence committee are entitled to comment on the dissertation and pose questions to the participant. d. The Chairperson is responsible for arranging the sequence of questioning in such a way that the participant will have the opportunity to answer each question. e. The defence lasts not more than one hour. f. After the questions have been answered, the convocation is adjourned. 5.4 Assessment of the Dissertation a. The final assessment of the dissertation work shall take place after the public defence. b. Based on the quality of the dissertation and the public defence, the committee formulates its decision on granting the doctorate. The award of a degree with distinction - which is noted on the degree - requires a minimum overall mark of 90%. c. After the final assessment the Chairperson of the dissertation defence committee reopens the convocation and communicates the decision of the committee. The Chairperson of the dissertation defence committee gives a summary report of the committee s findings regarding the dissertation. The Director Research (or his or her delegate) will confer the degree to the successful participant by first reading the text of the degree award and by handing over the degree certificate. d. After handing over the certificate, the principle supervisor presents a short judgment with respect to the dissertation and might add some personal remarks (the "laudatio"). e. A successful public defence is concluded with a reception in honour of the young doctor, to which all present at the public defence are invited. The cost of this reception is included in the tuition fee, if held at MSM. f. If the participant fails to defend the research proposal successfully within six years from the beginning of the programme, the participant is discontinued from the programme. g. If a member of the dissertation defence committee or any other person should discover before or after the public defence an instance of plagiarism in the dissertation, this will immediately be communicated to the Director of Research in written form together with the pertinent evidence. Thereafter, provided the evidence is duly verified, the candidate will be immediately expelled from the programme. If the discovery of plagiarism is made after the awarding ceremony, the award will be struck from the School's records and all relevant persons will be duly informed. 5.5 Ceremony of Awarding the Doctoral Degree a. A successful completion of the public defence shall confirm the participant as a doctor and qualifies him or her for the award of the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree. This implies that for a participant to qualify for this award of the DBA, he or she has to have met all other requirements of the programme. b. The Maastricht School of Management holds one graduation ceremony per year. c. The DBA degree is awarded to the participant who has satisfied the requirements listed in these Rules and Regulations and is not in possession of the School s property, such as Information Center books, journals, CD s, keys, etcetera. d. Participants must submit the exact spelling of their name and their place and date of birth as indicated on the passport to the Research Department. 14

15 6 General Regulations 6.1 Changing supervisors a. If the supervisor and/or the participant consider that their cooperation is unsatisfactory, they have the right to ask the Director Research for a change of supervisor. The Director Research shall examine the case and communicate his findings within one month. b. If the employment of a supervisor ceases during an ongoing supervision, he or she retains the right to continue the ongoing supervision provided that: 1. The supervisor expresses his or her willingness to continue supervision; 2. In the case of termination, the employment was honourably terminated; 3. The agreement to supervise was entered into before the date of termination of the employment; 4. The exercise of effective supervision remains logistically possible; 5. His or her approval of the final version of the dissertation, as indicated in 2.2.3d, respectively is given within a period of five years after the cessation of employment. c. The Director Research has the sole authority to determine whether the condition stated in the foregoing article 6.1b has been met. d. In the case that any of the conditions in the foregoing Article 6.1b has not been met, the right to supervision of the participant by the departing Supervisor shall be reconsidered, and the Research Department shall have the function to advise the Director Research about the assignment of another Supervisor to continue to supervise the participant's work. 6.2 Settlement of Disputes a. On request of one of the parties involved, the Director of Research shall mediate: 1. Any dispute between the Supervisor(s) or between a Supervisor and the participant, arising during preparation of a research proposal or a dissertation. 2. Any dispute concerning approval of the dissertation arising between the Supervisor(s) or between the Supervisor and the participant. 3. If the dissertation defence committee refuses to admit the defence of the dissertation. b. The Director of Research may reject or accept the appeal for settlement of the dispute and will duly inform the parties involved in their decision whether or not to accept the appeal for settlement. c. In case the appeal is found to be eligible for settlement, the Director Research shall act as a mediator. d. The mediator shall consider the arguments of all parties involved in a dispute, try to settle this by mutual agreement and then present an opinion in writing. This opinion will be discussed with all parties involved. The mediator will submit a report and the written summary of the discussion to all parties involved. e. If action taken as mentioned in article d) does not lead to agreement within one month, one or both parties may appeal to the Director Dean in writing and request him/her to settle the dispute. f. Within one month after receipt of an appeal, the Director Dean shall install a committee, which will advise on the appeal. This committee shall consist of one professor appointed by the first supervisor, one professor appointed by the participant. These two professors will appoint a third member as Chairperson. Any professors who are parties to the dispute shall not be eligible for membership of this committee. g. The committee mentioned in g) of this article will hear all parties involved and is authorised to consult experts. This committee will present a written report within two months. 15

16 h. Within one month of receiving the written report, the Director Dean will settle the dispute. The decision of the Director Dean will be submitted immediately to all parties involved. If his/her decision differs from the advice of the committee, the decision, indicating the arguments on which the difference is based, will be presented to all parties involved as well as to the committee. i. Decisions taken by the Director Dean are final and cannot be appealed. 6.3 Facilities and Services a. During registration, the participant has a right to supervision and to the use of the facilities of the Maastricht School of Management. Each participant upon arrival in the Netherlands, on his or her specific request, can be allocated a desk usually with a computer in one of the doctoral study rooms. Each participant may use the internet facilities of the Maastricht School of Management. b. Each participant can make use of the Information Center with all its facilities. c. Each participant can make use of the IT infrastructure at the Maastricht School of Management, with an assigned address. 6.4 Financial Conditions All invoices must be paid within 30 days of issuance. The application fee and first invoice need to be paid one month before the start of the programme. The Manager Research Operations must approve payment in instalments. Interest will be added to the amount due. Any participant who is delinquent in payment will be discontinued from the programme until the payment has been settled. However, the maximum allowed time for completion of the doctoral programme (six years after the enrolment date) will not be expanded. Further, in such case a participant cannot be admitted to the MPhil defence, the fieldwork phase, the data analysis phase, the period of dissertation writing, or the public defence of the dissertation. 7 Validity a. These Rules and Regulations supersede any preceding Rules and Regulations or arrangements between parties with regards to the doctoral programme at the Maastricht School of Management. b. These Rules and Regulations apply to all participants to the doctoral degree programme at the Maastricht School of Management, not only those enrolled in the doctoral degree programme after December 1, c. These Rules and Regulations are published on the website of the Maastricht School of Management ( and thus publicly accessible. d. Cases of failure to comply with the above Rules and Regulation, and on all questions of interpretation of these Rules and Regulation, the decision of the Dean- Director shall be final. e. Any matters concerning the doctoral degree programme, study assessment, or admission of participants, that are not regulated in these Rules and Regulations, shall be provided for by the Research Board and where relevant in consultation with the Chairperson(s) of the relevant decision-making bodies of the counterpart organisations. f. These Rules and Regulations have been acknowledged and approved of by the Research Board. 16