RESEARCH DEGREES ACADEMIC REGULATIONS School of Engineering Bangkok University 2014-2015
CONTENTS 1. Program description... 3 1.1. Areas of research... 3 1.2. Advisor appointment... 3 2. Admission and registration... 4 2.1. Standard qualifications... 4 2.2. Application... 4 2.3. Attendence... 4 2.4. Length of the program... 4 2.5. Degree transfer... 5 2.6. Student status... 5 3. Completion of the degree... 5 3.1. Registration for thesis writing status (TWS)... 5 3.2. TWS requirement... 6 4. Evaluation and assessment... 7 4.1. Ph.D. program... 7 4.2. M.Sc. program... 7 4.3. Committee formation... 7
1. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The graduate program at the school of engineering, Bangkok University (BU), provides two research degrees: i. Masters of Science (M.Sc.) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering ii. Doctoral of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering The core requirement of these programs is the completion of a substantial research project, which is written up as a thesis. Candidates are expected to critically investigate an approved topic and to demonstrate an understanding of research methods appropriate to their field. Students will be working alongside a team of faculty and researchers at the school of engineering on cutting edge-research. Students will be provided with the background needed and comprehensive skills training. Strong emphases is put on communication skills, research methodology and technical writing as well. 1.1. AREAS OF RESEARCH Successful applicants can consider one of the following main research fields: i. Communication Systems ii. Control Systems iii. Multimedia and Mobile applications iv. Photonics v. Smart Systems and Instrumentation vi. Power Systems 1.2. ADVISOR APPOINTMENT An academic advisor for the successful applicant will be appointed at the point of admission.
2. ADMISSION AND REGISTRATION 2.1. STANDARD QUALIFICATIONS i. Bachelor or masters degree in engineering, computer science or physics. ii. GPA of 3.0 or higher (or equivalent) in the last 60 credits. iii. Proof of English proficiency (ISLE, TOEFL, recently published paper, letter of endorsement) 2.2. APPLICATION All applicants for Ph.D. will be registered initially for M.Sc. degree. Well qualified students and students who have previously obtained M.Sc. degree can be exempted from this requirement. Exemptions are made at the time of admission, and are considered case by case. 2.3. ATTENDENCE Full time students should pursue the program continuously and should be present on a regular base for meetings and research work, except by special permission. 2.4. LENGTH OF THE PROGRAM i. The length of the M.Sc. program is normally 18 months for full time students and 3 years for part time students ii. The length of the Ph.D. program is normally 3 years for full time students and 5 years for part time students. Students should not interrupt their period of study without permission. Students can only submit their thesis for Ph.D. examination after completing 2 calendar years, full-time, and 3 years, part-time.
Students can only submit their thesis for M.Sc. examination after completing 1 calendar year, full-time, and 2 years, part-time. 2.5. DEGREE TRANSFER A student initially applied to M.Sc. can be upgraded to Ph.D. after completing one calendar year for full-time student and 2 years for parttime student. To be upgraded to the Ph.D. program the student will have to pass a candidacy oral examination. A student, with permission of BU, can transfer from Ph.D. to M.Sc. program. 2.6. STUDENT STATUS i. Students enrolled in M.Sc. are set on masters candidate status (MCS). ii. Students upgraded to Ph.D. (passed the candidacy examination) or directly admitted to the Ph.D. program are set on doctoral candidate status (DCS). 3. COMPLETION OF THE DEGREE 3.1. REGISTRATION FOR THESIS WRITING STATUS (TWS) MCS Students who have completed their approved period of registration, 1 year for full-time and 2 years for part-time, are eligible to register for thesis writing status (TWS). DCS Students who have completed their approved period of registration, 2 years for full-time and 3 years for part-time, are eligible to register for thesis writing status (TWS).
MCS Students registered for TWS are permitted a maximum period of 8 months (full-time) and 12 months (part-time) to defend their thesis unless otherwise permitted. DCS Students registered for TWS are permitted a maximum period of 1 year (full-time) and 2 years (part-time) to defend their thesis unless otherwise permitted. Extension of the permitted period of the TWS has to be authorized by the Dean of the School of Engineering and the direct advisor. 3.2. TWS REQUIREMENT In addition to completing the approved period of registration, DCS student must meet the following requirement before being considered for TWS: i. Completion of proposal defense. ii. Having a minimum of one international journal paper accepted for publication. iii. Approval of the appointed advisor confirming that the student is at the position to submit his/her thesis within 1 year (full-time) and 2 years (part-time). MCS student must meet the following requirement before been considered for TWS: i. Having a minimum of one conference paper accepted for publication. ii. Approval of the appointed advisor confirming that the student is at the position to submit his/her thesis within 8 months (full-time) and 12 months (part-time).
4. EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT 4.1. PH.D. PROGRAM i. To upgrade to Ph.D. program, MCS student has to pass an oral candidacy examination. ii. DCS student will need to defend their proposal as a requirement to register as TWS. iii. To receive their degree, DCS student need to defend their thesis within the permitted time of TWS. 4.2. M.SC. PROGRAM i. To receive their degree, MCS student need to defend their thesis within the permitted time of TWS. 4.3. COMMITTEE FORMATION i. A candidacy examination committee is formed by members of the school of engineering, Bangkok University. ii. A proposal and final thesis defense committee has to include at least 2 members of the school of engineering and one external committee member.