1 Master s degrees: Procedures Governing Academic Regulation As part of its responsibilities for the administration of the different master s programmes, it is incumbent upon the Direction of Studies to ensure the rigorous application of the regulations and to guarantee the strictest respect for equality in the treatment of students. The heads of the disciplinary departments (Anthropology and Sociology of Development, International Law, International Economics, International History, International Relations/ Political Science), as well as the head of the two interdisciplinary programmes (International Affairs, Development Studies) has no authority regarding the Regulations. These Implementation Guidelines identify the procedures that students and faculty members are required to follow on a given number of points, semester by semester, as well as the different tasks incumbent upon the departments/programmes, Faculty members and administrative personnel. NB: The Academic Regulations of the Master s Degree are applicable to all students enrolled in a master s study programme at the Institute, effective as of September 1 st 2011. Students having been admitted prior to this date benefit from certain transitional provisions (please refer to article 16 of the Academic Regulations.) Direction of Studies: Professor Gilles Carbonnier - directionetudes@graduateinstitute.ch Dr Laurent Neury - directionetudes@graduateinstitute.ch Secretariat: Disciplinary Masters: Mrs Gwenaelle Roche-Chatellain tel. 022 908 57 49 madis@graduateinstitute.ch Interdisciplinary Masters: Mrs Christine Cattet tel. 022 908 57 40 mdev-mia@graduateinstitute.ch Semesters Students Departments/Faculty/Administration Admission Required qualifications Disciplinary Masters: Bachelor s degree in anthropology, sociology, law, economics, history, political science, or a related discipline, or a multidisciplinary bachelor s degree in international relations. The GRE test is required for the Master s in International Economics. MIA: Bachelor s degree in anthropology, sociology, law, economics, history, political science, or a related discipline; or a multidisciplinary bachelor s degree in international relations. Holders of a bachelor s degree in a discipline other than those mentioned above, and with a strong academic record, are also eligible to apply. MDEV: Bachelor s degree in anthropology, sociology, law, economics, history, political science, geography or a related discipline, or a multidisciplinary degree in development studies or international relations. Holders of a bachelor s degree in a discipline other than those mentioned above, and with a strong academic record, are also eligible to apply.
2 Admission Language requirements as a rule Admission Language requirements: English Admission/Semester 1 Language requirements: French Exemption possible Semester 1 French Language test no. 1 Semester 1, week 1 Extension of studies Semester 1, weeks 1-3 Transfer The Institute s working languages are French and English. As a rule, each student may express himself, orally or in writing, in either one of these languages. In their application form, candidates must show certified (TOEFL or other) sufficient proficiency in English (the required level is indicated on the Institute s Internet website). Candidates of English mother tongue and those having followed certified secondary level or post-secondary level training in English are exempt from this requirement. As a rule, a knowledge of French (at least passive) is required. However, candidates without any knowledge of the French language may apply for admission and ask for an exemption. Once admitted, they must follow an intensive learning programme in French during the three weeks before the beginning of the Autumn semester, plus a French course during the first academic year. Both courses are organised and financed by the Institute. At the beginning of the third semester, these students will undergo a test, the result of which will appear on their transcript and on a separate certificate. Should the test be failed, it must be taken again at the beginning of the fourth semester. At the beginning of the first semester, a French language test is organised for all students except for those who asked for an exemption in their application form, those of French mother tongue, those with certified secondary level or post secondary level training in French or those with a French diploma equivalent to DALF B2. Success of this test will appear on the transcript and on a separate certificate. Students having failed the test must follow during the first academic year a French course organised and financed by the Institute, and must undergo the test again at the beginning of the third semester. An extension of the prescribed period for the completion of the program will be granted only under exceptional circumstances and cannot exceed the duration of two semesters. All requests for such an extension, duly justified and accompanied by the relevant documents (e.g. work or medical certificate), must be included in the application or must reach the relevant Master s Programmes Secretariat during the first week of studies at the latest. In exceptional cases a candidate who has been successfully accepted in a programme may request to be transferred to another programme. The duly substantiated request must reach the Master s Programmes Secretariat within the first two weeks of studies. The Admissions Secretariat organises the French language test and enters the results in the Institute s computer programme, where students can access them. The Admissions Office Secretariat or the Master s Programmes Secretariat, depending on the case, will transmit the request to the Direction of Studies who will consult with the relevant department or programme before making a final decision. The Master s Programmes Secretariat will transmit the request to the Direction of Studies who will consult with the relevant department or programme before making a final decision.
3 Semesters 1-3 Teaching: substitution of compulsory courses Teaching: Courses outside the curriculum or Institute Internships Semesters 1-2 Exchange Semester: Request All requests to substitute a compulsory course for another must be duly substantiated and addressed to the Master s Programmes Secretariat, using the ad hoc form, within the week preceding the start relevant semester. No request will be considered past this deadline. A request to take courses outside the curriculum can be made both in the discipline of specialisation as well as in a complimentary discipline. These exemptions shall not exceed 12 ECTS credits, which can be obtained either within the study plan of another programme at the Institute, or in another university. All requests must be duly substantiated, and addressed to the Master s Programmes Secretariat, using the ad hoc form, within the first two weeks of the start relevant semester. No request will be considered past this deadline. If the class is given outside the Institute, it is the student s responsibility to make certain it can be validated by the relevant authority of the said graduate institution. In accordance with their respective curricula, MIA and MDEV students may undertake an internship and may substitute two workshops with an internship. All requests must be duly substantiated, and addressed to the Master s Programmes Secretariat, using the ad hoc form, no less than 15 days before the start of the internship. Students are required to submit a duly completed internship certificate form and internship report to the Master s Programmes Secretariat, no later than one month after completion of the internship. All students wishing to participate in an exchange program are required to do so during the third semester of their studies. Students may only enter in exchange programmes with partner institutions. The exchange requests, indicating the choice of the host institution, must be addressed to the Exchange Secretariat at the latest on March 1 st of the first year of studies. Access to the exchange programmes for the students from different master s programmes is specified each year. Students in the disciplinary study programme as well as those in the MIA and MDEV are eligible to apply so long as they fulfil the following conditions: - Have obtained 60 credits by the end of the second semester, this figure includes all the mandatory courses of the first two semesters - Have obtained the agreement of a member of faculty to The Master s Programmes Secretariat will transmit the request to the Direction of Studies who will consult the relevant department or programme before making a final decision. The Master s Programmes Secretariat will transmit the request to the Direction of Studies who will decide based on the reasons invoked as well as the input from the relevant department or programme. If the course is taken outside the Institute, the number of ECTS credits to be awarded is decided by the Direction of Studies. The Master s Programmes Secretariat transmits the request to the Head of Interdisciplinary Programmes for approval. The Exchanges Secretariat receives the application forms and in consultation with the Master s Programme Secretariat ensures that that all the necessary requirements have been fulfilled. The Exchange Committee is responsible for selecting the candidates based on the recommendation of the relevant department or programme. The final decision will be communicated to the Exchanges Secretariat, who in turn communicates it to the students.
4 Semester 3 Exchange semester supervise their dissertation Selected candidates must draw up a study contract with head of the relevant department or programme. The study contract must include a detailed description of the courses the student proposes to attend, details of the means of assessment and their credit weighting. This contract will ensure that the credits obtained during the exchange semester are recognised upon the students return to the Institute. Any changes must be communicated to the Exchange Programmes Secretariat within 30 days of registering at the host institution. Upon their return, students are required to submit to the Exchange Programmes Secretariat details of all the courses attended, the results achieved at the host institution and a report of the exchange semester (2 to 5 pages). The Exchanges Secretariat collects the study contract by July 15th at the latest. This document is then validated by the Direction of Studies. Any changes must be agreed upon with the head of the relevant department or programme and subsequently approved by the Exchanges Secretariat. The Exchanges Secretariat is responsible for gathering the documents; archiving the exchange reports; and communicating the grades and certificates confirming the successful completion to the Master s Programmes Secretariat Semester 3-4 French language test no. 2 Teaching: unjustified withdrawal Certificates Students having failed the French language test no 1 must undergo the test again under the circumstances provided above (page 2), at the beginning of the third or the fourth semester. Success of this test will appear on the transcript and on a separate certificate. Failure of the French language test no 2 is definitive and will appear on the transcript. A student who fails to participate in an assessment for which he is registered, fails to submit a piece of work within the agreed deadlines, or leaves a course for which he is registered, during the semester, for any reason other than force majeure will be attributed an N code (unjustified withdrawal), which corresponds to 0 credits and will appear in the transcripts. In the event that one of these breaches is due to force majeure (illness, accident) the student will be required to submit to the Master s Programmes Secretariat a signed letter detailing the issue immediately, or at the latest 3 days after the date of the evaluation or the deadline. A certificate corroborating the issue invoked must be attached to the letter. If the Direction of Studies finds the said reason to be acceptable, the student will either receive a code R (justified withdrawal), which deletes the course from the transcript, or a code C (medical certificate) which will become a grade in the near future, in any case before the start of the following semester. The Institute may require students to submit, at their own expense, an English or French translation, by a translator accredited by the Institute, The Secretariat of the Master s Programme transmits the letter and certificate to the Director of Master s, who will consult with the relevant faculty member and take the decision based on the evidence submitted. Should there be a doubt as to the authenticity of the medical certificate, the Institute reserves the
5 Teaching: Assessment Teaching: Registration of grades Teaching: Procedures in the event of failure of any document which substantiates an administrative process. (e.g. a medical certificate). A student can request a detailed explanation of a grade assigned to him/her from the professor. - In the event of failure to successfully pass a compulsory first or second semester course, the student will be required to take the course again the following year and pass it. A second failure will be disqualifying. If the course is no longer given, a substitute course will be set up by the head of the relevant department or programme in agreement with the Direction of Studies. - In the event of failure to successfully pass a compulsory third semester course, the student will be required to attend and successfully complete the course again during the 4th semester. A second failure will result in elimination. If the course is no longer given during the fourth semester, a substitute course will be set up by the head of the relevant department or programme in agreement with the Direction of Studies. - In the event of failure to successfully pass an elective course, a workshop or an internship, the student will be given the possibility, provided the prescribed deadlines can be met, of participating in another course or workshop or undertaking another internship worth the number of required credits. Alternatively, the student may be able to register again for the course or workshop during the following year, provided the course is still available and in accordance with the curriculum for each programme. - All the failed courses appear on the transcript and the grade right to use a medical consultant. Analytical and Research work, accounting for at least 50% of the final grade, is assessed by the professor, who may be assisted by a teaching assistant. This also applies if the final exam takes the form of an oral presentation. The professor must be able to justify grades, until the end of the semester, following the semester of their attribution. The faculty member must enter all grades in the Institute computer programme by the deadline scheduled by the administration. In the event the grade is above 3.5 but lower than 4, the faculty member responsible for the course may authorise the student to submit a complementary piece of work, which will be assessed within a deadline determined by the administration. In the interim an S code (pending) is attributed. The grade must be revised to a passing one (4), if the work is deemed acceptable, or changed back to the initial grade if not so, by the set deadline.
6 obtained is calculated in the overall average. Semesters 3-4 Extra credits Semester 2 Title and supervisor If a student obtains credits which exceed the required number by the Master s Academic Regulations (90), and if the student is accepted to the Doctoral program, six of the extra credits can be transferred at his/her request to the Doctoral Programme, assuming they have been acquired in a course open to PhD students in the relevant discipline. The extra credits are not applicable, in principle, to the compulsory courses of the PhD curricula. The dissertation is a personal and original work of research, and is to be written in French or English with the guidance of a Faculty member of the Institute. In order to prepare for the dissertation, the student is required to agree on a topic with one of the professors of the Institute (or a senior lecturer, or a lecturer with a PhD) during the first two semesters and ask him to supervise his research. The dissertation supervisor is usually linked to the department or programme the student is in. However, if the chosen subject of the dissertation so warrants, the student may make a request to the Direction of Studies in order to approach a professor affiliated to another department or programme of the Institute. In exceptional circumstances and if the subject requires it, he may request a co-supervision with a faculty member of another department or programme Visiting professors or lecturers who only teach a course or seminar for a single semester are not eligible to supervise dissertations. If the subject of dissertation so warrants the Direction of Studies may authorise a professor affiliated to another department or programme of the Institute to supervise or co-supervise the dissertation. Semester 3 detailed plan Once the professor has consented to supervise the dissertation, the student is required to register the title of his/her dissertation, and the name of the supervisor, in the Institute s computer programme, no later than the agreed deadline set up each year before the end of the second semester by the Direction of Studies. The student must download an electronic copy of the detailed plan of his dissertation on the Institute s computer programme, no later than the agreed deadline set up each year by the Direction of Studies before the end of the third semester. The dissertation supervisor is notified by email, through the Institute s computer programme, and validates the information recorded by the student. As soon as the document has been uploaded, the dissertation supervisor is informed by an email and has access to the text via the Institute s computer programme. Semester 4 designation of a second reader A second reader is selected by the dissertation supervisor amongst the Institute s faculty member (including visiting professors and lecturers) who are holders of a PhD. The designation of the second reader must be completed before the month of June of the fourth semester. The
7 Semester 4 Submission Semester 4 evaluation Semester 2-4 procedures and calendar Semesters 1-3 Leave Semester 4 Exceptional extension The final version of the dissertation must not exceed 30,000 words and must include a 150-word summary inserted at the beginning of the manuscript. The student will upload an electronic copy of the dissertation on the Institute s computer programme. This must be done during the fourth semester, by the date set each year, by the Direction of Studies, according to the academic calendar. Once the report and grade have been uploaded by the members of the jury, the students will have access to them via the Institute s computer programme. Procedures and the calendar with deadlines as they appear on the Institute s website are self-authenticating. Failure to respect these procedures and deadlines will be disqualifying. A leave of absence is a suspension of studies where the semesters can be put on hold temporarily. The leave may not exceed two semesters. During the course of the programme, and up to one month before the end of the third semester the student may address a duly motivated request to the Master s Programmes Secretariat for the (two) following semester(s),substantiating the personal (e.g. maternity) or professional reasons with certificates. A request for an extension beyond the four semesters may only be submitted in duly certified force majeure cases (in particular illness, dissertation supervisor enters this information in the Institute s computer programme. In exceptional cases, if the subject requires it, the dissertation supervisor may suggest to the Direction of Studies that the second reader be a faculty member or an expert from outside the Institute (usually a holder of a PhD). As soon as the document has been uploaded, the dissertation supervisor as well as the second reader are informed and have access to the text, via the Institute s computer programme. The dissertation is assessed and graded, within the deadline fixed each year by the Direction of Studies according to the academic calendar, by a jury composed of the dissertation supervisor and the second reader (the exact date will be determined each year by the Direction of Studies based on the academic calendar). Once the deadline has been reached, the members of the jury upload the form containing the assessment report and grade on the Institute s computer programme The Secretariat of the Master s Programmes transmits the request to the Direction of Studies, who will decide based on the reasons invoked and certificates submitted. The Secretariat of the Master s Programmes transmits the request to the Direction of Studies,
8 accident). who will decide based on certificates submitted. Cheating and plagiarism If a faculty member or dissertation supervisor deems that plagiarism, cheating, or attempted cheating have taken place, a 0 grade is attributed. When the work submitted shows evidence of irregularity but is not sufficient to prove that cheating has occurred, the Academic Committee may annul the results of the assessment and request the student to submit to another assessment Semesters 3-4 Admission to the PhD Programme (regular and fast track) Obtaining the Master s degree allows, under certain conditions, admission to one of the Institute s PhD programmes. These conditions are specified in articles 2.2 and 2.3 of the PhD Programme s Academic Regulations. Students registered in one of the Institute s Master programmes may be admitted to a PhD programme, usually in the discipline corresponding to their specialisation, as soon as they have completed their third semester of studies, as established in article 2.1 («Fast Track») of the PhD Programme s Academic Regulations. The request must be made during the third semester. The application is considered only if the candidate has obtained, at the end of the third semester, all the credits required by article 6.1 of the Master s Programmes Academic Regulations. If admission is granted, the student will begin the PhD programme the following semester, which thus becomes the first semester of his/her PhD studies. During the third semester, a student wishing to benefit from the fast track may or must (according to the department) follow by anticipation 6 credits belonging to the PhD study programme. Requests can be made by filling a form which must be handed in to the Masters Secretariat. If he is admitted to the PhD programme at the end of the third semester, these 6 credits will count towards the PhD. If that is not the case, they will count towards the Master s degree (in replacement of an optional course in the discipline of specialisation). The application file is constituted by the Admissions Secretariat, who then forwards it to the department concerned. The Masters Programmes Secretariat confers with the Director of Studies who, on a positive notice of the department concerned, allows the registration of the student for the course. If the student is admitted to the PhD programme at the end of the third semester, the 6 credits are transferred by the PhD Programme s Secretariat. Appeal The deadline for appeal is of 30 days in accordance with article 18 of the text of RIO-UNIGE and the Appeal UNIGE (Règlement relatif à la procédure d'opposition au sein de l'université de Genève Regulations governing the appeals procedure within the University of Geneva dated 16 March 2009). For all other issues, (form, etc.), the procedure is
9 governed by articles 19 and up of RIO-UNIGE. It is available on the Institute s website. Revised version, approved by the Board of Trustees on 25 May 2012 Geneva, September 1st, 2011 The French-language version of this document is the authentic text.