Current Coursework Students

A student may choose to start work on a project in any semester within his/her candidature. At the end of the project work, a written report (thesis) must be submitted. Students who choose not to work on a project module will read two MA-modules at Level 5000 (or above) instead.

• Decide on an area or topic to work on. It’s good to have a framework in mind to facilitate discussion.

• Check the list of faculty members on the Department’s webpage for staff working in your area of interest/intended topic.

• Contact the staff directly to set up discussion/appointment time.

• If the staff agrees to supervise your coursework project, and both of you have agreed on the maximum duration to complete the project, complete and submit the Coursework Project Commencement Declaration Form for the project within a minimum period of one semester or maximum period of two semesters.

• In order to have as much time as possible to work on the project, students should complete this preparation process during module registration period.

Once the Project Commencement Declaration form has been submitted, the student must register for the project module “MA5295 Dissertation for MSc by Coursework” dur ing module registration period. The module must be registered as long as the project is still in progress or ongoing. 

For example, for a project that starts in Semester 2 of Academic Year 2010/2011, and is due at the end of Semester 1 of Academic Year 2011/2012, student must register for the module in Semester 2 of 2010/2011 and Semester 1 of 2011/2012.

FIRST DRAFT & SUBMISSION

• The project report should be typed on A4 size paper.

• Project report must be submitted to Mdm Shanthi via email. If a project requires programming, please submit the thumbdrive containing the programme.

• There is no strict limit on the length of the report but this should normally be between 30 and 45 pages, and should not exceed 55 pages (excluding summary, content pages, etc. and figures or tables).

• Font size should be at least 12pts and paragraphs should be double-spaced. The margins on each page should be at least 3cm (top, bottom, left and right).

• Students are further discouraged from producing thesis with more than 65 pages in length (excluding summary, content pages, etc. and figures or tables). Examiners will have the discretion to impose marks penalty for exceeding this page limit.

• The project report must be submitted by the stipulated deadline. It will be assessed by the supervisor and an examiner (nominated by the supervisor or the Department).

• The submission deadline is 5.00pm on Thursday of Week 12 in the semester that the project is due.

• Refer to this page for report writing tips.

ORAL PRESENTATION

• Each student is required to give an oral presentation on his/her project, in the presence of an audience made up of interested staff and students. The oral presentation should last between 30 and 45 minutes and will be assessed by the supervisor and an examiner.

• The presentation will be scheduled in Week 13 of the semester that the project is due, i.e. one week after submission of first draft.

• Refer to this page for presentation tips.

INTERVIEW

• Following the oral presentation, each student will be interviewed by the supervisor and examiner team. The interview will focus on the subject matter of the project.

• Depending on the extent of the questions and answers, the interview may take between 30 and 60 minutes, and will give the student an opportunity to clear up misunderstandings or uncertainties about the materials presented in the project.

• At the interview, the assessors may give the student a list of matters requiring attention (ranging from typographical to mathematical errors) and correction. The student would be required to amend the report accordingly for final submission.

FINAL/AMENDED PROJECT SUBMISSION

A student who is required to make amendments to the report should do so immediately after the interview. The amended report should then be submitted as follows:

• One printed copy to the Department (which may be ring-bound or held together in a folder or file). If the project requires programming which also has to be amended, a thumbdrive containing the revised programming should be submitted together with the amended report. This version will be used by the supervisor in the final assessment.

• One soft copy which is to be converted to PDF format before submitting to Madam Shanthi (matsdd@nus.edu.sg) via email.

• Both hard and soft copies must be submitted by 5.00pm on Thursday of the Reading Week in the semester that the project is due.

• A student who originally intended to complete the project in one semester but could not do so, may request for extension by completing and returning the Request for Extension in Project Submission form. Completed forms must be submitted at least two weeks before the project is due for submission and is subject to the Department’s approval. The period extendable is also at the Department’s discretion.

• A student who has worked on the project for two semesters (maximum) but still could not complete it, may request for extension by completing and returning the Request for Extension in Project Submission form. Such requests must be submitted at least two weeks before the project is due for submission and is subject to the Department’s approval. Extension, if granted, would usually be given until 5.00pm on Thursday of Week 1 in the third semester of project work. Presentation and interview would be scheduled accordingly in the third semester. Note that the student would have to pay tuition fees in the extended period.

Such situation may arise due to staff leaving the service of the university or if the topic/area of the project has changed. Students should complete and return the Request to Change Project Supervisor form immediately after all parties have given their consent.