Notice on International Graduates' Thesis Defense and Degree Conferral in Summer 2023
All educating schools,
In accordance with the spirit of the Rules of Hubei University of Technology for Granting Degrees to International Students in China ([2022] No.21) (Annex 1) and other documents, the following requirements are put forward for the thesis defense and degree conferral of graduate students in Summer 2023, please follow the requirements and work flow in the notice to process relevant work.
I. Qualification of Applying for a Degree
The candidate must pass the course examination stipulated in the graduate curriculum of the corresponding disciplines (specialties) of the university, complete the corresponding training sessions, complete the required credits, of which the degree courses credits shall be no less than 20 and the GPA of all courses shall be no less than 2.3, complete the degree thesis, and submit the application for the degree thesis defense with the consent of the supervisor.
II. General Work Arrangement
Based on the current situation of graduation work of international students and the arrangement of graduate degree awarding work of Graduate School of the university in the Summer 2023, it is decided that the degree awarding work of international graduates shall be carried out simultaneously with the Graduate School of the university. If the paper is identified as “unqualified” in the blind review, defense and other review procedures, the student shall revise his/her thesis for no less than six months under the guidance of the supervisor, and then re-participate in the review of the thesis. (Attached is the work schedule for each procedure.)
III. Examination of Thesis Defense and Degree Application
All candidates must complete and check the relevant information in the Examination Form for the Qualification of International Students for the Master’s Degree of Hubei University of Technology (Annex 2) under the guidance of the School of International Education and the educating school and submit the requirements for pre-graduation application. The School of International Education shall examine and verify the information of the candidates, and submit the Summary Form for the Pre-examination of the Qualification of International Students for the Master’s Degree (Annex 3) to the educating school after examination before March 15th. Students who have passed the examination can participate in the blind review. If the applicant fails to submit the Examination Form for the Qualification of International Students for the Master’s Degree of Hubei University of Technology within the time limit, it shall be deemed that he /she will automatically give up his/her application qualification for the degree.
IV. Pre-defense Work
The pre-defense work of international graduates applying for the degree shall be arranged by the educating school of the students according to the specific situation. Each school shall submit the Arrangement of Master’s Degree Thesis Pre-defense to the School of International Education two days before the pre-defense work. After students have passed the pre-defense, they shall revise the thesis according to the suggestions for revision from the defense committee, and fill in the Registration Form of Master’s Degree Thesis Pre-defense and submit it to the School of International Education for record.
V. Blind Review of Thesis
The educating school of students shall carry out the blind review of thesis online from April 7th to May 19th. The electronic file of thesis (doc file, named after “student ID - student name. doc”, all supervisors’ and students’ names in the thesis are removed, and the specialty name is reserved) shall be submitted to the international student teaching secretary of the educating school before the deadline stipulated by each school, and the blind review fee shall be collected by the school and submitted to the Financial Department of the university and the school receives the charging invoice. The educating school entrusts the experts of the defense group to conduct the blind review of the thesis. The blind review shall be completed before May 19th, and the results of the blind review shall be summarized and reported to the School of International Education.
Please submit the thesis and blind review fee according to the time requirements. Those who fail to submit within the time limit shall be disqualified from the degree application qualification.
VI. Degree Thesis Defense
1. Application for Thesis Defense and Approval
After the thesis has been evaluated and passed, the educating school shall propose a list of the members of the Degree Thesis Defense Committee based on each major, and examine the list of the members of the Degree Thesis Defense Committee and the application materials of the degree candidates and make their comments. The thesis defense shall be carried out by on-site, online video, or a combination of both (each educating school shall decide on its own according to the specific situation) from May 22nd to May 30th. The list of the members of the Degree Thesis Defense Committee shall be submitted to the School of International Education for examination and approval three days before the thesis defense. The educating school may proceed the defense only after passing the examination of the School of International Education.
2. Composition of the Degree Thesis Committee
The Degree Thesis Defense Committee shall be composed of five Professors or Associate Professors of the corresponding subjects or relevant subjects or experts with equivalent technical expertise. The Thesis Defense Committee will include at least one member of the school’s Professor Commission and one off-campus expert with a senior professional title in this subject. The Degree Thesis Defense Committee shall have 1 chairman to preside over the defense of the thesis. The candidate’s supervisor may participate in the Degree Thesis Defense Committee, but shall not act as the chairman. The Defense Committee shall have no less than 5 members if the supervisor participates in the Defense Committee.
The Degree Thesis Defense Committee shall have a secretary to assist in organizing the defense work and be responsible for recording and sorting out the defense materials.
3. Requirements for Degree Thesis Defense
The secretary of the defense committee shall send the degree thesis to the member of the defense committee for review at least 2 weeks prior to the defense. Before the defense, the time and location of the defense shall be announced to the university by means of announcement, etc. The defense procedure shall be standardized, and the scene of the defense shall be photographed. The defense shall generally be conducted in public (except for confidentiality) in the university, and detailed records shall be documented.
The Degree Thesis Defense Committee shall conduct anonymous voting whether to recommend the conferral of a degree. The resolution shall be adopted only with the consent of more than two-thirds of all the members. After being signed by the chairman of the Degree Thesis Defense Committee, the resolution shall be submitted to the Academic Degree Evaluation Sub-Committee for deliberation.
If the thesis defense fails, the Degree Thesis Defense Committee shall vote and more than two-thirds of the members agree to make a resolution that the candidate shall revise the thesis and make a new defense within 6-12 months. No additional defense shall be made if the new defense fails.
VII. Degree Awarding
Before June 5th, the School Academic Degree Evaluation Sub-Committee shall hold a meeting, conduct an anonymous voting according to the resolution of the Degree Thesis Defense Committee and the examination of the comprehensive performance and academic level of the degree candidate, make a resolution to recommend to the Academic Degree Evaluation Sub-Committee that the candidate be conferred a master’s degree, if he/she is approved by more than two thirds of the members present at the meeting (no less than two thirds of all the members shall be present at the meeting), and submit a report on the examination and verification of the degree conferral to the international student.
In mid-June, the University Academic Degree Evaluation Committee shall hold a meeting. On the basis of the investigation and verification of the candidates by the School Academic Degree Evaluation Sub-Committee, the University Academic Degree Evaluation Committee shall examine and approve the candidates recommended by the school sub-committee for academic degree conferral, and the voting shall be conducted anonymously, and make a decision on conferring the master’s degree on candidates with the approval of more than two-thirds of the members present at the meeting. The university shall hold the graduation ceremony and degree awarding ceremony according to the current situation.
Where the Degree Thesis Defense Committee proposes not to confer a degree, the School Academic Degree Evaluation Sub-Committee and the University Academic Degree Evaluation Committee generally will not conduct the examination; where there are individual disputes, after re-examination by the School Academic Degree Evaluation Sub-Committee and the University Academic Degree Evaluation Committee, those who are found to have reached the standard may make a decision to confer a degree; where certain theses approved by the Degree Thesis Defense Committee are found to be unqualified after examination by the School Academic Degree Evaluation Sub-Committee and the University Academic Degree Evaluation Committee, they may also make a decision not to confer or postpone the conferral of a degree.
VIII. Other Items
1. Writing and Printing of the Master’s Thesis
The thesis shall be arranged and printed in accordance with the Writing Regulations of Master’s Thesis for International Students of Hubei University of Technology (Annex 4). All paper materials required for graduation shall be submitted to the School of International Education after being signed and sealed by each educating school. The final thesis submitted for archival purposes shall be printed at the Printing Center of the Academic Affairs Office and submitted in accordance with the “Transfer List of Thesis and Defense Materials of International Students” (Annex5).
2. As it is still in the stage of steady release of epidemic prevention and control, some students are still abroad, therefore, the supervisor shall earnestly fulfill the responsibility of cultivating talents through morality, actively play the role of the first responsible person for graduates training, keep in touch with each graduate through e-mail, telephone, QQ, Wechat, face to face communication or other ways, strengthen the remote instruction for graduates, reasonably predict the possibility of graduation for graduates who refuse to cooperate, and timely report to the educating school and the School of International Education and give suggestions on postponing the thesis defense.
3. All educating schools shall further improve their ideological awareness, earnestly fulfill the main responsibility of guaranteeing the quality of graduate training, convey the requirements of the university to the supervisor, and timely announce the contact information of the degree application work such as the international student teaching secretary to the supervisor of the educating school, so as to form a four-party linkage work situation of the supervisor, the student, the School of International Education and the educating school.
Contact person for international graduate work: Tina 027-59750672
School of International Education, HBUT
March 3rd, 2023
