Academic Regulations

Approved Academic Regulations

Chapter - 1 (Definitions)

1. In these Regulations, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context, each definition listed below when appearing in the text shall begin with a capital letter to convey its reference to the original word/words it is defining:

a. Academic Adviser. A Faculty Member to be appointed by the Head of the Institute or Head of the Department for guiding and counseling students and for supervising their academic performance.

b. Academic Programme. A programme of studies which leads to the award of a University Degree/Diploma/Certification to the students, after successful completion of all its requirements.

c. Assignment. A written descriptive answer to a question or a number of questions which the students are required to submit during a semester.

d. Contact Hour. A period of sixty minutes with a minimum of fifty minutes spent on academic and research related activities including interactive instructional work, tutorials, lab work (practicals), research work, projects, seminars, workshops, internships etc during the course of studies at the University.

e. Credit Course. A course of study, successful completion of which shall be a requirement for earning a degree/diploma/certificate.

f. Credit Hour. The unit measuring educational credit, usually consisting of one weekly period lasting approximately one hour. For practical work (other than Engineering programmes), the period duration is twice that of theory. A course timetable to run three hours each week will, therefore, usually carry 3 Credit Hours of theory. For Engineering courses, one Credit Hour of practicals will be equal to 2 Contact Hours.

g. Grade PointAverage (GPA). The summation of grade points of all Credit Courses divided by the total number of Credit Hours taken by a student during a semester.

h. Cumulative Grade PointAverage (CGPA). The summation of Grade Points of all Credit Courses divided by the total number of Credit Hours taken by a student beginning from his admission till the last examination held.

i. Final Examination. The last comprehensive examination given in each course on its completion.

j. Full Course Load. The total load of a semester in terms of Credit Hours or Duration or both, as prescribed by the HEC/University.

k. Grade Point. Number of points representing Letter Grades scored by a student in a subject examination.

l. Grades: The award to the student based on his/her academic performance is called a Grade.

m. Letter Grades. One of the letters – A,B,C,D & F – assigned as an evaluation of overall academic performance in a course, with A the best passing Grade, D the worst passing Grade and F a failing Grade. Passing Grade may carry a plus (+) suffix to indicate a performance better than the parent Grade. Additionally, two other Letter Grades – I (Incomplete Course) and W (Withdrawal from Course) – will indicate, on the Transcript, the status of a course when not completed or withdrawn from.

n. Major. Main field of the specialisation during graduate or under-graduate studies like Marketing, Finance and HR in Business Management degree programme.

o. Mid-Term Examination. Examination conducted on completion of 1^st half of the semester to assess academic progress of students.

p. Misconduct by Student. Conduct prejudicial to good order, or university administrative and academic discipline, or any action unbecoming of a student, including any act to bring or attempt to bring political or other outside influence directly or indirectly to bear on the University or any employee or student of the University.

q. Non-Credit Course. A course of study, successful completion of which shall not be a requirement for a degree/diploma.

r. Plagiarism. Taking and using the thoughts, writings and inventions of another person as one’s own without quoting relevant reference.

s. Pre-Requisite. A course that a student must complete before being registered for a subsequent higher course.

t. Quizzes. Number of tests written or oral conducted frequently in each course at irregular intervals throughout the semester.

u. Semester. An 18-week academic period, in which one set of courses in each discipline is offered.

v. Student. A person who has registered for a certain number of courses in a degree/diploma programmes or short courses offered by STMU.

w. Subjector Course. A topic or a subject related to an academic programme, which is to be studied by a student for a fixed number of hours during a semester.

x. Summer Session. A ten-week academic period that is devoted to conduct of courses of requisite Credit duration and Contact Hours. The Contact Hours during each week of Summer Session will be doubled to ensure that the Course contents are thoroughly taught. Summer Sessions are arranged for the students to complete their academic deficiencies.

y. Transcript. An official copy of a student’s academic record produced by the office of Controller of Examination.

Chapter - 2 (Standing Committees)

1. There shall be separate standing committees/councils at every constituent college/institute/department for supervision of all matters pertaining to academic affairs, examinations, research, development, admissions, student affairs and discipline as defined in the subsequent paragraphs.

2. Academic Affairs Committee. There shall be an Academic Affairs Committee comprising of the following:

a. Head of the College/Institute/Chairperson of Department	Chairperson
b. Heads of all Departments	Members
c. HOD (Research)	Member
d. Chairperson of Student Affair Committee	Member

3. The Academic Affairs Committee shall be responsible for all academic matters i.e. syllabi, course contents, examination schedules, assigning of teachers for various course, academic calendar and any other matter entrusted to it on the subject of academic affairs.

4. Examination Committee. There shall be an Examination Committee comprising of:

a. A Senior Permanent Faculty Member nominated by Head of College/Institute	Chairperson
b. One Faculty Member from each department	Member
c. A representative of Students Affairs Committee	Member

5. The Examination Committee shall ensure the conduct of examinations, setting of papers and evaluation of answer books. It shall also be responsible to the Head of the Institute/College for matters relating to evaluation, compilation of results and other related tasks.

6. Students Affairs Committee. There shall be a Students Affairs Committee comprising of the following:

a. Senior Permanent Faculty Member appointed by the Head of College/Institute	Chairperson
b. Programme Coordinators of all Courses	Members
c. Class Reps of all under graduate and graduate classes	Members

7. The Student Affairs Committee shall study the needs and problems of the students and convey its recommendations on the subject to the Head of the College/Institute/Department. It shall convey to the students through their representatives University policies on various administrative matters and also obtain and convey the views of the students to the Head of College/Institute with its recommendations.

8. Equivalence Committee. There shall be an Equivalence Committee comprising of the following:

a. Head of Department/Section nominated by the concerned Principal/Director.	Chairperson
b. One Faculty Member nominated by the Principal/Head of College/Institute.	Member
c. A representative of Examination Section nominated by the university.	Member

9. The Equivalence Committee shall examine the cases of admission of candidates to STMU or its constituent colleges from other Universities, Colleges, Institutes, etc, whose examinations are recognized as equivalent to the corresponding examinations of STMU recognized by HEC and make recommendations to STMU through the Principal/Director for final approval. The Committee will also scrutinize all applications for transfer of credits and to determine their equivalent status.

10. Disciplinary Committee. There shall be a Disciplinary Committee at each college/institute comprising of the following:

a. Senior permanent faculty member to be nominated by the concerned Principal.	Chairperson
b. Heads of Departments (at least one approved by Principal)	Members
c. Chairperson of Students Affairs Committee	Member

11. The Disciplinary Committee shall deal with all cases of indiscipline on the part of students. It will recommend award of penalties/punishments and render advice to the Principal/Director of colleges on administrative matters needed to maintain a peaceful environment on the premises. The Committee shall perform such other functions as may be prescribed by these Regulations.

12. Where the administration of the college/institute is a party to the case, then the Disciplinary Committee will be constituted by the STMU. Its composition will depend upon the nature of the case.

13. Plagiarism Standing Committee. There shall be a Plagiarism Standing Committee comprising of the following:

a. Faculty Members nominated by Vice Chancellor	Three
b. Subject Specialist	Co-opted member
c. Nominee of HEC	One
d. A Senior Student (only if a student is investigated upon)	One

14. The Committee will investigate the nature and extent of plagiarism in any research work or project referred to it. The Committee will submit its report with clear findings and recommendations to the Vice Chancellor within sixty days of formation or as directed. The Committee is to be guided by the HEC policy on Plagiarism.

Chapter - 3 (Students Conduct and Discipline)

1. Every student shall observe the following code of conduct in the University premises or its constituent colleges teaching/practicing places/ during official tours/assignments and in the University administered hostels (on and off-campus) and places of other activities being held under the auspices of the University/constituent colleges:

a. Loyalty to Pakistan and refraining from doing anything which is repugnant to its honour and prestige in any way.

b. Respect for convictions and traditions of others in matters of religion, conscience and customs.

c. Truthfulness and honesty in personal dealings and dealings with other people.

d. Respect for elders and politeness to all, especially to women, children, the weak and the hapless.

e. Special respect for teachers and others in authority in the university.

f. Cleanliness of body, mind, speech and habits.

g. Helpfulness to fellow beings.

h. Devotion to studies and prescribed co-curricular activities.

i. Observance of thrift and protection of public property.

j. Observance of the rules and regulations of the university in force from time to time.

2. Prohibited Act. The following acts are prohibited for students:

a. Smoking in the university premises except on designated places, if any.

b. Consumption of alcoholic drinks or other intoxicating drugs within the universityor during instructions, sports or cultural tours or entering such places or attending any such tour or coming to university intoxicated/drunk.

c. Organising or taking part against the university in any agitational activity inside the campus or organizing any clubs or societies of students which do not conform to the university’s policies and regulations.

d. Collecting any money or receiving funds or pecuniary assistance for or on behalf of the universityexcept with the written permission of the Head of the college/institute or any other person authorised in this behalf.

e. Staging, inciting or participating in or abetting any walk-out, strike or other form of agitation against STMU, its constitutes colleges, institutes and departments or its teachers, officers or authorities; inciting others to violence; disruption of the peaceful atmosphere in any way; making inflammatory speeches or gestures which may cause resentment; issuing of pamphlets or cartoons which cast aspersions on the teachers or staff or University authorities/bodies; doing anything in a way likely to promote rift and hatred amongst the students; issuing statements in the press; making false accusations against or lowering the prestige of STMU or its teachers, administrators, staff or bodies.

3. Acts of Indiscipline. A student shall be deemed to have committed an act of indiscipline if he/she:

a. Commits a breach of Student Code of Conductas specified or commits a prohibited act as specified in the code.

b. Disobeys the lawful orders of a teacher or other person in authority.

c. Habitually neglects work or absents himself/herself from the classroom without valid reason.

d. Damages public property or the property of fellow students or any teacher or employees of STMU and its Constituent Colleges/Institutes/Departments.

e. Does not pay the fees, fines, or other dues payable under the laid down rules and regulations.

f. Uses indecent language; wears immodest dress; makes indecent remarks; gestures; behaves in a disorderly manner; commits any criminal, immoral or dishonourable act (whether committed within the universityor outside) or any act which is prejudicial to the interests of STMU.

4. Action against Misconduct. Every member of the Faculty, Admin, university/college management and staff shall have the power to check any disorderly or improper conduct of, or any breach of the regulations, by students in any part of the premises of the university and its constituent colleges/institutes or outside when the visit is sponsored or organised by it. Misconduct in a classroom when a student is under the charge of a teacher shall not be allowed and a punitive action such as a fine, removal from the classroom or a punishment of greater magnitude may be imposed as decided by the authority so empowered.

5. Penalties. A student guilty of an act of indiscipline shall be liable to the penalties specified below or promulgated through written orders/notifications:

Penalty Code	Penalty	Awarding Authority	Appellate Authority
a.	Removal from classroom, laboratory, or field work, for a maximum period of two contact hours	Teacher concerned	Head of the Department
b.	Expulsion from games or field work for not more than one week	Games/Field Work In- Charge	Head of College/Institute
c.	Suspension from classes for a period not exceeding one week	Head of the College/Institute	Dean of Faculty
d.	Fine not exceeding Rs 10,000/- for any offense.	Head of the College/Institute	Next Higher Authority
e.	Removal from a position of authority on the advice of the Student Advisor / HOD	Head of the College/Institute	Next Higher Authority
f.	Expulsion from the hostel	Head of the College/Institute	Next Higher Authority
g.	Cancellation of remission of fees/assistantship/scholarship etc.	Vice Chancellor	Chancellor
h.	Rustication for one or more semester	Vice Chancellor	Chancellor
i.	Expulsion from the university	Vice Chancellor	Chancellor

6. Procedure in Case of Breach of Discipline. A teacher, a staff member or officer in whose presence or in relation to whom an act of indiscipline has been committed or who gets to know of such act, may deal with the case himself/herself, or if in their view the case is one which can be more appropriately dealt by another authority or which warrants a penalty of greater magnitude than they are competent to impose, shall proceed as follows:

a. Refer the case to the Head of Department/Programme Coordinator or the higher authority as the case may be.

b. All cases of serious breach of discipline will be referred to the Disciplinary Committeefor investigation which will either impose the penalties if within its powers or recommend heavier punishments to the Principal/Director of the Colleges/Institutes as the case may be.

c. When a case against a student is referred to the Disciplinary Committee, it may, if it deems fit, suspend the student from the classes till the finalisation of the case, with the approval of the Head of the College/Institute.

7. Rustication. Rustication may be awarded up to a maximum of 3 years. The penalty when imposed on a student shall always mean a minimum loss of one semester as far as his/her appearance in the examinations is concerned. The actual period of absence from the College/Institute will, however, depend upon the time of the academic year when the penalty is imposed.

8. The student under rustication will have the option of rejoining the institute at the beginning of the academic year after the completion of rustication period provided suitable courses are available in the normal semester list of courses being offered. For MBBS/BDS students PM&DC rule shall apply.

9. No fee shall be charged from a rusticated student for the time period during which his/her name remained struck off the rolls. However, the previously deposited fee will not be refunded.

10. No student shall be rusticated from the College/Institute/Departmentunless he/she has been allowed a reasonable chance of defence against the accusations.

11. Expulsion. The Head of the College/Institute shall report the name of the student who has been found guilty of an offence warranting expulsion to the Vice Chancellor stating the reasons for the proposed action, who will then have the authority to sanction expulsion after allowing reasonable chance the student to defend him/herself against the expulsion.

12. The name of the expelled student will immediately be removed from the College/Institute/Departmentrolls, and fee for remaining month(s) of the semester/year will not be refunded.

13. A student expelled from the College/Institute/Departmentwill not be readmitted to any of the University’s Constituent or Affiliated Units/Departments.

14. Cases of expulsion will be registered in STMU records and announced to all Constituent Colleges/Institutes.

15. Appeals. An appeal against the penalty may be filed by the student with the Appellate Authority within 30 days of announcement of the punishment. No appeal by a student shall be entertained unless it is presented within 30 days from the date of communication of the decision, provided that the Vice Chancellor may, for valid reasons, extend this period.

16. No appeal shall lie against the decision of an authority imposing a penalty other than rustication or expulsion except on the grounds that such authority imposed a penalty which it was not competent to impose.

17. An appeal on the grounds that an authority imposed a penalty which it was not competent to impose, shall lie with the body or person of higher authority than the one who imposed the penalty.

18. Compensation for Loss. The Head of the College/Institute or any teacher or officer to whom he may delegate the powers, may instruct a student to pay compensation for any loss or damage to property belonging to the University, public authority, a fellow student or an employee of the University, caused by an act or gross negligence of the student. If the student does not pay such compensation within a specified period, the Head of the College/Institute will proceed against the student in the manner as prescribed in these regulations.

19. Offences during Examination. Cases of indiscipline in or around the Examination Hall, and use of unfair means, shall be dealt with by the Examination Committee in accordance with examination regulations.

20. Chairpersons of Independent Teaching Departments of the university shall have same power as those of Head of Constituent Colleges/Institutes of STMU.

21. Dress Code. Dress code will be based on the general principles of decency and in conformity with the social norms of the country. Dress prescribed for particular learning environment or occasion like apron, lab coat, gown etc shall be mandatory as per guidelines of the colleges/institutes.

22. Student Card. Students will be issued Student ID Cards. They will be required to have their ID Cards in the campus and present to authorized persons on demand.

Chapter - 4 (Convocations)

1. Degrees will be awarded to graduating students during convocations to be held periodically. However, in some special circumstances degrees may be awarded without convocation.

2. Presiding Authority. The Chancellor shall, when present, preside over the Convocation. In the absence of the Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor will preside over the Convocation. In case of absence of both Chancellor and Vice Chancellor the Chancellor may nominate any member of the Senate not hired employee of the university or government to preside over convocation.

3. Notification. As soon as the date of Convocation is fixed, the Registrar shall notify all the graduates entitled to receive degrees through the press and the Heads of the Constituent/ Affiliated Units concerned. The Registrar shall, likewise, inform all members of the Senate, Syndicate, Academic Council, and the Faculties by means of a circular, giving the date, time and venue of the Convocation and extend invitations to them accordingly.

4. Robes. No graduate shall be admitted to the Convocation unless and until he/she is in the prescribed academic costume. Similarly, the Heads of the Colleges/departments and other Officers presenting themselves at the Convocation, shall wear the academic costume as prescribed in the regulations.

Convocation Procedure:

5. Procession. The officers of STMU and the Constituent Colleges/Institutes/Departments concerned, and the graduates who are to receive their degrees shall assemble at the place and time notified to them by the Registrar or Heads of Constituent/Affiliated Colleges concerned. At the appointed time, a procession will be formed and enter the convocation hall in the reverse order of seniority lead by the Registrar as under:

Registrar
Graduates
Facultyof the Constituent/Affiliated Colleges/Departments concerned
Heads of Departments
Controller of Examinations
Heads of the Constituent Colleges concerned
Deans of Faculties
Vice chancellor
Chancellor or the Guest of Honour or both

6. All those present in the convocation hall shall rise in their seats in honour of the Convocation procession on its entering to the hall and will keep standing till the Guest of Honour or presiding officer is seated after the National Anthem has been played.

7. Opening the Convocation& VC’s Welcome Address. The Presiding Officer, at the request of the Registrar, shall declare the convocation “open”. The proceedings of the Convocation shall begin with recitation from the Holy Quran. This will be followed by the VC’s welcome address. If the VC is the Chief Guest or is absent, the welcome address will be made by the Dean of Faculty nominated by the Vice Chancellor.

8. Presentation of Candidates& Conferment of Degrees. The candidates to be admitted to the degree shall be presented by the Head of Constituent College/Department, in the absence of Head of Constituent College/Department, by a person nominated by the Vice Chancellor. The candidates will be presented in convenient batches, as under:

“I present to you these candidates who have been certified after examination to be duly qualified to receive the degree of _________________, to which I pray they may be admitted.”

9. The Presiding Officer shall confer the degrees in the following words:

“By virtue of the authority vested in me as the Chancellor/Vice Chancellor of this University, I admit you to the degree of _________, and in token thereof present to you this degree and authorise you to wear the robes ordained as the insignia of this degree and charge you to prove worthy of the same.”

10. When all the graduates have been presented, the list of absenting graduates who have requested for conferment of the degree in absentia shall be read out as under:

“Mr Chancellor/Vice Chancellor, I request that these candidates who have been certified after examination to be duly qualified may be admitted in absentia to the degree of__________________.”

11. In admitting the candidates to the degrees, in absentia, the ChancellorPro-Chancellor/Rector, shall say:

“By virtue of the authority vested in me as the Chancellor/Vice Chancellor of this University, I admit them all, in absentia, to the degrees to which they are entitled.” (The scroll shall then be presented to the Chancellor who shall affix his signatures on it)”

12. Order of Conferment. The following order shall be observed in the conferment of degrees.

a. Candidates for the Ph.D. degree

b. Candidates for the M. Phil degree

c. Candidates for the Masters degree

d. Candidates for the Bachelor degree

13. Award of Prizes/Medals/Other Distinctions. After the conferment and award of the degrees, the graduates who have earned distinctions will be given the medals and the certificates of merit as prescribed by university. This will be followed if required by any short speech by the representative of graduates.

14. Convocation Address& Convocation Closure. After distribution of Prizes and Medals, the Guest of Honour if any or presiding officer will address the Convocation.

15. On conclusion of the speech of the Guest of Honour or Presiding Officer, on request of the Registrar, the Chancellor/Vice Chancellor shall declare the convocation closed. At this the (procession) will reform, this time in the order of seniority led by the Guest of Honour/Presiding Officer, and leave the convocation hall. All present in the hall shall rise and remain so till the procession has completely left the hall.

16. Procedure for a Special Convocation. A special convocation will be held for conferring Honorary Degree, in the prescribed manner, on eminent person(s) deserving such degree. The honorary degree shall be conferred in the prescribed manner in accordance with the decision of the Senate.

17. Procession will assemble exactly as for normal Convocation. It will enter the Convocation Hall in the same manner and proceedings will commence with the recitation from the Holy Quran. The Convocation will then be declared open as per the procedure for the ordinary convocation.

18. The Registrar shall read the citation regarding the recipient of the degree and read out the relevant resolution of the Senate. The Registrar will then request the recipient to receive the degree whereupon the latter will step forward and stand in front of the Chancellor/Vice Chancellor, who will confer the degree in the following words:

“In accordance with the resolution of the Senate and by virtue of the authority vested in me as the Chancellor/Vice Chancellor of this University, I admit you to the honorary degree of __________, and in token thereof, I present to you this degree, and authorize you to wear the robes ordained as the insignia of this degree.”

19. The recipient of the degree shall thereupon be robed in the prescribed costume and resume his/her seat.

20. After the honorary degree has been conferred, the Chancellor/Vice Chancellor, will let the degree be proclaimed in the following words to the Registrar:

“Let the degree conferred be now proclaimed”.

21. The Registrarshall thereupon read out the record of the degree as follows:

“We, the Chancellor/Vice Chancellor, the Members of Senate, the Syndicate and the Academic Council of STMU, do hereby proclaim and make known that we have admitted Mr/Mrs/Dr/Engr/Honourable etc (as applicable)________ to the honorary degree of ___________.”

22. The remaining procedure will be the same as for the normal Convocation except that the person being awarded honorary degree may also address the Convocation.

23. Academic Costumes. The academic costumes of STMU shall consist of a gown, hood and academic cap, whose specifications for various officials and faculties shall be as prescribed by the Academic Council of the university.

Chapter - 5 (General Academic Regulations)

1. Application. “Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University Academic Regulations” shall govern matters related to examinations and academic programmes. These regulations shall apply to candidates admitted in the University and its constituent colleges/institutes/departments and will form part of the Students Handbook which is to be provided to every student.

2. These Academic Regulations will apply to all disciplines taught at university constituent and affiliated collegesfollowing the semester or annual system. The academic regulations for Medical, Dental, Nursing and allied sciences, as promulgated by their respective Regulatory Bodies, shall be deemed to be part of these regulations. These regulations are subject to changes from time to time on recommendations of Statutory Bodies of university.

3. Admission Regulations. At the time of granting new admissions, university or its constituent colleges/departments will invite applications through major national dailies and university website. Students must complete all application requirements before being considered for admission. Admission/enrolment in any programme will be limited to the number of students who can be accommodated. Applicants for admission must meet the relevant academic qualifications needed for the Programme being applied for. These qualifications will be determined by the Academic Council and will be notified from time to time. Admissions will be granted purely on merit achieved in the entrance test if any, academic record and interview and the criterion set by regulatory bodies. The applicants will be required to:

a. Submit the prescribed form (duly completed) alongwith supporting documents, on or before the notified closing date.

b. Appear in the entry test if any and interview on the date notified by university.

4. Admission will be granted subject to the following conditions:

a. Applicants who are waiting for the announcement of the results will be granted admission provisionally. They will have to submit their marks sheet within one month of declaration of the results. If the student fails to achieve the pre-requisite eligibility criteria for a particular programme, he/she will stand automatically disqualified and his/her admission shall stand cancelled.

b. Students failing an any subject at HSSC/equivalent level examination and allowed to sit supplementary examination will be considered as failing the examination even if the student has obtained the minimum requirement of division/Grade. Admission of such students will be cancelled immediately.

c. For Medical students and other disciplines of Allied Health Sciences, conditions of admissions of their respective regulatory bodies shall apply.

5. Registration with University. Following format will be used for the Registration of the students for the different courses offered by Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University:

a. Sequence of the Registration. The Registration number shall be allocated in the following sequence:

(1) Degree Title (characters as per actual title).

(2) Year of admission/intake year (2 characters of numerics).

(3) Session (Alphabetic i.e A-Annual, S-Spring, F-Fall) (1 character).

(4) Student ID (4 characters of numerics).

(5) Maximum characters (actual title-3-4).

b. Example. The Registration Numbers for the batch entering in 2013 will be:

(1) MBBS-13A-0001 – For annual entry year 2013.

(2) DPT-13S-0001 – For Spring semester entry 2013.

(3) DPT-13F-0001 – For Fall semester entry 2013.

6. Migration and Credit Transfers. Migration will only be allowed from the colleges, universities or the institutions recognised by the HEC. No migration will be allowed in one-year programmes. Migration will only be allowed if CGPA of the applicant is 2.5 or above according to the grading system of STMU for semester system and 60% and above in annual system. Students wishing to migrate to STMU are required to produce an NOC from their previous institute/university. For medical students migration shall be allowed if the student has obtained at least 65% marks in first professional (part-1) in first attempt.

7. Transfer of Credits will be considered on the basis of course contents, credit hours and basic eligibility criteria. The Equivalence Committee will make final recommendations to the Registrar through respective Principals/Heads of Departments of Colleges. A maximum of 50% of the total credits in the programme to which transfer is sought can be transferred.

8. For migration to and from Medical and Dental Colleges, the PMDC regulations shall apply.

9. Change of Academic Discipline. The change of Academic Discipline will be allowed under STMU’s policies promulgated from time to time.

10. Transfer between Constituent Colleges. If a student wishes to seek transfer from one Constituent College to any other Constituent College/Institute/Department, he/she would be required to submit an application to the Head of the parent Institute, four weeks before the intended joining date. The institute will forward the student file containing academic and fee records along with the application form to the university for approval by the Registrar.

11. Fee. New students must deposit their fee on or before the date notified by university failing which the candidature for admission may be cancelled.

12. Migration/Discontinuation of Studies (other than Medical/Dental Students. Fee will be refunded to students who desire to migrate/discontinue studies according to the following regulations:

a. Admission fee shall not be refunded.

b. Full amount of fee (other than Admission Fee) will be refunded upto two weeks before the date of commencement of classes.

c. Security Fee, Degree Fee and 90% of the Tuition Fee will be refunded, if applied within one week of the date of commencement of classes.

d. Security Fee, Degree Fee and 50% of the tuition fee will be refunded, if applied within 2nd week of the commencement of classes.

e. Only Security Fee and Degree Fee will be refunded, if applied after commencement of 3rd week of classes.

13. Freezing of Semester. The refund of the Fee will be allowed only if the student applies to freeze the semester within two weeks of the commencement of classes.

14. Withdrawal of a Course (Regular Semester). Fee will be refunded if a student withdraws a course within one week of start of classes. No fee will be refunded thereafter.

15. Summer Session. No fee will be refunded once the student has registered for a course in the Summer Session.

16. Cancellation of a Course/Programme. Full tuition fee will be refunded to the students if the course after being offered is cancelled by STMU for any reason. In case a programme is cancelled, the entire charges including admission fee will be refunded to the student.

17. Refund to Medical/Dental Students. Refund of fee and other charges shall be made in accordance with the regulations laid down by the PMDC.

18. Refund to Students dropped from the Degree Programme. Students dropped from the degree programme after grant of admission on hope certificates for the reasons not meeting the prerequisite qualifications will be refunded all charges except Admission Fee.If such students wish to avail chances in the subsequent entry of the said programme, they may be allowed to improve their grades in prerequisite qualifications. In such cases university may retain their charges for that period.

19. Conflict Resolution. In case of any conflict or interpretation of the aforementioned regulations on refund of fee and other charges, the matter will be referred to the Vice Chancellor through the Registrar whose decision will be considered final.

20. Refund Period. Refunds will normally be made upto a maximum period of one year after the date of leaving. University shall not entertain any claim of refund after this period.

21. Late Fee. Enrolled students are required to pay the fee on or before the date notified by the University or its constituent colleges. Late fee upto Rs. 200/- per day may be charged till 30 days from the expiry of the scheduled date.

22. Financial Assistance. The university shall institute a system to provide financial assistance to needy and meritorious students.

23. Course Registration. Students will be required to register for different courses in each semester. Course registration of the fresh students will be done automatically by the respective Department. For the subsequent semesters, the students will have to go through registration seven days prior to the commencement of the classes. Complete registration includes fulfilling all financial obligations for the course. Fee will be paid before commencement of the classes. No student will be guaranteed enrolment in a course until registration has been completed.

24. STMU will permit students to register themselves within the registration week during regular administrative office hours. Registration is to be initiated by submitting a dully filled in semester registration form.

25. It will be mandatory for the students to register at least 9 credit hours per semester except in the final semester. Students are not allowed to register themselves in more than 18 credit hours per semester (excluding the Final Semester and the Project.)

26. Course Pre-Requisites. Students registering for a certain course must meet its pre-requisites. It is the responsibility of the students to inform the Department that they have qualified the pre-requisite courses where applicable.

27. Repeating a Course. Students are allowed to repeat a course in case the grade obtained in that course is C+ (Grade Point 2.5) or less. A course can be repeated only once either in a regular semester or in a summer session. All course repetitions must be completed within the maximum allowable duration of the programme. All attempts will be depicted on the transcripts. The highest grade only will be used for the calculation of CGPA. A student has to apply for course repetition on the prescribed form; the decision to approve repetition will rest with the Head of the College/Institute/Department.

28. Internship. Respective HODs will recommend students for internship/clerkship where required with reputed organisations. Minimum period of internship will be six weeks. Students will be expected to work on a Project during internship and submit a report to the HODs on completion. The reports must be accompanied by a Certificate of Completion from the respective organisation in which the student worked during internship time. The internship will be non-Credit but mandatory for degree completion requirements.

29. Registration of Research Work (Project, Dissertation or Thesis). A Project, Dissertation or Thesis will be assigned to a student, or a group of students, as applicable, as partial requirement for earning a degree. Students shall be required to submit their Project, Dissertation or Thesis on time. Following must be strictly complied:

a. Projects, Dissertations and Theses are to be registered in the second last semester according to the regular programme road map, as applicable. Target date for completing the Project, Dissertation or Thesis, will be allotted by the respective departments.

b. It is the responsibility of the students to meet the deadlines and targets set by the Supervisor/Coordinator. Students unable to complete their research work on time will be required to register again with full payment of fees. Late submissions will incur penalties as specified by STMU.

30. Students must maintain a record/diary/log of their research work.

31. Freezing of Semester. Students are allowed to freeze their semester due to illness and circumstances beyond their control by giving a written application on prescribed form. Conditions are as follows:

a. Students are allowed to freeze the semester before the start of the academic session, if they have passed the final Examinations of previous semester with a minimum GPA/CGPA required for the academic standing of the STMU to remain enrolled. Nevertheless, the students are required to deposit the Tuition Fee of the semester, prior requesting to freeze. The same will be adjusted in the next semester.

b. The refund of the Fee will be allowed only if the students apply to freeze the semester within two weeks of the commencement of classes.

c. Students are allowed to freeze the semester anytime during the course till three weeks before the commencement of final Examinations. Fee of such students will not be refunded/re-adjusted.

d. Students have to resume their studies in the following semester otherwise their name would be struck off the roll of STMU.

e. Students are not allowed to freeze two consecutive semesters. They are also not allowed to freeze more than two semesters in the total duration of the programme.

f. Fresh students are not allowed to freeze the semester without payment of the Admission Fee and the submission of the complete documents required for meeting the basic eligibility.

g. Students are allowed to freeze the semester within the overall degree awarding timeframe (i.e. maximum time allowed for the completion of the degree by STMU or Regulatory Body.

32. Adding/Withdrawing Courses. The Head of College/Department must be informed by the student through a written request regarding his/her intention for addition or withdrawal of a course. Non-attendance will not constitute an official withdrawal.

33. Course(s) will not be added after one week of commencement of classes. Course(s) withdrawn before the mid-semester examination will not be recorded.

34. Course(s) withdrawn three weeks before the commencement of the final examination will be recorded on the transcript with a grade ‘W’. After that, withdrawal of a course will not be allowed.

35. Class Attendance. One Credit Hour of theory will require minimum 16 Contact Hours per semester and one Credit Hour of practicals/laboratory work will require at least 32 Contact Hours except for Engineering laboratory work where it will be 48 Contact Hours. It will be mandatory for students to attend at least 75% of the Total Contact Hours in a Subject/ Course of Study failing which they will not be allowed to sit in the final examination. However, for PhD and MPhil/MS students their respective HODs/Supervisors may allow them any relaxation in attendance as required for their course work.

36. Schedule Adjustments. STMU may cancel any course due to low enrolment or non-availability of faculty. Minimum required strength for offering Elective/Summer courses will be fifteen students. Hardship cases may be referred to a committee constituted by the Principal, comprising of senior faculty members of the concerned Institute.

37. STMU reserves the right to form new sections and adjust/transfer students to other sections at any stage of the course.

38. Scheme of Marking. A total of 100 marks will be assigned for purpose of examination and grading. The Scheme of Marking will be as follows:

a. Non-Engineering Programmes:

Quizzes(at least three per semester)	15 Marks
Projects/Assignments/ClassPresentation/Practicals/CaseStudies/Class Participation	20 Marks
Mid-SemesterExamination	25 Marks
Final Examination(Comprehensive)	40 Marks
Total	100 Marks

b. Engineering Programmes:

Quizzes	10 marks
Project/Assignments/Class/PresentationPractical/Case Studies/Class Participation	20 marks
Mid-Term Examination	20 marks
Final Examination (Comprehensive)	50 marks
Total	100 Marks

c. Medical, Dental and Allied Health Sciences Programmes. The Marking Scheme will be determined by the Health Sciences Faculty within the parameters provided in the PMDC/PNC/PCP/HEC regulations.

d. MPhil and PhD Programmes: The Marking Scheme of course work and dissertation/thesis evaluation will be determined by the MPhil and PhD Rules and Regulations.

39. The Final Examination at the end of the semester/Annual Examination is mandatory. Absence from examination will result in the award of Grade ‘F’ in the respective course.

40. Grading Procedures(for Non-Medical Students only). Transcripts will be issued to students upon completion of each semester. Transcript will indicate the Course Code, Course Title, Grade and Credits. STMU will use the following grading system to evaluate student performance:

Letter Grade	Percentage	Grade Point
A	87-100	4.0
B+	80-86	3.5
B	72-79	3.0
C+	66-71	2.5
C	60-65	2.0
D	50-59	1.5
F	Below 50	0.0
W	Withdrawn	–
I	Incomplete	–

41. Grading rules may be reviewed after every 3 years or as and when required/dictated by HEC or regulatory bodies of different programmes. GPA will be calculated by applying the following formula:

GPA=∑(Credit Hrs x Grade Point)/∑Credit Hours

(∑= is sum of)

42. Grading Guidelines for the Faculty. The faculty shall grade the students’ performance according to the following guidelines:

a. Grade A. An outstanding performance with very strong evidence of:

An insight and comprehensive grasp of the subject matter.
A clear ability to make sound and original critical evaluation of the material given.
Outstanding capacity for original, creative and/or logical thought.
An excellent ability to organize, to analyse, to synthesise, to integrate ideas, and to express thoughts both in speech and in writing.

b. Grade B+. Very Good performance with strong evidence of:

A comprehensive grasp of the subject matter.
An ability to make sound critical evaluation of the material given.
A good capacity for original, creative, and/or logical thinking.
A very good ability to organize, to analyze, to synthesize, to integrate ideas, and to express thoughts both in speech and in writing.

c. Grade B. Above Average performance with evidence of:

A substantial knowledge of the subject matter.
A good understanding of the relevant issues and a good familiarity with the relevant literature and techniques.
Some capacity for original, creative, and/or logical thinking.
An above average ability to organize, to analyze and to examine the subject material in a critical and constructive manner, and to express thoughts both in speech and in writing.

d. Grade C+. A generally Satisfactory and intellectually Adequate performance with evidence of:

An acceptable basic grasp of the subject material.
A fair understanding of the relevant issue.
A general familiarity with the relevant literature and techniques.
An ability to develop solutions to moderately difficult problems related to the subject material.
A moderate ability to examine the material in critical and analytical manner, and to express thoughts in writing.

e. Grade C. A Barely Acceptable performance with evidence of:

A familiarity with the subject material.
Some evidence that analytical skills have been developed.
Some understanding of relevant issues.
Some familiarity with the relevant literature and techniques.
Partially successful attempts to solve moderately difficult problems related to the subject material and to examine the material in a critical and analytical manner.
Basic competence in writing.

f. Grade D. Minimally Acceptable performance

g. Grade F. An Unacceptable performance.

h. Grade I. Incomplete

i. Grade W. Withdrawal from Course

43. Probation. In case the CGPA of a student at any time falls below 2.0, but is above 1.5, the student will be placed on probation. Three probations for a 4-years or above programmes, two probations for a 2-years programme and one probation for a 1-year programme are allowed after which student will be placed on Chance status.

44. Chance. A student has to get out of chance status to avoid being dropped. If a student has already availed allowable probation(s) then the student has to improve and maintain his/her CGPA above 2.0 or equivalent in order to continue studies.

45. In case the student has not availed probation(s) then minimum of 1.5 CGPA has to be achieved in order to continue studies. However, the student has to improve and maintain their CGPA above 2.0 or equivalent after allowable probations, in order to continue studies.

46. Drop. If a student fails to maintain the minimum CGPA of 2.0, after availing all Probations and chances as mentioned above, then they will be dropped from the programme. A student dropped on academic grounds may be permitted to join other academic programmes, provided they fulfill the basic criteria for admission to the concerned programme. If there are some common courses between the student’s previous academic programme and the one they want to join, exemption can be claimed for only those courses passed during the previous programme.

47. Dual Majors. Students, in all programmes, may simultaneously complete two Majors provided both majors lead to the same degree and are being offered by STMU. Dual Majors will be allowed to register half-way through the programme whence the intention (of taking the second Major)must be indicated positively to the respective HOD through a formal written application. Upon receipt of the application, the HOD shall initiate the registration process, culminating in a formal Letter of Acceptance from the Head of Department or College/Institute.

48. Completion of the second major will be based on degree requirements enforced at the time of the request. Only one degree will be issued.

49. Honours and Awards. Students achieving high academic standards will be awarded Academic Honours upon completion of their degree requirements at the Convocation Ceremony. In addition, Merit Scholarships, Financial Assistance Scholarships and a Mention in the Dean’s/VC’s Honours’ List are the honours conferred during the course of studies.

50. Medals. For award of Medals, the conditions are:

a. Min CGPA of 3.5.

b. Gold and Silver medals will be awarded to the students who achieve First and Second highest CGPA respectively of the entire programme, within the same batch.

c. Where two or more students have the same highest CGPA, the Percentages achieved by them will determine the Gold and Silver medals. If the percentages are also the same, then all the students will be awarded Gold Medals. In such a case no Silver Medal will be awarded to third highest CGPA.

d. In a double tie (same CGPA and Percentage) situation for Silver medal between two or more students, all the students will be awarded the Silver Medal.

51. Vice Chancellor’s Honours List. In every semester, the students achieving a CGPA of 3.5 or more will be mentioned in the VC’s Honours List. The Honours List will be displayed on STMU website and the colleges/departments notice boards.

52. Advanced Merit Scholarship. Freshmen who have topped their respective Boards, will be awarded this scholarship which will entail full tuition fee waiver in the first semester. Continuation of this scholarship in the subsequent semesters will require the student to achieve a GPA of at least 3.75.

53. Merit Scholarship. All students achieving GPA of 4.0 in Semester Examination will be awarded Merit Scholarship equal to 50% of Tuition Fee of the following semester. In case of double tie, all the students will be awarded the Scholarship.

54. Financial Assistance Scholarships (FAS). Financial Assistance Scholarships will be awarded to the deserving students who obtain at least 2.5 GPA in the 1^st semester and maintains at least 2.5 CGPA in the remaining semesters. If such students fail to maintain 2.5 CGPA in the remaining semesters their scholarship may be withdrawn.

55. Students for award of FAS shall apply on the prescribed form within the timeframe promulgated by STMU. The Scholarship Award Committee, while recommending these awards, will determine the eligibility of students based on interviews and information provided in the prescribed forms.

Honours & Awards for the Medical, Dental and Nursing Students:

56. Medals. Gold Medals will be awarded to the students scoring highest percentages in the Final Professional Examinations based on aggregate percentage of all Professional Examinations. The students getting second highest aggregate marks will be awarded Silver Medals

57. Merit Certificates. Merit Certificates will be awarded to the students scoring highest percentage or distinctions in different Professional Subjects/examinations on yearly basis or as per policy determined by the respective Institutes/Colleges and approved by the Academic Council.

58. General Rules for Scholarships. Following general rules will apply to award of scholarships:

a. Scholarships are not available for the PhD and MPhil students.

b. Only one scholarship can be availed at any one time.

c. Non-merit Scholarshipwill not be available to students whose education has been fully or partially sponsored by any individual or organisation.

59. Issuing of Transcripts. STMU will issue transcripts upon written request on prescribed proforma from the student concerned. Transcripts will not be released until all obligations to STMU have been met. Requests are not to be accepted from, or transcript released to, third parties without a written consent from the student.

60. Degree Supplement Form (DSF). This form will be another document issued to the students in addition to their Transcripts and Degrees. It will provide a description of the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies that were pursued and successfully completed by the individual.

61. The DSF will be issued to the students by the Examination Department on completion of their degree requirement. Students will be required to submit DSF application form to respective examinations sections

62. Preparation& Award of Degrees. For Under-Graduate and Post Graduate Degree programme, the minimum CGPA to qualify for the award of degree is 2.0.

63. Degrees will be prepared in the Secrecy Section of the Examination Department of STMU. Degrees will be posted with the last date of the month in which the degree requirements were met. Degrees will be forwarded to the Registrar’s secretariat along with the list of the successful candidates and concerned Gazette notification.

64. The procedure for printing, handling and audit of degrees is provided separately in Examinations Regulations.lo

65. Graduation Time Frame and Degree Requirement. The duration of a degree programme will commence from the first day of the commencement of first semester classes or annual session. Students completing all the requirements as per road map for the award of degree in their respective disciplines will be awarded the degree. Maximum time limit for degree completion is 1.5 times the regular programme duration as per table given below:

Programme Duration (Years)	Maximum Duration(Years)	Programme Duration (Years)	Maximum Duration(Years)
1.5	2.25 (27 months)	3.5	5.25 (63 months)
2.0	3.0 (36 months)	4.0	6.0 (72 months)
2.5	3.75 (45 months)	4.5	6.75 (81 months)
3.0	4.5 (54 months)	5.0	7.5 (90 months)

66. The aforementioned maximum time-limits for a particular degree programme shall include all cases of semester freezing, dropping, rustication, or any other unavoidable contingencies. Any further relaxation beyond the above mentioned time limits shall be referred to the Vice Chancellor for approval in exceptional cases only. However no student, exceeding the above mentioned time limits will have any legal claim for further extension or award of degree.

67. The name of the students shall be struck off the roll of STMU on completion of the maximum permissible time duration of their respective degree programmes.

68. Academic Advising. STMU will provide academic guidance to all students throughout their academic career at STMU. All permanent faculty members will act as student advisors. Student Advisor will assist students entering STMU with the selection of their courses. Responsibilities of student advisor include informing and explaining admission, transfer credit implications, assisting in the general adjustments to university life, serving as resource person for university information and guiding students to meet graduation requirements.

69. It will be the student’s responsibility to know their degree requirements, to be accountable for university policies, and to obtain course-scheduling information. The student will be responsible for completion of degree requirements, including pre-requisites. For any clarification, query or problem relating to any academic matter which may not be resolved at the HOD level, the students may contact Director/Principal of the concerned Institute/College or Registrar’s Secretariat.

70. Students Societies and Clubs. Students will be encouraged to join various Societies and clubs to groom themselves personally and professionally so as to contribute positively in the development of the Society.

71. Dissemination of the Academic Regulations. In addition to the above mentioned regulations, all such instructions, rules, procedures and guidelines approved by the Statutory/Administrative Bodies of STMU or its constituent colleges/institutes/departments, promulgated through the various publications, mentioned below, shall be deemed to be part of these regulations:

a. Prospectuses for different programmes

b. Students Handbook

c. MPhil/MS and PhD Rules and Regulations

d. Thesis Write-Up Manuals

e. Examination Policies

f. HEC’s Plagiarism Policy

g. Other Policy Manuals/Notifications promulgated from time to time by the acadministation of university and its constituent colleges/institutes/departments.

72. It will be the responsibility of the students enrolled in a particular programme to get conversant with these regulations.

73. Ownership of Work and Intellectual Property. All academic documents, research papers, thesis, dissertations and projects etc produced by any faculty member, student or any other employee of University or on behalf of STMU will be the intellectual property of the STMU.

74. University Facilities. The regulations for use of facilities of STMU like the library, laboratories, museums, classrooms, auditoriums, cafeteria, transport, parking spaces, sports facilities etc prepared by the respective colleges/institutes shall be deemed to be part of these regulations.

75. Signing Authorities for Academic Documents. Signing Authorities for the academic documents issued by the University are to be as follows:

Document	Signing Authorities
Degree/Diploma	Registrar& Vice Chancellor
Final Transcript	Controller of Examinations
Interim Transcript	Deputy Controller of Examinations
Honours Certificates	Controller of Examinations
Rector’s Honours List	Controller of Examinations
Degree Supplementary Form	Controller of Examinations
Semester Result Notification	Controller of Examinations
Provisional Semester Result Notification	Deputy Controller of Examinations
Migration Certificate	Controller of Examinations
Credit Transfer Notification	Registrar
Certificates for Courses, Seminars & Workshops	Head of Colleges/Institutes/Departments
Any other Certificate issued on behalf of the University	As authorized by Vice Chancellor

Chapter - 6 (Conduct of Examinations)

1. Examinations, Tests and other Assessments. The University, its departments, colleges, institutes, schools and faculty members are to conduct various types of examinations and tests which may include, but not limited to, the following:

a. Entrance Tests for admission in a university program. The Entrance Tests may be conducted by the University itself or by a Government Notified Testing Agency.

b. Examinations / Tests for any particular purpose on request from outside agency.

c. Examinations by teachers required in certain diploma, certificate courses and degree programs or on the initiative of teachers. These may include class tests, quizzes, surprise tests, take-home exams and open-book exams.

d. Annual and Supplementary Examinations in Annual System.

e. Mid-Semester and End-Semester (Final) examinations in Semester System.

f. Qualifying examination for Ph.D. students

g. Thesis Defense (Examinations).

h. Any other examination with the approval of the Vice Chancellor.

2. The Controller of Examinations has overall responsibility for the organization of examinations and for the activities of the Examinations Department including paper setting, timetables, registration of the candidates, issuance of admit cards (Exam Roll Number), invigilation, facilities, communications with examiners, moderation, compilation and declaration of results, issuance of transcripts and re-totaling, reviews any other task related to Examinations.

3. The Principal or Head of a constituent college or department of the University is responsible for communicating with Faculty of the college/department related to submission of proposed examination date sheet and question papers and for forwarding recheck or review applications.

4. The examinations of professional fields (such as Medicine, Nursing and Engineering etc.) will be conducted according to the recommendations and guidelines of the respective professional bodies (Pakistan Medical & Dental Council, Pakistan Nursing Council & Pakistan Engineering Council etc.) in respect of eligibility, evaluation, pass/fail and grading. However, the university may implement its own criteria, regulations and rules that do not contradict rules and procedures set by any relevant regulatory body established by Government or HEC.

5. Examinations Dates. The examination date sheet will be notified by the Controller of Examinations one month prior to the commencement of examinations. Examinations will be held during the weeks indicated in the Curriculum Map/Academic Calendar of the respective course / degree. However, the Controller of Examinations may make any amendments in exam date sheet where necessary in consultation with the Principal / Head of the College / Department.

Note: Re-sit papers/ answers Keys/marking scheme/Table of Specifications must be submitted with original paper.

6. Registration of the Candidates:

a. After notification of the Examination schedule, the eligible students are required to submit Registration forms where applicable duly attested by the Principal / Head of the respective college / department along with prescribed fee within the notified period.

b. After the due date, double fee is charged to the students.

c. Incomplete forms are not entertained.

d. Admit Cards (Roll Number Slips) of eligible students are sent to the respective colleges / departments.

7. List of Eligible Candidates. List of eligible students is provided by the Principal/Head of the respective college or department as per the criteria set by regulatory authorities (PM&DC, PNC or other relevant body).

8. Examination Center and Invigilation. Examination Center is a venue where an examination is to be conducted irrespective of its size and whether it is a permanently built or temporarily fixed or even an open space, such as a lawn:

a. All examinations, except the thesis defence, shall be conducted and supervised by invigilator(s).

b. There shall always be an Examination Center Superintendent or a Head Invigilator; even if a single invigilator is to conduct an examination (such as a class teacher) he/she is to be regarded as the Head Invigilator who shall have the same responsibilities and authority as entrusted to Head Invigilator and Examination Center Superintendent.

c. The terms ‘Head Invigilator’ and ‘Examination Center Superintendent’ are synonymous, and both having the same responsibilities and authority. Examination Center Superintendent is to supervise an examination of large number of students in a big center whereas a Head Invigilator is to supervise an examination of lesser number of students in a small center such as a class room or any other room or a lab.

d. The examinations venue will be decided by the Examinations Department at least 10 days prior to the examination day.

e. It is mandatory that the seating arrangement must be completed one day prior to the commencement of the examinations.

f. All the seats must be labeled with roll numbers of the candidates and candidates are required to refer to the list (seating plan) posted outside each examinations venue.

g. The seating arrangement for an examination will be done by the Examinations Department.

h. Only the Personnel authorized by the Examinations Department are allowed to enter examination venues.

9. Responsibilities of Examination Center Superintendent (Head Invigilator):

a. To conduct fair examination in a peaceful and quiet environment without letting the candidates resort to any of the various unfair means.

b. He / She has to ensure also that only the genuine, authorized candidates sit for the examination, and no one should impersonate any candidate.

c. He / She has to assign duties to other invigilators and support staff.

d. He / She has to safeguard the question papers, blank answer books and stationary etc.,

e. He / She has to get the attendance sheet signed by the candidates.

f. He/She shall sign on the top of Answer Sheets and subsequent issue of additional Answer Sheet of each candidate.

g. He / She has to make sure that the candidates have filled all the required information correctly on the answer books.

h. He / She has to collect all the answer books at the end, arrange and pack the answer books properly, and deliver these as per instructions along with all the required documents.

i. In case of remuneration for the invigilation and other duties is involved, ECS has to certify the bills for payment and send these to the concerned officials of the university.

j. He / She has to provide all the instructions for the Invigilation Staff and the Candidates, before the start of the exam. These instructions are available as Annexure I and II. A copy of ‘Instructions to Invigilation Staff’ is to be provided to every invigilator before the start of all examinations so that they read and act upon these instructions. After carefully reading the ‘Instructions to Candidates’ a copy is to be signed by every candidate at the time when he/she appears for the first time (only) in STMU examination. The signed copies are to be kept in record of the Controller of Examinations and shall be valid for all the subsequent examinations. Furthermore, these instructions are to be read loudly by the Examination Center Superintendent to the candidates in every examination center before the start of the first theory paper (only) of all examinations.

10. Authority of Examination Center Superintendent (ECS) / Head Invigilator. ECS may exercise the following authority(ies):

a. Refuse entry into examination center to those candidates who are late by more than 15 minutes or as allowed under the instruction issued by Examinations Department.

b. Refuse entry to examination center to impersonators.

c. Handover impersonators to police if caught inside the examination center, and lodge an FIR against them. Call police to control the situation if disturbance by the candidates inside or outside the examination center gets out of control.

d. Catch any person in the vicinity of examination center who tries to sneak copying material into the examination center to candidate(s) for cheating, or helping a candidate outside the examination center, and hand him/her over to police and lodge an FIR against him/her.

e. Conduct himself, or ask another invigilator to do body search if it is suspected that a candidate is hiding cheating material in his dress, shoes or headgear etc. In case of girls candidates the ECS should authorize a female invigilator or any available lady to carry out the body search in the presence of ECS.

f. Confiscate any unauthorized material from the candidates and cancel the answer(s) written with the help of such material. This is to be done two times only (during a single examination paper or during the entire examination. On the third attempt the ECS is to confiscate the answer book and ask the candidate to leave the examination center.

g. Issue two warnings to a candidate who is talking, whispering or helping another candidate. On third attempt the ECS is to confiscate the answer book and ask the candidate to leave the examination center.

h. Confiscate the answer book from a candidate who becomes violent, starts shouting and uses abusive language etc.

i. To confiscate arms and knives etc. from a candidate who is in possession of these, confiscate his/her answer book, call police for his/her arrest and lodge an FIR against him/her.

j. To suspend an invigilator or member of support staff who is found to help a candidate in unscrupulous way or who gets involved in some immoral activities with a candidate or receives money or gifts etc. from a candidate. ECS has to send written report about such activities to the university officials.

11. Examination Disciplinary Committee:

a. There shall be a Examination Disciplinary Committee (EDC) comprising following members which will deal with cases of unfair means used by the students in the examination:

(1) Controller of Examinations.

(2) Senior Faculty Member nominated by Principal of respective constituent colleges or Chairperson of university teaching department.

b. If a student is found in possession of books, notes, mobile or papers etc (relevant or irrelevant) or caught using unfair means in the examination, his/her Answer Book and cheating material shall be seized immediately and the case should be reported in writing on the prescribed form to the Examination Department for a disciplinary action.

c. Examination Department shall refer case to “Examination Disciplinary Committee” immediately for assessment, hearing and punishment. The committee can warn, suspend, expel or impose fine to the student as per the gravity of case.

d. Examination Disciplinary Committee shall inform the suspected student about the meeting for following actions:

(1) Assessment of case.

(2) Trial suspected student.

(3) Recommendation of punishment on the basis of their findings.

e. Punishments:

(1) Warning: Student is kept under observation for 3 to 6 months.

(2) Grade Penalty: Student is awarded ‘F’ grade in the course.

(3) Evaluation Penalty: The paper is cancelled and 10% marks are also deducted from the Internal Assessment of the student.

(4) Fine: Fine may be imposed on student ranging from Rs. 5,000/- to 30,000/-.

(5) Suspend: Student is suspended for a semester/session.

(6) Expel: Student is expelled from the College/University.

f. EDC Form is appended on next page.

Case No……………… Dated…………………..

Examination Discipline Committee (EDC) Form

(Discipline Case Reporting)

Signature of Reporter

______________________________

Name:

_________________________________

Designation:

_________________________________

Tel/Mobile:

_________________________________

Signature of Student (Involved)

_________________________________

Name:

____________________________________

Roll No:

____________________________________

Tel/Mobile:

___________________________________

Details of Complaint:

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Received by EDC on ……………………………………

Proceedings/Hearing by EDC:

________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Recommendations of EDC:

________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________ ______________________________

COE Principal/HoD (Concerned)

12. Appointment of Invigilation and Support Staff:

a. Invigilation staff for the Annual Examinations is to be appointed by the Controller of Examination or Principal/Head of College/Institute authorized to do so from amongst the faculty members whose integrity, impartiality and honestly has been proved beyond any doubt.

b. In case of need, persons with similar character traits from outside the university may also be appointed.

c. Support staff for examination centers shall also be appointed by the Controller of Examinations in the Annual System. In Semester System the invigilation staff shall be appointed for the Mid-Semester and End-Semester examinations by the Chairperson/Head of Department, Principal/Director of College/Institute, as the case may be, from amongst the faculty members having similar character traits. These officials will also appoint support staff for the examination centers.

d. Class tests etc. in both systems shall be conducted and invigilated by the class teachers. Decision regarding invigilation of other examinations shall be made at the time of need. The ratio for invigilators and students should be 1 : 25 respectively.

13. Appointment of Internal and External Examiners:

a. Internal Examiners are nominated by the Principal of the college or Head of the department/institute as per the rules laid down by any relevant governing body like PM&DC, PNC, PEC, or whichever applicable.

b. External Examiner is the one who is not teaching the students in the particular college where he is appointed as external examiner.

c. External Examiners are proposed by the Internal Examiners and finally appointed by the Controller of Examinations with the approval of Vice chancellor after ensuring their availability.

d. Any retired teacher may also be appointed as External Examiners providing his retirement period is not more than five (5) years.

e. The Controller of Examinations will appoint the external examiners, selected from the approved lists if any of such persons provided by their relevant governing body like PM&DC, PNC, PCP, PEC, etc.

f. External examiner is involved in both theory (paper setting) and practical examinations.

g. The number of external examiners and internal examiners should be equal.

h. External examiners may not be appointed for more than three consecutive years.

i. The number of internal and external examiners should at least be one for a group of 100 students.

14. Internal Assessment:

a. The internal assessment is submitted once a year prior to the annual examinations and the same is counted for both annual and re-sits examinations.

b. The internal assessment is submitted before every semester prior to final semester examinations and the same is counted for both semester and re-sits examinations.

c. Internal assessment is maintained by the respective college / department and forwarded to the Examinations Department by the Principal of the college or Head of the Department.

15. Preparation of Examination Papers, Answer Keys and Table of Specifications:

a. For class tests the question papers shall be prepared and answer books shall be evaluated by the class teachers in case of both Annual and Semester systems.

b. In the Annual System, the theory papers for Annual (Professional) Examinations shall be prepared containing both Multiple Choice (MCQs) and essay type questions (SAQs).

c. The Practical Examinations shall be conducted jointly by an internal and external examiner for every subject. The internal examiner will be appointed by the Principal / Head of the Department

d. Two (02) sets of Question Papers with answers Keys, marking schemes and table of specifications (one for Annual/Semester and one for Re-site Examinations) must be submitted to the Examination Department in soft and printed format.

e. The question paper must be submitted to the Examination Department one month prior to the Exam.

16. Paper Moderation. Paper moderation will be done by the Internal and External Examiners in the Examination Department under the supervision of controller /deputy controller of Examinations.

17. Paper Template. Each Examination Paper must be covered with a title page which must include the following:

a. University name and logos

b. College/Department Name

c. Course / Module/ Block title

d. Assessment Component (MCQs/SAQs/IPEs)

e. Maximum Marks

f. Examination Session (Annual/ Semester: Spring / Fall)

g. Date & time

h. Duration

i. Instructions for candidates to include:

(1) Number of questions to be attempted, including section requirements if paper comprises more than one Section

(2) Use of answer books

(3) Use of Calculators

j. Specific instructions related to the MCQs paper:

(1) Each multiple choice question is followed by up to five options; Select the most appropriate.

(2) Read the STEM very carefully and fill the appropriate circle on OMR Sheet accordingly.

(3) Answer with more than one or not filling the circle, will not be considered for marking.

(4) Please attempt all questions.

k. Specific instructions related to the SAQs paper:

(1) The number of compulsory questions.

(2) Please write your answer strictly to the point and in legible hand writing.

(3) Illustrate your answer with diagrams, figures, tables etc.

l. Paper Structure:

(1) Each question numbered consecutively.

(2) Each page numbered as Page 1 of N, Page 2 of N, etc.

(3) Font : Times New Roman; Size 12; 1.5 spacing

(4) Use letters (a), (b), (c) for each part of a question

(5) Use (i), (ii), (iii) for divisions within a part of a question

(6) Use (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) for options of a Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

(7) All diagrams and tables should be numbered or labeled consecutively throughout the paper as follows: “Table1, Table 2, …. Fig 1, Fig 2………”

(8) Total Maximum Marks

(9) Attainable marks must be shown for each part and for each question

18. Paper Terminology and Language:

a. The language used in the question must be comprehensive and unambiguous.

b. Ensure that the question sufficiently reflects what you require from a candidate to provide.

c. Question paper as whole should cover the maximum contents of the course taught for a subject.

19. Answer Key of the Paper:

a. To be provided with the question paper.

b. For Multiple Choice Questions, the answer key must be prepared on the OMR sheet.

c. For descriptive questions (SAQs), the main points will be included in the answer.

20. Marking Schemes:

a. The maximum marks attainable are 100 or multiples of 100. However, final marks are re-adjusted according to the Table of Specifications.

b. Marks are assigned on the paper for each main part of a question, indicated (a), (b), (c), and for the question as a whole, in correlation with the marking scheme.

c. The marking scheme/table of specifications provides a more detailed breakdown of the marks.

d. In Descriptive Answers, marks are allocated among the main points of the answer. The emphasis must be on the content of the answer.

21. Security of Question Papers. An extreme security is necessary in relation to Examination Question Papers. Draft/Final papers must be kept in a secure location at all times. Following security measures can be taken in this regard:

a. Question Papers are prepared on the stand alone PC only (not connected to any network or internet)

b. Question Papers are stored on a removable disk (DVD) and not on the Computer’s hard disk or network drive.

c. Under no circumstances draft papers are to be kept on desks or on open files on computers.

22. Printing of Question Papers:

a. Question papers will be printed in the Examination Department.

b. The paper size should be A4 or as per requirement.

c. MCQs paper must be printed in a booklet format.

d. It must be printed on both sides of the paper.

e. Sufficient copies of each question paper should be made to provide copies for the candidates, for examiners’ use and for record purposes.

f. Question paper for each examination must be finalized at least Fifteen (15) days before the scheduled examination.

g. Papers must be kept in sealed envelopes under lock and key.

23. Delivery of Examination Question Papers:

a. The Examination Department Staff will be responsible for delivering the question papers to the Examination Center Superintendent (ECS) / Head Invigilator at the examination hall no later than 30 minutes prior to the commencement of the examination. Any other materials such as candidates’ attendance sheets, seating arrangement map etc should also be given to the ECS.

b. Question papers must be delivered in sealed envelope with the Script books, OMR sheets and complete rubric pasted to the outside of the envelope showing the title of the exam, date, time, instructions to candidates etc.

c. It is the responsibility of the ECS to make sure that all the seals are intact and have not been tampered with.

d. There must be enough papers for the maximum possible number of candidates with a couple of extra copies.

e. Any delay in the delivery of papers to the venue must be reported immediately to the concerned.

f. Each envelope of question paper must be accompanied by the Addressed envelope(s) large enough for the return of completed script books, exam attendance sheets and extra question papers.

24. Collection of Examination Scripts:

a. The script books and any other examination materials must be collected from the invigilators at the conclusion of the examination.

b. It is the responsibility of the Examination Center Superintendent (ECS) / Head Invigilator to count all the script books and keep them in order according to the attendance sheet before handing over to the Exam Staff and leaving the Examination Hall.

c. The Examination Department staff will count all scripts to make sure that all the question papers, answer sheets, attendance lists etc are returned.

d. In the event of a discrepancy, the Examinations Department must be notified immediately.

In Semester System theory papers, containing both Multiple Choice (MCQs) and essay type questions, for Mid-Semester and End-Semester examinations in all courses shall be prepared and evaluated by the class teachers. In case a class teacher becomes unavailable due to certain reason, any other teacher of the same subject is to prepare and/or evaluate the examination papers and conduct practical. In case there is more than one section of the same course which is taught by different teachers, the senior most of them should be appointed as the coordinator of the course. In consultation with the teachers of the other sections and accommodating their choice of questions, the coordinator is to prepare joint theory papers for the two examinations to be given to the students of all the sections. However, the answer books of the students of each section are to be evaluated by the teacher of the respective section.

26. Examinations’ Results Submission, Compilation and Declaration:

a. Examinations’ results shall be submitted by the examiners to the Examinations Department in the time frame specified by the Examinations Department.

b. Results shall be compiled as per standardized procedure in the Secrecy Section of the university, and are to be double checked by an authorized person of the Section.

c. The Controller of Examinations submits the results to the Vice Chancellor for approval. However, the Vice Chancellor may authorize the Controller of Examinations to approve the results, to whom the Deputy Controller of Examinations or another authorized person will submit the results for approval.

d. Results are never to be declared before approval.

e. Results are to be declared under the signature of the Controller of Examinations as a separate document known as ‘Result Notification’. However, the Controller of Examinations may delegate this authority to Deputy Controller of Examinations or Assistant Controller of Examinations.

f. The results are to be publicized through appropriate means if necessary and shall be posted on the university’s website.

g. The result of students who complete all the requirements for graduation will be compiled as a separate document known as ‘Gazette Notification’ which is to include the final grades or percentage marks of the students, and is to be issued under the signature of the Controller of Examinations. This authority shall not be delegated to any lower ranking official under normal circumstances. But in case of absence of the Controller of Examinations and urgency the Vice Chancellor may authorize issue of Gazette Notification under signature of Deputy Controller of Examinations.

27. Remuneration to Examiners and Invigilation Staff. Remuneration is paid to the Internal and External Examiners for paper moderation and marking scripts (answer sheets) according to the rates approved by the University for various categories.

28. Re-Totaling and Re-Evaluation of Examination Papers:

a. Re-Totaling means to check for any numerical mistakes and omissions only. It shall be carried out by an individual or a committee as per rules and not by the examiner who has originally evaluated the paper.

b. Re-Evaluation means to assess the answers for the second time by the same or another examiner to see if the marks which are already given can be changed.
Re-evaluation of papers is not to be allowed under any circumstances. However, answer(s) detected during rechecking as left un-assessed, shall be assessed by the concerned examiner, and marks given for such answer(s) shall be added to the student’s credit. During this process the examiner will not be allowed to change the marks of the other answers. If the same examiner is not available due to any reason, another teacher of the same subject is to be entrusted for assessing the un-assessed answer(s).

c. In all examinations, students may get their papers re-totaled by submitting written request within 10 days of the declaration of results and paying the required fee. The request for re-evaluation is not to be accepted.

d. There will be a fee for the request of Re-Totaling. This fee can be revised by the University Authorities according to the requirements.

e. After Re-Totaling, the final decision is approved by the Controller of Examinations.

29. Preparation and Issuance of Transcripts / Detail Marks Certificates (DMC):

a. Semester Transcripts (Semester Result) or Annual Detail Marks Certificates (DMC) of students are to be issued automatically at the end of every semester/year after declaration of results with the exception of graduating students who shall receive Final Transcripts or Final DMC.

b. Transcripts are prepared by the Examination staff on a special paper.

c. University seal is affixed on the transcripts.

d. Interim and final Transcripts are issued within fifteen days of the declarations of result.

e. Transcripts and DMCs are to be dispersed through the offices of the Heads of respective departments, Principals/Directors of colleges/institutes or directly from the office of the Controller of Examinations.

f. Duplicate transcripts are issued on Payment.

g. Duplicate transcripts are issued within 7 days after the date of submission of the request form.

h. Postage of Transcript(s) can be arranged on written request of students. Current rates for local/overseas postage/courier service shall apply for delivery through mail.

i. One or more copies of Interim Transcripts and DMCs can be issued to students any time on their request on payment of charges.

j. The graduating students will automatically receive only one copy of Final Transcript or Final DMC.

30. Printing, Custody, Preparation and Audit of Degrees and Diplomas:

a. Proforma for degrees and diplomas (of more than 6 months duration) are to be printed on security paper in the Government’s Security Printing Press (unless the university establishes its own secure printing facilities or arranges its printing from elsewhere).

b. The blank degrees/diplomas shall remain under the custody of the Registrar’s Secretariat under strict security.

c. Degrees / diplomas shall be prepared for the graduating students only in the Secrecy Section by the Examinations Department, and shall be provided for signatures to the Registrar who will also affix the university seal on these.

d. The registrar will submit the degrees/diplomas after his signature to the Vice Chancellor for signature.

e. A complete and up-to-date record of the consumed and blank degrees/diplomas is to be maintained by the Controller of Examinations.

f. A regular audit is to be done every semester for the degrees being awarded under Semester System, and every year for the degrees being awarded under Annual System. The audit will be conducted by a committee comprising of two senior university officials appointed by the Vice Chancellor.

31. Award of Degrees, Diplomas, Medals and Merit Certificates:

a. Graduating students, who complete all the requirements, clear all the dues and obtain final clearance, shall receive degrees/diplomas in convocation on submission of ‘Degree/Diplomas Request’.

b. A diploma of 6 months or less duration is to be given without convocation. Procedure for obtaining final clearance and submitting ‘Degree/Diplomas Request’ is to be approved by the Registrar.

c. Degrees and diplomas (of more than 6 months duration) shall not normally be issued before the convocation. However, in case of urgency a student may obtain a certificate from the Controller of Examinations indicating the completion of the degree/diploma program.

32. Graduates who could not attend the convocation shall personally receive their degrees/diplomas from the Registrar’s Secretariat or offices of the Heads of respective departments, Principals/Directors of colleges / institutes or directly from the office of the Controller of Examinations. Alternately, degree / diplomas may be obtained through a third person or by special mail service following a set procedure to be approved by the Vice Chancellor. However, this shall be at the risk and expense of the graduate. This entire procedure shall also be applicable to the award of medals and merit certificates etc.

33. The format and design of transcripts, medals and merit certificates are to be approved by the Vice Chancellor, whereas the design and format of the degrees and diplomas (of more than 6 months duration) are to be approved by the University Academic Council. The designs of diplomas of 6 months or less duration are to be approved by the Vice Chancellor.

34. Special Rules and Procedures for MBBS / BDS Examinations:

a. Principal will nominate a Professional Exam Coordinator from amongst the Internal Examiners of the professional examinations.

b. Professional Exam Coordinators are responsible for submission of two sets of question papers (MCQs and SAQs) with the Table of Specifications after collaborating with other Internal Examiners to Examination Department in a soft and printed format.

c. External Examiners are also required to submit two sets of question papers to Examination Department in a soft and printed format.

d. Examination Department is responsible for final paper setting in consultation with External and Internal Examiners (moderation).

e. Professional Exam Coordinator are responsible for preparing answer keys/marking scheme/suggested solutions, liaising with other Internal and External Examiners as required, marking scripts, compiling and submission of proposed marks after consultation with other External Examiners, participating in result compilation process.

f. Marking of Scripts and Examinations Results:

(1) The final result of Semester/Annual examinations is an aggregate of the marks obtained by the students in Summative (professional examinations) and continuous assessment (30% weight age) of blocks/courses/clerkships taken during the respective year. However, weightage of the continuous and summative assessment may vary in different disciplines.

(2) Continuous and Summative (Annual/Semester) Assessment

(3) The continuous assessment is constituted out of the cognitive and performance assessment according to the course level and the nature of the learning required. The cognitive components may include Selected Response Test (e.g. MCQs) and Constructed Response Test (e.g. SAQs) etc.

(4) Weightage for the cognitive and assessment will be 50% for each.

(5) The Continuous as well as summative assessments are held according to the predefined table of specification.

(6) All the script books and OMR response sheets must be received by the examination staff as per the candidates’ attendance sheet.

35. Distribution of Scripts books to Internal & External Examiners for Marking:

a. Each candidate’s roll number written on the detachable slip (stub) on the script book will be replaced by a unique university code.

b. This unique code will be written at two places; one on the detachable slip and other on the script book.

c. Before distribution of script books to the examiners for marking, this detachable slip must be separated and kept by the Exam Department.

d. Script books delivered to the examiners for marking must be in sealed envelope.

e. A template for the Award List with the assigned university codes must be provided to the examiners.

36. Marking of Papers:

a. Examiners are required to record marks against each question according to the marking scheme.

b. Marks are recorded as “mark achieved/max mark” for each question.

c. The total marks/max marks for each question are transferred to the front page of the Script book. (Appendix – Title page of script book)

d. Examiners transfer the marks on the Award List provided by the examination department.

e. Where more than one internal examiners share an examination paper, it is the responsibility of the Internal Examiners to complete one joint Award List.

37. Return of Marked Papers. Examiners must return marked scripts with the award list to the Examination Department by the due date.

38. Compilation of Results:

a. Examination Department starts result compilation on receipt of all the award lists.

b. It is the responsibility of the Examination staff to transfer marks from the Award List to the following “Spread Sheet”

Reg #

Name

Father’s Name

Roll #

Theory

Practical

Total

Remarks

MCQs Total

SAQs Total

MCQs & SAQs Total

Internal Evaluation

Theory Total

Practical Total

Continuous Evaluation

IPEs Total

Pass/Fail

c. This Spread sheet consists of the summative as well as continuous assessment scores.

d. Figures should NOT be rounded until the overall calculation is complete.

e. After thorough verification, the results are signed by the Controller Examinations and forwarded to the respective colleges/faculties.

f. It is of the utmost importance that results are prepared by the due dates. Failure to adhere to these dates causes students undesirable and unnecessary apprehension and further delay in re-sit exam and start of the new academic session.

39. Special Rules and Procedures for BSN, PRN and other Nursing related Examinations:

a. Examinations to be conducted on Annual basis.

b. Examinations passing percentages:

(1) Theory : 60%

(2) Clinical/Practical exam : 75%

(3) Anatomy & Physiology VIVA or OSCE : 60%

(4) Failure in either theory or VIVA or OSCE will be considered failure in that subject

40. Number of Attempts:

a. If a student fails in the final examinations, only one chance will be given to appear in supplementary examinations of the same year.

b. If the student fails the supplementary examination, then he/she will not be promoted to next year and would be required to appear in all papers next year.

c. If the student fails the supplementary examination, then the Student Progress Committee will take decision for further progress based on students’ previous records.

41. Initiation of Internship. Student has to pass the Final year professional exam to be able to initiate internship.

42. Duration for Completion:

a. Maximum time period for the completion of BSN Degree course is six (6) Years

b. Maximum time period for the completion of PRN degree is three (3) years.

43. Paper Setting / Moderation:

a. Lists of Internal and External Examiners will be forwarded to the Controller Examinations for final selection of Examiners.

b. Paper Setting / Moderation will be according to the University Rules.

c. Additional rules/policies formulated by PNC shall be followed.

44. Exam Weightage:

a. Internal assessments will be given 40% weightage.

b. External assessment will be given 60% weightage.

45. Curricula for the Professional Examinations of Nursing will be approved by the Academic Council of the University and PNC.

Chapter - 7 (MS/M.Phil and PhD Regulations)

MS/MPhil Regulations, 2018 effective June 30, 2018, notified vide Registrar’s No. 49/2018 dated July 3, 2018, abrogated the provisions of these regulations pertaining to MS/MPhil programmes.

1. Introduction. These Regulations shall apply to all MS/MPhil/PhD and equivalent degree programmes conducted in the Constituent and Affiliated Units of STMU. These regulations, called “MS/MPhil & PhD Regulations”, shall be read in conjunction with the general regulations of the University. In matters where these regulations are silent, relevant rules, regulations and procedures of STMU shall apply. In case of any doubt regarding the interpretation of these regulations and in matters not clearly covered under these and other regulations of university, the matter shall be referred to the Academic Council for the final decision.

2. Definitions. In these regulations, unless otherwise specified, or unless there is anything repugnant to the Act and Statutes of STMU, the expressions used in these regulations shall have the meanings as follows:

a. “Admission Committee” means a committee of academic and research staff of the University and/or other qualified persons constituted by the Head of the Constituent Unit/Dean to determine suitability of MS/MPhil/PhD Candidates for admission.

b. “Advisory Committee” means a committee of academic and research staff of the University and other qualified persons approved/ratified by the university to ensure the integrity and quality of a PhD Candidate’s Comprehensive Examination and an MS/MPhil/PhD Candidate’s research work.

c. “Candidate”means a person seeking or pursuing an MS/MPhil/PhD programme.

d. “Comprehensive Examination” An examination conducted after the successful completion of coursework of a PhD programme, to ascertain the suitability of a Candidate to undertake researchwork. The examination will carry no credit.

e. “Co-Supervisor”means a member of academic and/or research staff of the University or a person (from outside the University) who shall, on the basis of his expertise in the field of study of a candidate, assist the principal supervisor in ensuring the effective supervision of the research work of a candidate. The Co-Supervisor will be approved/ratified by the GSRMC (Graduate Studies & Research Management Council).

f. “Defence” means a Candidate’s defence of their research work, in the form of presentation and/or demonstration, before the Panel of Examiners, in the presence of the senior academic and research staff and other interested persons, within and outside the University, as may be invited by the University.

g. “Department”means a Department of a Constituent Unit of the University in which a Candidate is enrolled for his/her studies.

h. “Examiner” means a person, qualified and highly experienced in the area of research of a Candidate, approved/ratified by the GSRMC to examine and/or evaluate the thesis work of the Candidate.

i. “External Examiner”means a scholar from within or outside Pakistan, not an employee of the STMU at the time, who will evaluate the thesis of a candidate. The External Examiner shall have a PhD Degree in the relevant field and will be approved/ratified by the GSRMC.

j. “HOD” Head of the Department responsible for conducting MS/MPhil/PhD programmes.

k. “Graduate Studies & Research Management Council (GSRMC)” means the council constituted under the statutes as provided in section 15b of the university Act.

l. “List of Examiners”means a list of academic and research staff of the University and other persons (from outside the University) which is approved/ratified by the GSRMC on the basis of their qualification to conduct examination and evaluate thesis of a candidate.

m. “List of Supervisors”means a list of academic and research staff of the University and other persons (from outside the University) who are qualified to be appointed as supervisors of the candidates. The list of supervisors shall be approved/ratified by the GSRMC.

n. “Panel of Examiners”means a panel of academics of the University and other persons from outside the University who are approved/ratified by the GSRMC to conduct the thesis defence of a Candidate.

o. “Principal Supervisor”means a member of academic and research staff of the University or a person from outside the University who has expertise in the field of study of a Candidate and is approved/ratified by the GSRMC to supervise the research work of a Candidate.

p. “Programme” means an MS/MPhil/Equivalent and PhD programmes of study.

q. “Research”means the process leading to the production of original scholarly work in the form of a thesis for the purpose of obtaining MS/MPhil/PhD degree.

r. “Thesis”means the written description of results of an original research undertaken for the purpose of obtaining MS/MPhil/PhD degree.

3. Admission and Registration Procedure. The application on the prescribed form, supported with relevant documents mentioned in the application form, shall be submitted to the University Admission Office or to college/department authorized to receive such applications.

4. Applications received shall be scrutinized for eligibility by an Admission Committee of the Department. The HOD shall chair the Admission Committee which shall be constituted by the Head of the Constituent Unit/Dean. The Admission Committee shall comprise at least three senior faculty members holding a degree not lower than that of the programme applied for.

5. The Admission Committee shall interview the applicants to assess their suitability for the programme applied for. Any selection procedure, including test, may be used to assess the suitability of the candidates. The Admission Committee shall recommend suitable candidates to the university for admission to MS/MPhil/PhD Programme.

6. The Admission Office of university shall send offer letters to successful candidates. The selected candidates shall be required to register on or before the date given in the offer letter; the failure to do so shall result in the cancellation of admission.

7. Eligibility. Eligibility criteria for MS/MPhil and PhD programmes will be as under:

a. MS/MPhil Programmes. Master’s degree or equivalent with sixteen (16) years of education in a subject relevant to the field of study; or Bachelor’s degree or equivalent with sixteen (16) years of education (130 credit hours post FA/FSc/HSSC/Grade-12 equivalent) in a subject relevant to the field of study.

b. MS/MPhil Programmes Leading to PhD. For MS/MPhil programmes leading to PhD, the eligibility criterion shall be a Master’s/Bachelor’s degree with sixteen (16) years of education (130 credit hours post FA/FSc/HSSC/Grade-12 equivalent) in a subject relevant to the field of study.

c. PhD Programmes. MS/MPhil degree or equivalent with eighteen (18) years of education in a subject relevant to the field of study.

d. A minimum CGPA of 3.0 out of 4.0 in the semester system or 60% marks in the annual system.

e. Following documents shall accompany the application:

(1) A Statement of Purpose (for MS/MPhil programmes) and a Research Proposal in the area of interest (for PhD programmes).

(2) NTS/GRE/Equivalent Score Card or any other requirement laid down by HEC for admission in the above mentioned programmes.

8. Programme of Study. MS/MPhil and PhD programmes shall consist of two parts – coursework and research work – with credits as tabulated below:

MS/MPhil Programmes

(Credit Hours)

PhD Programmes

(Credit Hours)

Course work:

Twenty Four (24)

Eighteen (18)

Research work:

Six (6)

Thirty Six (36)

9. The GSRMC may, on the recommendations of the Department, approve/ratify exemption of any MS/MPhil/PhD level course(s) already taken by a candidate provided that:

a. The candidate has obtained a minimum CGPA of 3.0 on the scale of 4.0, or 60% marks, in the exempted course(s).

b. The Candidate had completed the exempted course(s) from an HEC recognised university/institute.

c. The transfer of credits do not exceed 50% of the total credits of the MS/MPhil/PhD offered at STMU.

10. The final transcript of the candidate shall indicate the exempted course(s)with credits, in the result column their status shall be mentioned as “exempted courses”. The CGPA of the candidate shall be calculated on the basis of only those courses taken by the Candidate at STMU.

11. Duration of the MS/MPhil/PhD Programmes. Duration of the MS/MPhil/PhD Programmes shall be as follows:

	MS/MPhil Programmes (Yrs)	PhD Programmes (Yrs)
Residency Requirement:	Two (2)	Three (3)
Minimum Completion Period:	Two (2)	Three (3)
Maximum Completion Period:	Three (3)	Six (6)

12. The period for completion of MS/MPhil/PhD programme shall be counted from the date of registration in a particular semester.

13. In exceptional cases, on the recommendations of and satisfactory progress report by the supervisor(s), the GSRMC may approve an extensionof maximum one year in the required period for completion of MS/MPhil/PhD programme. If extension is granted, the candidate shall be required to maintain registration and pay the required amount of fee for the extended period.

14. Candidates migrating from other universities shall complete the respective residency requirement. In exceptional cases, the GSRMC may relax a maximum of one year in residency requirement and may allow the Candidate to submit the thesis on completion of one-year after enrollment (for MS/MPhil programmes) and two-year after enrollment (for PhD programmes) with the University. The GSRMC may allow similar relaxation in residency requirement in re-admission cases.

15. Pursuing MS/MPhil/PhD Level Courses outside STMU. Candidates may take courses, which are a part of MS/MPhil/PhD roadmaps but are not offered at STMU, in other HEC recognised institutions, with the prior approval of the HOD.In case, a course is not part of the existing MS/MPhil/PhD roadmaps of STMU, permission of the Controller of Examinations shall be sought to pursue the said course in other HEC recognised institutions.

16. Minimum CGPA Requirements. An MS/MPhil Candidate is required to achieve a minimum of CGPA 2.5/4.0 in coursework, and a PhD Candidate 3.0/4.0, in order to proceed to the next stage of the programme.

17. A PhD candidate with less than 3.0 but at least 2.0 CGPA may repeat a maximum of two courses in which he/she received a GPA less than 3.0, to improve his/her CGPA.

18. Course Repetition Procedure. Course Repetition Procedure will be as under:

a. A candidate shall apply to the HOD for permission to repeat a course. The Head of College/Department will decide the case taking due cognizance of the Supervisor’s recommendation.

b. The candidate shall have to pay the prescribed tuition fee for the course(s) he/she wishes to repeat.

c. The transcript shall show both the old and new earned grade(s), but the CGPA shall be calculated on the basis of the better of the two grades.

d. The Candidate shall have to repeat the course(s) within two semesters after the first attempt.

19. Advisory Committee. To conduct Comprehensive Examination of a PhD candidate and to ensure the quality and integrity of an MS/MPhil/PhD Candidate’s research work, the GSRMC, on the recommendation of the Dean of the Faculty, shall appoint an Advisory Committee for the candidate, comprising the following four members, in the least:

a. The Principal Supervisor – Chairperson

b. A senior faculty member of the Department/College

c. A representative of the GSRMC

d. An expert from outside STMU

20. The Chairperson and Members of the Advisory Committee shall hold a degree not lower than the respective programme of the candidate. The Principal Supervisor will be a member of the academic staff of STMU. If a suitable Principal Supervisor is not available from within the university, the GSRMC may appoint a Principal Supervisor from outside. The GSRMC may appoint a co-supervisor if his/her expertise is relevant to the research area of the candidate. The GSRMC may, on the recommendation of the HOD or Dean of Faculty, approve a change in the membership of the Advisory Committee.

21. Comprehensive Examination (only for PhD Candidates). Having passed the coursework satisfactorily, with minimum CGPA 3.0/4.0, a PhD candidate shall be required to pass a Comprehensive Examination, written as well as oral, in his/her field of study before being allowed to start research.

22. The Advisory Committee shall conduct written and oral Comprehensive Examination and award a “Pass”/“Fail” grade to the candidate. The result of the Comprehensive Examination shall be submitted to the GSRMC for approval. If successful, the PhD Candidate shall be allowed to start research.

23. A PhD candidate shall be given two (2) chances to pass the Comprehensive Examination. Having failed in the first attempt, the candidate will be given a second chance within six months of the first to pass the examination. On failure in the second attempt too, the candidate shall drop from the respective programme, but will be considered for the award of the next lower degree if he/she fulfills the requirements of that degree.

24. Research Supervision. An MS/MPhil/PhD candidate is not required to develop a research proposal before having passed the coursework with required CGPA. However, the candidate may explore potential areas of research even during the coursework. The HOD will appoint a faculty member to provide research guidance to such candidates during their course work.

25. The Principal Supervisorshall guide the candidates at various stages of research. The candidates, however, shall be expected to come up with original ideas during the course of research work and carry it forward under the supervision of the Advisory Committee.

26. The Principal Supervisorshall check the draft thesis for conceptual, substantive, analytical and technical contents and shall ensure that the suggested changes, if any, have been made. The Advisory Committee shall evaluate and approve the thesis for external evaluation.

27. The Principal Supervisor shall not be changed except under extraordinary circumstances. In case of a serious problem between a Candidate and the Principal Supervisor, the Candidate may request the HOD to change his/her Principal Supervisor. The HOD shall investigate the matter and submit a report to the GSRMC. The GSRMC shall take the final decision on the matter.

28. Research Requirements. An MS/MPhil candidate will commence research work after completing course work while a PhD Candidate will start his/her after passing the comprehensive examination, under the supervision of the Principal Supervisor and/or Co-supervisor. The MS/MPhil candidate shall develop a research proposal, within three (3) months, and the PhD candidate after six (6) months, clearly identifying the research problem, and defending it orally before the Advisory Committee and interested audience.

29. The research proposal shall include: Introduction of the topic selected for Research, Research Objective(s), Problem Statement, Research Question, Significance of the Study, Literature Review, Conceptual Framework, Methodology, Expected Outcome, Implications, Structure of the Thesis, etc.

30. The candidate shall submit the research proposal to the HOD, through the Principal Supervisor, at least seven (7) days before the defence date. The HOD will notify the schedule and make arrangements for the defence of the research proposal. Copies of the notification will be provided to the Dean of Faculty and Controller of Examinations.

31. The Advisory Committee shall conduct the oral defence of research proposal, after which it shall meet to determine the status of the research proposal. The Advisory Committee shall either accept or reject the research proposal, or ask the candidate to revise it in the light of suggestions of the Advisory Committee. If the research proposal is accepted, the candidate shall be allowed to carry out research. If changes are suggested, the Candidate shall incorporate them and continue research work.

32. If the proposal is rejected, the Candidate will be required to present a new proposal. The Advisory Committee will specify the time period for the defence of the new research proposal. If a Candidate’s proposal is rejected thrice, the HOD concerned, on the recommendation of the Advisory Committee, shall forward the case to the GSRMC for cancellation of his/her programme candidature.

33. The Principal Supervisor shall provide the Research Proposal Defence Report to the HOD. The HOD shall submit a copy of the report to the Dean of Faculty and the Controller of Examinations.

34. GSRMC may formulate/modify/amend such regulations which may be considered necessary to meet the research requirements of the candidates.

35. Progress Report. The Principal Supervisor shall submit to the Dean, through the HOD, quarterly progress report of a candidate. In case of an unsatisfactory progress report, the Advisory Committee will hold a meeting to find out the reasons for the lack of progress in the research work of the candidate. The Committee may interview the Candidate, suggest remedial measures and require the candidate to demonstrate satisfactory progress in research work within the stipulated time period.

36. If an MS/MPhil candidate has received two (2) consecutive unsatisfactory reports, and the PhD candidate three (3), the GSRMC, on the recommendations of the Dean, the HOD, and the Advisory Committee, may terminate the candidate’s programme candidature and instead consider him/her for the award of the next lower degree in the relevant field provided the candidate fulfills the requirements of that degree. The decision of the GSRMC shall be communicated in writing to the Candidate within fifteen (15) days of the date of decision.

37. Final Seminar. A candidate must give a public seminar, on a topic related to his/her area of research, at least one (1) month before the planned submission date of the thesis for an MS/MPhil programme and three (3) months before the said date for a PhD programme. In the seminar, the candidate may give an overview of major findings of the thesis.

38. The Advisory Committee shall attend the seminar to award a “Satisfactory” or “Unsatisfactory” grade to the candidate. The Advisory Committee shall submit the Seminar Report to the Dean of the Faculty and the Controller of Examinations. If the seminar is assessed “Unsatisfactory”, an MS/MPhil Candidate shall be required to give the seminar again within three (3) weeks of the previous seminar, and a PhD candidate within three (3) months.

39. Thesis Requirements. An MS/MPhil/PhD candidate shall be responsible to complete all degree requirements and clear all dues prior to the submission of thesis for final evaluation.

40. The PhD candidates shall publish at least one research paper in an HEC recognised journal of international repute prior to the submission of final draft of the thesis to the University.

41. The thesisis expected to be the Candidate’s own account of the work undertaken. The thesis may consist of a single written work. The language of expression and analysis must be English and must reach a satisfactory standard of literary presentation.

42. Additionally for PhD programmes, the thesis is expected to make a distinct contribution to knowledge and must show the evidence of originality by the discovery of new facts and/or by offering new interpretation. It is expected to be pushing the frontiers of knowledge.

43. Any change in the topic of the thesis, if made without changing the main theme, shall be approved/ratified by the GSRMC on the recommendation of the Advisory Committee. If due to this change, the research is to be conducted in an entirely new area, the Advisory Committee shall treat it as a new research proposal and follow the course applicable to a new research proposal.

44. The text format, referencing, and similar other requirements must conform to the University standards. The Principal Supervisor and the HOD shall each certify that the submitted thesis is in format and of an editorial standard recognised by the University.

45. The candidate shall submit a declaration that the thesis has not already been submitted, in part or as a whole, and shall not be submitted by him/her in the future for obtaining any other degree from this or other university or institution.

46. The candidate shall submit to the Controller of Examinations, through the HOD/Dean, a Plagiarism Detection Report on the thesis for its final evaluation. The Similarity Index should not exceed the limit imposed by the HEC or the respective Regulatory Body. The plagiarism detection process shall exclude preliminary part of the thesis (title pages, acknowledgments, table of contents and the list of figures/tables) as well as the end-matter (list of references, biography and glossary).

47. After approval of the thesis by the Advisory Committee, the Candidate shall submit four copies of the thesis, along with a soft copy, to the Controller of Examinations, through the HODand Dean of Faculty, for evaluation.

48. Thesis Evaluation. In consultation with the Principal Supervisor, the HOD, through the Dean of Faculty, shall submit to the Controller of Examinations, the names of five (5) External Examiners (in case of a PhD Candidate, these five examiners will be from technically advanced countries), out of the GSRMC approved List of External Examiners. The Vice Chancellor will nominate two (2) of them to evaluate the thesis. The identity of the approved Examiners shall not be disclosed to the candidate until the evaluation reports have been received.

49. The External Examinersshall be requested to examine the thesis and send their evaluation reports within eight (8) weeks of the receipt of the thesis. Where an examiner is unable to meet the original or a re-negotiated deadline, the Vice Chancellor may appoint another examiner out of the List of Approved Examiners.

50. The thesis shall be evaluated as “Approved,” “Not Approved” or “Conditionally Approved”. The “Conditionally Approved” evaluation report shall mean that an Examiner wants the candidate to make specific change(s) in the thesis. The Examiner shall specify change(s) in the “Conditionally Approved” evaluation report. The candidate shall make the required changes in consultation with the Principal Supervisor, within the time period fixed by the GSRMC. If the candidate has made the suggested changes to the satisfaction of the Examiner who suggested changes, the thesis shall be considered to have received an “Approved” evaluation report after the Examiner has approved the changes in writing.

51. If both Examiners evaluate the thesis as “Approved”, the candidate will be allowed to defend the thesis.

52. If one Examiner evaluates the thesis as “Approved” and the other evaluates it as “Conditionally Approved”, the Candidate shall be required to make the suggested changes to the satisfaction of that Examiner. If the Examiner approves the changes in writing, the candidate will be allowed to defend the thesis.

53. If both the Examiners evaluate the thesis as “Conditionally Approved”, the candidate shall be required to make the suggested changes to the satisfaction of both the Examiners. If both the Examiners approved the changes in writing, the candidate will be allowed to defend the thesis.

54. If one Examiner evaluates the thesis as “Approved”, while the other evaluates it as “Not Approved”, the thesis shall be sent to a third Examiner (Foreign Examiner for PhD Candidate) for evaluation. If the third Examiner evaluates the thesis as:

a. “Approved”, the Candidate will be allowed to defend the thesis.

b. “Conditionally Approved”, actions will be as mentioned in earlier paragraphs.

c. “Not Approved”, the Candidate fails and will be dropped out of the programme.

55. If one Examiner evaluates the thesis as “Conditionally Approved”and the other evaluates it as “Not Approved”, the thesis shall be sent to a third Examiner (Foreign Examiner for a PhD Candidate) for evaluation. If the third Examiner evaluates it as:

a. “Approved”, the actions will be as mentioned in earlier paragraphs.

b. “Conditionally Approved”, the actions will be as mentioned in earlier paragraphs.

c. “Not Approved”, the Candidate will be dropped out of the programme.

56. If both examiners send “Not Approved” evaluation reports, the candidate shall be deemed to have failed in producing an acceptable thesis for the award of degree and dropped out of the programme.

57. The aforementioned conditions are summarized in the following table:

Evaluation Report by the First Two Examiners	Evaluation Report by the Third Examiner (where required)	Candidate’s Action: Defend the Thesis, or Amend & Defend the Thesis, or Drop Out of the Programme (as per Article ..…)
Approved & Approved	–	Defend
Approved & Conditionally Approved	–	Amend & Defend
Conditionally Approved & Conditionally Approved	–	Amend & Defend
Approved & Not-Approved	Approved	Defend
	Conditionally Approved	Amend & Defend
	Not Approved	Drop out
Conditionally Approved & Not-Approved	Approved	Amend & Defend
	Conditionally Approved	Amend & Defend
	Not Approved	Drop out
Not Approved & Not Approved	–	Drop out

58. If a candidate is dropped out of a programme on the basis of “Not Approved” evaluation reports, the GSRMC may consider him/her for the award of the next lower degree subject to the fulfillment of requirements of that degree.

59. Thesis Defence. The GSRMC shall constitute a sub-committee and a Panel of Examiners to conduct the final defence of the thesis. The Panel of Examiners shall consist of the Advisory Committee and:

a. For MS/MPhil programmes, two Examiners – one External, one Internal – appointed by the HOD, on the recommendations of the Supervisor, out of the GSRMC approved list of local Examiners.

b. For PhD programmes, two External Examiners appointed by the Dean or Vice Chancellor, on the recommendations of the Principal Supervisor and HOD, out of the GSRMC approved list of Examiners.

60. The date of thesis defence shall be notified by the Controller of Examinations at least two weeks in advance. The format of the final thesis defence shall involve an oral presentation by the candidate followed by a question-answer session, before the GSRMC sub-committee and the Panel of Examiners. The thesis defence shall be open to all those interested, but the evaluation shall be done only by the Panel of Examiners.

61. The candidate shall be given three chances to defend the thesis successfully. After a failed attempt, the Panel of Examiners shall specify the time period within which a candidate shall be required to defend his/her thesis again.

62. If the candidate is successful in the thesis defence, the result shall be communicated to the GSRMC for further action towards award of the degree.

63. On failing to defend the thesis in three attempts, the candidate will not get the degree; instead, the Panel of Examiners may recommend the candidate’s case to the GSRMC for the award of next lower degree in the relevant field provided he/she fulfills the requirements of that degree.

64. Award of the Degree. Having satisfied itself to fulfillment of all requirements, the GSRMC shall recommend to the Vice Chancellor, through Controller of Examinations, the award of MS/MPhil/PhD degree to the candidate.

Chapter - 7 (Revised MS/M.Phil Regulations 2018)

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