Regulations on Cultivating Overseas Students in Master’s Program of Northwestern Polytechnical University
西北工业大学关于硕士留学研究生培养的具体规定
Regulations on Cultivating Overseas Students in Master’s Program of Northwestern Polytechnical University are formulated in accordance with conferring master’s degree on overseas students in Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Academic Degrees, Interim Measures for Implementation of the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Academic Degrees and norms of relevant documents carried out by the Academic Degree Committee of the State Council and Ministry of Education and in combination with practical situations of NPU.
These regulations are the main foundation for formulating and implementing the master’s program for overseas students. They are also the fundamental principles for those students’ recruitment and their master's degree conferment.
We offer two types of master’s program for those overseas students--- cultivated in English and in Chinese respectively. Those Disciplines that are authorized to confer master’s degree in NPU shall recruit applied overseas students and cultivate them in Chinese. As for English-cultivated disciplines, after being approved by the Graduate School of NPU, shall also recruit overseas students applying for master’s degree and cultivate them in English.
These regulations are the general requirements for cultivating overseas students in master’s program. Each separate discipline shall formulate its own cultivating program for overseas students. Once approved, the program shall be put into enforcement strictly. If there are any changes, alterations shall be made according to the original approval procedures.
The research fields and curriculum for the overseas students in master’s program shall be formulated in accordance with their different requirements. The provisions of cultivating objectives, cultivating plans, duration of study, cultivating process, publishing papers and requirements for scientific achievements are as follows:
A. Cultivating Objectives
a. to enable overseas students to have a comprehensive understanding of China, including its politics, economy, history as well as culture and to enable them to have basic capability to understand and communicate with others in Chinese.
b. to equip overseas students with all-round basic theories and systematic and professional knowledge in disciplines concerned, and with skills to do scientific research independently so as to make creative contributions in science and technology.
c. to benefit students’ physical and mental health, and to provide them with good academic ethics and spirits and to cultivate their scientific and practical learning attitude and working style.
A. Research Field
Research fields for overseas students in cultivating plans of master’s program should be listed explicitly.
The research fields are the basis of recruiting and cultivating the overseas students. The research fields are required to be in the third-level academic areas in disciplines. Mentors and other teachers in disciplines concerned are required to have done much research work and their programs are still continuing supported by stable subjects and funds in relevant fields. The research fields must reflect cutting edge of disciplines concerned, and follow advanced scientific development at home or abroad.
Those emerging research fields in the interdisciplinary or marginal disciplines can be incorporated into the master’s program based on relevant disciplines. The corresponding master’s program should be formulated after new disciplines’ approval and establishment.
B. Cultivating Plan
Cultivating overseas students in master’s program is based on the mentor responsibility system which adopts a mentor as the first responsible one or a mentor-based responsibility of the instructing team. The instructing team, composed of 3-5 associate professors and professional teachers (including mentors), shall be nominated by mentors and then approved by relevant schools with mentors playing a leading role in the overseas graduates’ cultivating according to research fields and contents of subjects. The instructing team shall assist mentors to instruct in courses, research work and dissertation. Schools and the Branch of Degree Committee shall guide and inspect the program of cultivating the overseas students’ pursuing master’s degree.
During the process of cultivating program, both theoretical study and scientific research shall be combined together. The program shall pay attention to cultivate the ability of doing scientific work creatively and independently, to teach them how to learn by themselves, how to analyze and solve practical problems. To participate in academic activities and to be engaged in research independently are encouraged and supported, and to select the research field of the thesis and to do exploring research are also welcomed. For those students who are lack of experience and expertise and interdisciplinary knowledge, mentors and schools shall create favorable environment for them to make up.
C. Types of Study and Duration
The master’s program requires 2~3 years of full-time study.
D. Curriculum Requirements
Overseas students in master’s program should get at least 27 credits in courses.
Curriculum requirements:
Curriculum |
Course Content |
Requirement |
Credits |
Compulsory Courses |
Public Courses (Chinese Language, Brief Introduction of China) |
Compulsory |
8 credits |
Basic Theory Courses |
Compulsory |
≥5 credits |
Basic Specialized Courses |
Compulsory |
6~10 credits |
Elective Courses |
Specialized Courses |
Elective |
≥ 8 credits |
The curriculum plans for overseas students in master’s program shall be completed within 20 days after enrollment, and the courses concerned shall be finished within one year after entrance.
The courses of basic theory, specialized basic courses and specialized courses for overseas students cultivated in Chinese shall be selected among the courses the same as in domestic academic master’s cultivating program. And the overseas students shall attend the classes concerned together with domestic students of NPU.
The basic theory courses, basic specialized courses and specialized courses of overseas students cultivated in English shall be taught in English. And all these courses can be selected among the courses in the master’s program of English-cultivated.
A. Cultivating Process
a. Course of Study
Course of study in the master’s program is an important process in cultivating postgraduates, which shall meet relevant requirements for credits.
b. Dissertation Proposal
The dissertation proposal in master’s program is a starting point for dissertation writing; it shall normally be carried out before the end of third semester. The students shall read relevant books, especially foreign literature works, and write literature review under the guidance of mentors. The proposal shall include significance of selected topic, research background, contents of research, expected objective, research methodology and premises of research etc.
Reviewing panels of master’s program shall be established under the agreement among the relevant school, the Branch of Degree Committee and mentors. The panels shall consist of at least three vice-senior professional technicians, one of them be the chairman of reviewing panels. The students are required to make a presentation on their dissertation proposal and then the reviewing panels evaluate the proposals strictly and make decisions.
The overseas students in the master’s program who pass the assessment shall be permitted to continue their dissertation writing. For those who fail, they shall be given yellow card warning and make rectifications within a time limit, and then make presentations again. If they still fail, their master’s degree shall be terminated or they shall be cultivated in other reversed programs.
The dissertation proposal of master’s program is designed to be finished before the end of the third semester. Whoever applying for defense in advance shall finish at the end of the second semester. The requirements for dissertation proposal are decided by mentors and the Branch of Degree Committees. The whole process from the proposal to application for defense of dissertation shall be no less than one year.
c. Mid-term Assessment
The interim progress report of the dissertation writing of master’s program shall be submitted and reported to the assessment team around six months after the approval of proposal. The content of the report shall include the following aspects: whether the dissertation writing is conducted in accordance with the previously expected contents and schedule of research or not; the completed research; academic research activities; current or potential problems and possible solutions, and further work of research. Materials such as submitted papers, published papers, patents and scientific research achievements shall be included in the reports.
In terms of the interim progress and the development of disciplines concerned, the overseas students in the master’s program are allowed to make necessary adjustments about certain contents in their proposals (including title, contents, schedule planning, etc). When they apply for the oral defense of dissertation of master’s degree, the contents of the dissertation shall be basically consistent with the confirmed contents in the mid-term assessment.
Similarly, the assessment team for the mid-term assessment is established under the agreement among the school, the Branch of Degree Committee and mentors. The team shall consist of at least three vice-senior professional technicians (one of them as the chairman). The assessment team shall evaluate the interim progress report. The overseas students in the master’s program who pass the assessment shall be permitted to continue their dissertation writing. For those who fail the assessment, they shall be given yellow card warning and need to modify it in stipulated time, and then report it again. If they still cannot pass the assessment, the master’s degree shall be terminated or they shall be cultivated in other programs.
d. Dissertation Writing
Dissertation of master’s degree is a systematic and academic research result done by the students independently under the guidance of their mentors. The dissertation shall be academic and be finished by considerable efforts, solve scientific problems in the disciplines concerned by taking advantage of existing theories or methodology, obtaining satisfactory results by conducting necessary theoretical analysis. As for the requirements of dissertation writing, please refer to The Regulations of Degree Dissertation Writing in Northwestern Polytechnical University.
The dissertation of overseas students cultivated in Chinese shall be written in Chinese and a corresponding abstract in English is required while cultivated in English shall be written in English and a corresponding abstract in Chinese is also required.
e. Dissertation Defense
The implementation of dissertation defense shall abide by the provisions of Degree Evaluation Committee of NPU.
The dissertation defense of the students cultivated in Chinese shall be done in Chinese while the cultivated in English shall be done in English.
