General Requirements

GENERAL REGULATIONS OF POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMAS AND HIGHER DEGREE PROGRAMMES

 

  1. Method of Application:

An application for admission into a course of study leading to a Postgraduate Diploma or higher degree shall be made on a prescribed on-line form of, the Postgraduate School, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi on payment of the relevant application fee. A generated set of completed form(s) together with copies of relevant documents and certificates shall be sent to the Secretary of the School. The candidate shall then cause his/her three referees to send their confidential reports on the Referees Report Form on-line. The candidate should also ask his/her former University/Institution to send his/her transcript to the Secretary, Postgraduate School.

  1. All candidates for Postgraduate Programs are normally considered for admission once a year; that is, at the beginning of an academic session.
  2. Any request by candidates who have applied for admission for change of Department, degree in view, field of’ study etc, must reach the Secretary, Postgraduate School before the last date for registration.

 

  1. Admission Requirements:

The following may qualify for registration for Postgraduate studies leading to the award of:

  1. Postgraduate Diploma (PGD)
  2. Graduates of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi or other recognized Universities in relevant areas.
  3. Holders of Higher National Diploma (HND) with minimum pass at credit level or equivalent in relevant areas from recognized institutions.

 

  1. Master Degree:
  2. Candidates who possess a Bachelor’s Degree in relevant areas from Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi or other recognized universities with a minimum of Second Class Honours.
  3. Candidates with Third Class Honours Degree or HND (in relevant areas) with appropriate Postgraduate Diploma of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi or from other recognized institutions with minimum CGPA of 3.5 (or at least Upper Credit in the Postgraduate Diploma). In addition, the holders of HND, PGD/PGDE Certificates should satisfy the basic School Certificate or GCE Ordinary Level entry requirements (credit in five relevant subjects) for admission into Bachelor’s Degrees of the respective departments.

 

  1. Doctor of Philosophy Degree
  2. Holders of Master Degree of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi or other recognized Universities with a minimum CGPA of 3.50 on a 5 point scale provided that satisfactory research work formed part of the degree. Relevant prerequisites apply.

 

  1. Admission Process:

Application forms are processed by the Departments hosting the programmes applied for in the first instance. Subsequently, the Postgraduate School Board meets to consider the submissions from Departments and recommends qualified candidates to the Chairman of Senate for approval.

 

  1. Fees

Tuition fees payable are as approved by the Governing Council of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi.

 

  1. Registration of Courses:
  2. Registration shall be as prescribed by University regulations.
  3. Screening of Certificates for clearance is for all candidates whether they are graduates of Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi or not. If it is discovered at any point in the programme that the candidate does not have the requisite qualifications claimed in the application or the entry qualification for the programme, the admission shall be cancelled.
  4. Only Master’s and Doctorate candidates may register for full-time or part-time; Postgraduate Diploma Candidates can register for full-time only.
  5. A full-time candidate, engaged in any work other than advanced study must submit the details to the Dean, Postgraduate School, through the College Postgraduate Committee (CPC), who will then recommend to the University Senate the minimum period to be prescribed for the candidate’s study. Where a candidate spends more than 12 hours a week or he/she is fully engaged in his employment, the candidate shall register for part-time. Those who violate this provision shall forfeit their Postgraduate registration.
  6. All postgraduate students shall continue to register until the Senate approves the candidate’s final results.
  7. It shall be the responsibility of a student to ensure that he/she is duly registered for the appropriate courses every semester.
  8. Courses are defined as those programme units whose grades are required to be submitted to the department for the computation of the cumulative grade point

average (CGPA) of the student.

  1. The postgraduate programme of all departments are structured in semesters.
  2. The credit hour for a Postgraduate Diploma or Higher Degree course shall normally fall between l and 3.
  3. It is left to the discretion of the department to determine the courses to be registered by the student in a semester provided that the total credit hours shall not be less than 12 and more than 18 for full-time students and not less than 6 or more than 9 for part-time students.
  4. Any course(s) constituting part of the student’s study towards Master and Doctorate Degrees shall be approved by Senate, taught and examined within the specified time.

 

 

 

 

  1. Renewal of Registration

A Postgraduate Student, Master’s or Doctorate degree, shall renew his/her registration at the beginning of each semester by payment of the appropriate fees and registration of courses. Any student who violates this rule shall be deemed to have forfeited the course(s) for that semester and shall not be allowed to register for the course(s) for that semester again until the beginning of the next corresponding semester. However, the period of such abandonment of the course will be part of the maximum period allowed for the course.

  1. A Postgraduate student who fails to renew his/her registration for two consecutive semesters without approval, will be deemed to have voluntarily withdrawn from the programme.

 

  1. Progress Report:

At the end of every session the College Postgraduate Committee shall send to Senate through the College Board and through Postgraduate School Board for every master and Ph.D. Students the following:

  1. A comprehensive assessment of the progress of the student; such assessment should normally include the student’s examination results (course work, seminars, practical and/or oral)
  2. A recommendation on whether the student shall continue on the programme registered for or be withdrawn.

 

  1. Duration of Programmes and Residential Requirements:

The maximum and minimum duration of Postgraduate Programmes shall be as follows:

  1. Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) Programmes

2 Semesters Minimum (1 Session)

4 Semesters Maximum (2 Sessions)

 

The above notwithstanding,  the duration for Engineering Programmes shall be

4 Semesters Minimum (2 Session)

6 Semesters Maximum (3 Sessions)

 

  1. Master Degree Programmes
  2. Full-Time

4 Semesters Minimum (2 Sessions)

6 Semesters Maximum (3 Sessions)

  1. Part-Time

6 Semester Minimum (3 Sessions)

8 Semesters Maximum (4 Sessions)

 

  1. Doctorate (Ph.D) Programmes
  2. Full-Time

6 Semesters Minimum (3 Sessions)

8 Semesters Maximum (4 Sessions)

 

  1. Part-Time:

8 Semesters Minimum (4 Sessions)

10 Semesters Maximum (5 Sessions)

 

The registration of a candidate for Higher Degree or Postgraduate Diploma shall elapse if after the maximum duration of the programme the candidate has not successfully completed his/her programme.

 

  1. Extension of period of study:

Above not withstanding, Senate can grant an extension of period of study based on exceptional circumstances. Application for extension should pass through the Supervisor, Head of Department, Dean of College, Postgraduate School Board and finally to Senate. Such extension cannot exceed one year for Master’s and two years for Ph.D.

 

  1. Revalidation

Revalidation of studentship is considered upon expiration of period of extension, under exceptional circumstances.  In this case, the student applies to Senate through the Department, College and Postgraduate School Board. A period equivalent to the normal residency may be approved. The student must qualify to graduate at the end of approved period or withdraws from University without further extension.

 

  1. Suspension of Studies:

Suspension of studies is only on ground of illness with evidence of medical report for not more than two (2) semesters in the first instance. If the illness persists, the balance of two (2) more semesters may be granted in the last instance.

This regulation came into force with effect from 2012/2013 academic session. (Paper for 253rd regular Senate, 22ndApril, 2014)

 

  1. Examination Requirements:
  2. To be eligible to write examination in each course registered, a student must meet the minimum requirement of 75% attendance at lectures, practicals and seminars etc.
  3. The Minimum total credit hours for taught courses for Postgraduate programmes shall be as follows;

–     Postgraduate Diploma – 18

–     Master Degree – 24

–     Doctorate Degree – 24

 

  1. Credit hours for research is 6, 12 and 24, respectively for PGD, Master and Doctorate.

 

  1. Credit Hours For Graduation

The Minimum total credit hours required for graduation for Postgraduate programmes are as follows;

–     Postgraduate Diploma – 24

–     Master’s Degree – 36

–     Doctorate Degree – 48

 

Course Evaluation

In the Master and Doctoral programmes, assessment of student’s achievements is based on:

  1. Course Examination
  2. Continuous assessment: Term papers, Seminars, essays, tests, etc.

 

Examinations, Grading Procedure & Results

  1. Examinations
  2. In addition to continuous assessment, a final examination shall be given for

every course at the end of every semester.

  1. The total scores obtainable for every course shall be 100% as follows:

Continuous Assessment             30%

Final Examination                     70%

Total                                           100%

 

Each course shall normally be completed and examined at the end of the semester in which it is offered.

 

  1. Pass Mark

The minimum pass mark in any course/thesis shall be 50% for Master and Doctorate Programes and 45% for PGD.

 

Scoring and Grading System

Grading of courses shall be done by a combination of percentage marks and letter grades translated into a graduated system of Grade Point Equivalents (GPE). For the purpose of determining a student’s standing at the end of every semester, the Grade Point Average (GPA) system shall be used. The GPA is computed by dividing the total number of credit points (TCP) by the total number of units (TNU) for all the courses taken in the semester. The credit point for a course is computed by multiplying the number of units for the course by the Grade Point Equivalent of the marks scored in the course. Each course shall be graded out of a maximum of 100 marks and assigned appropriate Grade Point Equivalent as in the following table:

 

Scoring and grading of courses shall follow the guidelines in which the percentage scores are interpreted in letter grades as shown below, For Master and Doctorate Degrees it shall be A, B or C as pass grades and F for fail.

 

(I)

Credit Units

(II)

% Scores

(Ill)

Letter Grades

(IV)

Grade Points

(GP)

(V)

Average

(CGPA)

(VI)

(GPA)

 

Vary according to contact hours assigned to each course per week per semester, and according to load carried by students 70 – 100

 

60 – 69

 

50 – 39

 

0 – 49

 

A

 

B

 

C

 

F

5

 

4

 

3

 

0

 

Derived by multiplying I and IV and dividing by Total Credit Units 4.50 – 5.00

 

3.50 – 4.49

 

2.50 – 3.49

 

Below 2.50

 

 

  1. For the Postgraduate Diploma, pass grades shall be A – D. (D = 40 – 45)
  2. The Postgraduate Diploma shall be awarded with classes determined by the cumulative grade point average (CGPA) as shown below.

CGPA                               Class of Diploma

4.50 – 5.00                         Distinction

3.50 – 4.49                         Upper Credit

2.40 – 3.49                         Lower Credit

1.50 – 2.39                         Pass

<1.50                                 Fail

 

ELIGIBILITY FOR EXAMINATIONS:

In order to qualify to sit for examinations, candidates must:

(i)     Register for the approved course(s)

(ii)    Satisfy the attendance requirement of 75%

(iii)   Pay all fees approved by the University

(iv)   Comply with any other requirements prescribed by the University, College or Department

 

Invigilation of Examination

  1. The Head of Department shall appoint invigilators from among the academic staff of the department and college.
  2. For each examination, there shall be a Chief Invigilator who should be the most senior

iii.     Under no circumstances shall junior non-academic staff be allowed to invigilate examinations. They shall only act as attendants (when necessary) at examinations under strict supervision of the duly appointed examination invigilators.

 

At the end of the Examination:

At the end of the examination, the invigilator(s) shall

(a)     Receive from each candidate properly labelled answer script(s) before the candidate leaves the examination Hall/Room.

(b)    Counts the number of answer scripts

(c)     Cross-check with the attendance sheet, such answer scripts stated above.

 

(d)    Ensure that no candidate takes out any unauthorized materials.

(e)     Ensure that the unused answer booklets and other materials are returned to the Department

(f)     Receive/Prepare reports on any malpractice case observed and pass same to the Head of Department immediately after the examination,

(g)    Submit a formal report on the conduct of the examination to the Head of Department (HOD),

(h)    Enclose the scripts, attendance list and six copies of the question paper in labelled envelope and submit it to the Chief Examiner, (HOD),

(i)     Report any medical cases to the HOD

 

PROCEDURE FOR REPORTING AND HANDLING OF CASES OF EXAMINATION IRREGULARITY, MISCONDUCT AND MALPRACTICE

Any alleged examination malpractice, misconduct and irregularity shall be disposed of in

accordance with the procedure herein outlined:

  1. Where the alleged offence as discovered before the examination, the staff or any other person who made the finding shall be required to make a report to the Head of Department for further necessary disciplinary action.
  2. Where the alleged offence was discovered or notified after the examination, the staff shall forward a written report giving details of the offence together with script(s) of the affected candidates to the HOD for further necessary disciplinary action.

iii.     Note that all channels of communication in this instance shall be:

Chief Invigilator HOD  → Dean → Dean PGS → Senate

 

Posthumous Degree

Any student who dies before the publication of degree examination results or the actual conferment of degree but who has satisfied all the conditions for an award of a degree may be awarded the appropriate degree of the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, posthumously. Such a degree shall bear the relevant class in accordance with the student’s performance.

 

Transcript of Academic Records

  1. Thu Registrar shall, on request, forward the transcript of Academic Records of any

student of the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi to any competent authority. All such requests by students for a transcript must be accompanied by evidence of payment of a fee prescribed from time to time by Senate. Where a request originates from an institution in respect of any graduate of the University, no fee shall be charged to the body making the request.

 

  1. A transcript, apart from bearing all relevant personal data about the student, shall contain full information about all degree or diploma course for which the student registered and was examined throughout his/her period of studies in Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi together with course codes, titles, credit units and grades obtained. The date of graduation and the final class of degree are also to be stated in the transcript where applicable;

iii.     Only letter grades shall be sent to any institution requesting for transcripts. Where passes are not graded, the transcript shall contain only pass or fail against the courses.

 

PROCEDURE FOR REVIEW OF EXAMINATION ANSWERS SCRIPTS

  1. A student aggrieved by his/her grading, should in the first instance petition the Dean PGS who shall refer the petition to the relevant Dean for a review.
  2. The script(s) shall be sent for re-assessment to internal or external examiners who did not participate in the original marking
  3. The findings and recommendations of the College Board shall be sent to Senate through the Dean, PGS for consideration and approval.
  4. (a) For an appeal to be valid, notice in writing of such an appeal must be lodged   with the Dean, PGS within four (4) weeks of the release of the relevant    result(s)

(b)    Appeal must be accompanied by evidence of payment of fees prescribed from time to time by Senate.

(c)     The reviewer(s) shall use the original marking scheme prepared by the Internal Examiner.

(d)    Carry out any other activities as may be prescribed by Senate;

 

CONDUCT OF STUDENTS AT EXAMINATION

  1. Candidates must be within the vicinity of the examination venue thirty minutes before the commencement of the examination.
  2. Candidate(s) shall only be admitted into the examination hall at the invitation of the Invigilator.
  3. No candidate(s) shall be admitted into the examination hall 30 minutes after the commencement of examinations.
  4. Candidates must present their identity cards while coming into the examination hall.
  5. Reported cases of ill-health must be validated by the Director of Medical Services, University Clinic. Candidates shall be deemed to have taken an examination if he falls ill in the examination hall.
  6. Candidates must insert in the appropriate places, title of the examination, examination numbers and numbers of questions answered.
  7. Candidates may leave the examination hail temporarily only with permission of the invigilator and must be accompanied by official escort if they are to be admitted back into examination hail.

 

Senate at its 156th continuation meeting held on July 11, 2003 resolved that:

Any student found guilty of Examination Misconduct shall with effect from 2001/2002 Second Semester Examination be expelled from the University without an option of rustication.

 

EXPULSION FROM THE UNIVERSITY

The following offenses shall carry the punishment of expulsion:

  1. Possession of foreign materials in the examination hail if accompanied by violence.
  2. Non-submission or incomplete submission of answer scripts if accompanied by violence.
  3. Impersonation at Examinations: This may involve the exchange of examination numbers; names or answer sheets or use of someone else’s examination number.
  4. Introduction of relevant foreign material into the examination hall.
  5. Exchange of relevant material in the examination hall which may involve:

(a)     Exchange of question papers containing relevant jottings

(b)    Exchange of answer scripts;

(c)     Exchange of information relevant to the examination by whatever means;

(d)    Collaboration or copying from each other or cheat notes.

  1. Leakage of examination paper.
  2. Substitution of answer script or canvassing for upgrading of marks.
  3. Theft or removal of examination scripts or materials.
  4. Mischief by fire to examination scripts or materials, defacing, destroying or chewing of examination scripts or materials.
  5. Consulting cheat notes relevant to the examination inside the examination
  6. Facilitating or abetting cheating or leakage.
  7. Above notwithstanding, Senate can evoke any punishment for any examination offence not mentioned above based on information available to Senate.

 

 

 

  1. Mode of Study

Postgraduate Diploma

Study towards Postgraduate Diploma shall embody course work and supervised student project.

 

Master and Doctorate Degrees.

  1. Study for award of Master or Doctorate Degrees shall embody course work and research to be presented in a thesis. Where course work includes undergraduate courses offered in the department to remedy deficiency, the credit unit(s) and grade(s) shall not enter into computation of the cumulative grade point average.
  2. Departments may organize make-up courses to reinforce a student’s background prior to higher degree course work. The total credit hours of make-up shall not be more than 12. The results of such courses must be forwarded to the Postgraduate School for inclusion in the student’s transcript but not used for computation of the CGPA.

 

Presentation of Seminar

  1. Master and Doctorate degrees students shall present at least two seminars during the course of their research program The first shall be the research proposal and it should normally be after the student has finished his/her course work. The seminar affords opportunity for peer review and contributions by staff in the College/Department. The second seminar shall be given upon completion of field/laboratory research work and it gives opportunity for critical assessment of work done. Before the later seminar is given, the candidate must complete the exit seminar form, which must be submitted to the Postgraduate School.
  2. Research
  3. Approval of Research Topic

The research topic of each student shall be submitted on approved form to the Postgraduate School Board for approval.

 

  1. Approval to Undertake Research Outside FUAM

A student who has proven need to carry out part of his/her research outside FUAM because of lack of facilities shall apply to Senate through the Postgraduate School Board. The application must contain detailed information on the present state of the student’s research, what aspect of the research will be undertaken in the external institution and why the work could not be done internally.

 

The Departments shall show evidence of formal acceptance of the student by the external institution and the willingness to supervise the student’s work. The Department shall also submit a brief and the curriculum vitae of the External Supervisor as well as the cost implication to the University.

 

Upon the recommendation of the Postgraduate School Board that all facilities appropriate for a student’s research work do not exist in FUAM, Senate may grant approval that part of the research work could be carried out outside of FUAM At the expiration of the student’s stay on an external institution, the External Supervisor shall submit to the student’s Head of Department a comprehensive report on the student’s work.

 

Teaching and Research Supervision

Eligibility to teach and supervise.

  1. All Senior Lecturers, Associate Professors and Professors in the college shall normally be deemed eligible to teach and supervise Postgraduate Diploma, Master and Doctorate degree students.
  2. A staff who does not possess a Ph.D. shall not be eligible to supervise a Ph.D. student
  3. Any academic staff who registers for a Postgraduate Programme shall not teach Postgraduate students at the same level.

 

Procedure For Appointment Of Postgraduate Supervisor

  1. Departments shall recommend staff for appointment as Postgraduate Student Supervisor. The Postgraduate School Board shall consider recommendations that have passed through the College Postgraduate Committee and the College Board and approve appointment on merit.
  2. A Postgraduate Diploma student shall be assigned one Supervisor, the Master’s and Doctorate student shall have two and three Supervisors, respectively.
  3. Requests to the Postgraduate School Board for a change of supervisor must be backed by cogent reason(s) and must be recommended by the Departmental Board.

 

 

Role of Supervisors

  1. The supervisor shall advise and train a student in research methods and guide him/her in writing his/her thesis.
  2. One of the supervisors shall be designated the Major Supervisor and the other(s) designated Co-Supervisor(s). The Major Supervisor shall in addition sign the candidate’s registration forms, report forms etc. as may be required in the course of the candidate’s study.
  3. Any request for change of supervisor originating from the Department must be routed to the Dean, Postgraduate School through the College Postgraduate Committee and College Board. Application/request for change of supervisor shall contain, in detail, the reasons for seeking the change.
  4. The major supervisor shall submit a progress report on the work of the candidate to the Dean, Postgraduate School through College Postgraduate Committee. A candidate, whose progress has not been satisfactory, may be required to terminate the programme.
  5. A supervisor shall not be changed unless due processes are followed.

 

Student Supervision Committees are expected to meet regularly.

 

  1. Withdrawal From the University
  2. Any student who fails to renew his/her registration for two consecutive semesters shall be deemed to have voluntarily withdrawn from the University.
  3. A student who fails the same course twice- shall be required to withdraw from the University immediately if the CGPA is below 2.5 or 3.0 for Master and Ph.D respectively.
  4. A Master’s or Doctorate degree student whose final cumulative grade point average (CGPA) at the end of course work is less than 2.50 and 3.0, respectively, shall be required to withdraw from the University.

 

  1. Project Report/thesis
  2. Registration For Thesis Defence

A Master’s or Doctorate degree candidate shall, not later than six (6) months before entering for Oral Examination, apply on FORM ‘12 to Postgraduate School for registration of his/her Thesis Title.

 

  1. Thesis Title

The number of words in the title shall not exceed twenty-five (25). A synopsis of research which has: been critically examined by the College Postgraduate Committee shall accompany the title registration form.

 

  1. Thesis Defence

The candidate shall, not less than three (3) months to the defence, apply on the prescribed form (FORM 13) to defend his/her thesis. The Bursar shall clear the candidate of indebtedness to the University and the candidate’s Supervisor, Head of Department, the Dean of College and Postgraduate Committee shall certify that the candidate is ready for examination having successfully completed course work, research and seminar requirements of his/her programme. They shall also certify that the candidate has met the minimum residency requirement for the degree in view.

Where there is a disagreement between a student’ and his/her supervisors or between Supervisors with regards to the readiness of the thesis for examination, the College Postgraduate Committee shall make recommendation to the Postgraduate School Board for consideration and resolution.

 

Preparation of Thesis for Oral Examination

When a thesis is ready for Oral Examination, it shall be prepared according to the guidelines on thesis writing (of the Postgraduate School, FUAM). Attention should be paid to the specifications tabulated below:

 

Size of Paper A4 size except for drawings and maps that can be of any convenient size
Quality of Paper 70 Grams
Typing Electronic typing in double line spacing with 4cm mar9in to the left and 2.5cm margin to the right, top and bottom. Font size 12 or 14 (Times New Romans) should be used in general typing.
Binding Firmly held together with light cover

 

Thesis must be written in English and must contain an abstract of not more than 300 words stating what was done, procedures, findings and conclusions.

Thesis must not contain materials previously presented to any institution in fulfillment of the requirements of any other qualification.

 

Nomination And Appointment Of Examiners

  1. The Department shall nominate two (2) External Examiners, one substantive and the other alternate, for consideration by Postgraduate School Board for forwarding to Senate (or Chairman of Senate on its behalf). Both shall be sufficiently knowledgeable and the candidate’s field of study. The External Examiner shall not be below the rank of Senior Lecturer and must have a Ph.D. degree from a recognized University.

 

  1. Teaching staff not below the rank of Senior Lecturer (with Ph.D.) may be appointed Internal Examiner for Master degree provided the area of his/her specialization relates to that of the degree of the candidate.

 

  1. An Internal Examiner (PGS representative) shall he appointed by Postgraduate School Board on behalf of Senate.

 

Oral Examination and Assessment Of Thesis

  1. Master/Ph.D. thesis shall be assessed by Oral Examination presided over by an External Examiner. Other members of the examination Panel are: Head of Department, Internal Examiners (Normally Supervisors), Chairman, College Postgraduate Committee and Dean of Postgraduate School or his/her representative.
  2. External Examiner shall communicate the result of oral examination to the Vice- Chancellor in writing.

 

  1. For a thesis to be approved for Master or Doctorate degree, it shall embody the original research of the candidate, demonstrate a clear understanding of the subject, and contain materials publishable as definite, substantially new contributions to knowledge.

 

  1. The Master/Ph.D. thesis shall be allocated 12 credits units and 24 credits units,

respectively.

 

  1. The examiners shall complete the examiner’s report form for the appropriate degree with a learn statement on the quality of the thesis and contribution to knowledge.

 

  1. Where a thesis is rejected, it may not be resubmitted for examination until after a minimum period of six (6) months and the candidate must comply with the regulations in force at the time.

 

  1. In not later than two (2) working days after an oral examination, the Head of Department shall forward the report of the examination to Postgraduate School through the Dean of the College.

 

  1. The Dean of Postgraduate School shall process the report through Postgraduate School Board for presentation to Senate.

 

  1. Preparation for Oral Examination

When a Master or Ph.D thesis is ready for exit seminar, the candidate is advised by the supervisor to pick up forms 12, 13 and 21 from the Postgraduate School These forms after completion with signatures of major supervisor, HOD and Dean of College, are brought to Postgraduate School through the Dean of the College with six clean spiral bound copies of the thesis. Before the thesis is sent, the College Postgraduate Committee (CPC) should have sent at least three months in advance designation and address of the student’s External Examiner and the Alternate to Postgraduate School for processing. Where the External Examiner or his Alternate is below the rank of Professor, their curriculum vitae are required for scrutiny. Their names are submitted to Senate for approval (Vice-Chancellor approves on behalf of Senate) after which Postgraduate School sends a copy of the thesis to the approved person.

 

  1. Composition of Examination Panel

When a date for the oral examination is fixed through a written letter to the Dean Postgraduate School from the HOD. The Dean, Postgraduate School composes the panel of examiners. At this stage, the remaining copies of the Master/Ph.D thesis are sent to the HOD with a covering letter indicating the date, time and venue for the oral examination. The HOD would in turn distribute copies of the thesis to members of the examination panel and contact the student to be examined.

  1. Return of Corrected Copy of the Examined Thesis

The Postgraduate Representative on the oral exam panel is expected to submit to the Dean of Postgraduate School within 24 hours, a report on the candidate whose thesis was examined. The candidate examined is also expected to submit a clean copy of his/her thesis with an attestation letter from his/her College to Postgraduate School within 3 months after the successful defence of the thesis. When a candidate is required to carry out major corrections, a clean copy of the Thesis is forwarded to the External Examiner (at the expense of the student) for further scrutiny.

 

  1. Peer Reviewing

When a clean copy of the thesis is received by Postgraduate School, after a successful, defence, it is forwarded under cover to any member of Postgraduate School Board or a senior academic who the Dean feels is close to the student’s area of specialization and who the Dean feels is conversant with FUAM format on thesis writing for vetting.

 

  1. Binding of Thesis

         The corrected thesis shall be prepared as specified below:

 

Category of Thesis/Report Colour of Binding
Postgraduate Diploma Grey
Master Navy Blue
Doctorate Black

 

Note:

Lettering

See Guidelines on Thesis writing. The Title, Candidates name, Degree, Department and year of award of degree shall be on the front cover. The candidates’ name, the years and degree discipline shall be on the spine. All letterings shall be in gold and bold 5mm to 10mm.

 

  1. Award of Postgraduate Degrees by the Senate
  2. The Head of Department forwards six or seven copies (Master or Ph.D   respectively) of the corrected thesis to Postgraduate School along with a       certification from the designated Internal Examiner(s) attesting that the    candidate has corrected the thesis as required by the Examiners.

 

  1. Request is made to Senate by Postgraduate School for approval and award of      degree.            The following requirements must be met and shown in the request to Senate; the     required CGPA (minimum of 2.50 for Master and 3.00 for Ph.D), highlights of the          thesis contribution to knowledge and evidence of having duly registered and paid fees for the entire period as a student in Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi.

 

  1. Following Senate approval, four copies of the thesis shall become property of        the       University. One copy each of the thesis shall be kept in the Postgraduate             School, the University Library, the candidate’s Department and College.

The fifth copy shall be given to the candidate’s Major Supervisor and the sixth            and seventh copy to the Co-Supervisors (Master and Ph.D) respectively.

 

 

NOTES TO THESIS/PROJECT SUPERVISORS

It is the responsibility of supervisors to ensure that their students

  • adhere strictly to the ethics of research and avoid plagiarizing the work of others;
  • are properly guided on the circumstances warranting and when to apply for extension or revalidation of their studentship, deferment or suspension of studies;
  • comply with PG Guidelines on Thesis writing when preparing their thesis for examination;
  • respect the timelines set by the PGS regarding their seminars, registration of thesis title and admission into oral examination for the higher degree in view