General
-
Students enrolled in M.Sc. by Course Work are
required to complete a project and written report over a maximum period
of two semesters.
-
Students may choose to work on the project in any
semester within their candidature.
-
Students who do not wish to embark on a
project may read MA5296
Mathematics Seminar I (MSc Coursework) and MA5297
Mathematics Seminar II (MSc Coursework) instead.
Getting
Started
-
Decide on an
area or topic to work on. It's good to have a framework in mind to
facilitate discussion.
-
Check the list
of faculty members on the web for staff working in the
same area.
-
Contact the
staff directly to set up discussion/appointment time.
-
If the staff
agrees to the supervision, confirm the project title and submit the
"Project Commencement
Declaration" form (Word
| PDF)
immediately.
-
In order to have as
much time as possible to work on their projects, students are urged to
complete this preparation process preferably during module registration
period, since the deadline for submission and evaluation remains the
same, no matter when students start working on their projects.
Registration of the project module MUST BE DONE during the
module registration period in the semester that the project starts, is in
progress and ends. The module code is
MA5295.
For example, a project that commenced in semester 2 of
academic year 2000/2001 is due latest in semester 1 of academic year
2001/2002. Module registration should thus be done during the registration
period in semester 2 of 2000/2001 and semester 1 of
2001/2002.
Submission
& Evaluation
First Draft & Submission
The project report should be typed on A4 size
paper.
Two printed copies of the
report must be submitted. They may be ring-bound or held together in
folders or files. If a project requires programming, each copy of the
report should also be accompanied with a disk or CD containing the
programme.
There is no strict limit on the length of the
report but this should
normally be between 25 to 40 pages, and should not exceed 65 pages
(excluding summary, content pages, etc. and figures or tables).
Font size should be at least 12pts and paragraphs should be
double-spaced. The margins on each page should be at least 3cm (top,
bottom, left and right).
Students are further discouraged from
producing reports with more than 55 pages in length (excluding summary,
content pages, etc. and figures or tables).
The report
must be submitted by the
stipulated deadline.
It will be assessed by the supervisor and an examiner (nominated by the
supervisor or the department).
The
submission deadline is 5pm on Thursday of (academic calendar) week 12 of
the semester that the project is due.
Refer
to
notes for honours students in writing report references and summary
page.
Oral
Presentation
Each student is required to give an oral presentation on his/her
project, in the presence of an
audience made up of interested staff and students. The oral presentation
should last between 30 and 45
minutes. It will be assessed by the supervisor and an examiner.
The presentation will be scheduled in
(academic calendar)
week 13 of the semester that the project is due.
For
pointers on giving an oral presentation, refer to the
guide given to honours students.
Interview
Following
the oral presentation, each student will be interviewed by the supervisor and
examiner
team. The interview will focus on the
subject matter of the project.
Depending on the
extent of the questions and answers, the interview
may take between 30 and 60 minutes, and will give the student an opportunity to
clear up misunderstandings or uncertainties about the materials presented
in the project. At the interview, the assessors may give the student a
list of matters requiring attention (ranging from typographical to
mathematical errors) and correction.
The student would be required to amend the report accordingly
for final submission.
Final/Amended Project Submission
A student who is
required to make amendments to the report should do so immediately after
the interview. The amended report should then be submitted as follows:
-
One printed copy to the department (which
may be ring-bound or held together in a folder or file). If the project
requires programming which also has to be amended, a new disk or CD
containing the revised programme should be submitted together with the
amended report. This version will be used by the supervisor in the final
assessment.
-
One soft copy for online submission and
electronic archiving. The report must be converted to PDF format for
this submission. The URLs for online submission and electronic archive
are:
Both submissions must
be completed
by 5.00pm on Thursday of
(academic
calendar)
week 14
of the semester that the project is due.
Project
Duration
Completion within one semester
-
Some students may wish to complete their projects in
one semester. This is possible on the condition that both supervisor and
student agree before starting work on the project and adhere to the
agreement.
-
In such instances, students should indicate on the
"Project Commencement
Declaration" form (Word
| PDF) and proceed with
the usual online module
registration.
-
The same
guidelines and deadlines apply.
Extension
-
A student who originally intended to
complete the project in one semester but could not do so, may request
for extension by completing and returning the
"Request for Extension in
Project Submission" form (Word
| PDF). Requests must be submitted at least two
weeks before the project is due for submission. Request and the
the duration extendable is subject to the department's
approval.
-
A student who has worked on the project for
two semesters (maximum) but still could not complete it, may request for
extension by completing and returning the
"Request for Extension in
Project Submission" form (Word
| PDF). Requests must be submitted at least two
weeks before the project is due for submission and is subject to the
department's approval. Extension, if granted, would usually be given until
5.00pm on Thursday of week 1 in the third semester. Presentation and
interview would be scheduled accordingly. The student would still need
to pay tuition fees in the extended period.
Changing
Supervisor
Such
situation may arise due to staff leaving the service of the university or
if the topic/area of project has changed. Students should complete and
return the
"Request to Change
Project Supervisor" form (Word
| PDF) immediately after all parties have given their
consent.
|