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    Format, Submission and Evaluation of Thesis

  • A student registered for a postgraduate programme should submit a thesis or a report, whichever is appropriate, at the completion of the research/advanced study. The candidate shall submit the required number of copies of the thesis/report as specified below, in temporary binding to the Assistant Registrar, Faculty of Engineering, through the Head or one of the Heads of Department concerned.

    • Degree/Diploma Number* of Copies of Thesis/Report
    PG.Dip Coursework Option 2
    Research Option 3
    M.Sc.Eng./M.Sc. 3
    M.Eng./Masters Degree 3
    M.Phil. 4
    Ph.D. 4

    * The student may, where necessary, be requested to submit additional copies.

  • The student should submit along with the thesis/report a certification by the supervisor(s) of the research work to the effect that the research programme has been satisfactorily completed and the thesis is suitable for evaluation by the Board of Examiners by signing and forwarding Form 7.2A (download MSWORD PDF).

    • Format

  • The thesis shall consist of the students' own account of his/her research. It must form a distinct contribution to knowledge and afford evidence of originality shown by the exercise of independent critical power and/or by the discovery of new facts. It must be satisfactory as regards to literary presentation.

  • A candidate shall not submit a thesis or part thereof which has already been submitted to this or any other university for any other qualification including a degree. However, a candidate may incorporate into his/her thesis any published work which has not already been embodied in an earlier thesis submitted by candidate for the award of another qualification.

  • The text of the thesis shall be on clear white A4 size (210 x 297 mm) paper and the same grade and size of paper must be used throughout the thesis. However, paper types of different quality and size may be used, where necessary, for illustrations and tables.

  • The original of the thesis shall be typewritten or computer printed. Any standard type of font is acceptable but the same size and style must be used throughout the thesis. The use of bold type for headings and italics for emphasis is permitted. All typing shall be on one side of the sheets only, double spaced, with the left hand margin not less than 40 mm, right hand margin not less than 15 mm and the top and bottom margins not less than 40 mm. Photocopies should be clear and legible.

  • Illustrations such as drawings, diagrams, maps etc. should be clear and may be reproduced by photographic or other processes. Each illustration shall carry a title, preferably on the same page.

  • The general format of the thesis shall be as follows:
    • Title Page
    • Declaration
    • Acknowledgements (if any)
    • Abstract
    • Table of Contents
    • List of Tables (if any)
    • List of Figures (if any)
    • List of Plates (if any)
    • List of Abbreviations (if any)
    • Main Body of Text
    • Appendices (if any)
    • List of References

    The Title The title of the thesis shall be the title approved by the Faculty Higher Degrees Committee. It should be informative and descriptive of the work done.

    Declaration The thesis shall contain a declaration by the candidate to the effect that the work is the result of his/her own investigation and that it has not been submitted in candidature for a degree/diploma of this or any other university (except the partner university in a double degree program).

    Acknowledgements The candidate may acknowledge in this section the extent to which assistance has been given by others in the collection of material, design and construction of apparatus, performance of experiments, preparation of the thesis, financial support, and in any other matter related to the thesis.

    Abstract This shall consist of the title of the thesis, the name of the author, the department of study and the degree/diploma applied for, and a summary not exceeding 350 words.

    Main Body of Text This shall include an introduction, a survey of earlier research, objectives of the study, research design, results, analysis, discussion and conclusions. References given in the text shall be either by the name of author and year of publication, or the sequential number as given in the list of references.

    Notes may be placed at the foot of each page or at the end of each chapter.

    The units used in the thesis shall, as far as possible, conform to the SI.

    All mathematical expressions should be clearly typed or computer printed with the symbols in correct alignment and adequately spaced. Subscripts and superscripts shall be in a font size large enough to be legible or be handwritten clearly. Each symbol used in mathematical expressions shall be defined immediately following its first occurrence in the thesis.

    List of References All references given in the text shall be listed at the end of the thesis according to the author date system or numeric system. However, only one of these systems shall be used throughout the thesis.

    Numbering of the Pages All pages of the thesis, including those with illustrations and tables, shall be numbered in sequential order. Small Roman numerals shall be used for the prefatory pages (title page to the list of abbreviations) and placed 15 mm below the middle of the top edge of the page. The pages of the main body of the thesis, beginning with the introduction or Chapter 1 up to the end of the list of references shall be in Arabic numerals beginning with 1.

    The first page of each major section (e.g. the first page of a chapter) shall be numbered 15 mm above the middle of the bottom edge of the page. All other pages shall be numbered on the upper right hand corner of the page and 20 mm from each edge.

    Tables and Figures Tables and figures shall be numbered with Arabic numerals according to chapter number with decimals. For example the third figure (or table) in Chapter 2 shall be numbered as Fig. 2.3 (or Table 2.3). The title of a table should be clear and meaningful, and placed at the top of the table. Only the relevant data should be presented in any table included in the thesis. If the data in any table takes longer than one page, they should be placed in an Appendix at the end of the thesis and not in the main body of the text. The caption of a figure should be placed at the bottom of the figure.

    Evaluation

    Degree/Diploma Method of Evaluation
    PG.Dip. Coursework Option Evaluation of thesis/report by the Board of Examiners
    Coursework & Research Option Evaluation of thesis/report and oral presentation by the Board of Examiners
    Research Option
    M.Sc.Eng./M.Sc. Evaluation of thesis/report and oral presentation by the Board of Examiners
    M.Phil. Evaluation of thesis and viva-voce examination by the Board of Examiners
    Ph.D.

    Completion of Research/Advanced Study

    The research work/advanced study of a candidate shall be evaluated as satisfactory or unsatisfactory by the Board of Examiners. The Board of Examiners may declare the research work to be satisfactory when it finds the thesis to be of an acceptable standard. If the Board of Examiners find the thesis to be inadequate but of sufficient merit for resubmission in a revised form it may recommend that the candidate be allowed to resubmit the thesis in a revised form within a specified period for the same or, if necessary, for a lower qualification.

    The student shall be deemed to have successfully completed the research requirement of the postgraduate programme, when he/she submits the thesis/report in bound form to the Assistant Registrar, Faculty of Engineering, with a certification from the supervisor(s) that the corrections (if any) required by the Board of Examiners have been carried out. However, where no correction is required or only minor corrections are required, the date of the thesis examination may be deemed to be the date of completion of the research/advanced study, as specified in sub-section 7.10 of the PG Regulations.

    Final Submission

    A candidate whose thesis is accepted by the Board of Examiners for the award of a degree shall make all corrections and revisions as required by the Board and resubmit 3 fully bound copies of the corrected thesis to the Assistant Registrar, Faculty of Engineering, within the time specified by the Board of Examiners. Upon the release of the results one copy shall be returned to the candidate and the remaining copies shall be the property of the University.

    Specified Colours and Binding

    Each copy of the thesis/report should be bound with cloth, rexene or any other material of similar quality. The cover should be in the colour specified for the particular degree and with gold lettering.

    The cover shall carry the full title of the thesis, the name of the candidate, the degree/diploma sought and the year of degree/diploma. The spine shall also carry the title and the name of the candidate, the degree/diploma sought and the year of degree/diploma. If the approved title is too long, a shorter title approved by the Board of Examiners shall be printed on the spine. The candidate is also required to sign a release form that would permit the university to use the thesis for scholarly purposes.

    The specified colours:

    Degree/Diploma Specified Colour for the Cover
    PG.Dip. Brown
    M.Sc.Eng./M.Sc. Red
    M.Eng./ Masters Degree Red
    M.Phil. Maroon
    Ph.D. Blue