(This is a translation of the official version in Chinese 沪交研〔2021〕88 号. In case of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.)
Chapter One: General Provisions
Article 1 To enhance the education and management of master students and to improve the quality of postgraduate education, the regulations are hereby formulated in accordance with “Regulations on Academic Degrees of the People’s Republic of China”, “Provisional Measures for the Implementation of the Regulations on Academic Degrees of the People’s Republic of China”, “Opinions on the Training of Full-time Master Degree Students”, “Notice on the Unified Management of Full-time and Part-time Postgraduate Students” issued by the Ministry of Education, “Shanghai Jiao Tong University Constitutions” as well as “SJTU Regulations on Graduate Education and Management”, and with reference to the actual conditions of the University.
Article 2 The regulations are applicable to students pursuing a Master degree at SJTU. The degree pursued could be academic degree and/or professional degree, and the student status could be full-time and/or part-time.
Article 3 The master education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University aims to cultivate students that observe the laws and disciplines, honest and courteous, healthy both physically and mentally. They should have a firm and comprehensive grasp of the basic theories, systematic and specialized knowledge in the related discipline, and be able to undertake scientific research or technical work independently.
Article 4 The education and management of Master students shall follow the principle of 2-level management, namely, the University and the School/Department. The university, school/department and supervisor each has its own responsibilities and shall fulfill them within the scope of these regulations.
During the training process of the master students, the university and the corresponding schools/departments should make reasonable arrangements on the courses, professional practice, scientific research, academic exchanges and other social activities, so as to cultivate students with full-fledged knowledge in both basic theory and professional skills, and to train the abilities to undertake scientific research or technical work such as design and management independently.
Chapter Two: Study Duration and Overall Arrangement
Article 5 The study duration of the Master degree programs is flexible, with a standard duration of 2 to 3 years. The standard study duration for each program shall be explicitly defined in the program curriculum by the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee of the relevant School/Department.
The study duration of the Master student should not be extended generally. Under special circumstances, those who fail to complete their studies, research tasks or thesis defense on time, can apply to extend their study duration by maximum 1 year. For part-time graduate students or graduate students suspending schooling due to starting a start-up, their study duration can be extended to a maximum of 5 years (including the period of suspension, counting from the date of registration).
In general, the study duration of Master students should be no less than 2 years.
Article 6 Each school/department should establish the program curriculum for Master students in its discipline or for professional master degree program by referring to the relevant requirements of the state and the university and the actual conditions. The program curriculum for professional master degree program shall also follow the requirements of the corresponding National Steering Committee for Professional Degree Education. The program curriculum shall be discussed and approved by the Academic Degree Evaluation Subcommittee of relevant disciplines or professional degree programs, and submitted to the Graduate School for approval and archive.
Article 7 The Master students shall formulate their own training plans based on the master program curriculum of their disciplines or professional degree programs, and complete the coursework, scientific research, professional practice, thesis work and other work as specified in the program curriculum.
The Master students can apply for thesis defense once they have completed the required coursework, obtained the credits required by the programs, met the GPA requirements, completed all work specified in the master program curriculum, and met the academic achievement requirements as in “SJTU Regulations on Master Degree Application”.
Chapter Three: Supervisor and Training Plan
Article 8 The Master student should generally confirm his/her supervisor (supervising group) within two weeks month after enrollment, upon the mutual selection of both the student and the supervisor. The supervisor and the supervising group are jointly responsible for the training of the Master student.
Article 9 If the supervisor cannot fulfill his/her duties due to certain reasons, the student is allowed to apply to change his/her supervisor following the relevant regulations of the University.
Article 10 The supervisor and the supervising group shall be fully responsible for the training and education of the Master student, which includes:
(1). Guiding the Master student to develop his/her individual training plan;
(2). Supervising and urging the Master students to study on campus and complete their tasks;
(3). Examining the performance of the Master students in implementing their study, research and practice plans, and providing detailed suggestions and comments;
(4). Helping to enhance the scientific and academic integrity as well as moral conduct of the Master students;
(5). Guiding and examining the thesis work of the master students;
(6). Proposing to terminate the training process of the Master students who are unable to meet the program requirements.
Article 11 The supervisor and the supervising group shall supervise the Master student to work out a feasible and tailored training plan within two weeks after his/her enrollment, by following these regulations, referring to the corresponding program curriculum of his/her discipline or professional degree program, and combining the actual conditions of the student.
The training plans, approved by the supervisors and the supervising groups, should be submitted to the School/Department for archiving. Once the training plan is finalized, both the Master student and the supervisor (the supervising group) shall adhere to it.
Article 12 If it turns out that the training plan is unable to be implemented either fully or partly due to objective reasons, the master student shall apply for a revision when the system is open for modification. When the revision is completed by the student and approved by the supervisor (the supervising group), it should be submitted to the School/Department for approval and archiving.
Chapter Four: Coursework and Assessment
Article 13 The master programs adopt the credit system, and the courses of the program curricula are comprised of general courses, specialized core courses, specialized frontier courses, specialized elective courses, etc. All courses specified in the training plan are compulsory, and some of them will be used for GPA calculation.
The total credits required for Master students shall be no less than 30, and the GPA credits no less than 18. GPA shall be 2.7 or higher.
Article 14 The basic requirements for Master courses are as follows, and the Master program curriculum of each discipline/major shall include but not limited to the following courses:
I. General courses, no less than 6 credits:
(1). Theory of Marxism: 3 credits
Theory and Practice of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era (2 credits; compulsory);
The Outline for Dialectics of Nature (1 credit; elective);
Marxism and Social Science Methodology (1 credit; elective);
Domestic students must choose one of the two elective courses, as determined by the program curriculum.
(2). First foreign language: 2 credits
English for Academic Purpose (2 credits, compulsory, GPA counting)
(3). Academic Standards and Scientific Literacy:1 credit
Scientific Writing, Integrity and Ethics (1 credit, compulsory, offered by each School/Department)
II. Specialized core courses, no less than 9 credits:
Specialized core courses generally include 3~6 credits from mathematics courses (excluding disciplines related to humanities, medicine, etc.), and there should be a minimum credit requirement.
The above-mentioned courses are generally included in the GPA calculation.
III. Special frontier courses and specialized elective courses, with specific credit requirements to be determined by each discipline, but should include the following courses:
Symposium: mandatory for full-time Master students, minimum 1 credit.
Professional Practice: mandatory for professional Master students, minimum 1 credit.
Article 15 Master students from Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR and Taiwan province can apply for exemption from the Theory of Marxism courses among the compulsory public courses, but shall take other social science courses approved by the University instead, which will be counted as general courses.
Article 16 International graduate students pursuing Master degrees at SJTU do not need to take the Theory of Marxism courses. International graduate students in English-taught programs shall take the courses of Introduction to Chinese Culture (2 credits) and Chinese Language (4 credits), which will be counted as general courses. And international Master students in Chinese-taught programs must take Introduction to Chinese Culture (2 credits) and other social science courses (2 credits) approved by the University. These will also be counted as general courses as well.
Article 17 The master students are allowed to take courses in a related discipline not listed in the program curriculum of their own discipline or professional degree program. Upon the approval of the supervisor and the School/Department, these courses can be enlisted as specialized elective courses in their training plans. The credits obtained will also be counted, but cannot be used for GPA calculation.
Article 18 The master students are also allowed to take courses not listed in their individual training plan based on their interests, which will be recorded as optional elective courses and not be included in the total credits of the training plan.
Article 19 For students who have taken graduate courses at SJTU in the 2 years prior to their enrollment, they may apply for grade recognition and credit if they have passed the courses and their grades have not been used in applying for another degree, which meet the requirements of the program curriculum.
Chapter Five: Master Thesis
Article 20 The thesis work is an important part of the master education. During the thesis work, the master student is trained comprehensively to carry out scientific research and/or undertake professional tasks. It serves as the essential means to cultivate the innovation ability, and to develop the ability to identify the problem, analyze the causes, and find the solution by using the knowledge learned. Under the guidance of supervisors (the supervising group), master students should determine their major research interests, formulate thesis writing plans, complete literature review and thesis proposals, and carry out and complete their subject studies in a timely manner. The thesis work should lead to new findings and new insights.
Article 21 The master thesis work should include: thesis proposal, mid-term assessment, thesis evaluation, and oral defense.
Article 22 Thesis proposal
I. The master degree thesis proposal should generally be carried out before the end of the first semester of the second academic year (thesis proposal for the Medical school students should follow the corresponding program curriculum). If students fail to pass the first thesis proposal, they can apply for a second proposal in the next semester; students who fail to pass the second thesis proposal should be counselled out from the University by the panel.
Before taking the thesis proposal, Master student have basically completed and passed the courses specified in the training plan. Their GPA shall meet the requirements of their program curriculum. If they fail to complete or meet the requirements, they shall be given a warning, and be required to take corrective actions. They should complete and pass all courses with an up-to-standard GPA at the mid-term assessment, and be reported to the School (Department) after the supervisor's approval.
II. The thesis proposal shall include:
(1). The proposed title of the thesis;
(2). The significance and analysis of the current status both in China and abroad of the chosen research topic;
(3) the objectives, main contents, and key issues to solve of the research topic;
(4) the research method, technical route, and approach to be adopted, and the feasibility analysis;
(5) the originality/innovativeness of the research topic;
(6) the planned scheduling and the expected outcomes;
(7) the literature review and preliminary results of the research topic.
III. The thesis proposal report shall be held in public within the discipline or related disciplines. The discipline/profession chair or supervisor shall invite at least three experts from related disciplines/professions who are qualified to supervise Master students to evaluate the proposal.
IV. In the thesis proposal report, the Master student should present in details the selected topics, and the supervisor can make necessary explanation. The panel should evaluate the chosen topic of the thesis work, with a focus on innovativeness and feasibility, and provide detailed suggestions and comments to the thesis work.
V. The School/Department shall designate a person to minute the proposal report. The thesis proposal and the opinions by the experts shall be archived in the Graduate Affairs Office of the School/Department.
Article 23 Mid-term assessment
I. The mid-term assessment is an important part of the master education. It is also an important measure to regulate the graduate education management and to guarantee the quality of the postgraduate education. The mid-term assessment should be conducted 3 months before the thesis is sent for review. The assessment shall include review of course completion, the progress of the thesis, a personal summary, evaluation by the supervisor, and presentation review of the assessment committee.
II. Basic requirements of mid-term assessment: The students shall complete all the courses as specified in the training plan and pass the exams; the GPA should be no less than 2.7; the thesis proposals should have been passed.
III. The student shall write a mid-term assessment report. The discipline/profession chair or supervisor shall invite at least three experts from related disciplines/professions who are qualified to supervise Master students to evaluate the proposal. The result of the mid-term assessment is recorded as "Pass" or "Fail".
IV. The Master students who fail to pass the mid-term assessment shall be given a warning, and be required to take corrective actions and reported to the School/Department. The student can apply for a 2nd mid-term assessment provided that he/she has made substantial improvement. Students who fail to pass the 2nd mid-term assessment should be counseled out from the University.
V. The School/Department shall designate a person to minute the proposal report. The mid-term assessment report and the mid-term assessment sheet for Master students shall be archived in the Graduate Affairs Office of the School/Department after being collected.
Article 24 The format of the master thesis shall follow the specific requirements of each School/Department). The oral defense and degree application shall be carried out based on the degree type and in accordance with the “SJTU Regulations on (Academic) Master Degree Application” or “SJTU Regulations on Professional Master Degree Application”.
Chapter Six: Professional Master Degree Training
Article 25 The Professional Master Degree Programs are industry-oriented, with an emphasis on practical research, innovation and entrepreneurship. They aim to equip students with a solid theoretical foundation and broad professional knowledge in a particular field and to train experienced professionals with strong problem-solving skills, high professionalism and international perspective.
Article 26 The professional master education should differ from the academic master education in terms of training objectives, courses, teaching philosophy, training mode, quality standards, and faculty/staff team. It is necessary to highlight the characteristics of the professional degree programs and focus on the integration of industry and education. Schools/Departments should work together with various industries to develop program curricula, offer practical courses and write high-quality teaching materials, so as to closely match personnel training with the needs of employers.
Article 27 The training of the professional master students is co-supervised by two supervisors, one inside and the other outside the University. The internal supervisor takes the major responsibility, while the external supervisor will participate in supervising the practice, project research, thesis, and other works.
Article 28 The program curriculum for professional master should be optimized in accordance with the characteristics of professional degree education. The curriculum design and the courses should follow the training objectives and the basic requirements, with an orientation for practical application, catering to the industry requirements. The program should focus on improving the comprehensive qualification, practical knowledge and abilities of the students. The program curriculum should fully integrate the industrial needs, reflecting the latest academic and industry trends.
The delivering of the professional master degree courses shall enhance the application of diversified teaching methods, such as case study, on-site practice, and training simulations, highlighting the training of practical research and technological innovation abilities, and strengthening the assessment of their abilities to apply their knowledge to solve real-life problems.
Article 29 Professional practice is an important part of the professional master training. A comprehensive, high-quality and industry-oriented professional practice is the necessary guarantee for training high-level practical talents. During their course of study, the professional master students shall have no less than six months of professional practice.
Each training unit should highlight the discipline characteristics, and build more training bases inside and outside the University through school-enterprise cooperation based on complementary strengths. Schools (Departments) shall also establish a permanent team of faculty/staffs with practical experience to ensure that professional practice can be carried out according to plans and in a standardized way.
Chapter Seven: Supplementary Provisions
Article 30 These regulations are subject to interpretation by the Graduate School and come into force on September 1, 2021. In case of any discrepancy between this and previous version of the regulations, this version shall prevail.
