(This is a translation of the official version in Chinese 沪交研[2019] 70号. In case of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.)

Chapter One: General Provisions

Article 1 Graduate programs are programmatic documents for talent training that concretely reflect SJTU’s educational expectations of graduate students and work as the major basis for all Schools (Departments) to carry out graduate education. They ensure the quality of graduate education. In order to further standardize the formulation, revision, and implementation of graduate programs and make the programs to be scientific, advanced, normative, and complete, and promote the continuous improvement and optimization of graduate programs, these regulations are hereby formulated in accordance with “Regulations on Academic Degrees of the People’s Republic of China” issued by the Ministry of Education as well as relevant laws and regulations.

Chapter Two: Formulation and Revision of Graduate Programs

Article 2 The formulation and revision of graduate programs should meet the objectives of discipline construction and talent cultivation, and follow the law of graduate education and teaching. The graduate programs should not only maintain relative stability but also should be timely revised according to the development of disciplines.

Article 3 The formulation and revision of graduate programs should comprehensively and accurately grasp the connotation and development trends of the disciplines, conform to the spirit of relevant documents issued by the education departments, and also fully reflect the advantages and characteristics of the disciplines.

Article 4 Each School (Department) should conscientiously sum up the experience of graduate education, learn the advanced experience of other world-class universities at home and abroad, and work out graduate programs that are suitable for the actual conditions of the University in combination with the talent cultivation objectives and degree standards.

Article 5 Basic requirements for the formulation and revision of graduate programs:

(1) The programs for academic degree graduate students should be formulated according to the first-level discipline, and if there are no first-level academic degree awarding units at the University, they can be formulated in accordance with the second-level discipline or the interdiscipline. The programs for professional degree graduate students should be formulated according to the authorized points of professional degrees or the engineering fields.

(2) The programs for professional degree graduate students should be formulated by the University and the domestic and foreign experts with rich practical experience, in accordance with the training requirements proposed by the National Steering Committee of Postgraduate Education for Professional Degrees and in the combination of the advantages and characteristics of the Departments and professional fields.

(3) The programs for doctoral degree students, master degree students, bachelor-straight-to-doctorate students, master-doctor combined degree graduate students, and professional degree graduate students in the same discipline should be formulated separately. The programs for full-time and part-time graduate students should be formulated separately. The programs for graduate students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan and international graduate students should be formulated separately.

Article 6 The basic elements of a graduate program should include: introduction of the Discipline and Specialty, cultivation objectives, basic learning year, course learning requirements, training process requirements (master degree students’ thesis proposal, mid-term examination, internship, thesis defense, and so on; doctoral degree students’ qualification examination, thesis proposal, internship, annual examination, pre-thesis defense, thesis defense, and so on), academic achievement requirements, dissertation requirements, course information, etc. All elements of graduate programs should be standardized, complete, and accurate. The Chinese and English versions of graduate programs should be complete and consistent.

Article 7 The procedures for the formulation and revision of graduate programs include:

(1) The graduate program of new academic degree awarding units should be formulated before the units are declared. And in every spring semester, the programs for the graduate students in the next grade should be revised under the organization of the Graduate School.

(2) Each School(Department) should organize the discussion and formulation of all graduate programs in its discipline in accordance with the requirements of this document and the relevant notices of the University.

(3) The graduate programs formulated by each School(Department) should be first examined and approved by the Academic Degree Evaluation Sub-committee in the discipline, then be reported to the Graduate School for examination and filing and submitted to the Graduate Education Information Management System ( http://www.yjs.sjtu.edu.cn/ssfw/login.jsp）.

(4) The Graduate School is responsible for the examination of the form and compliance of the graduate programs submitted by each department and college. If necessary, the Graduate School could return the program to the relevant School(Department) for modification. The graduate program revised at the request of the Graduate School still should be examined and approved by the Academic Degree Evaluation Sub-committee of the School(Department).

Chapter Three: Implementation of Graduate Programs

Article 8 The graduate program approved by the University, as the guiding document for the education of the graduate students of this grade, should be implemented by the Graduate School and the School (Department).

Article 9 Each School (Department) should bind the program for each freshman timely and accurately before the graduate student enters the University. The Graduate School and each School (Department) are responsible for designing and opening public elementary courses and specialized courses and arranging all teaching activities to standardize teaching management under the requirements of each graduate program.

Article 10 Each School (Department) should improve the implementation rules on various educational stages, such as qualification examination, thesis proposal, annual assessment, internship, mid-term examination, and thesis defense, according to the graduate program of the School (Department), in order to strengthen and standardize the process management of graduate education.

Article 11 After entering the University, the new graduate students should work out their own academic plan according to the graduate program of the School (Department) under the guidance of their tutor (s), and complete the courses, scientific research, internship, and thesis writing and other requirements of the academic plan during the schooling years.

Chapter Four: Modification of Graduate Programs

Article 12 The graduate programs for graduate students in the same grade should be relatively stable. Once approved by the University, the programs should not be modified at will in principle.

Article 13 During the implementation, if the graduate student finds it necessary to modify the graduate program due to special reasons, the School (Department) should submit an application for modification after adequate communication with the tutor(s) and the student concerned, with the audit opinions of the Academic Degree Evaluation Sub-committee of the School (Department) and the complete modified graduate program. The modification will be completed after the Graduate School examines and records it.

Article 14 In principle, the modification of the graduate program is limited to the fine-tuning of the basic requirements for graduate training, curriculum setting, and its attributes, and should not involve the adjustment of key elements such as basic study years and credit requirements. In principle, the modification of teaching tasks that have been issued or scheduled should not be passed.

Article 15 The modification of the graduate program in the implementation process will be included in the negative list of the annual assessment of each department and college.

Chapter Five: Evaluation of Graduate Programs

Article 16 The Graduate School should organize a special evaluation of graduate programs in a timely way, to make sure graduate programs are compliant, scientific, edge-cutting, and complete.

Article 17 Each School (Department) should actively participate in and cooperate with the evaluation of graduate programs, and revise and improve them in the follow-up work according to the evaluation opinions.

Chapter Six Supplementary Provisions

Article 18 These regulations are subject to interpretation by the Graduate School of SJTU and come into force as of September 1, 2019. In the case of conflict with previous provisions, these regulations shall prevail.