UNIVERSITY FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

GRADUATE SCHOOL HANDBOOK

September, 2021
 Graduate School Handbook

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface v
1.0 General Information 1
1.1 Contacts 1
1.1.1 The Registrar 1
1.1.2 The Dean 1
2.0 Overview of the University for Development Studies 2
2.1 Introduction 2
2.2 Vision of UDS 3
2.3 Mission of UDS 3
2.4 Philosophy of the Graduate School 3
2.4.1 Vision of the Graduate School 3
2.4.2 Mission of the Graduate School 4
2.5 Principles Guiding Teaching and Learning 4
2.6 Priority Areas 5
2.7 Intake Targets 6
2.8 Marginalised Groups 6
2.9 Resource Mobilisation and Control 6
3.0 The Governing Structure of the Graduate School 8
3.1 The Board of Graduate School 8
3.2 The Office of the Dean of Graduate School 8
3.3 Faculty/School Coordinators 8
3.4 Faculty/School Advisory Committee 8
3.5 Thesis Supervisors 9
3.6 Faculties/Schools/Centres offering Graduate Programmes 9
4.0 Admission Requirements for Graduate Degrees 11
4.1 General Admission Requirements 11
4.2 Application Procedure 12
4.3 Processing of Application Forms 12
4.4 Deferment of Admissions 13
4.5 Maintaining Studentship 13
4.6 Registration 13

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4.7 Penalties for Late Registration 14

5.0 General Information on Award of Postgraduate Degrees 15
5.1 Credit Unit 15
5.2 Re-sit of Examinations 15
5.3 Pre-requisites 15
5.4 Transfer to a New Programme 15
5.5 Transfer of Students to UDS Programme 16
5.6 Duration of Postgraduate Degree Programme 16
5.6.1 Regular Duration 17
5.6.2 Extension of Programmes 17
5.7 Interruption of Study Programme (Deferment of Programme)17
5.8 Grading System 18
5.9 Appointment of Supervisors 18
5.10 The Thesis/Term Paper 19
5.10.1 Ethics Approval to conduct a study 20
5.10.2 Thesis Proposal and Title Registration 20
5.10.3 Technical Requirement of the Dissertation/Thesis Report 20
5.10.4 Standard Dissertation/Thesis Format 22
5.10.4.1 The Preliminaries 23
5.11 Submission of Thesis for Examination 23
5.12 Approval of the Thesis by the Supervisor(s) 23
5.13 Extension of Time for Submission of Dissertation/Thesis 24
6.0 Appointment of Examiners and Conduct of Examinations 25
7.0 Conclusion Points for Research Degrees 27
7.1 Examination First 27
7.2 Defence of the Thesis (Viva-voce) 27
7.3 Submission of Examination Report and Thesis 28
8.0 Existing Graduate Programmes 30
8.1 Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Consumer Sciences 30
8.2 Faculty of Natural Resource and Environment 31
8.3 Faculty of Bioscience 32
8.4 School of Allied Health Sciences 32
8.5 School of Public Health 32

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8.6 Faculty of Education 33

8.7 Faculty of Sustainable Development Studies 33
8.8 Faculty of Communication and Cultural Studies 33
8.9 School of Medicine 34
8.10 School of Engineering 34
8.11 West African Centre for Water, Irrigation and
Sustainable Agriculture (WACWISA) 34
9.0 Regulations for Students 35
9.1 Regulations Relating to Degree Programmes 35
9.2 Regulations for the Conduct of Examinations 37
9.3 Regulations for Students On or Off-Campus 46

APPENDIX I 54
APPENDIX II 58
APPENDIX III 59
 Details of Thesis Presentation 59
 Spine 59
 Outer Cover 59
 lnner Cover 61
 Declaration Page 63
 Abstract 63
 Acknowledgement 64
 Dedication 64
 Table of Contents 64
 List of Tables/Figures 64
 Main Text 64
APPENDIX IV 66

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PREFACE
This handbook provides easy access to current information on the
regulations governing graduate studies in the University for
Development Studies (UDS); the entry requirements and programmes
offered in the various Departments and Faculties/Schools for
prospective graduate students. Additionally, information regarding the
conduct of examinations and the behaviour of students on and off -
campus is provided. However, more detailed information can be found
in various Faculty/School handbooks or the University’s Website
(www.uds.edu.gh).

The UDS Graduate School started from a humble beginning in 2004 as a

centre that offered one sandwich programme: M.Phil. in Development
Studies. The School coordinates graduate programmes (both regular
and sandwich) that lead to the award of Post Graduate Diploma (PGD),
Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of Science (M.Sc.), Master of Philosophy
(M.Phil.) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Currently, UDS has 69
postgraduate programmes accredited by the Ghana Tertiary Education
Commission (GTEC). These programmes are offered full-time or part-
time (sandwich) on our campuses. Efforts are being made to start some
distance-based postgraduate programmes soon.

The Graduate School has established both local and international

linkages, which is in line with the mission of the School to enhance
academic work through sponsorship of programmes or research,
exchange of students and staff and infrastructural development.

The outstanding works of the previous Deans: Professor David Millar

(Founding Dean), Prof Israel Dzomeku, Prof Hebert K. Dei and Prof
Elias N. K. Sowley, are heartily acknowledged. This third edition
(which draws extensively on earlier editions) of the Graduate School
Handbook was initiated in the 2020/2021 academic year after
decoupling the Wa and Navrongo Campuses from UDS into fully-

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fledged Universities.

We are sincerely grateful to the past and present members of the Board
of Graduate School and all other silent contributors. It is the hope of the
University that this document will serve as a good reference source to
all prospective students, students, academic staff, organisations and the
general public.

Thank you.

Francis Kweku Amagloh, PhD

(Associate Professor & Dean, Graduate School)
September, 2021

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1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

This handbook has been designed to provide first-hand information for
persons interested in pursuing graduate programmes at UDS. It will also
serve as a guide to supervisors and examiners of postgraduate
programmes in UDS.

1.1 Contacts:
1.1.1 The Registrar
University for Development Studies
Post Office Box TL 1350
Tamale-Ghana
Phone/Fax: +233(0)3720-26634,
Email: [email protected]

1.1.2 The Dean

Graduate School
University for Development Studies
Post Office Box TL 1350
Tamale-Ghana
Email: [email protected]
Visit our Website: www.uds.edu.gh
All enquiries should be directed to the above.

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2.0 OVERVIEW OF THE UNIVERSITY FOR DEVELOPMENT

STUDIES
2.1 Introduction
The University for Development Studies (UDS) was established in 1992
to blend the academic work with the community to provide constructive
interaction for the transformational development of Northern Ghana and
the country (PNDC Law 279, Section 2). According to the first Registrar,
“the UDS was borne out of the new thinking in higher education that
emphasises the need for universities to play a more active role in
addressing society‟s problems, particularly in the rural areas” (Effah,
1998).

By its mandate and its teaching, research, and extension methodologies,

the University has made poverty alleviation the focus of its
programmes. Pro-poor orientation in teaching and learning and
practically-oriented research and policy are fundamental to Ghana‟s
development efforts.

The pro-poor stance of UDS is manifested in various forms:

i. Its location is in the Northern Region of Ghana.
ii. Its multi-campus nature: Tamale Campus (Dungu); Nyankpala
Campus (Nyankpala); City Campus (Choggu); Tamale North
Campus (Gbanyamni), and Eastern Campus (Yendi). These are
spread out and close to relatively large parts of rural communities.
iii. Its recent radical focus on gender mainstreaming regarding
admissions: that is, its decision to ensure that far more females
than before, especially those from disadvantaged schools and areas,
are offered admission into the University.
iv. Its Third Trimester Field Practical Programme (TTFPP) ensures
that students and staff work closely with the disadvantaged rural
sector in the communities as part of the curriculum of the
University.

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2.2 Vision of UDS

The University is envisaged to be a Home of World Class Pro-Poor
Scholarship. This is reflected in its motto: “Knowledge for Service” and
its methodology of teaching, research, and outreach programmes.

2.3 Mission of UDS

UDS seeks to achieve its vision by:
i. Promoting equitable and socio-economic transformation of
communities through practically oriented, community-based,
problem-solving, gender-sensitive and interactive research,
teaching, learning and outreach activities.
ii. Providing higher education to persons suitably qualified for and
capable of benefiting from it.
iii. Positioning itself as a national asset in the facilitation of lifelong
learning.
iv. Developing its information and communication technology
infrastructure as the driving force for the education of mo re
people more rapidly and the improvement of efficiency and
academic quality to advance community and national
development.

2.4 Philosophy of the Graduate School

Our programmes conform to UNESCO‟s definition of the goals,
objectives and aims of development as “not to develop things but to
develop people”. Development must be aimed at the spiritual, moral,
and natural advancement of the whole human being, both as an
individual and a member of society. Our philosophy should harness
people's capacity or empowerment for sustainable management of their
environment, culminating in the more efficient and effective use of
resources and the benefits for the larger community.

2.4.1 Vision of the Graduate School

The vision of the Graduate School is to produce a high calibre of

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scholars and practitioners, sensitive to and capable of providing

practical and workable solutions to the developmental concerns of
deprived communities in Ghana and beyond through the
implementation of the appropriate interventions.

2.4.2 Mission of the Graduate School

The mission of the Graduate School is to be an internationally
recognised centre of academic excellence that provides opportunities for
advanced learning, research, and outreach activities that contribute to
the advancement of higher education and the equitable socio-economic
transformation of deprived communities for national development.

We plan to partner with other universities and institutions to form a

consortium from various linkages/exchange programmes for staff and
graduate students to achieve our mission. Publications and
grantsmanship shall be the priority of the Graduate School to contribute
to efforts of attaining international recognition of the University.

2.5 Principles Guiding Teaching and Learning

All programmes will be gender-sensitive in their operations. Courses
will be so delivered that there will be cross-cutting themes that should
be a core for all students, such as:
 Development (gender, environment, advocacy, equity,
sustainability)
 Research proposal writing
 Research design
 Computer literacy
 Scientific communication

In addition to UDS core staff, the graduate school will solicit the inputs
of retired or „volunteer‟ professors and practitioners of high repute on a
short-term basis to deliver lectures, particularly for our cross-cutting
courses.

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Local expertise in both the private and public sectors (also NGOs) will
be used, where relevant, for teaching and for learning support.

2.6 Priority Areas

The prioprity areas of the Graduate School include the following:
(a) Innovative development of courses that:
 Promote awareness on broad-spectrum development issues
 Strengthen knowledge of and skills in, Research Methodologies
 Engage in Social Issues such as Gender, Culture and Poverty
 Involve the application of educational/research technologies to
the worlds of work and learning
 Promote self-directed learning opportunities

(b) Research and Development Programmes that:

 Identify and promote graduate research
 Partner government and non-governmental agencies and donors
to promote action and applied research
 Identify staff with appropriate qualifications and experience to
handle research and graduate work
 Disseminate research output through publications, conferences,
seminars and outreach programmes

(c) Networking and linkages that:

 Identify potential partners
 Advertise programmes
 Source for funding to support programmes
 Establish linkages for joint research and outreach programmes.

(d) Policy influencing that:

 Identify interested members and constitute a policy advocate
group
 Establish criteria/procedure

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 Publish group outputs

 Facilitate the operation of the group
 Provide logistics for documentation and dissemination of
activities,
 Engage in policy influencing and advocacy.

2.7 Intake Targets

Student intake is dependant on the availability of faculty to supervise
student research to ensure the quality of the training provided.

2.8 Marginalised Groups

Intake of students and programmes run should exhibit a pro-poor,
gender-sensitive and inclusivity bias, with particular reference to
women, rural constituents and differently-abled persons. Sensitivity to
such marginalised groups should be demonstrated in intake and
support.

2.9 Resource Mobilisation and Control

The school shall mobilise strategic resources to support institutional
research and programmes development. To this end, it is expected that
partnerships can be built with donors (bilateral and multilateral, private
foundations/endowments, the Government of Ghana and its agencies,
local government authorities, commerce and industry. It is anticipated
that most of the programmes will be run through such partnerships.
Also, programmes development will, as much as possible, be demand-
driven.

Although short-term funding is required, it is expected that medium to

long term funding opportunities will be obtained to finance the capital-
intensive investments of graduate research and development,
institutional and curriculum development. Co-financing and actual
fundraising is also essential part of resource mobilisation.

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Student fees and study-related costs, government subventions and

internally generated funding will be crucial to the progress of the School.

Funds generated by the Graduate School shall be channelled through

the University Systems and appropriate checks and balances put in
place.

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3.0 THE GOVERNING STRUCTURE OF THE GRADUATE

SCHOOL
3.1The Board of Graduate School
As per the Statutes of the UDS, a Board of Graduate School comprising
representatives of the diverse constituencies is appointed with a
Chairperson (Dean, Graduate School) and a Secretary (Registrar‟s
representative at Graduate School) to lead the policy and strategic
advancement of the School.

The Dean of Graduate School and Postgraduate Co-ordinators shall

decide on behalf of the Graduate School Board when deemed necessary
and report to the Board of such decisions. The Registrar‟s representative
at Graduate School shall be the Secretary.

3.2 The Office of the Dean of Graduate School

The Office of the Dean of the Graduate School has oversight
implementation responsibilities for the overall coordination of
programmes and routine activities of the Faculties and School. In
addition, it has the oversight responsibility of monitoring and evaluating
programmes to report to the University Administration.

3.3 Faculty/School Coordinators

The Faculty/School Postgraduate Coordinators would coordinate
faculty level graduate activities with the support of the various
Heads of Department and Deans.

3.4 Faculty/School Advisory Committee

 There shall be a Faculty/School Advisory Committee made up of
the Dean of Faculty/School (chairperson), Head of Department of
the applicant/student, a Senior Member from the
applicant/student‟s Department, Faculty/School Postgraduate
Coordinator, and a representative of the Registrar as a Secretary.

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The functions of the Faculty/SchoolPostgraduate Advisory Committee

shall include:
 Interview and recommend postgraduate applicants for
admission to Graduate School Board.
 Advise students on courses to be taken and approve thesis
proposals.
 Approve and recommend thesis supervisors submitted by
Department Heads.
 Request and submit progress reports on each student to the
Board of Graduate School through the Dean of Graduate School.
 Keep under review and make proposals for the overall
development of graduate programmes in the Department and
Faculty/School
 Any other function(s) as recommended by the Graduate School
Board.

3.5 Thesis Supervisors

Supervisors shall
 Be selected based on their specialisations and research outputs in
the students‟ area of research
 Be responsible for guiding the students in their theses
development
 Mentor students for their academic progression
 Assist students in selecting relevant coursework
 Coordinate committees and activities regarding their students

3.6 Faculties/Schools/Centres offering Graduate Programmes

 Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Sciences (FoAFCS)
 Faculty of Communication Sciences and Cultural Studies (FCCS)
 Faculty of Biosciences (FoB)
 Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment (FNRE)
 Faculty of Sustainable Development Studies (FSDS)
 Faculty of Physical sciences (FoPS)

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 Faculty of Education (FoE)

 Faculty of Law (FoL)
 School of Medicine (SMS)
 School of Nursing and Midwifery (SNM)
 School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SPPS)
 School of Applied Economics and Management Sciences
(SAEMS)
 School of Allied Health Sciences (SAHS)
 School of Engineering (SoE)
 School of Public Health (SPH)
 School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM)
 Institute for Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE)
 West African Centre for Water, Irrigation and Sustainable
Agriculture (WACWISA)

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4.0 ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATE DEGREES

4.1General Admission Requirements
 Admission is open to both national and international applicants.
 To be admitted into a programme leading to the award of a
graduate diploma or the Master‟s degree
(PG.D./M.A./M.Sc./M.Com/M.Phil./MPH), a candidate must:
i. Have obtained a good first degree (at least Second Class
Lower) in an appropriate field of study from a recognised
University. Applicants with a first degree below Second
Class Lower Division may be admitted upon the
recommendation of the Department.
ii. Applicants with a Master‟s non-research may be admitted to
a 12-month top-up programme in the same program or
related field, leading to the award of an MPhil.
 Such applicants shall submit an official transcript of
academic records with their application.
 Submit two recommendation letters from referees
familiar with the applicant‟s academic work.
iii. Those seeking a research-related degree must attach a 3- 5
page research proposal of the intended area of research.
iv. Satisfy any additional requirements prescribed by the
Faculties/Schools. These may include relevant work
experience, a written entrance examination and an
interview.
 A candidate seeking admission into the PhD program must:
i. Have an M.Phil. /M.Sc. by research degree in an
appropriate field of study from a recognised University or
ii. Have MA/MEd/MSc/MBA degree in an appropriate field,
with a CGPA of 3.5 or better with not more than one grade
C+. Also, has a score of B+ or better in a Research Methods
course.
iii. Applicants with a Master‟s non-research but with practical
field experience of more than 24 months may be admitted to

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a 12-month top-up programme in the same programme or

related field.
iv. Submit an official transcript of academic record.
v. Submit two referees‟ reports from two Senior Members of
the applicant‟s former University.
vi. Submit a proposal of 3-5 pages of the intended area of
study.
vii. Satisfy any additional requirements prescribed by the
Department/Faculty.
viii. Faculties, Schools and Departments are responsible for
setting admission standards and conforming to the overall
University standards.

4.2 Application Procedure

The candidate shall apply for application forms by procuring a voucher
from accredited agents. With the voucher, the applicant can download
the form from www.uds.edu.gh.

4.3 Processing of Application Forms

 The Registrar shall present all postgraduate applications to the
Dean of Graduate School, who shall forward them to the
appropriate Faculties or Schools for examination and
recommendation. The Advisory Committee of the
Faculty/School will submit the names of qualified candidates to
the Dean of Graduate School.
 All applications for admission shall be considered in the
following order: Faculty/School Advisory Committee and
finally by the Graduate School Board.
 The Graduate School shall transmit the recommended lists of
applicants for admission to the Registrar to convey to applicants
promptly.

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4.4 Deferment of Admissions

An applicant who is offered admission but cannot enrol into the
programme can defer it for a maximum of one year. The Registrar shall
only grant the deferment after the applicant has paid the prevailing
academic fees.

4.5 Maintaining Studentship

 A student must register to maintain his/her studentship at the
beginning of each academic session (sandwich programmes)
and each trimester (regular programmes). Failure to do so shall
result in the loss of studentship.
 A student must pay his/her fees in full or as agreed by UDS
Management.
o Quarterly payments of prevailing fees for an academic year for
UDS staff who enrolled to pursue postgraduate degrees in the
University but cannot fully pay their fees are accepted. That is,
25% of the fees for an academic year shall be paid every quarter.
Such payments, where possible, can be deducted from salary by
the UDS Finance Directorate. Staff are requested to submit
evidence of such payments to the Graduate School for
documentation.

4.6 Registration
 Students shall do their course registration through the
University Campus Manager (UCM): https://ucm.uds.edu.gh/
or as directed by the Dean of Graduate School with approval
from the Academic Board.
 Regular students shall do their course registration in the First,
Second and Third Trimesters of each academic year.
 Sandwich students shall do their course registration at the
beginning of each academic session.
 Courses may, however, be changed or added with written
approval from the Department and Faculty Boards.

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 After successful registration online, students shall submit an

endorsed registration form by the Head of Department/Centre
and the Dean of Faculty/School to the Graduate School for final
endorsement and verification.
 Registration is complete after a student has signed in the
Registration Book at the Graduate School.

4.7 Penalties for Late Registration

 There shall be a penalty for late registration. Students who fail to
register within three (3) weeks from the re-opening date of each
trimester in an academic year shall pay a late registration fee
determined by the Graduate School Board. No student shall be
allowed to register after one (1) month from the re-opening date.

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5.0 GENERAL INFORMATION ON AWARD OF POSTGRADUATE

DEGREES
A postgraduate student shall pass all registered courses, including a
term paper for PGD/M.A./M.Sc., or a thesis with Viva Voce for M.Sc.
(with research), MPhil, and PhD.

5.1 Credit Unit

Instruction shall be by courses evaluated in terms of credits. A credit
unit shall be equivalent to one hour of Lecture/ Tutorial or three (3)
hours of practical work per week or a series of contact Lecture/Tutorial
hours. The total credit hours for the research thesis shall be 6 for PhD
and 6 for MPhil/MSc with more than six (6) months of research. A term
paper for postgraduate diploma and non-research Masters required to
be completed within one (1) academic year shall have six (6) credit
units. Departments shall determine credit load for course work.

5.2 Re -sit of Examinations

Any failed course(s) must be registered and the paper(s) retaken at the
next opportunity specified by the Department. All grades
obtained/scored for examinations taken shall be considered in the
computation of the final examination mark.

5.3 Pre-requisites
i. Appropriate pre-requisite courses may be prescribed for specific
programmes. Pre-requisites may be waived for suitably qualified
candidates only by the Graduate Board on the recommendation of
the relevant Department Board via the Faculty/School Board.
ii. No course (s) in the First Trimester shall be pre-requisites for the
Second Trimester course(s) in the same academic session.

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5.4 Transfer to a New Programme

i. A student cannot be transferred to a new graduate degree
programme in another department, irrespective of the similarities
in the course combinations for the degree programmes. However,
consideration may be given for a transfer to a different
programme within the same Department, provided the
Department and Faculty/School Boards approve it.
ii. No student will be allowed to transfer to a degree higher than
what he/she was admitted for without prior approval from the
Departmental/Faculty and Graduate School.

5.5 Transfer of Students to UDS Programme

Students from other universities who wish to transfer to the
University for Development Studies, Tamale:
 Must apply following the procedure in 4.2.
 Must complete the forms and send them along with an
academic transcript and a confidential report from the
Registrar of his/her University to the Registrar of UDS
within the stimulated time allowed before the admission
exercise begins.
 May be conditionally admitted into any of the levels but
not higher than the level attained in the graduate degree
programme of his/her previous University and may
additionally have some lower-level courses prescribed as
remedial courses for him/her which must be passed before
graduation.
 Shall have all the academic records brought from their
Universities included in the computation of the results to
be used to award degrees.

5.6 Duration of Postgraduate Degree Programme

The duration of postgraduate degree programmes shall be as follows:

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5.6.1 Regular Duration

(i) Full-time
 PGD/MA/MSc (without research) shall have a duration
between 12 – 15 months
 MPhil shall have a period of two (2) years
 PhD shall have a minimum of three (3) years and a maximum of
four (4) years duration
(ii) Part-time
 All students who register as part-timers shall have a total
duration of 1.5 multiplied by the number of years of the regular
period of their respective programmes

5.6.2 Extension of Programmes

 PGD/MA/MSc (without research) shall have a maximum of six
(6) months extension
 MPhil shall have a maximum of one (1) year extension, applied
for in 6-monthly periods (refer to section 5.13)
 PhD shall have a maximum of two (2) years extension applied
for in 6-monthly periods (refer to section 5.13)
 Taught courses for PhD shall be offered in Year I.
 A PhD candidate can submit a thesis for examination at the end
of Year III.

5.7 Interruption of Study Programme (Deferment of Programme)

A student who wishes to interrupt the study programme must apply in
advance through the Department/Faculty/School Board to the Board of
the Graduate School to the Registrar stating the reason why he/she
wants to defer/interrupt the study programme. Permission should be
duly granted before he/she leaves the University. Except for medical
reasons, a student may not be allowed to interrupt or defer/break the
study programme for more than two (2) continuous teaching Trimesters.
A student who stays away for more than two (2) teaching trimesters is
deemed to have withdrawn from the University and may need to re -
apply for admission.

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5.8 Grading System

Student performance in a course and dissertation/thesis shall be
recorded in letter grades after due conversion from the percentage
score. Each course shall be graded out of 100 marks (including
continuous assessment marks). For taught courses, t he final
examination shall consist of 60% and continuous assessment 40% of the
total marks. Dissertations/Theses shall be evaluated by examiners using
the same grading system as follows:

% Score Grade Description

80-100 A+ Excellent
70-79 A Very Good
65-69 B+ Good
60-64 B Credit
Below 60 F Fail

NB: The following letter grades may also be assigned

I– Incomplete
Z– For involvement in Examination malpractice

Minimum Pass Grade: A Student is required to obtain a minimum pass

grade of B for each examination taken. Grading systems are subject to
changes as determined by the Graduate Board, given current standards.

5.9 Appointment of Supervisors

i. Each successful graduate applicant will be assigned a supervisor,
latest by the end of the second trimester of the first year.
ii. Each PGD/M.A. /M.Sc. student shall be assigned one supervisor
from the department or a cognate department (if applicable).
iii. Every research student (M.Sc. /M.Phil.) shall be assigned at least
one supervisor. If they are two, one must be the Main Supervisor
and the other Co-supervisor, but both must be PhD holders.
iv. In the case of a PhD, candidates must be assigned two supervisors,
one of whom shall be the Principal Supervisor who holds a PhD

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and the other, at least Senior Lecturer status. The Co -supervisor

should also be a PhD holder.
v. Supervisors usually shall be members of the academic staff of the
University. In exceptional cases, however, suitable persons within
and outside the University may be appointed.
vi. The nomination of supervisors requires prior consideration by the
Faculty Graduate Committee before approval by the Board of
Graduate School.
vii. During the programme, seminars shall be arranged at which
aspects of the research shall be presented by the candidate. Such
seminars will be open to the University community to enable other
graduate students to attend.

5.10 The Thesis/Term Paper

Two forms of theses are acceptable for examination by the Graduate
School. The options are: Thesis as a monograph; or Manuscript-based
thesis (Appendix IV), and the choice depends on the student, supervisor
and the traditions of the Department and subject area.

Candidates who are enrolled in MSc (with research) or MPhil

Programmes and opt for manuscript-based thesis shall be required to
submit 3 or 4 chapters drafted as manuscripts. Out of these, MPhil
candidates shall be required to submit proof of at least one accepted
manuscript or a conference paper before Viva-voce can be organised.

PhD candidates who opt for a manuscript-based thesis shall have 4-6
chapters drafted as manuscripts. At least two (2) manuscripts, out of
these must be accepted for publication or published before the thesis is
submitted for examination for Viva-voce to be organised.

Students shall be expected to publish in top-quality journal of discipline

approved by the supervisor(s) in consultation with the University
Library.

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PhD candidates who opt for a monograph-based thesis with chapters as

Introduction, Literature Review, Approach or Methodology, Results,
Discussion (or combination of Results and Discussion), Conclusion,
Recommendations, and References must have at least one conference
presentation before organising Viva-voce.

5.10.1 Ethics Approval to conduct a study

Studies involving human and animal subjects need to be approved by the
Ethics Committee of the University for Development Studies or any other
recognised institutional ethical review body.

5.10.2 Thesis Proposal and Title Registration

i. By the end of the first year of study, all research students (M.Sc.
/M.Phil./PhD) shall submit their research proposals to their
respective Heads of Department for consideration by the
Departmental Committee on Graduate programme(s).
ii. At the beginning of the second year, the Head of Department shall
submit to the Dean of Graduate School the approved theses titles
through the Faculty/School Postgraduate Advisory Committee.
iii. Any change of thesis title must be communicated to the Board of
the Graduate School.
iv. All research students must acquaint themselves with the Research
and Ethics Policy of the University.

5.10.3 Technical Requirement of the Dissertation/Thesis Report

i. The Dissertation/Thesis shall be written in English, and the
presentation must be satisfactory. It must be suitable for
publication.
ii. The Dissertation/Thesis shall consist of the candidate‟s account of
his/her research. It may describe work done in conjunction with
other people provided that the candidate shall state clearly his/her
contribution in the investigation and that his/her statement should
have been certified by the supervisor(s).

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iii. Any already published work of the candidate may be included in

the Dissertation/Thesis if such information is relevant to the
subject matter of the thesis.
iv. A candidate shall not be permitted to submit work as his/her
Dissertation/Thesis for which another university has already
conferred a degree. However, a candidate shall not be precluded
from incorporating as a critique review only, which challenges the
current work and adds new knowledge to the existing work which
he/she has already submitted for a degree in this or another
university. Every candidate shall present a short abstract of
his/her thesis comprising not more than 350 words. The abstract
shall give a general account of its content, methodology, findings
and recommendations, bound with each copy of the thesis
submitted to the Board of Graduate School.
v. A project work submitted for a PGD or a dissertation submitted
for a MA./MBA/M.Sc. degree, or a thesis submitted for the
M.Phil./M.Com/Ph.D. degree must not exceed the number of
words or pages, up to the list of references, prescribed by the
Graduate School Board below:

Table 1. Minimum/Maximum Page Numbers-Sciences

Degree Minimum Maximum
PGD 30 pages/8,000 words 40 pages/10000 words
MED/MSc/MBA 45 pages/11,00 words 50 pages/12,500 words
(Non-Research)
MPhil 70 pages/17,500 words 90 pages/27,000 words
PhD 100 pages/29,000 words 120 pages/30,000 words
Including References and Appendices

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Table 2. Minimum/Maximum Page Numbers Humanities/ Social

Science
Degree Minimum Maximum
PGD 30 pages/8,000 words 40 pages/10000 words
MED/MSc/MBA. 60 pages/15,000 words 80 pages/20,000 words
(Non-Research)
MPhil 100 pages/25000 words 120 pages/30,000 words
PhD 180 pages/45,000 words 250 pages/55,000 words
In the case of candidates pursuing Business degrees,
20,000 – 25,000 words (80 – 100 pages) and 35,000 –
42,000 (150 – 200 pages) may be accepted for their
M.Com/MPhil and PhD Theses, respectively.
Including References and Appendices

vi. In exceptional cases (for example, publication-based thesis), theses

with the number of pages outside the above ranges may be
accepted by the Graduate School Board, subject to
recommendations by the Departmental/Faculty Committee on
Graduate programmes.
vii. The size shall be standard A4 paper, except for drawings, maps
and other materials on which no restriction is placed. Where the
dissertation/thesis is typed, only one side of the paper shall be
used with a margin of 5 cm on the left-hand side of the paper, with
a font size of 12, and 2.0 line spacing, using Times New Roman.
After the dissertation/thesis has been approved, it must be bound
in standard form Art Vellum or cloth; overcast; edges uncut;
lettered boldly up the spine in gold (0.5 – 1.25 cm) degree; name
and year. This should be done before the award of the degree is
published by the Registrar.

5.10.4 Standard Dissertation/Thesis Format

The writing of dissertations and theses is part of the requirements for
higher degrees at the University for Development Studies. No higher
degree will be conferred until the approved specifications for writing

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dissertations and theses are met. All dissertations/theses consist of three

categories of materials, namely: the preliminaries or front matter, the text
or the main body of the report, and the back matter (reference and
appendices).

5.10.4.1 The Preliminaries

The preliminaries begin with the spine, outside cover, declaration,
abstract, acknowledgement, dedication (optional), Table of content, list
of tables, list of figures and illustrations and list of acronyms.

5.11 Submission of Thesis for Examination

Postgraduate students shall submit their theses online for examination
through the UDS University Campus Manager portal below:
https://ucm.uds.edu.gh; or through the Library, Supervisor, Head of
Department, Faculty/School Postgraduate Advisory Committee to the
Dean of Graduate School. The detailed presentation of the thesis is
presented in Appendix III.

5.12 Approval of the Thesis by the Supervisor(s)

i. The thesis must pass a similarity index check (not more than 20%)
conducted by the University Library using a certified plagiarism
check software. The report of similarity index must accompany the
thesis submitted to the Graduate School.
ii. The thesis must demonstrate the candidate's competence in
independent scientific research. It may be an academic thesis on a
single topic or a collection of separate articles that may or may not
have been previously published (especially for doctoral thesis). All
such articles must relate to the topic of the thesis or as determined
by the department.
iii. The thesis must be approved by the supervisor(s), who ascertain(s)
whether it is worthy to serve as evidence of the candidate's ability
to do independent scientific work. If a candidate has more than one
supervisor, they must all agree and notify the Graduate Board that

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they have approved the thesis by signing the declaration page of the
dissertation/thesis.
iv. In the event of disagreement between the supervisor and the
candidate, both parties have the right to call on the Board of
Graduate School to arbitrate. If this arbitration does not reconcile the
parties within a month, the parties shall approach the Academic
Board to appoint a committee from among its members to consider
the matter. This committee will bring out a judgment within two
months, and the Academic Board will act on its advice.

5.13 Extension of Time for Submission of Dissertation/Thesis

i. A postgraduate student who cannot complete the programme
within the stipulated time must, in consultation with his/her
supervisor, apply to the Board of Graduate School through the
Head of Department/Centre for an extension. Such a student will
be required to pay fees once the extension is granted.
a. No fees will be charged for an extension for the first six (6) months
(grace period) after the end of a postgraduate programme.
b. A fee of 50% of the prevailing final year fee per programme shall be
paid by postgraduate students who overstay the grace period [i.e.,
the first six (6) months after programme duration].
c. A student who fails to complete a registered programme during the
initial one (1) year extension shall pay 100% of fees for each
subsequent year (as applies to the specific programme) to continue
on the programme.
ii. Except for PhD students entitled to two (2) years extension, all
other postgraduate students shall be allowed for only one (1) year
extension (Refer to Section 5.6). Students who are withdrawn from
the programmes can re-apply as fresh students. If readmitted
within two years after withdrawal, he/ she may be credited with the
courses already taken.

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6.0 APPOINTMENT OF EXAMINERS AND CONDUCT OF

EXAMINATIONS
i. The Departmental Committee shall recommend one Internal
and one External Examiner through the Postgraduate Advisory
Board to the Graduate School to assess an M.Sc./MPhil thesis.
ii. Each PhD thesis shall be assessed by three examiners,
comprising one Internal Examiner and two External Examiners
iii. External Examiners shall be recommended by the Department
and appointed by the Registrar on the advice of the Graduate
School Board.
iv. In principle, the Examiners shall be served with the draft thesis,
and the decision to allow the candidate to defend the thesis
should be made within eight weeks after the candidate has
handed in the draft thesis. The decision is reached by the
External Examiner(s) who should convey his/her or their
decision to the Dean of Graduate School in writing. The
candidate is then informed of the decision in writing.
v. After the Examiners have submitted their reports on the
assessment of an M.Sc./MPhil thesis and at least two
Examiners (including the External Examiner) have passed the
thesis, candidates will be required to do an oral defence of the
thesis (Viva Voce).
vi. Note that a thesis that is failed two times by an External
Examiner will not be re-examined the third time. Therefore the
candidate may be awarded a degree lower than what he/she
applied for initially or not awarded any degree.
vii. In the case of a PhD, all the Examiners (i.e., the Internal and the
two External Examiners) must pass the thesis to enable the
candidate to do the oral defence of the thesis (Viva Voce).
viii. A candidate who has been refused permission to defend his or
her thesis may appeal through the Graduate School Board to
the Academic Board for a final decision.

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ix. The Viva Voce for M.Sc. by research and M.Phil. candidates
shall be conducted by a Panel of Examiners comprising the
Dean of the Graduate School as Chairperson or his/her
representative, the Internal Examiner, the Head of Department
and the Supervisor.
x. In the case of PhD candidates, the Viva Voce shall be conducted
by a Panel of Examiners consisting of the Dean of Graduate
School or anybody appointed by the Dean as Chairperson or
his/her representative, the two External Examiners, and the
Internal Examiner.
xi. The Secretary to the Graduate School Board shall be the
Secretary to the examination panels.
xii. The Examiners shall send a joint report to the Dean of Graduate
School.
xiii. There shall be no Viva Voce for M.A. /MBA/M.Sc. (non-
research) candidates.

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7.0 CONCLUSION POINTS FOR RESEARCH DEGREES

7.1 Examination First
Candidates are expected to have passed all requisite taught courses.
They should have paid all their fees in full, including extensions where
applicable. Candidates should have passed (obtained 60% or more) in
the internal and external thesis examinations before they would be
allowed to attend a Viva-voce.

7.2 Defence of the Thesis (Viva-voce)

i. As prescribed by the Graduate School Board, Viva-voce (thesis
defence or oral examinations) shall be organised for postgraduate
students in January, February, and July and August every year.
ii. The defence of the thesis shall be public (i.e. open to the University
community) in a room designated by the Graduate School or
Campus Co-ordinator of Graduate School on the agreed date and
in the presence of the Examining Committee. Examination can also
be virtually conducted.
iii. Presentation by the Candidate: The candidate presents and
defends his/her work to the audience within 35/45 minutes (in the
case of M.Sc. by research /M.Phil. degree) and 60 minutes (in the
case of PhD degree). The procedure must be conducted in English
unless the Vice-Chancellor has approved another language.
iv. The Examining Committee acting on behalf of the Graduate School
Board, by a majority verdict, decides whether to award the degree
or not.
v. For MPhil/MSc. (with research), the Examining Committee shall
comprise the Dean of Graduate School (or representative), an
external examiner (or representative), the internal examiner and
the HoD. Both the Dean and HoD do not score the candidate.
vi. For PhD, the Examining Committee shall comprise the Dean of
Graduate School (or representative), two (2) external examiners,
the internal examiner and the HoD. Both the Dean and HoD do not
score the candidate.

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vii. In case a student fails the thesis examination or Viva-voce, he/she

shall be responsible for the payment of the cost for re-examination.

7.3 Submission of Examination Report and Thesis

i. Soon after the completion of the defence, a report on the
examination shall be submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School
for processing, after which copies shall be presented to the
Department of the candidate.
ii. At the end of the Examination, the Examiners shall recommend any
of the following as may be appropriate:
a) The degree should be awarded without further amendments to
the thesis.
b) The degree should be awarded after some corrections or
amendments have been made (and shall list those items to be
corrected/amended).
c) The thesis should be re-examined after major
corrections/revisions have been carried out (and they shall
specify the defects).
d) The degree should not be awarded (and they shall give detailed
reasons).
iii. If the candidate is successful in his examination, he/she is required
to make the necessary corrections/amendments as recommended
by the examination panel within three (3) months. The Internal
Examiner shall certify the corrections and sign the STUDENT‟S
FINAL THESIS SUBMISSION FORM before the final copies are
printed, bound, and submitted to the Head of Department for
distribution.
iv. Four (4) or more (depending on the number of supervisors) bound
copies shall be presented to the University using the following
recommended colour code schemes as back covers in binding the
Dissertations/Theses:

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PGD. Dissertation Black colour

MA/M.Sc. Dissertation Green colour
M.Sc./M.Phil. Thesis Brown colour
PhD. Thesis Blue-Black colour
N.B: M.Sc.* by research.

Copies of Dissertations/theses that have been accepted for the award of

the degree shall be distributed as follows:
 The original copy shall be deposited in the University Library,
 The Department,
 Graduate School (soft copy only) to be sent by email to
[email protected]
 Supervisor (s), and
 Candidate.
v. The submission of the soft copy of the thesis through the above
email address must be accompanied by signed STUDENT‟S FINAL
THESIS SUBMISSION FORM and it shall be sent by the
Department Head.
vi. If the candidate fails the oral examination, he/she shall be allowed
to repeat the examination at the next Viva-voce.
vii. A candidate shall only be qualified for the award of a Master‟s
degree or Doctorate if he/she has passed all the prescribed courses,
submitted a satisfactory thesis, passed his/her oral examination
and has done the minimum number of trimesters as stipulated for
the programme.
viii. The effective date of the award of the degree shall be the date of
graduation, that is, at the next congregation after the corrected
dissertation/thesis is certified by the Graduate School Board and
approved by the Academic Board.

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8.0 EXISTING GRADUATE PROGRAMMES

Details of the programmes can be found in the various Faculty/School
handbooks.

8.1 Faculty of Agriculture Food, and Consumer Sciences

Department of Animal Science
 MSc. Animal Science-Sandwich: (Options in Meat Science, Animal
Breeding and Genetics, Animal Nutrition, Physiology/
Reproductive Physiology, Pasture and Range, Production)
 MPhil. Animal Science: (Options in Meat Science, Animal Breeding
and Genetics, Animal Nutrition, Physiology/Reproductive
Physiology, Pasture and Range, Production)
 PhD. Animal Science: (Options in Meat Science, Animal Breeding
and Genetics, Animal Nutrition, Physiology/Reproductive
Physiology, Pasture and Range, Production)

Department of Horticulture
 MSc. Horticulture-Sandwich: (Options in Post-harvest Technology,
Post-harvest, physiology, Olericulture/Vegetables, Pomology/
Fruits, Seed Technology, Landscape Design, Floriculture)
 MPhil. Horticulture: (Options in Post-harvest Technology, Post-
Harvest, Physiology, Olericulture/Vegetables, Pomology/Fruits,
Seed Technology, Landscape Design, Floriculture)
 PhD. Horticulture: (Options in Post-harvest Technology, Post-
Harvest, Physiology, Olericulture/Vegetables, Pomology/Fruits,
Seed Technology, Landscape Design, Floriculture)

Department of Crop Science

 MSc. Crop Science (Options in Crop Physiology, Crop Protection,
Plant Pathology and Weed Science)
 MPhil. Crop Science (Options in Crop Physiology, Crop Protection,
Plant Pathology and Weed Science)
 PhD. Crop Science (Options in Crop Physiology, Crop Protection,

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Plant Pathology and Weed Science)

Department of Agriculture Mechanization and Irrigation Technology

 MPhil. Post-Harvest Technology
 PhD. Post-Harvest Technology
 MPhil. Soil and Water Conservation and Management
 PhD. Soil and Water Conservation and Management

Department of Agriculture and Food Economics

 MSc. Agriculture Economics
 MPhil. Agriculture Economics
 PhD. Agriculture Economics

Department of Agribusiness Management and Finance

 MSc. Agribusiness
 MPhil. Agribusiness
 PhD. Agribusiness

Department of Agriculture Innovation Communication

 MSc. Innovation Communication
 MPhil. Innovation Communication
 PhD. Innovation Communication

Department of Agriculture Management and Policy

 MSc. Agricultural Project Management

8.2 Faculty of Natural Resource and Environment

Department of Environment and Sustainability Studies
 MSc. Environment and Sustainability Studies
 MPhil. Environment and Sustainability Studies
 PhD. Environment and Sustainability Studies

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8.3 Faculty of Bioscience

Department of Biotechnology
 MSc. Biotechnology
 MPhil. Biotechnology
 PhD. Biotechnology

Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management

 MPhil. in Fisheries Science

8.4 School of Allied Health Sciences

Department of Community Health
 MSc. Community Health and Development (Modular)
 MPhil. Community Health and Development

Department of Nutritional Sciences

 MSc. Public Health Nutrition (PHN) – (Modular)
 MPhil. Public Health Nutrition (PHN)

Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences

 MPhil. Chemical Pathology
 PhD Chemical Pathology

8.5 School of Public Health

Department of Social and Behavioural Change
 M.Sc. Community Health and Development (Modular)
 M.Phil. Community Health and Development (Modular)

Department of Global and International Health

 Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department of Population and Reproductive Health

 Master of Public Health (Maternal and Child Health)

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Department of Environmental and Occupational Health

 Master of Public Health (Developmental Health)
 MSc. Disaster Resilience
 MPhil Disaster Resilience

8.6 Faculty of Education

Department of Agriculture Education and Consumer Sciences
 MPhil. Agriculture Education
 MEd. Agriculture Education

Department of Educational Management and Policy Studies

 MEd Educational Management and Planning
 MEd Training and Development
 MPhil Educational Management and Planning
 MPhil Training and Development

Department of Educational Foundations Studies

 MEd Special Education
 MPhil Measurement and Evaluation
 MPhil Special Education
 Postgraduate Diploma in Education

8.7 Faculty of Sustainable Development Studies

Department of Development Management and Policy Studies
 MA Development Education Studies
 MPhil Development Education Studies
 PhD Development Education Studies

8.8 Faculty of Communication and Cultural Studies

Department of Communication, Innovation and Technology
 MSc. Integrated Rural Development (Full-time)

Department of Politics and Governance

 MA Politics and Governance

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 MPhil Politics and Governance

 PhD Politics and Governance

8.9 School of Medicine

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
 MPhil Molecular Medicine
 PhD Molecular Medicine

8.10 School of Engineering

Department of Agricultural Engineering
 MSc. Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
 MPhil. Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
 PhD. Irrigation and Drainage Engineering

8.11 West African Centre for Water, Irrigation and Sustainable

Agriculture (WACWISA)
 MSc. Climate Change Resilience of Ecosystem Services
 MPhil. Climate Change Resilience of Ecosystem Services
 PhD. Climate Change Resilience of Ecosystem Services

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9.0 REGULATIONS FOR STUDENTS

9.1 Regulations Relating to Degree Programmes Academic
Programmes
i. Each Faculty shall provide detailed information about the
structure of courses leading to the award of a graduate degree in
that Faculty.
ii. It shall be the responsibility of each student of the University to
know both specific requirements of the graduate degree for
which he/she is registered and the rules, regulations, and
policies of the University and the relevant Faculties and
Departments.
iii. It shall be the responsibility of each student to ensure that the
courses selected satisfy the requirements for the award of the
graduate degree sought. Advice and counselling for students
who need assistance in this regard will be offered.
iv. By the act of registering, every student agrees to abide by all
rules, regulations, and policies of the University and the relevant
Faculties and Departments.
v. Each student should know both the general information outlined
in this handbook and any relevant information of the
Faculty/School or Department in which he/she is enrolled.
When in doubt, students may consult their Heads of Department
or the Dean of Graduate School.
vi. Students shall be held liable for contravening any regulation.
vii. Exemption from any of the General Regulations may be granted
only by the express permission of the Academic Board on the
recommendation of the Board of Graduate School and the
appropriate Faculty Board.
viii. The University reserves the right to change rules, regulations
and policies, as well as programmes and course requirements
outlined in this handbook without prior notice.
ix. A student who is unable to complete his/her programme within
the stipulated period must apply to the Board of Graduate

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School for an extension of the study period and would be

required to pay fees if the request is granted. A programme of
courses shall be provided in each Faculty/School leading to a
Post-graduate Degree.

Academic Year
For full-time programmes, this shall be as determined by the Graduate
School Board with approval from the Academic Board. The Academic
year of the University is divided into three Trimesters. The First and
Second Trimesters shall consist of 14 weeks each, 12 weeks of teaching
and two weeks of examinations. The Third Trimester that comprises 8
weeks shall be used for field Practicals, cross-cutting courses and Thesis
work. The start and duration of Sandwich programmes shall be
determined by each Faculty/School, but should generally commence at
the beginning of July, by which time the academic year for full-time
programmes might have ended.

Numbering of Courses
The postgraduate degree courses for MSc and MPhil shall be numbered
as follows:
1. 1st Year: 501 – 598 (Odd numbers for Trimester I and Even
numbers for Trimester II).
2. 2nd Year: 601 – 698 (Odd numbers for Trimester I and Even
numbers for Trimester II).

Trimester III of 1st Year for MPhil or Masters with research shall have a
code 500 for cross-cutting course registered.

Trimester III of 2nd Year for MPhil or Masters with research shall have a
code 699 for Research Thesis with a corresponding 12 credits.

A code of 599 shall be for postgraduate programmes with dissertations

or term papers and shall have the title as Term Paper with 6 credits.

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The PhD postgraduate degree courses follows:

1. 1st Year: 701 – 798 (Odd numbers for Trimester I and Even numbers
for Trimester II). A code of 700 shall be for cross-cutting course
registered.
2. 2nd Year: 801 – 898 (Odd numbers for Trimester I and Even numbers
for Trimester II). A code of 800 shall be for cross-cutting course
registered.
3. 3rd Year 901 – 998 (Odd numbers for Trimester I and Even numbers
for Trimester II).

Trimester III of 3rd Year for 3-year PhD programme shall have a code 900
for Research Thesis with a corresponding 36 credits. For a 4-year PhD
programme, 999 shall be the code for Research Thesis, with a
corresponding 36 credits.

9.2 Regulations for the Conduct of Examinations

Responsibility for Conducting Examinations
1. It shall be the responsibility of the Faculty Board through the Dean
of the Faculty to conduct all examinations in their Faculties/School
except for sandwich programmes which are located outside their
Faculty/School. In the latter case, the Dean of Graduate School
takes direct responsibility for the conduct of examinations with the
assistance of programme coordinators.
2. The responsibilities of various authorities involved in the conduct
of examinations shall be as stated in Appendix 1.

i. Eligibility for Examinations

1. A student must have registered for the course given before an
examination to be eligible to take the specific examination.
2. A student is required to maintain 75% of the total attendance of
lectures to be allowed to participate in examinations.

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ii. Time, Number and Duration of Examinations

1. Each course shall be examined at the end of the Trimester in
which the course is offered.
2. In addition to the final examination, a Lecturer shall be required
to undertake continuous assessment and such results must be
released before the main Trimester examination.
3. All continuous assessments shall count for 40% of the total score
in that course. A complete and up-to-date record of all
continuous assessments shall be reflected in the mark sheet of
the final examination.
4. No main examination paper shall be less than 1 hour or more
than 3 hours in duration. A 2 credit unit course shall normally be
examined within 2-2½ hours and 3 credit unit courses shall be
2½-3 hours.
5. A student who has not satisfied the requirements for continuous
assessment for reasons considered genuine and valid by the
Department/Faculty Board may be assessed based on the final
examinations alone.

Setting of Questions
It shall be the responsibility of the Lecturer who taught a course to set
the question paper for the final examination. The question paper should
be approved by the Departmental Examination Board.
1. Draft question papers for the main examinations shall be forwarded
with the marking schemes to the Head of Department within the
first four weeks of the Trimester for internal moderation and
coordination. Final moderated question papers for the main
examination shall be forwarded by the Heads of Department in
sealed envelopes to the Dean of the Faculty, not later than two
weeks before the commencement of the examinations period.
2. Such question papers must be duplicated in enough quantities,
bound, sealed and secured by the Dean not later than a week to the
examinations.

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iii. Conduct of Examination

The provision of materials other than question papers and answer books
required for all practical examinations shall be the responsibility of the
Internal Examiner(s) and the Head of Department.
1. The Faculty Officer shall, not later than the 5th week of a Trimester,
provide the Dean/Faculty Examinations Officer with a list of the
students registered for various courses to be examined in that
Trimester.
2. The Invigilator(s) shall collect from the Dean/Faculty Examinations
Officer question papers, answer booklets, attendance sheets and
any other material required for the examination one hour before the
commencement of the examination.
3. A list of registered candidates shall be provided in duplicate for
signature to mark attendance during all main examinations.
Students shall be expected to sign all attendance sheets at least 30
minutes after the commencement of the examinations. One copy of
the attendance sheet duly signed by the Invigilator(s) shall be
collected by the Faculty Examinations Officer. The other copy shall
be kept with the answer scripts.
4. A candidate shall not be allowed to enter the examination room
earlier than 30 minutes before the commencement of the
examination.
5. No candidate shall normally be permitted to:
i. Enter the examination room if he is more than 30 minutes late;
ii. Leave the examination room during the last 15 minutes of the
examination.
6. A candidate who seeks to enter an examination room after the first
30 minutes but before 45 minutes may be allowed entry only at the
discretion of the Invigilator(s) but such cases shall be reported in
writing by the Invigilator(s) to the Dean/Faculty Examinations
Officer.
7. A candidate who arrives late shall not be allowed extra time.
8. A candidate shall not take into an examination room or have in

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his/her possession during an examination session any electronic

gadgets (for example, mobile phones, organisers, pagers, advanced
calculators, etc.) book or paper, printed or written matter, whether
relevant to the examination or not, except as may be stated in the
rubric of the question paper or he/she is specifically authorised to
do so. When the rubric of the question paper demands the use of a
calculator, the following guidelines shall apply:
i. The calculator must be kept off until the start of the
examination.
ii. Only one calculator per student is allowed.
iii. Candidates shall make available for inspection by invigilators,
their calculators on entry into the examination hall and at any
time during the examination.
iv. Candidates should know that the contravention of any of these
regulations shall be treated in the same way as "cheating in
examination".
9. An invigilator has the authority to confiscate any unauthorised
documents and items and hand them to the Dean.
10. A candidate shall deposit any handbag, briefcase, etc., at the
invigilator's desk (or place provided for that purpose) before the
commencement of the examination. Such items are carried and
deposited at the examinee's risk.
11. A candidate shall comply with the instructions to candidates set out
on a question paper, answer booklet, supplementary answer sheets
or any other materials supplied to him and shall also comply with
any directive given to him by the invigilator.
12. A candidate shall use only the answer booklets provided by the
Invigilator. All rough work must be done in the answer booklets and
crossed out neatly. Supplementary answer sheets, even if they
contain only rough work, must be tied together with the answer
booklets.
13. A candidate shall not remove or mutilate any paper or other
materials supplied, whether used or not; except that he/she is

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authorised by the invigilator.

14. In case a candidate has to leave the examination room temporarily,
he/she shall be accompanied by an Invigilator.
15. At the end of the time allotted for the examination, a candidate shall
gather his/her scripts neatly and shall hand them over to the
Invigilator.
16. A candidate is responsible for the proper return of his/her scripts.
17. The Invigilator shall submit the examination scripts to the Faculty
examiner who is required to make appropriate arrangements for
the collection of the scripts by internal examiners.

v. Misconduct During Examinations

The following shall constitute misconduct during examinations.
1. Giving direct or indirect assistance to any other candidate or
accepting any assistance from any other candidate during an
examination.
2. Communicating by word or otherwise with any other candidate
and acting in such a way as to disturb or inconvenience any other
candidate. At the discretion of the invigilator, a candidate may be
ordered to leave the examination room when his/her conduct is
judged to be disturbing or likely to disturb the examination. The
invigilator shall report any such conduct to the Dean immediately
after the completion of the examination.
3. Participating in the examination without a valid student ID Card.
4. Smoking in the examination room during the examination.
5. Persistently disturbing other candidates or distracting their
attention.
6. Verbally or physically assaulting an invigilator over alleged
examination offence. Punishable at any time before, during and
after the examination.
7. Destroying materials/concealing evidence suspected to help in
establishing cases of examination malpractice.
8. Fabrication of data – claiming to have carried out experiments,

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observations, interviews or any form of research which have not

been carried out or claiming to have obtained results that have not
been obtained.
9. Plagiarism – copying published work and pretending it is one's
own or substantial use of other people's work and the submission of
it as though it was one's own. (See the University's plagiarism
policy for details).
10. Leakage – prior knowledge of examination items. Facilitating or
concealing, possessing information relating to leaked examinations
documents.

vi. Procedural Actions on Conduct of Examinations

1. A candidate who is suspected of infringing on any examination
regulation shall be allowed to continue with the examination but
shall be required to submit to the Invigilator a written report
immediately after the examination. The Invigilator shall submit the
Irregularity Report together with the candidate's report to the Dean
of the Faculty within twenty-four hours of the examination. Failure
on the part of the student to submit a written statement on his/her
alleged involvement in an examination irregularity immediately
after the examination shall be regarded as an admission of the
charge against him/her.
2. Where the Dean of the Faculty is satisfied that a candidate has
committed a breach of an examination regulation, he/she shall
write within 48 hours to the student to defend himself/herself in
writing. Based on the report, the Dean may appoint a Committee to
investigate the matter and present the report, including the
committee's recommendations, to the Faculty Board.
3. The Faculty Board shall make appropriate recommendations
through the Dean of Graduate School to the Vice-Chancellor who
shall apply the necessary sanctions and inform the Academic
Board.

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vii. Absence from Examinations

Candidates must present themselves at the University Examinations for
which they registered under these Regulations. Candidates who fail to
do so for reasons other than illness shall be deemed to have failed the
examination. Misreading of the timetable and such lapses on the part of
the candidate shall not be accepted as a satisfactory explanation for
their absence.
1. A student who falls ill during an examination shall report in
writing to the Dean of his/her Faculty.
2. A student who is absent from an examination on account of illness
confirmed by medical evidence from a registered medical
practitioner may be given a make-up examination in the course
missed, otherwise, he/she shall take the regular examination on the
next available opportunity without repeating the course concerned
if he/she so desires. Approval for make-up examination shall be by
Academic Board on the recommendation of the Faculty Board
through the Graduate School.

viii. Penalties for Misconduct

Offence Penalty
Leakage Rustication/Dismissal of student(s)
involved and possible prosecution.
Refusal to make a Rustication/Dismissal of student(s)
statement when required involved and possible prosecution.
Fabrication of data Cancellation of entire Thesis/Examination
and/or Plagiarism result and withdrawal of certificate
Possession of Cancellation of the candidate's paper (s)
unauthorised material
Copying from prepared Cancellation of the candidate's paper and
notes rustication for one academic year.
Impersonation Dismissal of candidates involved and
prosecution of the candidates or
impersonators.

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Communication Cancellation of the candidate's paper

Persistently disturbing Candidate must be relocated and asked to
other candidate(s) write a statement and the case reported to
The Faculty Dean for the appropriate
disciplinary action by the Vice-Chancellor.
Verbal or Physical Cancellation of the candidate's examination
assault on invigilator or paper and referral to the Vice-Chancellor
other students for appropriate disciplinary sanction.
Destroying materials Cancellation of the candidate's paper and
suspected as evidence referral to the Vice-Chancellor for
appropriate disciplinary sanction.
Not carrying a valid Refusal of entry of student into the
student ID Card examination hall

ix. Evaluation, Custody of Examination Scripts, Recordkeeping, and

Submission of Grades
1. All examinations for a course shall normally be evaluated by the
Internal Examiner(s). In cases where the Internal Examiner(s) is
unavailable the Head of Department may assign other Internal
Examiners.
2. All evaluations shall normally be completed within two weeks after
the examinations.
3. Within two weeks after the end of the Trimester, every Department
shall submit the list of students who have taken courses in that
Department along with their grades to the Dean. Such submissions
shall be signed by the Internal Examiners who taught the courses as
well as the Head of Departments.
4. Results of evaluation must be submitted on Standard University
Mark Sheets and presented to the Departmental/Board of
Examiners for approval.
5. The marked scripts shall not be shown to the students. The scripts
shall be kept in a secure place for at least four academic sessions
from the date of the examination.
6. Internal Examiners shall maintain an up-to-date record of all

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assignments and examinations given and evaluated in their courses.

In any case of a disputed grade, the record may be used to clarify
any error of recording or computation. The record shall be kept in a
secure place.

x. Reporting of Grades to Students

1. The Dean of the Faculty shall communicate to the students, within
the first week of the ensuing Trimester, provisional examination
results of the previous trimester approved by the Faculty Board.
2. The Dean of the Faculty shall forward to the Registrar, before the
first week of the ensuing trimester, results of examinations
conducted in the previous trimester.
3. Within the first month of the ensuing trimester, the Academic
Board shall consider the results of the previous trimester.

xi. Appeal and Remarking of Examination Script (Appeal Process)

1. Students have a fundamental right to query how their scripts are
marked if they feel very strongly that their results do not reflect
their efforts. Students are to follow the following procedures in
requesting for re-marking.
a. A candidate who is not satisfied may make a request to the
Registrar through the Dean of the Faculty for an investigation.
b. The Registrar may refer to the appropriate Dean for
investigation and rectification.
c. Such rectified results would be subject to the approval of the
Academic Board.
2. A candidate who is not satisfied with the results of any University
Examination may request for remarking by applying to the
Registrar through the appropriate Dean within 21 days after the
release of the examination results.
3. A fee of $20 (in cedi equivalent) per script will be paid by a student
who requests for the re-marking. This amount would however be
refunded to the student if he/she is vindicated. Vindication arises

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where a student's new mark(s) from the re-marking raises his/her

grade.
4. The Registrar shall refer the request for remarking to the
appropriate Dean.

xii. Determination of Degree

It shall be the responsibility of the Faculty Board to recommend the
award of a Degree/Diploma.

xiii. Issuance of Official Transcript of Academic Record

The Registrar shall be responsible for issuing certified photocopies of
the official transcripts of the academic record. Copies of the official
transcripts shall normally be issued only to other institutions of higher
learning or to prospective employers. No official transcript shall
normally be issued directly to students. Students may, however, be
given detailed results for their courses but marked "NOT TO BE USED
AS OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT".

xiv. Evaluation of Courses, Student Performance and Teaching

Programme
One or more external experts in each subject area in which a degree is
being offered shall be invited to the University once a year to moderate
examination scripts (See Appendix II of the Regulations for External
Assessment).

9.3 Regulations for Students On or Off-Campus

1. The laws of Ghana apply equally to every member of the University
community and the walls of the University do not protect anyone
from the full application of the laws of Ghana.
2. All existing regulations in the University are fully consistent with
the laws of the land and will be enforced accordingly.
3. The University, therefore, will not permit any behaviour on or off -
campus by any member of the student body that contravenes its

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regulations or the laws of the land.

4. In particular, all are expected to use the official channels of
communication and to follow laid down grievance procedures.
5. For the presentation of formal petitions etc. the residence of the
Vice-Chancellor and other officers of the University are out -of-
bounds; all such formal negotiations should take place in the offices
of such officials or at designated venues.
6. In all matters of negotiation, the Central Administration accepts to
meet only accredited representatives of recognised groups within
the University, and arrangements reached are binding on both
sides.
7. The regulations relating to Demonstrations, Rallies and Processions
(DRAP) for students should be strictly adhered to.
8. Physical assault of any kind on any individual or group of
individuals by a person or persons is strictly prohibited .
9. Wilful destruction of University or private property or facility
contravenes University rules and regulations and will attract
appropriate penalties.

Noise on Campus
1. It is desirable to maintain at all times the kind of environment that
supports the basic academic enterprise.
2. In pursuit of a suitable academic environment, the University
wishes that the general level of noise be kept as low as possible.
Students are enjoined to avoid disrupting the calm.
3. Radios, stereophonic instruments and musical instruments may be
used quietly with consideration for others at any time, subject to
such regulations as may be made by individual Halls.
4. If this is not observed, the privilege may be restricted or in severe
cases withdrawn.
5. Clubs, Societies and Religious group meetings should not be held in
students' rooms.

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Collection of Money in the University

Application for permission to make general collections of money must
be made to the Registrar, who will issue a specific license and an
individual permit for each authorised collector. Collectors will be
required to publish a subscription list and/or a statement of accounts.
Every student making the collection must, on request, show the permit
authorising him or her to make the collection.

Smoking and Alcoholic Drinks

1. Smoking and use of alcoholic drinks are forbidden in all public
places on the campuses.
2. Smoking is not allowed in students' rooms.

Personal Property
The safekeeping and maintenance of all personal property are the
responsibility of the students concerned.

University Property
Students may not make attachments to, or transfer, furniture of any kind
from any part of the University buildings, including rooms in the Hall of
Residence, without prior written permission from the proper authorities.
Students are liable to pay for any loss or damage to furniture and fitting
or equipment of any kind.

Students must not interfere with the electrical installations in their

rooms, lecture theatres or any other part of the University.

Dress
i. Students are expected to be decently dressed on all occasions.
ii. Gowns will be worn on special occasions such as Congregations,
and at such other times as may be specified.

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Communication with Government Ministries and the Press

Students are not allowed to communicate directly with the Press or any
Ministry on any matter affecting University life or policy. All formal
communications should be sent through the Registrar.

Student Excursions
The following regulations govern the organisation of excursions by
students:
i. The decision of the Society to undertake the trip should be taken at
a general meeting of the Club/Society.
ii. Permission for a Society to go on excursion or education tour
should be sought from the Registrar through Dean of Graduate
School and/or Programme Coordinators and/or Heads of
Departments and should contain the list of all those making the
trip. All students making the trip should seek permission from
their various Programme Coordinators and/or Heads of
Departments. Written permission should reach the Dean of
Students, at least, one week in advance.
iii. The trip should be restricted to University members of the club or
other students of the University.
iv. The itinerary of the trip should relate to the aims and objectives of
the Club or Society.
v. There should be evidence of correspondence between the Club or
Society and the institutions or other establishments to be visited
during the trip.
vi. The fare for the trip must be known in the application.
vii. All other groups other than the approved and recognised bodies
shall have their applications approved by the Cultural Affairs
Committee.

Absence from Academic Activities

If a student in any one trimester aggregates 3 working weeks of absence
without reasonable excuse, he/she may be asked to repeat the trimester

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or be withdrawn from the University.

Handling of Library Materials

Mutilation or unauthorised removal of library books may attract a fine
not less than three (3) times the current price of the book and a one -week
suspension from the University.

Conduct in Residential Facilities

a. Disorderly behaviour on campus that contravenes University
regulations and disturbs peace on campus will attract a one-week
suspension from the University.
b. Disorderly behaviour which results in damage to property will
attract a fine equivalent to the cost of repairing or replacing the
damaged property in addition to suspension or ejection.
c. A student who loses his/her room key during the trimester shall
be required to pay for its replacement.
d. All keys must be returned to the Hall Porter at the close of each
trimester/vacation.

Students' Channel of Communication with the University Non-

Academic Matters
1. Individual Students
a. All requests, notifications and complaints from a student
should go to their Counsellor/Campus Coordinators; if the
matter is still unresolved, then as a final resort to the Dean of
Students and/or Hall Warden/Master.
b. The student will have the right of appeal to the Hall
Council/Campus Coordinators if the matter is not resolved at
this level, an appeal could be made to the Dean of Students

2. Clubs and Societies

a. All requests and notifications other than financial affecting all
members of a club should go to the Dean of Students.

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b. All requests and notifications affecting the student body

(GRASAG) as a whole should pass through the Campus
Coordinator to the Dean of Graduate School.
c. In general, cases requiring the redress of grievance should go
to the Campus Coordinator, with a copy of the correspondence
to the Hall Wardens/Masters.
d. Where special committees exist, grievances should be
channelled to these committees, in the first instance.
e. All communications on non-academic matters from the
University Administration to GRASAG should be copied to
the Dean of Graduate School and Campus Co-ordinators.

Academic Matters
1. All academic matters affecting a student individually should go to:
a. The head of Departments before they go to the Campus
Coordinators.
b. The Dean of Faculty, if it is an inter-departmental matter;
c. The Dean of Graduate School if it is an inter-Faculty matter.

2. All matters affecting students collectively should go to:

a. The Departmental Board.
b. The Faculty Board if it is an inter-departmental matter;
c. The Dean of Graduate School if it is an inter-Faculty matter.

Appeals
As a last resort, appeals may be made to the Vice-Chancellor and if
necessary to the Dean of Graduate School.

Change of Name
Students who want to change their names must support their
application with an appropriate affidavit and or newspaper cuttings.

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In the case of a female student who wishes to change her marital status,
the application should be supported by a Marriage Certificate.

Students should note that normally it may take about two months to
complete the process of changing one's name.

Students should not use the name(s) until notification has been received
from the Office of the Dean of Students and Academic affairs.

Orientation of Students
Students' orientation exercises take place at the beginning of an
academic year and all freshmen/women are required to be present. The
purpose of orientating fresh students can be summarised as follows:
1. To welcome the fresh students and help them to adjust and settle
down in University life.
2. To guide them through the registration procedure.
3. To expose them to facilities available in the University to make
University Education a rewarding experience.
4. To orientate the minds of students to the new world of
University life and to help them align their individual growth
with the broad goals of national development.
5. To advertise the rules and regulations that govern the
relationship between the students and GRASAG.
6. To let students know their rights, privileges, obligations and
responsibilities concerning University authorities and their
governing bodies.

Transcripts
Transcripts shall reflect all grades a student obtains for all courses.
Under no circumstances shall the grades of an examination taken be
deleted from the student's records.

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Matriculation
A Matriculation Ceremony is held in the first trimester to formally
register all new students enrolling into undergraduate, postgraduate,
Diploma, and any other programmes into the University. Attendance at
the ceremony is compulsory, and no new student is allowed to remain in
the University or take any University examinations unless he/she has
been duly matriculated.

Review of Existing Rules and Regulations

All rules and regulations of this University are subject to change.

Sources of Help
When in difficulty, students should see the following officers:

Academic Problems Academic Counsellor or Campus Coordinator

or Head of Department

Residential Problems Hall Counsellor/Campus Coordinator

Or Hall Warden/Master

Other Problems Senior Assistant Registrar

(Graduate School)

I.D. Cards
All students shall possess a University for Development Studies
Identification Card and endeavour to carry it on them always.

Any student who misplaces his/her I.D. card must report it immediately
to The Deputy Registrar (Academic) or The Senior Assistant Registrar
(Graduate School).

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APPENDIX I

Duties of Various Persons and Bodies Conducting Examination

These duties are in addition to those already mentioned in the
regulations.

A. Duties of Internal Examiners

The Internal Examiners shall:
1. Keep an up to date class attendance for each course taught;
2. Keep an up to date record of all course assignments and
examinations given and the grades obtained by the students
during the course;
3. Submit to the Head of Department at the end of the Trimester ,
the attendance record of students during the Trimester;
4. Set question papers for all examinations given for his/her
course;
5. Mark all scripts for all examinations and/ or assignments of
his/her course;
6. Submit detailed marked sheet with letter grade obtained by each
student at the end of the course to the head of Department.
7. For the avoidance of doubt, the Internal Examiner has the first
line responsibility for the safety and security of examination
questions.
8. Will be held particularly responsible in the event of any leakages
of examination questions until subsequent evidence proves
otherwise.

B. Duties of Faculty Examinations Officer

The Faculty Examination Officer shall:
1. Arrange and organise the main examinations of the Faculty
(prepare and circulate time – table, arrange the place of
examination, etc);

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2. Distribute question papers, answer booklets, attendance sheets,

etc to invigilators before examinations;
3. Communicate to the Dean any matters relating to the
examinations which require disciplinary action;
4. Present examinations report to the Dean.

C. Duties of Heads of Departments

1. She/he shall be the Chief Examiner in the Department and Chair
the Department's Board of Examiners;
2. She/he is to ensure that:
i. Question papers are moderated and coordinated internally;
ii. Final moderated question papers for the main examination
are forwarded to the Dean of the Faculty in Sealed
envelopes not later than two weeks before the
commencement of the examinations.
iii. Examination materials for practical examinations are
secured before the examination;
3. Submit a list of students who took courses in the Department
along with their grades to the Dean and ensures that such
submissions are signed by both him/her as well as the Internal
Examiners who taught the courses;
4. She/he shall also provide to the Faculty Examinations Officer, a
list of the courses to be examined, the duration of each
examination and the names of the lecturer/person assigned to
invigilate the examination.

D. Duties of Invigilators
Invigilators shall:
1. Invigilate courses assigned;
2. Must ensure students sign the attendance register;
3. Submit examination report;
4. Collect and submit examination papers;
5. Keep time;

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6. Distribute resources.

E. Duties of the Dean of the Faculty

The Dean shall be the Chief Examiner of the Faculty and the Chair of the
Faculty Board of examiners;
1. Ensure that all continuous assessment (C.A.) account for the
approved total continuous assessment score in a course;
2. Ensure examinations are moderated;
3. Ensure list of students who took courses in the department are
approved/endorsed by the Head of Department and the Internal
Examiner who taught the course(s);
4. Ensure that final moderated question papers for the main
examination are secured in sealed envelopes not later than two
weeks to the commencement of the examination period;
5. Question papers are duplicated in enough quantities, bound,
sealed and secured by the Dean not later than a week to the
examination;
6. Communicate to students within the first week of the next
Trimester, Provisional letter grades results approved by the
Faculty Board;
7. Forward to the Registrar before the first week of the next
trimester results of the examinations conducted in the previous
trimester;
8. Keep all records of Faculty Examinations and
9. Prepare results for presentation to the Faculty Board and the
Academic Board.

F. Duties of the Departmental Board of Examiners

The Board shall:
1. Approve questions set by Departmental Internal Examiners;
2. Ensure that all continuous assessments account for the approved
total C.A. score in a course;
3. Ensure examinations are moderated;

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4. Ensure that the list of students who took courses in the

department are approved/endorsed by the Head of Department
and the Internal Examiner who taught the courses;
5. Submit approved/endorsed lists to the Dean of the Faculty.

G. Duties of the Faculty Board

The Board shall:
1. Recommend the class of degree to be awarded to each student;
and
2. Ensure the recommendation is based on the grades obtained by
the student per the degree regulations of the University.

H. Duties of the Registrar

The Registrar shall:
1. Make available to the Faculty Examination officer stationery and
other materials for examination;
2. Issue official transcript of academic records and certified
photocopies of the official transcripts;
3. Ensure that official transcripts are issued only to institutions of
higher learning or prospective employers;
4. Process appeal request;
5. Keep a permanent record of all grades obtained by students in
their final examinations.

I. Duties of Academic Board

The Academic Board shall, inter alia, consider and ratify the examination
results approved by the Board of Graduate School and consider any
matter referred to it by the Board.

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APPENDIX II

Regulations for External Examiners

An External Examiner shall be expected, as far as possible, to carry out
his/her duty following the guidelines listed here-under;
1. Assessment of postgraduate academic programmes and the
syllabi with a view of determining their relevance to the objects
of the University.
2. Evaluation of available facilities such as laboratories, teaching
aids, etc.
3. Inspection of library facilities, so that they relate to the relevant
discipline
4. Evaluation of examination items and students scripts on courses
taught in the Department, to determine the academic quality of
the questions and the consistency of the marking.
5. Evaluation of postgraduate projects and conduct of oral and
practical examinations where necessary.
6. Carrying out assessment once in an academic session to coincide
with the main examinations of the Second Trimester.
7. Submission of a detailed report of his/her assessment to the
Vice-Chancellor, to be received within six weeks after the
assessment exercise.

Notes:
1. The External Examiner /shall have ready access to students of all
years and, in particular, to final year postgraduate students.
2. The External Examiner /shall receive, in advance of his visit to
the University, copies of the following documents:
i. Degree programme and course contents of the
Department
ii. Regulations relating to the postgraduate degree
programme
iii. Regulations for conducting examinations.
3. Offer of appointment as External Examiner shall be
communicated by the Registrar.

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APPENDIX III

Details of Thesis Presentation

Spine
On the SPINE is printed the DEGREE, the FULL NAME of the candidate
and the YEAR of the presentation, in that order; (three blocks). The
information specified in brackets below must be provided in horizontal
order:

[Name of Degree] [Full name of candidate] [Year]

For example, the spine of Paul Baba Akolgo‟s M.Sc. dissertation

will look like:

M.Sc. PAUL BABA AKOLGO 2021

Outer Cover
On the Cover, UNIVERSITY FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES must be
printed at the top of the page, (12 single spaces or 5 cm from the top of
the page), the TITLE OF THE REPORT in the middle of the page and
the author‟s FULL NAME (without titles) and the YEAR of presentation
printed at the bottom half of the page (four blocks). The information
specified in the brackets below must be provided in vertical order:

[Name of University]

[Title of Thesis/Dissertation]

[Full Name of Candidate (without titles)]

[Year]

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For example, the outside cover of Paul Baba Akolgo‟s dissertation will look
like this:

UNIVERSITY FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

EVALUATION OF AGRONOMIC
CHARACTERISTICS OF MAIZE (Zea mays L.)

PAUL BABA AKOLGO

2021

Note that the ‘BY and titles such as Mr., Mrs, Rev, etc. are not acceptable on
the Outside Cover.

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lnner Cover
The next page is the INSIDE COVER or the TITLE page. The page
consists of FIVE BLOCK OF WORDS. The first block is the
UNIVERSITY FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES set off at the top and
placed five single spaces from the top of the page and centred between
the margins. This first block is followed by the TITLE of the
DISSERTATION/THESIS. The third block is the FULL NAME of the
candidate, the last degree obtained and student identification number.
The next block indicates the DEPARTMENT and the FACULTY of the
UNIVERSITY to which the thesis/dissertation is submitted. The fifth
block states the MONTH and the YEAR (on the horizontal line) that the
report is submitted.

The information specified in the bracket below must be provided in

vertical order:

[Name of University]

[Title of Thesis/Dissertation]

By

[Name of Candidate] [1st or 2nd degree] [Student UDS ID. No.]

[Dissertation/Thesis Submitted to the Department of Agronomy,

Faculty of Agriculture, University for Development Studies in
Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of Master of
Science Degree in Agronomy]

[Month and Year]

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For example, the insides covers of Paul Baba Akolgo‟s dissertation will
look like this:

UNIVERSITY FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

EVALUATION OF AGRONOMIC
CHARACTERISTICS OF MAISE (Zea mays L.)

BY

PAUL BABA AKOLGO

(B.Sc. Agricultural Technology or M.Sc. in Agronomy)
(ID No.), Eg (UDS/MAG/006/18)

[DISSERTATION/THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT

OF AGRONOMY, FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE, UNIVERSITY
FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF
SCIENCE DEGREE IN AGRONOMY]

MARCH, 2021

Note that the use of ‘BY' should be used here. However, titles are still not
acceptable.

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Declaration Page
Student
I hereby declare that this dissertation/thesis is the result of my original
work and that no part of it has been presented for another degree in this
University or elsewhere:

Candidate:
Signature:…………………..………… Date:………………………………
Name: ……………...…………………………………………………………..

Supervisors
I hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of the
dissertation/thesis was supervised following the guidelines on
supervision of dissertation/thesis laid down by the University for
Development Studies.

Principal Supervisor's
Signature:…………………..………… Date:………………………………
Name: ……………...…………………………………………………………..

Co-Supervisor (if any)

Signature:…………………..………… Date:………………………………
Name: ……………...…………………………………………………………..

Abstract
The abstract should contain a summary to tell the reader what the report
is about and what the main conclusions are. It should not exceed three
hundred and fifty (350) words. It should not be paragraphed. Note that
an abstract should not be more than a page apart from exceptional
circumstances, contain symbols and many technical terms. It is numbered
page two (in lower case Roman numerals) in the report.

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Acknowledgement
This section provides the student with the opportunity to express
his/her gratitude to those who directly assisted him/her to complete his
thesis/dissertation. These may be mentors, supervisors, organisations,
officials, chiefs, colleagues, among others. The page must be placed
immediately after the abstract page. It is highly unconventional to
acknowledge God or Allah or any other supernatural powers in
documents of this nature.

Dedication
This is not a requirement, although it may be allowed. It should be noted
that the dedication page is not another acknowledgement page. It should
contain at most two lines, consisting of just a few words. For example:
To My Family or in memory of My Father.

Table of Contents
The Table of Contents (not just Contents) should be typed in BLOCK or
UPPER CASE letters. All chapter headings should be in UPPER CASE
letters and made bold: subheadings should appear in lower case. The
corresponding pages of headings and subheadings of tables and figures
should be indicated.

List of Tables/Figures
These should show the table or figure numbers, their captions (titles)
and page numbers. Tables are supposed to be on the same page and
not far away from the reference discussions.

Main Text
 In the text, the title should appear on top of the Table and should
be made bold. The figure or plate (If they are maps or pictures)
numbers should appear below the figure and equally be made bold.
 Paragraphing the first line of each paragraph should be one
space. The text should be in justified format.

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 The recommended standard bibliographic format for all theses and

dissertations should be the APA (American Psychological
Association) Style. However, Faculties/Departments may opt for
other formats, provided that these are communicated to the Board of
the Graduate School.

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APPENDIX IV

Guidelines for Manuscript-Based Thesis

This guide is to help postgraduate students and supervisors easily
navigate the manuscript-based thesis path in upholding the University's
high academic standards. Sections emphasised here are aspects that
apply more to the manuscript-based thesis. The general postgraduate
thesis format of the Graduate School must still be followed (Appendix I).

A. Planning Process
1. A manuscript-based thesis must be planned from the beginning
of proposal design with the full support of the
Supervisor/Supervisory Team.
2. A thesis should be organised in such a way to be able to develop
manuscripts from it.
3. A manuscript in the manuscript-based thesis must answer
questions within the PhD/MPhil theme.
4. Outline planned manuscripts and identify targeted journals that
the manuscripts will be submitted to.
5. The manuscripts for the planned manuscript-based thesis should
be published within the registered PhD period.
6. Planned manuscript-based thesis may be changed to a
monograph if the number of publications required is not
attainable. This change must be agreed upon between the
student and the supervisor(s) at least one year to the end of the
PhD and the Graduate School must subsequently approve the
decision.
7. The thesis planned as a monograph may also change to the
manuscript-based thesis if the minimum number of published
articles for the manuscript-based thesis has been achieved in the
PhD theme. This change will need a written agreement between
the student and the supervisor(s) at least six months to the end
of the PhD, and the Graduate School must approve such change.

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B. Number of articles and status

1. A manuscript-based master‟s thesis must have at least one (1)
article. The article should be published, accepted for
publication, or submitted for publication. A total of three (3) or
four (4) chapters drafted as manuscripts are required.
2. A PhD thesis should have a minimum of two (2) articles from
the research objectives, which should be published or accepted
for publication. Any other(s) should have been at least drafted
as manuscript. For PhD, a total of four (4) to six (6) chapters
drafted as manuscripts are required.

C. Authorship
1. When co-authored articles are involved in the thesis, the
candidate must be the primary author for all articles included in
the thesis. Primary authorship does not necessarily mean first
author (though encouraged) but the author who contributed to
the paper's most substantial contribution.
2. Candidates are supposed to make an explicit statement in the
thesis on the contribution of each co-author (Sample I). This
statement should appear in a single section entitled
"Contributions of Authors" as a preface to a particular published
or drafted manuscript chapter.
3. A multiple-authored article cannot be used in more than one
thesis.
4. In no case can a co-author of any component of such a thesis
serve as an examiner for that thesis.

D. Journals/Copyright
1. To ensure that articles included in the thesis are of high quality
and are from credible sources, they must be in journals listed in
the UDS approved list of journals by the Library.
2. Copyright permission should be obtained from journal
publishers where necessary.

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3. The manuscript-based thesis can be temporally withheld from

publishing in the University repository if chapters in the thesis
are still under consideration for publication. The postgraduate
student should notify the University Library through the
Graduate School.

E. General Format of Thesis

A manuscript-based thesis must be more than a collection of
manuscripts. All thesis components must be integrated into a cohesive
unit with a logical progression from one chapter to the next. The thesis
must demonstrate the linkage between manuscripts. The thesis must
conform to guidelines stipulated in the Graduate School Handbook
regarding font size, margins, line spacing, tables and figures.
1. The thesis must have a front matter as specified in the Graduate
School Handbook. There will be a general Abstract that
synthesises all articles.
2. Chapter One: General Introduction (not more than ten (10)
pages for PhD, and not more than five (5) pages for MPhil)
 Background (illustrates the problems and justification for
the research)
 Research question/objectives/hypothesis/assumptions (as
applicable)
 Conceptual framework
 General methods/methodology
 Overview of the thesis chapters
 References
3. Chapter Two: Literature review
 If the literature review has been published as review
article(s), this may be used here.
 References for the literature review if it is not already
published.

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4. Chapters Three – onwards (authored articles)

The first page of a chapter of authored articles should include
the title, the list of authors, the journal (name, volume, issue,
DOI) and statement of authors contribution (See Sample I)
Each article should constitute a chapter in the thesis answering
an objective of the study.
To ensure uniformity in the format of the thesis, „chapters of
authored articles‟ will not be a collection of the preprint articles
but should be formatted to have the following sections (as
presented in the journal), abstract, introduction,
methodology/materials and methods, results and discussion,
conclusion and references.
5. Chapter X: General Discussions, Conclusion and
Recommendation
6. Appendices

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Sample I

CHAPTER THREE

PREVALENCE OF BOVINE FASCIOLOSIS FROM THE

BOLGATANGA ABATTOIR, GHANA

FRANCIS ADDYa , KWAME GYAN a , ENOCH ARHIN a , MARION

WASSERMANNb

a Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, University for

Development Studies, P. O. Box TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana
bParasitology Unit, Institute of Zoology, University of Hohenheim, Emil-

Wolff-Str. 34 70599 Stuttgart, Germany

Journal: Scientific African 8 (2020) e00469. Doi: https://doi.org/

10.1016/j.sciaf.2020.e00469

Author Statement

Addy, F. (Candidate)
Conceived and designed the research, analysed and validated the result,
drafted and revised the manuscript.

Gyan, K. (Research Assistant)

Did field sampling and part of the molecular analysis.

Arhin, E. (Research Assistant)

Did field sampling and part of the molecular analysis.

Wassermann, M. (Supervisor)
Supervised the work, provided resources, and reviewed the manuscript

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