GENERAL
REGULATIONS FOR THE AWARD OF HIGHER DEGREES
General Regulations
A Master’s degree will be awarded to candidates who have
pursued approved programmes of full-time or part-time study in
the Central University College and have subsequently satisfied
the examiners at the prescribed examinations.
The
following Degrees shall be awarded in the School of Theology
& Missions:
Master of Arts
Master of Philosophy
Nature
and Duration of Programmes
The University offers the following Higher Degree programmes:
Minimum
duration Maximum duration
M.A.
Full-time 1 year 2 years
Part-time 2 years 4 years
M.Phil.
Full-time 2 years 4 years
Part-time 3 years 5 years
M.A.
programmes will normally consist of two (2) semesters of course
work (nine (9) months followed by a project or dissertation
three (3) months). The Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) programme
will normally consist of two parts. Part 1 shall consist of
twelve months of course work for full-time students. Part two
covers two semesters of dissertation work. All term papers should
be completed within the first year. Where it is deemed appropriate,
a candidate may be exempted from some components of the course
work. On the other hand, candidates may be required to take
other courses to make up for deficiencies. Subject to the approval
of the appropriate Board, no person on full-time studies shall
be permitted to undertake full time employment.
Processing
of Application Forms
All applications for admission shall be considered in the following
order: Departmental Committees, and finally by the Board of
Graduate Studies. The results shall be conveyed to the Academic
Board for approval. Approval of application for registration
will lapse if the candidate does not begin the course of study
within three months. An affected candidate shall at the appropriate
time re-apply to the Secretary for fresh admission.
Movement
from M.A. to M.Phil.
A student can step up from a 12-month M. A . programme to 24
month M.Phil. programme. To qualify (s)he should have attained
a MGPA of at least 3.00 at the end of the course work. Such
a student should be recommended by the Departmental Committee
of Graduate Studies, which will in turn recommend him or her
to the Board of Graduate Studies. If a student is allowed to
step up, (s)he would be required to take courses which (s)he
missed in the first year.
Step
Down
A candidate shall be required to step down if (s)he fails to
make adequate progress in his or her course work and research.The
decision to recommend a student to be stepped down shall be
taken either at the end of the first semester of the student’s
second year, or 18 months after the student’s registration
for the M.Phil programme. Recommendations to this effect shall
be made by the Committee of Graduate Studies of the student’s
department, supported by the Faculty Committee of Graduate Studies
to the Board of Graduate Studies for approval.
Withdrawal
After a student has been stepped down (s)he may be withdrawn
if (s)he fails to meet the requirements of the lower degree
or may be issued with a post graduate diploma.
Department
/Faculty Committees of Graduate Studies
Each Department and Faculty Board shall have a Committee of
Graduate Studies. Membership of the Departmental Committee shall
normally consist of staff of at least, Senior Lecturer status
of the Department and Cognate Departments. Membership of the
Faculty Committee shall consist of one member of at least Senior
Lecturer status from each Department, Heads of Department and
all Professors in the Faculty. The Faculty Committee shall be
responsible for co-ordinating Graduate programmes of the Faculty
and shall submit reports to the Board of Graduate Studies, through
the Faculty Boards.
Appointment
of Supervisors
Every research student shall be assigned to a team of supervisors
made up of a principal supervisor, Co-ordinator, who must be
of at least Senior Lecturer status and up to two more supervisors,
at least one of whom may be from a Cognate Department. Normally,
supervisors shall be members of the academic staff of the University,
but in special cases, suitable persons outside the University,
may be appointed. Nomination of supervisors requires prior consideration
by the Faculty Committee before approval by the Board of Graduate
Studies. Supervisors shall keep the appropriate Heads of Department
informed of the progress of their candidates during their course
of study. Any change of title of thesis or nature of programme
shall, following the recommendations of the Supervisor, be submitted
to the Board of Graduate Studies through the Faculty Committee.
At the end of each semester, Faculty Committees shall receive
progress reports on research students from the Departments and
submit their comments to the Board. In the course of the research,
seminars shall be arranged at which aspects of the research
shall be presented by the candidate. Such seminars may be made
public to enable other graduate students to attend.
Scheme
of Examination
12- month M.A.
This shall consist of
a. Continuous Assessment
b. End of Semester Examinations in a minimum of four (4) 3-Credit
courses per semester and
c. Presentation of Dissertation/Project Report
24-
month - M.Phil. This shall consist of continuous Assessment
a. End of Semester Examination in a minimum of four (4) 3 credit-hour
courses and a maximum of five(5) 3 credit-hour courses per semester
in the first year. Total credits should not be less than 24
credit hours in one year.
b. Research Thesis
c. Viva Voce (Oral Examination)
The
thesis examination and the viva voce take place during the second
year.
Thesis
The dissertation or thesis must normally be written in English.
A thesis submitted for a M.Phil. degree must consist of the
candidate’s own account of research. It may describe work
done in conjunction with candidate’s Supervisor, provided
that the candidate states clearly his share in the investigation
and that this statement is testified by the Supervisor. A paper
written or published in the joint names of two or more persons
will not normally be accepted as a thesis except in special
cases only; in such cases, the approval of the Faculty Board
and of the Board of Graduate Studies must be given. A thesis
submitted for an M.Phil. degree must be suitable for publication
as submitted. A dissertation submitted for an M.A. degree must
not exceed 20,000 words. A thesis submitted for the M.Phil.
degree must not exceed 50,000 words.
A
candidate shall not be permitted to submit a dissertation or
thesis for which a degree has been conferred in this or any
other University. However, a candidate shall not be precluded
from incorporating work which (s)he has already submitted for
a degree in this or in another University, provided that he
shall indicate on his form of entry, and also in his dissertation
or thesis any work which has been so incorporated.
Thesis
Proposal
By the middle of the second semester of the first year of research,
all research students shall submit their research proposals
to their respective departments for consideration. Not later
than six months before the submission of the thesis, the title
shall be communicated by the Department to the Board of Graduate
Studies for approval. The length and format of a thesis shall
be approved by each Faculty Committee, but normally it shall
be A4 size of good quality paper, with double spacing, 2”
margin on left hand side and 1” on the right hand side
and soft bound. It shall be written in English or any other
approved language and shall include an abstract of not more
than 500 words, giving a general account of its content and
theme. If the thesis is in a language other than English, approved
by the Board, an abstract in English not exceeding 500 words
should be submitted with the thesis.
The
effective date for the award of a research degree shall be 30th
September or 31st March each year, provided that the thesis
is submitted at least 60 days before the effective date, that
is, by July 31st or January 31st respectively.
Extension
of Time for Submission of Thesis
On the recommendation of the Department, through the Faculty
Committee, the Board of Graduate Studies may allow an extension
of not more than four semesters granted for periods not exceeding
one semester at a time.
Academic
Standing of Student
The mean G.P.A for each semester of course work shall be not
less than 2.5. To be registered for second year of the M.Phil.
programme a candidate must have obtained a G.P.A. of 2.5 or
more in the first year. The pass mark for each course shall
however be 50%.A candidate who obtains a G.P.A. of less than
2.5 in the first year shall be withdrawn from the programme
but may retake the examination as an external candidate in the
course he failed.Candidates are allowed a supplementary examination
in one course only which shall be written during the long vacation.
A candidate who fails the supplementary examination shall be
withdrawn.
Registration
for the Re-sit Examination
Registration shall be on the approved form to be obtained from
the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies and shall be sent
to the Dean by the appointed date with an endorsement by the
candidate’s Principal supervisor and Head of Department
that the candidate has attended the approved courses and satisfied
all other programme requirements.An approved fee shall be payable
at the time of entry to the examination in a referred subject(s)
or thesis. No entry fee paid by or on behalf of a candidate
who later withdraws from, or fails to be present for the examination
will be refunded or credited for payment in respect of any other
examination in the University College.
Appointment
of Examiners and Conduct of Examinations
Besides continuous assessment, written examinations shall be
held at the end of each semester and these examinations at such
dates as may be set by the Departmental Committee of Graduate
Studies.A thesis which is acceptable may be passed unconditionally,
and that which is not acceptable failed outright, or be referred
back to the candidate to be re-submitted within two semesters.To
pass the examination for the award of a graduate degree, the
candidate shall satisfy the examiners in all parts of the examination
for which the candidate has been registered.A thesis which is
judged acceptable shall be rated at one of the following grades:
a.
summa cum laude 85 - 100
b. magna cum laude 75 - 84
c. cum laude 65 - 74
d. pass 50 - 64
e. fail 0 - 49
Notification
of Results and Award of Degrees
The list of successful candidates for the award of degrees
shall be published by the Registrar as soon as the recommendation
of the Board of Graduate Studies is made, subject to approval
by the Academic Board. The Registrar shall at the same
time write formally to individual candidates informing
them of their provisional results.
After the results have been approved by the Central University
College, the appropriate degree under the seal of the
Central University College shall be awarded to each successful
candidate.
MISSION STATEMENT OF THE GRADUATE
SCHOOL
Christianity
is growing rapidly in Ghana, just like other Sub-Saharan African
countries. New congregations, especially those belonging to
the Pentecostal-charismatic strand of Christianity, are springing
up much faster than well-trained leaders could be produced.
As Africa goes through her present period of crises and change
in all areas, the challenge for the African church is to train
highly qualified leaders, who will bring leadership and direction
to these troubled nations. The good news is that almost all
the Pentecostal-charismatic churches are now making frantic
efforts to either upgrade their existing institutions or establish
new ones. The greatest challenge however, is that these churches
do not have their own qualified men and women who will manage
these emergent institutions. The need to train their own personnel
has never before
been so critical. The introduction of our graduate level programme
is therefore another significant milestone in the development
of the Central University College, as a pacesetter institution.
The Graduate programme has therefore been established to help
train well-grounded and devout theologians, researchers, writers,
and seasoned pastors who will meet the challenges of our time
and serve as positive influence in our society.
