SCHOOL OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES

COURSE OUTLINE

SEMESTER I
ACADEMIC SESSION 2017/2018

A. COURSE
INFORMATION

Course Code
PMC599
Course Title DISSERTATION

Day of Lecture Meetings with supervisor

Time Based on the schedule set by the supervisor

Venue Based on the schedule set by the supervisor

Coordinator / Lecturer Associate Professor Dr. Chew Cheng Meng

Lecturer / Supervisor All Academic Staff of School of Educational Studies, USM

Number of students 60

Credit Units 20

B. COURSE AIMS

In the Master of Arts (Education) Mixed-Mode Degree Programme, each student is required to conduct a research
which focuses on specific areas of specialization chosen by the student. The research may consist of empirical
studies, secondary data analysis, or library/document studies. Students must demonstrate their competence in
research skills, especially the ability to identify problems, plan a research, analyze and synthesize data. The
evaluation is based on the dissertation and oral examination (viva voce) of each student.
Learning outcomes:
At the end of the course, students are able to:
i. Determine the proposed title and research focus.
ii. Discuss, identify the research problem, analyze and apply guidelines, ideas, techniques and methods in
research project.
iii. Apply research methodology and theories related to the research area for implementing the research
project academically and systematically.
iv. Analyze and synthesize research findings based on research methodology used.
v. Produce a written dissertation and follow the format of the dissertation systematically and scientifically.
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 C. DATES FOR SUBMISSION OF DISSERTATION AND VIVA VOCE

Status/Register Full-Time Student Part-Time Student

Semester lI, Submission: 27/11/17 1/12/17* (Week 13)

2016/2017 -- Viva Voce: 26/12/17 29/12/17* (Week 17)

Semester I, Submission: 27/11/17 1/12/17* (Week 13) Submission: 7/5/18 11/5/18* (Week 13)
2017/2018 Viva Voce: 26/12/17 29/12/17* (Week 17) Viva Voce: 4/6/18 8/6/18* (Week 17)

* The actual dates for submission of dissertation and viva voce will be announced later.

D. GUIDELINES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DISSERTATION

1. Registration and Implementation of Dissertation

a. All students of the Master of Arts (Education) Mixed-Mode Programme are required to conduct a research
under the guidance of a supervisor.
b. The dissertation must be completed within one semester for full-time students and two semesters for part-time
students.
c. Students with good results and plan to complete the program of study within the minimum candidature period
are advised to consult the Programme Chairperson and discuss the dissertation with the supervisor.
d. Students who fail and repeat the dissertation should do the dissertation with a new topic under the supervision
of a new supervisor.
e. The title of research must be related to the area of specialization of the students. Students should identify the
title and discuss with the supervisor before registering for PMC 599.
f. Students are required to prepare a research proposal with the approval from the supervisor and present the
research proposal before registering for PMC 599.
g. The length of dissertation does not exceed 25,000 words and is written according to the format provided by the
Institute of Postgraduate Studies, USM.

2. Appointment of Supervisor

a. A supervisor will be appointed to supervise the student in conducting the research. The supervisor will not be
appointed as the Internal Examiner of his/her student.
b. Appointment of supervisor is based on two main criteria:
i) Has the expertise in the area of specialization.
ii) Has the expertise in the relevant research approaches.

3. Research Training Programme (RTP)

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 a. The Research Training Program (RTP) is a support component to improve the research knowledge and skills
of the students when conducting research and completing the dissertation.
b. The program will be conducted on a periodic basis through a series of workshops on writing of a research
proposal, APA format, writing style, and referencing, quantitative and qualitative data analyses as well as
writing of a dissertation.

4. Examination of Dissertation

a. The examination of the dissertation will be done by a Panel of Examiners consisting of two Internal Examiners
and one External Examiner.
b. The student is required to defend his/her research in the viva voce.
c. The supervisor cannot be appointed as the Internal Examiner for his/her student. Nevertheless, the Panel of
Examiners may take into account the supervisors report in the process of examining the dissertation of the
student.
d. The Panel of Examiners will only recommend a PASS or FAIL grade. If there are required corrections after the
dissertation had been examined, the student is required to do the corrections within 2 weeks after the viva
voce as recommended by the Panel of Examiners as a condition to get a PASS for the dissertation.

5. The dissertation process for full-time and part-time students

The dissertation process for full-time and part-time students is as shown in Figure 1.

Stage 1 Pre-registration briefing of

Full-Time and Part-Time:
PMC 599
10/7/17 (Monday, 5pm, Conference Room)

Submission of Research Proposal

Presentation Form and 4 copies of Full-Time and Part-Time:
Revamp the research proposal and research proposal 24/7/17 (Monday)
present it again. (Consult the
Supervisor/ Programme
Chairperson).
Presentation of research proposal Full-Time and Part-Time:
Corrections to the research 7/8/17 11/8/17*
proposal. (Full-time and Part-time:
3 weeks).

Stage 2 Online registration of PMC 599 and

Full-Time and Part-Time:
payment at IPS, USM
Deadline: 4/9/17

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 Notice of submission of dissertation
(appointment of external and internal Full-Time: 18/9/17-22/9/17 (Week 3, Semester I)
examiners) Part-Time: 26/2/18-2/3/18 (Week 3, Semester II)

Full-Time and Part-Time:

Research Training Programme Workshop 1: 23/9/17 (Week 3); Workshop 2: 14/10/17 (Week 6)
Workshop 3: 4/11/17 (Week 9)

Submission of 6 copies of dissertation

and supervision form and sending the Full-Time: 27/11/17-1/12/17 (Week 13, Semester I)
dissertation to the external and internal Part-Time: 7/5/18-11/5/18 (Week 13, Semester II)
examiners

Examination of dissertation
Full-Time: 4/12/17-22/12/17 (Week 14-16, Semester I)
(3 weeks)
Part-Time: 14/5/18-18/5/18 (Week 14-16, Semester II)

Register again for Fail

PMC599 Viva Voce Full-Time: 26/12/17-29/12/17 (Week 17, Semester I)
Part-Time: 4/6/18-8/6/18 (Week 17, Semester II)
Pass with corrections
Corrections to the dissertation Full-Time: 1/1/18-12/1/18 (Week 18-19, Semester I)
(2 weeks) Part-Time: 11/6/18-15/6/18 (Week 18-19, Semester II)

Verified by Supervisor and

Dean/Deputy Dean and Full-Time: 15/1/18-19/1/18 (Week 20, Semester I)
submission of 3 copies and 1 CD Part-Time: 25/6/18-29/6/18 (Week 20, Semester II)
of the final dissertation

Examiners Council Meeting Full-Time: 23/1/18 (Week 21, Semester I)

Part-Time: 3/7/18 (Week 21, Semester II)

Final grade (Pass/Fail)

Notes:
1. The actual dates will be announced later.
2. Part-time students who registered for PMC599 in Semester II, Academic Session 2016/2017 should follow the dates
for full-time students who registered for PMC599 in Semester I, Academic Session 2017/2018.

Figure 1. Dissertation process for full-time and part-time students

6. Suggested Dissertation Format

6.1 a. Initial Part

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 i. Title Page
ii. Acknowledgements
iii. Table of Contents
iv. List of Tables, Figures, Symbols and Abbreviations
v. Abstract (Malay and English)

b. Text
i. Chapter 1: Introduction
Background of the Study
Statement of the Problem
Objectives of the Study
Research Questions
Null Hypotheses
Significance of the Study
Limitations of the Study
Definition of Terms

ii. Chapter 2: Literature Review

Introduction
Review of Related Theories/Concepts
Review of Related Studies
Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

iii. Chapter 3: Research Methodology

Introduction
Research Design
Population and Sample
Research Instrument
Method of Data Collection
Method of Data Analysis
Pilot Study

iv Chapter 4: Findings
Introduction
Demographic Information
Presentation of Findings
Summary of Findings

iv. Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusion

Introduction
Discussion of Findings
Implications of the Study
Recommendatations for Future Research
Conclusion

c. Final part

i. References
ii. Appendices
6.2 The length of the dissertation does not exceed 25,000 words (or approximately 100 pages of A4
paper which is based on 250 words per page) excluding references and appendices. The dissertation
should be typewritten, double spacing on 80 gm, A4-size paper (210 x 297 mm) using Times New
Roman, font size 12 and properly bound. All text, tables, figures and their captions should conform to
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 the following margins: Top edge 2.5 cm, Bottom edge 2.5 cm, Right side 2.5 cm, and Left side 4.0
cm.

6.3 The format of the title page for the dissertation is as follows (all printed in black, font size of 14, Times
New Roman and capitalized):

Title of dissertation ATTITUDE TOWARDS SCIENCE AMONG

FORM FOUR STUDENTS

BY

Name of student
Matric number SULAIMAN BIN HARUN
(S-PM001/16)

Statement of graduation DISSERTATION

requirements SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS
(EDUCATION)

Name of school SCHOOL OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES

and institution UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA

JANUARY 2018
Month and year of submission

6.4 The format of the front cover and spine (hard bound and red in colour) for the dissertation is as
follows (all printed in gold, font size of 18, Times New Roman and capitalized):

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 BIN HARUN
SULAIMAN
ATTITUDE TOWARDS SCIENCE AMONG
FORM FOUR STUDENTS

AMONG FORM FOUR STUDENTS

ATTITUDE TOWARDS SCIENCE
SULAIMAN BIN HARUN
2018 MA (Ed)

UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA

2018

6.5 The CD must have the following on the label (all printed in black, font size of 12, Times New Roman
and capitalized):

Name of student
Title of dissertation
Year of submission
Degree

Notes:
1. You can download A Guide to the preparation, submission and examination of Thesis from IPS website at
http://www.ips.usm.my/index.php/download/category/36-examination

2. You can also download USM Policy on Plagiarism from IPS website at
http://www.ips.usm.my/index.php/download/category/34-plagiarism