The Academic Unit System is introduced for coursework & dissertation degree programmes with effect from the academic year 2000-01.
Under the Academic Unit System, each course is assigned a certain number of academic units (AU) by each School.
The academic unit is a measure of the student's work load associated with both class attendance and preparation. In general, a higher degree course is worth 3 AU.
Candidates who have completed the coursework component of the programme before academic year 2000-01 will not be affected by the AU System.
Candidates who were admitted before academic year 2000-01 and have yet to complete the coursework component of the programme will be converted to the AU system. However, the number of courses required for the coursework component remains unchanged for these candidates.
AU Requirements
1. The number of academic units required by candidates admitted in and after academic year 2000-01 for each degree programme is set out in Appendix A.
2. The number of academic units required by candidates admitted before academic year 2000-01 for each degree programme is set out in Appendix B.
3. A candidate has to obtain at least half of the total AU of the coursework component within the normal candidature in his/her programme. Candidates who fail to meet this requirement will be deemed to have failed the programme of study and be refused readmission to the programme. The normal period of candidature for each degree programme is set out in Appendix C.
In computing half of the total AU of the coursework component, the AU will exclude any transfer of credits and course exemptions.
4. The coursework grading system is as follows:
A - Excellent
B - Very good
C - Good
D - Pass
F - Fail
No academic unit is earned for grade 'F'.
Examples To Illustrate The AU System
Considering a part-time candidate of M.Sc. (Signal Processing) programme :
| |
Candidates Admitted Before
AY 2000-01 |
Candidates Admitted In
AY 2000-01 |
| Number of courses required |
7 |
8 |
AU required for coursework component
(3 AU per course) |
7 x 3 = 21 |
8 x 3 = 24 |
AY - Academic Year
Case 1
For a candidate admitted before AY 2000-01, if he has already passed 2 courses, he is deemed to have completed 2x3 = 6 AU.
To complete the coursework component of the programme, he needs to earn a further 15 AU.
In addition, this candidate has to obtain at least half the total AU of the coursework component within the normal candidature, i.e. 21/2 = 10.5 AU within 2 years of candidature.
With the 6 AU completed earlier, he has to earn the remaining 4.5 AU within the normal candidature of 2 years. Otherwise, he would be deemed to have failed the programme of study and be refused readmission to the programme. Any course exemption and transfer of credits are excluded in this computation.
Case 2
For a candidate admitted in AY 2000-01, he will have to earn at least 24 / 2 = 12 AU within his normal candidature. Otherwise, he would be deemed to have failed the programme of study and be refused readmission to the programme. Any course exemption and transfer of credits are excluded in this computation.
