THE MPHIL DEGREE

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Requirements: the norm for admission to the MPhil degree is a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree or its equivalent in the discipline in question.

Upgrade from the MA: alternatively, candidates for the MA degree who have successfully completed their Course Work component with an average grade of 60% or more may be allowed to upgrade to the MPhil degree.

Availability of Expertise and Resources: given the large research component of this programme, it should be noted that admission is contingent upon whether candidates have a thesis proposal compatible with the expertise and resources available at Cave Hill.

PROGRAMME OF STUDY

Status: candidates may enroll for the MPhil on a full-time or part-time basis. At present, due to limited resources, candidates who are required to do Course Work (see below) must register initially on a part-time basis. Candidates who are not required to do Course Work as well as candidates who have completed theirJune 21, 2006

Course Work: full-time candidates admitted directly to the MPhil programme are required to do four [4] courses (unless already taken at the MA level) during their first year of study. This Course Work is intended to expand and strengthen disciplinary knowledge acquired at the undergraduate level and to facilitate more concentrated specialist work in the discipline. It should be noted that all courses are of 36 hours duration (12 weeks x 3 hours).

Postgraduate courses in another discipline may be substituted, where appropriate and subject to approval, for up to two (2) prescribed Courses. Independent Reading Courses may also be substituted, in special circumstances and subject to approval, for up to two (2) prescribed Courses. (See MA / MPHIL INDEPENDENT READING COURSES.)

The performance of candidates in each Course is assessed by two internal examiners. Assessment may be by way of:

• course work (this may consist of oral presentations and/or term papers) and/or
• written examination (normally three hours, two questions).

Therefore, course work may count for 100% of the final grade or the final grade may be divided between course work and written examination. It should be noted that candidates are permitted to repeat a Course only once.

It should be noted, too, that at the Course Work stage of the programme, no Supervisor is appointed.

Compulsory Course in Library Research Methods: full-time candidates are also required to do the compulsory not-for-credit Course RM60 Library Research Methods (if not already done) during their first year of study.

Research Fields: after completion of their Course Work component (where necessary), full-time candidates have one (1) year of study to complete one (1) Research Field, guided by a Supervisor, in an area pertinent to their thesis. The Research Field consists of a reading list of prescribed texts deemed crucial in the field in question and of which candidates may substitute, in consultation with their Director, up to 20%. (See RESEARCH FIELDS.)

Candidates will be assessed by means of:

• an annotated bibliography of the field (50%), and
• a portfolio of written papers, or oral presentations, or both (also 50%).

This assessment will be conducted by a panel consisting of the Director and at least one other member of staff with expertise in the field.

Compulsory Seminar Presentations: candidates must also make two (2) seminar presentations before a panel consisting of members of the Department and other interested parties. For each Seminar, candidates are required to write and present a paper (to be photocopied and distributed before hand) on a topic arising out of their research as well as to field questions put to them afterwards.

Thesis Proposal: by completion of their Reading Field, full-time candidates are required to present and defend a Thesis Proposal of acceptable scope and quality for the MPhil degree. The Thesis Proposal must follow the guidelines set out later in this pamphlet. (See THE MPHIL / PHD THESIS PROPOSAL.)

Thesis: full-time candidates then have one further year of study in which to research and submit a thesis (40,000 - 50,000 words, exclusive of notes and bibliography) on a topic approved by the Department. (For further details on this, see THE MPHIL / PHD THESIS below.)

TIME LIMITS

Full-time candidates who are required to complete the common core of Course Work must complete these requirements within three (3) calendar years of the start of the programme. Full-time candidates who are not required to complete the common core of Course Work must complete these requirements within two (2) calendar years of the start of the programme.

Part-time candidates have up to five (5) years to complete the same requirements.

CONFERMENT OF THE MPHIL DEGREE

The successful completion of the Course Work (where necessary), the course in Library Research Methods (where necessary), the compulsory Seminar Presentations, the Research Field and the Thesis will lead to the award of the MPhil degree.

In short, in order to obtain the MPhil degree, candidates must have

• successfully completed six (6) Courses (if not already taken for the MA);
• successfully completed the compulsory not-for-credit course RM60 Library Research Methods (if not already taken for the MA);
• successfully completed one (1) Research Field;
• successfully made two (2) Seminar Presentations;
• successfully submitted a Thesis (40,000 - 50,000 words, exclusive of notes and bibliography).
  

MA / MPHIL INDEPENDENT READING COURSES

Candidates for the MA and MPhil degrees pursuing Course Work may, only in special circumstances, substitute up to two (2) Independent Reading Courses. (These should not be confused with Research Fields which are taken for the MPhil and PhD degrees.) This is contingent, it should be noted, upon the availability of staff to direct such courses as well as the approval of the Department. To this end, candidates should first identify and consult with a potential Director for the project.

Independent Reading Courses may be based upon extant courses (in which case the course content, the reading list, the methods of assessment, etc. may be slightly altered) or may be designed to suit the special needs of the candidate. Any such proposal must be related to the major focus or foci of the MA or MPhil degree of the discipline in question and / or should be compatible with the resources and expertise available in the Department.

In the case of the latter, students, in consultation with the proposed Director, must write a proposal providing the following information:

• RATIONALE: an explanation of how the material of the proposed course forms a coherent focus of study and outline the objectives thereof.
• ASSESSMENT: a list of the format, number, and length of assignments to be submitted to the Director.
• CONTACT SCHEDULE: a statement of the frequency and length of time you and your Director will meet (e.g once per week for one hour).
• READING LIST: this list should follow the guidelines prescribed by the MLA HANDBOOK and should be divided into Required and Recommended readings.

You should submit the completed proposal to your proposed Director who will then formally pass it on, indicating his/her approval, to the Department’s Coordinator of Graduate Studies.

Independent Reading Courses are coded 68A Independent Reading Course I and 68B Independent Reading Course II, respectively. For example, a candidate for the MA in Linguistics may opt to do L68A Independent Reading Course I: Sociolinguistics.

MPHIL / PHD UPGRADE SEMINAR

Candidates for the MPhil degree who have

• achieved a grade of at least 60% in the required Research Field,
• successfully defended a Thesis Proposal of a scope and depth deemed worthy of an upgrade, and
• consistently produced work of a standard, in the opinion of their Director, to merit an upgrade,
• may be allowed to transfer to the PhD programme.

To this end, candidates must present an Upgrade Seminar before a panel consisting of members of the Department and other interested parties. For the Seminar, candidates are required to write and present a paper (to be photocopied and distributed before hand) on a topic arising out of their research as well as to field questions put to them afterwards.

The presentation must include the following:

• a Written Paper (10 - 15 pages in length, approximately 30 to 45 minutes speaking time) representing an aspect of one’s research (it may, for example, be part of a chapter of the proposed thesis or derived from previous course work);
• a Descriptive Abstract of the thesis (about 1000 words) indicating
  the specific methodology and the theoretical approach to be employed,
  the primary material to be addressed, and
  a detailed overview of the argument to be advanced in the form of chapter synopses;
• a Table of Contents for the proposed thesis;
• a Bibliography of key primary and secondary texts (author and title only). This is subject to suggested additional entries based upon the panel’s perception of the adequacy (or otherwise) of the list for covering the proposed area(s) of research.

 MPHIL / PHD RESEARCH FIELDS

Research Fields (or their equivalent, sometimes called Qualifying, Candidacy, or Comprehensive
Exams in other universities) are norms at every major North American institution. They consist in
lists of prescribed texts designed to acquaint candidates with the key readings in areas of research directly related to their dissertation. For example, a candidate writing a dissertation on Walcott's poetry, might choose to do research fields in 'West Indian Literature' and 'British and American Poetry.' Successful completion of the fields may also function to demonstrate a candidate's competence to teach courses in the areas in question at the tertiary level.

Students should note that the research fields represent only surveys of the key readings in the areas in question and are not a substitute for the topic-specific readings necessary for producing a dissertation. Students consistently report that the experience of doing the fields has been an immensely rewarding one, forcing them to engage with texts they might not otherwise have even considered, deepening the knowledge of particular fields which they thought they possessed, and in many cases significantly altering how they initially conceived of their projected research.

Research Fields are not be confused with the Independent Reading Courses. The latter can, in exceptional cases and subject to approval, be taken in order to fulfil course work requirements at the MA and MPhil levels in lieu of the taught courses (see MPHIL / PHD INDEPENDENT READING COURSES).

The fields are coded 70A Research Field I and 70B Research Field II, respectively. For example, a candidate for the PhD in Post-colonial and Other Literatures in English might register for E70A: Research Field I: West Indian Literature.

• Candidates for the MPhil degree must complete one such field (70A) in an area of research pertinent to their thesis.
• Candidates for the PhD degree must complete two such fields (70A and 70B), or one field (70B) if one (70A) has previously been completed at the MPhil level (see REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MPHIL DEGREE and REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PHD DEGREE).

Assessment: Research Fields are normally examined by means of a combination of some of the
following exercises mutually agreed upon by both candidate and supervisor:

• seminar / conference presentation(s),
• an annotated bibliography,
• a portfolio of three x 15-20 page research papers or four x 10-15 page research papers (that should aim between them to cover between them as much of the field as possible),
• officially auditing a relevant course(s) and fulfilling all requirements agreed upon by lecturer and candidate,
• an oral examination(s),
• a written examination(s),
• other suitable mechanisms.

This assessment will be conducted by a panel consisting of the supervisor and at least one other
member of staff with expertise in the field.


MPHIL / PHD THESIS PROPOSAL

Before beginning to research and write the thesis, candidates for the MPhil and PhD degrees must formally submit a Thesis Proposal that will serve as a descriptive prospectus of the research to be undertaken. To this end, candidates should first identify and consult with a potential Supervisor for the project.

Candidates should also determine whether the materials for the thesis, or a substantial part thereof, are available either in the Main Library here at Cave Hill or elsewhere locally or regionally. The candidate should also determine whether it may be necessary to travel abroad in pursuit of these objectives and how the necessary financial support to accomplish this might be obtained.

The Proposal, a minimum of five (5) pages (double-spaced, excluding bibliography) should include the following information:

• the working title of the thesis which may be subject to further revision or exact specification as your research proceeds. However, even at this stage, the goal should be to describe your project as clearly and as accurately as possible.
• a definition of the subject agreed upon by both the candidate and the potential Supervisor. This should include a statement of the specific issue or ‘thesis’ to be investigated.
• an account of the existing state of scholarship on the subject, a justification of the undertaking of such a project, as well as an indication of its potential contribution to knowledge in this area.
• a tentative list of the divisions, phases or chapters into which the thesis will fall so far as the candidate can see them at this stage of his/her work.
• a selective bibliography which should follow the guidelines prescribed by the MLA HANDBOOK. The bibliography should adumbrate the:
  ∙ primary sources (authors, texts, editions, etc.);
  ∙ chief secondary sources which bear most closely upon the subject.

The Proposal should be formally submitted to the Department’s Coordinator of Postgraduate Studies for review. Candidates will be informed in due course of the date of their Defence after which candidates will be informed whether the Proposal has been accepted as is.

All requested revisions should be made promptly and the finished Proposal formally resubmitted to the Department’s Coordinator of Graduate Studies.

 MPHIL / PHD THESIS

SUPERVISION

Each candidate is appointed a Supervisor with expertise relevant to the candidate’s area of research. The candidate’s Advisory Committee consists of the supervisor and two other members of staff.

Meetings Between Candidate and Supervisor: each candidate should meet with his / her Supervisor a minimum of once per semester. It should be noted that it is the candidate’s responsibility to make sure that this bare minimum is met.

Progress Reports: the Supervisor, often in consultation with the other members of the Advisory Committee, is required to submit a detailled Progress Report on the work accomplished by the candidate under his / her supervision once per semester. (The deadline for semester I is January 31 while the deadline for semester II is June 30.) This Report indicates what, if anything, remains to be completed and whether the candidate is on schedule. Any candidate whose progress is reported to be unsatisfactory by his/her Chief Supervisor may required to withdraw from the programme.

PRESENTATION GUIDELINES

Please consult the THESIS GUIDE for the precise requirements for the presentation of theses set out by the School for Graduate Studies and Research. Theses which are not presented in accordance with the provisions of this guide will not be accepted for examination.

Prior to formal submission, candidates should allow the Main Library to vet the final draft to ensure that all technical specifications have been met.

EXAMINATION

Application for the Examination of the Thesis: candidates apply to enter for the Examination by Thesis on the appropriate application form (along with the appropriate fee) available from the School for Graduate Studies and Research not less than three (3) months before the expected date of submission of the Thesis. The candidate submits the entry form (on which [s]he has specified the exact title of the Thesis) to the School for Graduate Studies and Research via his/her Chief Supervisor who indicates his/her approval by signing a Certificate of Completion of Study.

Submission of the Thesis: once the library has indicated that all technical specifications have been met, candidates are required to submit four (4) copies of the Thesis (in temporary bindings provided by the Main Library) accompanied by the Chief Supervisor’s Certification that it has been presented in technically acceptable form.

Examining Committee: the Thesis is assessed by a Supervisor, an Internal Examiner (from any campus of UWI), and one (1) External Examiner (i.e. from an institution other than UWI) recommended by the Department and approved by the School for Graduate Studies and Research.

Examiners’ Reports: examiners are required to submit their reports within two (2) months of receipt of the thesis. The report contains an evaluation of the thesis, a recommendation that the thesis be accepted or not, as the case might be, and an indication of any changes deemed necessary before the degree can be conferred.

Oral Examination: where the examiners of a MPhil Thesis may require that the candidate submit to an Oral (Viva Voce) Examination, by contrast, all PhD candidates are required to submit to an Oral Examination as part of the assessment process. All candidates are notified in advance of the date of their Oral Examination which is normally held within one (1) month of receipt of the written reports of all the examiners. At the Oral Examination, all the members of the candidate’s Examining Committee (or their representatives) are normally present to put questions to the candidate on the Thesis submitted.

CONFERMENT OF THE DEGREE

Where the examiners recommend conferment of the degree, they are required to certify that the Thesis is worthy of publication as a Thesis approved for the degree of Master of Philosophy or Doctor of Philosophy of the University of the West Indies.

The examiners may also recommend, where warranted, the award of High Commendation.
If, in the opinion of the examiners, a MPhil Thesis is of such high standard that it might be developed into submission for the PhD degree, the examiners may recommend that the candidate be permitted to transfer his/her registration to the PhD.

Outstanding Graduate Student Thesis Award: all candidates for the MPhil and PhD degrees are eligible for the Outstanding Graduate Student Thesis Award offered by the School for Graduate Studies and Research on each campus. Exceptional candidates are nominated for the prize by their Supervisor.