The need for postgraduate education in national development cannot be over-emphasized. Obviously, there is increasing competitive job market to the extent that acquisition of first degree is no longer enough to compete for the available jobs. Therefore, acquiring a postgraduate qualification gives confidence to graduate students that their prospect of employment will be enhanced by a higher degree. Postgraduate studies enable the student to develop various skills, pursue interests in highly specialized areas and nurture independent thought. Presently, the Postgraduate School has the following Programmes:
- PGD Accounting
- PGD Business Administration
- PGD Political Science
- – Conflict, Peace and Strategic Studies
- – International Relations
- – Public Administration
- – Comparative Politics and Development Studies
- -Political Economy
- – Political Theory and Methodology
- M.Sc Accounting
- M.Sc Business Administration
- M.Sc Political Science
- – International Relations
- – Public Administration
- – Comparative Politics and Development Studies
- -Political Economy
- – Political Theory and Methodology
- PhD Accounting
- PhD Business Administration
- PhD Political Science
- – International Relations
- – Public Administration
- – Comparative Politics and Development Studies
- -Political Economy
- – Political Theory and Methodology
Postgraduate Programmes
The following graduation requirements for postgraduate programmes apply at the Western Delta University:
A. Postgraduate Diploma
A student of Postgraduate Diploma programme shall fulfill the following conditions for graduation:
- The programme shall include a minimum of 24 credit units of postgraduate courses and research project or as may be prescribed by the department
- Students shall pass all courses with a minimum score of 50% or letter “C” grade
- Students shall submit an acceptable research project
B. Masters Degree
A student of Masters Degree programme shall fulfill the following conditions for graduation:
- The programme shall include a minimum of 30 credit units of postgraduate courses and thesis or as may be prescribed by the department
- Students shall pass all courses with a minimum score of 50% or letter ‘C’ grade.
- Students shall submit an acceptable dissertation.
C. Doctorate Degree
A student of Doctorate Degree programme shall fulfill the following conditions for graduation:
- The programme shall include a minimum of 48 credit units of postgraduate courses and dissertation or as may be prescribed by the Department
- Students shall pass all courses with a minimum score of 50% or letter ‘C’ grade
- Students shall submit an acceptable thesis
In addition to above, the following additional requirements for graduation shall apply to all postgraduate programmes:
- The duration for a full-time Master’s degree shall be a minimum of 18 calendar months and a maximum of 36 calendar months.
- A part-time Master’s degree shall have a maximum of 60 calendar months.
- The duration for a full-time Doctorate degree shall be a minimum of 36 calendar months and a maximum of 72 calendar months. A Doctorate student cannot defend until after 24 calendar months.
- A part-time Doctorate degree shall have a maximum of 84 calendar months.
- In exceptional circumstances, Senate may grant an extension of time to a candidate on the recommendation of the Faculty Board and the Board of the School of Postgraduate Studies. Such extension shall not exceed 18 and 24 months for Masters’ and Doctorate programmes respectively.
- Students are at liberty to combine their required course work with research work.
There shall be a written examination in each taught course at the end of every semester. To qualify for the examination, the student must have attended at least 75% of the lectures in that course.
For each Ph.D. student, there shall be a Supervisory Committee comprising of the major supervisor (who shall be at least a Senior Lecturer) and two minor supervisors one of who must be outside the candidate’s Department. This Committee will have the responsibility of guiding and supervising the student as well as approving all aspects of the thesis before submission to the external examiner.
For each Masters’ student, there shall be a Project Supervisory Committee comprising of the major supervisor (who shall be at least a Senior Lecturer) and one minor supervisor.
All postgraduate students shall submit a thesis (in a prescribed format) in partial fulfillment of the requirement for graduation in the various degrees they have registered for.
The Ph.D. dissertation should demonstrate a significant and sustained research in the candidate’s major field and ability to organize and present effectively the findings and results of research and should represent a contribution to knowledge.
There shall be oral defense of thesis/dissertations and each student must satisfy his/her examiners in this regard to qualify for graduation.
For each Doctorate student, there shall be a Board of Examiners for dissertation defense, comprising of at least 5 members which must include members of the project Supervisory Committee, the External Examiner, who will be the Chairman and must be someone of the grade of at least a Senior Lecturer, who is a representative of the School of Postgraduate Studies who must be an academic with relevant background.
A minimum of three copies of the final draft of the temporarily bound thesis/dissertations shall be submitted to the examiners. After the thesis/dissertation defense, the candidate shall make all necessary corrections and submit four copies of the properly bound thesis/dissertation with certification by the Board of Examiners to the School of Postgraduate Studies.
Copies of all thesis/dissertations shall reach the School of Postgraduate Studies at least two months before the convocation in which the candidate desires to graduate.
Each students shall be required to register 24 credit units of course work and 12 credit units of research (including thesis writing) for the Master’s degree programme.
The course work of 12 credit units for ph.D. shall be determined by the Supervisory Committee.
The scores for each course shall be made up to 40% continuous assessment and 60% examination. To pass a course, a student must score at least a total of 50%.
To qualify for the award of a postgraduate degree, a student must obtain an average of ‘C’ grade in all courses. A student will be withdrawn from a Masters or Ph.D. programme if he/she obtains a CGPA of less than 3.0. Masters students with CGPA above the minimum will be allowed to repeat the courses in which they failed.
Taught courses shall be externally moderated. After the Examiners have approved the grades, they shall be passed on to the Departmental Board, the Faculty Board, the Board of School of Postgraduate Studies and Senate for approval.
Senate shall appoint Internal and External Examiners for Masters/Ph.D. upon the recommendation of the Board of School of Postgraduate Studies and the respective Faculty Boards.
A candidate pursuing Master’s degree programme may be upgraded to a Doctorate status by recommendation of his/her Faculty Board, the Board of the School of Postgraduate Studies and approved by Senate. The following conditions must be met before a Faculty Board can recommend a candidate for grading:
- a. The student must have been registered for at least six (6) calendar months.
- b. Successful completion of the course work with at least a ‘C’ grade.
- c. A satisfactory progress report on the research work by a panel of three assessors comprising the candidate’s Head of Department, his major supervisor and one person from outside the Department. The report of this panel must accompany the Faculty’s recommendation to the School of Postgraduate Studies.
The upgrading, where approved by Senate, will take effect from the date of the original registration
A candidate who does not complete his programme within the specified maximum period will be withdrawn from the programme unless he/she has sought and obtained extension before the expiration of the maximum period.
A candidate whose research work is considered to be unsatisfactory by his Department may also be withdrawn with a resolution of the Faculty Board, the Board of the School of Postgraduate Studies and Senate. The period within which the research work would be adjudged to be unsatisfactory or otherwise would be 12 months for Masters and 24 Months for ph.D.
