2024 Winter Graduation--Notice on the Thesis Defense Arrangement for International Postgraduate of School of Public Health Peking University

Ⅰ Degree Thesis Defense

(1) Application for Thesis Defense and Approval

After the thesis has been evaluated and passed, students can apply for thesis defense. Students shall send the following materials to the Teaching Affairs Office for examination and approval at least 7 days before the thesis defense (no later than November 13 2024). The Deadline to defend the thesis is by November 20 2024.

1. Complete the submission of thesis evaluation contents in the graduate system (details will be notified separately)

2. Please complete the personal information form (attachment 02) 02-Personal Information form update.xlsx,including the name, passport number, etc.. The name will be used to make the degree certificate. Please attach the passport information page.

3. Please complete the form 1 to the form 4 of Application form for Master’s Degree of Public Health A (attachment 03) 03-Application form for Master’s Degree of Public Health A.doc. And the students, supervisors and department heads shall sign.

4. Vote with student’s name (attachment 04) 04-Vote.doc

5. The Degree Thesis Defense Committee (attachment 05)  05-The Degree Thesis Defense Committee.doc

6. The postgraduates’ defense announcement (attachment 06) 06-The postgraduates’ defense announcement.doc

7. The duplicate check report (duplicate checking rate should be lower than university recommended standards 15%)

8. All the blind review results

For materials 3&4, please remind your defense secretary to bring the Application form for Master’s Degree of Public Health A and votes (same number with the committee members) to the Teaching Affairs Office for seal before the defense. 其中材料3（所有签字必须是亲笔签名）和材料4选票需要教办盖章，请答辩秘书代为提交这些材料的纸质版给教办。

All these materials should be sent to your supervisor and head of department for approval and signature, and then the students shall send them to the Teaching Affairs Office (gwjb@bjmu.edu.cn).

It is the student's and supervisor's responsibility to ensure that the thesis is in an acceptable format (this includes the quality of the writing, correct layout of the pages, and a properly formatted bibliography). Final versions of theses will only be briefly reviewed by the Faculty of Teaching Affairs Office. If a thesis is found to be unacceptable, it will be returned to the student; this may cause significant delays in scheduling the defense.

(2) Composition of the Degree Thesis Defense Committee

The Degree Thesis Defense Committee for the master’s thesis shall be composed of 3-5 who shall be professors, associate professors or experts in related professional and technical positions, including 1 to 2 Master / PhD supervisor, 1 member of the College Degree Evaluation Subcommittee and 1 expert from the outside of the university. The Degree Thesis Defense Committee shall have 1 chairman to preside over the defense of the thesis. The candidate’s supervisor can attend the meeting, but cannot serve as a member of the Degree Thesis Defense Committee.

The Degree Thesis Defense Committee shall have a secretary to assist in organizing the defense work. The secretary is responsible for the secretarial work, including sending out the thesis which is used for review and defense, the appointment letter and the appraisal tables, and classify and sort out the review comments, recording the defense with writing, audio and video, summarizing and filling in the defense records, assisting the discipline to prepare the defense.

Defense should be arranged by the candidate’s supervisor. It is student’s responsibility to help supervisor to contact your committee and schedule your defense (day and time).

(3) Requirements for Degree Thesis Defense

Before the defense, the time and location of the defense shall be announced to the Teaching Affairs Office by means of announcement, etc (attachment 06)  06-The postgraduates’ defense announcement.doc. The defense procedure shall be standardized, and the scene of the defense shall be photographed. The defense shall generally be conducted in public (except for confidentiality) in the university, and detailed records shall be documented.

The Degree Thesis Defense Committee shall conduct anonymous voting whether to recommend the conferral of a degree. The resolution shall be adopted only with the consent of more than two-thirds of all the members. After being signed by the chairman of the Degree Thesis Defense Committee, the resolution shall be submitted to the Academic Degree Evaluation Sub-Committee for deliberation.

If the thesis defense fails, the candidate shall revise the thesis and resubmit it for degree application within 12 months. No additional defense shall be made if the new defense fails.

(4) Defense procedure

1) The member of the Degree Evaluation Subcommittee attends the whole course of the defense and preside over the preparatory meeting of the defense committee, in order to elect the president.

2) The member of the Degree Evaluation Subcommittee introduces the president and members of the Defense Committee to the attendees.

3) The president of the Defense Committee presides over the defense of the dissertation, and the time is not less than 60 minutes:

① The supervisor introduces the resume, completion status of the training program and title of the dissertation of the MPH.

② The MPH student reports about his/her dissertation (about 25-30 mins).

The anonymous comments should be added to the PPT and explain them one by one.

③ The Defense Committee members and attendees ask questions, and the MPH student makes defense (no less than 30 mins).

4) Adjourn the defense.

5) The Defense Committee conducts the council (Supervisors and students shall withdraw during this time):

① The secretary of the Defense Committee reads out the reviews on the dissertation.

② The Defense Committee appraises the defense of the MPH student.

③ Vote on whether to approve the graduation of the MPH student by secret ballot, where pass requires approval by more than two-thirds (included) of all members. Those who do not pass shall be given certificate of completion.

④ Vote on whether to approve the degree conferred to the MPH student by secret ballot, where pass requires approval by more than two-thirds (included) of all members.

⑤ Discuss and adopt resolution.

⑥ The president of the Defense Committee signs the resolution.

6) Resume the defense. The president of the Defense Committee announces the resolution and voting results to the MPH student

7) .The president shall announce to close the meeting and organize the group photo session (defense committee and graduate students, supervisors and their graduate students, only graduate students, etc.)

(5) After the defense, students shall send the following materials to the Teaching Affairs Officebefore November 25 2024.

1. Application form for Master’s Degree of Public Health A (attachment 03, 03-Application form for Master’s Degree of Public Health A.docone original and one copy). All the original votes should be included at the end.

2. Application form for Master’s Degree of Public Health B (attachment 07 07-Application form for Master’s Degree of Public Health B.docx, one original).

3. The electronic file of thesis (attachment 08  08-硕士论文模板Master Thesis Template for reference update 2023.doc, PDF file, named after “11001_student ID_Thesis”). The electronic thesis should be submitted to the library by yourself (Details will be notified separately).

4. The electronic file of abstract (including Chinese abstract and English abstract, PDF file, named after “11001_student ID_Abstract”)

5. Three final thesis with the signature of supervisor and student (1 archived in the school archives, 1 to the school library and 1 to the graduate school).

6. Peking University Health Science Center Thesis Revision Form (attachment 09) 09 Peking University Health Science Center Thesis Revision Form.doc

7. At least 3 photos of the Defense Meeting (defense committee and graduate students, supervisors and their graduate students, only graduate students, etc.)

8. Original research data related to the thesis, including excel sheet of the data collected , questionnaire database(not only questionnaire), interview reports, etc. (Zip up all of the files into a new file and named after “11001_student ID_Research records”)

9. Information of Master candidates (attachment 10) 10-Information of Master candidates.xlsx

10. Graduate Audit Form (attachment 11) 11-Graduate Audit Form.docx

All these materials should be sent to your supervisor and head of department for approval and signature, and then the students shall send them to the Teaching Affairs Office (gwjb@bjmu.edu.cn).

For materials 3, 7, 9 and thesis (all signatures must be autographed), please remind your defense secretary to help submit the paper version of these materials to Teaching Affairs Office. 其中材料3、7、9、论文（所有签字必须是亲笔签名），请答辩秘书代为提交这些材料的签字盖章纸质版给教办。

(6) Students shall send the following material to the Teaching Affairs Officebefore December 10 2024.

1. Feelings about graduation, attached life photos and A 20-second video (attachment 12) 12-Feelings about graduation update.doc

Theme can be decided by you. There is no restriction to the genre. The essay should be around 1000 words. We expect you to share with us your experiences and insights of China’s development and changes, and to imagine the bright future of economic, social, scientific and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. You can tell the feelings and observations of your study, life and work in China, tell Chinese stories in a vivid and true way and describe China's economic development, scientific and technological achievements, natural scenery, urban features and cultural exchanges.

We hope you can record a video and send it to the email gwjb@bjmu.edu.cn. A 20-second video recounting a favorite memory from your time in school. Or a video show your sincere thanks and wholehearted wishes to school. Horizontal screen is required for recording.

II. Degree Awarding

Graduation and Degree Award MPH degree is conferred to those who meet the basic requirements for degree application, obtain required credits after completing courses, and pass the professional practice assessment, after students pass the defense of the dissertation, and get approved by the College Degree Evaluation Sub-Committee, the Degree Evaluation Committee of Health Science Center, and Peking University Degree Evaluation Committee in sequence.

Those who be given certificate of completion, fail to pass the professional practice assessment, fail to pass the dissertation review in the process of degree application, or fail to pass the defense by the vote of the Defense Committee and subcommittee is provided with one chance (only one) to restudy the professional practice or modify the dissertation within one year and resubmit it for degree application.

Teaching Affairs Office

School of Public Health

Peking University

Attachments