Courses are typically 17 weeks long, this includes 14 weeks of classes and 3 weeks for examinations and other assessment activities. There is also a one week break from classes called the mid-semester break, usually taking place after Week 6 or Week 7. Our courses are delivered through a series of presentations, discussions, study visits, and learning activities.
Because you only meet once a week for a 3-4 hour period with the lecturer, university courses in the arts and humanities come with a lot of assigned reading materials. It is important that you finish the assigned reading materials before the start of your weekly class. During a typical class, you are expected to ask questions and discuss issues related to the week’s topic based on the assigned readings. At a Masters and PhD level, lecturers do not teach. Our role is to facilitate your self-learning and offer a form of guided discovery. You do have to do the discovery and learn yourself.
Nevertheless, all courses offered by our Faculty contain a form of assessment. Assessment allows lecturers to measure whether or not students have achieved the learning outcomes of the course that they have registered for.
Typically the assessment comes in the form of satisfactory attendance, participation in class discussion, achievement of specific competencies through writing essays, completing a research project, reviewing scholarly texts, as well as attitudes, behaviour and engagement in group work. Our assessments test how students understand and engage with course material and significant concepts. Lecturers coordinating the modules will provide timely feedback to students by marking assignments within two weeks of assignment submission. This includes providing suggestions for improvement which students are expected to reflect and apply to future assignments and research tasks.
At the Postgraduate level, obtaining a grade below 65 marks and below constitutes a fail.
| Marks | Grade | Grade Point | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90-100 | A+ | 4.0 | High Distinction |
| 80-89 | |||
| 75-79 | A | ||
| A- | 4.0 | ||
| 3.7 | Distinction | ||
| 70-74 | |||
| 65-69 | B+ | ||
| B | 3.3 | ||
| 3.0 | Pass | ||
| 60-64 | |||
| 55-59 | |||
| 50-54 | |||
| 45- 49 | |||
| 40-44 | |||
| 35-39 | |||
| 0-39 | B- | ||
| C+ | |||
| C | |||
| C- | |||
| D+ | |||
| D | |||
| F | 2.7 | ||
| 2.3 | |||
| 2.0 | |||
| 1.7 | |||
| 1.5 | |||
| 1.0 | |||
| 0.0 | Fail |
Feedback from you
If you have any questions, concerns, or issues that you wish to be raised to the Faculty, you can communicate them directly to the Deputy Dean of Postgraduate or via your Student Representative(s) who can bring them to the Postgraduate Committee.
At the end of the semester, you will be invited to give online feedback for each taught course. You are required to fill in these feedback forms, since they directly affect how the course may be taught and resourced in subsequent years. When filling in these forms, please try to be both honest and constructive. Similarly, you will need to submit an end-of-degree feedback form (also online), which we use each year to review and make adjustments to the programme. All feedback is anonymous.
Problems with Your Course
Anything that stops you from undertaking your studies in the usual way is called ‘an academic progress issue’. If you are having problems with your course you should seek help and advice as soon as possible (in the first instance you should talk to your supervisor). You can also find advice on a range of issues on the University website.
If you are having any problems while studying at Universiti Malaya which might affect your ability to complete your assignments, you may be eligible to apply for Special Consideration. If successful, this would allow you an extension.
Making a Complaint
You can complain about your experience of a service that you have received as a student within the University, whether academic or non-academic. For further information, visit the University’s Helpdesk.
Leave of Absence (Withdrawal from Semester)
A leave of absence allows a student to take an authorised break in their studies for a semester in the first instance. If semester leave is granted for personal reasons or on mobility programme reasons, the candidate is only allowed to withdraw from a semester after they have undergone at least one (1) semester of their programme of study. The exception to this rule is when a student applies for leave for medical reasons and has provided the necessary support documents.
If you are considering applying for a leave of absence this should first be discussed with your supervisor - not only because their written endorsement is required, but because your supervisor's experience will help you give full and careful consideration to the substantial issues involved in disrupting the continuity of your course.
You are advised that the Department cannot guarantee that the modules which you would have taken will necessarily still be available on your return from leave of absence. Nor can the Department guarantee that the method of assessment for a particular module will remain unchanged. You should therefore check with the Department, at the point of your application for a leave of absence, in case any re-organisation of your course is required.