Shahjalal University of Science and Technology

Master’s by Couresework and Mixed mode

Master’s by Research and Doctoral Research

Master’s by coursework:

A1.1 Graduates with a bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from SUST are eligible to apply for the Master’s by Coursework program.

A2.1 The candidate for this program must submit the following documents: (i) application in the prescribed form, (ii) academic transcript, and (iii) consent letter from the employer, if applicable.

A2.2 After selecting the candidate for this program, the Graduate Study Committee will then send all the documents mentioned in Clause A2.1 to the Board of Advanced Studies through the Dean of the school for subsequent approval by the Academic Council.

A3.1 A student enrolled in this program must register for a minimum of 10 (ten) credits and a maximum of 20 (twenty) credits per semester.

A3.2. A SUST faculty member may be admitted to this program with prior approval from the University Authority.

A3.3 The registration for this program will remain valid for a maximum of 4 (four) semesters.

A3.4 The period of candidature for this program will remain valid for a maximum of 2 (two) academic years.

 A6.1 Duration: Minimum duration for this degree is 2 (two) semesters.

A6.2 Credit Requirement: To attain the Master's by Coursework degree, students are required to fulfill a minimum of 40 credits through coursework instruction.

A6.3 Course Requirement: Students enrolled in the Master’s by Coursework program must complete a minimum of 40 credit hours of instructional coursework. The GSC may recommend required courses, but not more than 12 (twelve) credits, at the graduate and/or undergraduate levels from other disciplines.

Master’s by Mixed Mode

B1.1 Graduates with a Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from SUST or any other university or equivalent foreign university, with a minimum CGPA of 3.25, are eligible to apply for the Master's by Mixed Mode program.

B1.2 A candidate holding a Master's by Coursework degree in a relevant discipline from SUST is eligible for admission to the Master's by Mixed Mode program, provided s/he has achieved a minimum CGPA of 3.25 in his/her Master's by Coursework program.

B1.3 A candidate currently enrolled in a Master's by Coursework program at SUST, who has already completed 18 credits of coursework with a CGPA of 3.25 or higher, is eligible to apply for the conversion from his/her current program to this program. In such cases, the candidate will be granted a waiver for theory courses completed in the Master's by Coursework program.

B1.4 A candidate who has graduated under the course system and has achieved at least a second division/class in all previous examinations is eligible for admission to this program. In such cases, the candidate must provide evidence that this degree will enhance his/her professional career.

B1.5 A candidate with a bachelor's degree in engineering from a university or institution other than SUST, who has completed 160 credits as his/her degree requirements with a minimum CGPA of 3.25, is eligible to apply for the Master's by Mixed Mode program.

B.2.1 The candidate applied for this program must submit the following documents: (i) application in the prescribed form, (ii) academic transcript, (iii) a research proposal, (iv) one reference letter, (v) consent letter from a potential Supervisor, and (vi) consent letter from the employer, wherever applicable.

B2.2 Candidates will be selected for admission based on the performance in a written and/or viva voce examination conducted by the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC). However, full-time university teachers will be exempted from the written examination.

B2.3 The GSC will assign a Supervisor and, if applicable, a Co-Supervisor for the thesis work from among the teachers in the same discipline at SUST. However, the Co-Supervisor can be selected from other disciplines of SUST or from home and abroad. Both the Supervisor and Co-Supervisor must meet the required qualification criteria outlined in clause B2.3.1

B3.2 A student enrolled in this program must register for a minimum of 8(eight) credits and a maximum of 16(sixteen) credits per semester.

B3.3 The candidature of the registered candidate will remain valid for a maximum of 6 (six) semesters. 

B6.1 Duration: Minimum duration for the degree is 3 (three) semesters.

B6.2 Credit Requirement: To obtain the Master’s by Mixed Mode degree, a student must complete a minimum of 40 (forty) credits through a combination of taught coursework and a dissertation.

B6.3 Course Requirement: Students enrolled in this program must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours of instructional coursework, complemented by a research component of 12–18 credits. The GSC may recommend required courses, but not more than 12 (twelve) credits, at the graduate and/or undergraduate levels from other disciplines.

B6.4 Dissertation

 Requirement: To obtain the degree, a student must complete a dissertation of 12–18 credits, as assigned by the GSC as a mandatory degree requirement. Upon completing the entire research work, the student will prepare a dissertation as a comprehensive piece of work. It should be evaluated for its theoretical, scientific and methodological soundness using a prescribed rubric as outlined in Clause B6.4.1. 

2.1.1 Any student with a Bachelor’s degree from SUST is eligible for admission to the Master of Science in Statistics (General) Program.

2.1.2 Any student with a CGPA of 3.25 or more from SUST is eligible for admission to the Master of Science in Statistics (Thesis).

2.1.3  Four-year Graduates from other recognized universities and institutions with a CGPA of 3.25 or more can apply for admission to the Master of Science in Statistics (Thesis).

2.1.6 The GSC of a discipline will decide if a student from a related discipline will be allowed to apply to the graduate program of that discipline. In these cases if necessary the GSC may ask the candidate to take extra under-graduate/graduate courses to ensure the basic foundation.

3.1.1 If a SUST graduate has the required qualifications he/she can be admitted to the Master’s program (General, Thesis) as per the recommendation of the GSC.

3.1.2 The candidates for Master of Science in Statistics (Thesis) will be selected for admission after a written and/or viva voce examination conducted by the GSC. Full time teachers of SUST are not required to sit for the admission test. GSC will then recommend the candidates for admission to the academic council through the BAS. During the process of admission each candidate shall be assigned by the appropriate GSC and approved by BAS a supervisor from among the teachers of the relevant discipline/institute not below the rank of an associate professor or an assistant professor with a Ph.D. / M.Phil. / M.S.

Master’s by Research:

C1.1 Graduates with a Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from SUST or any other university or equivalent foreign university, with a minimum CGPA of 3.25, are eligible to apply for the Master's by Research program.

C1.2 A candidate holding a Master's by Coursework (General) degree in a relevant discipline from SUST is eligible for admission to the Master's by Research program, provided s/he has achieved a minimum CGPA of 3.25 in his or her Master's by Coursework program.

C1.3 A candidate currently enrolled in a Master's by Coursework program at SUST, who has already completed 18 credits of coursework with a CGPA of 3.25 or higher, is eligible to apply for the conversion from his/her current program to this program.

C1.4 A candidate who has graduated under the course system and has achieved at least a second division/class in all previous examinations is eligible for admission to this program. In such cases, the candidate must provide evidence that this degree will enhance his/her professional career.

C1.5 A candidate with a bachelor's degree in engineering from a university or institution other than SUST, who has completed 160 credits as his/her degree requirements with a minimum CGPA of 3.25, is eligible to apply for the Master's by Research program.

C.2.1 The candidate applied for this program must submit the following documents: (i) application in the prescribed form, (ii) academic transcript, (iii) a research proposal, (iv) one reference letter, (v) consent letter from a potential Supervisor, and (vi) consent letter from the employer, wherever applicable.

C2.2 Candidates will be selected for admission based on the performance in a written and/or viva voce examination conducted by the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC). However, full-time university teachers will be exempted from the written examination.

C2.3 The GSC will assign a Supervisor and, if applicable, a Co-Supervisor for the thesis work from among the teachers in the same discipline at SUST. However, the Co-Supervisor can be selected from other disciplines of SUST or from home and abroad. Both the Supervisor and Co-Supervisor must meet the required qualification criteria outlined in clause C2.3.1

C3.1 Every admitted candidate must register with the registrar’s office and pay the required fees for the program.

C3.2 Date of registration and duration of the Candidature: Registration takes effect on the date approved by BAS and successively endorsed by AC. The duration of the registered Master’s by research program will be counted from the date of registration. 

C3.3 A student enrolled in this program must register for a minimum of 8(eight) credits and a maximum of 16(sixteen) credits per semester.

C3.4 The candidature of the registered candidate will remain valid for a maximum of 6 (six) semesters.

Doctoral by Research Program:

D1.1 A candidate with a Master’s by Mixed Mode degree with CGPA 3.25 or with a Master’s by Research degree is eligible to apply for a PhD. program as regular student. D1.2 A candidate currently enrolled in a Master's by Research program at SUST is eligible to apply for the conversion from a Master's by Research to a PhD. program, subject to the fulfillment of the following conditions: (i) the candidate must have authored at least two published articles in peer-reviewed journal(s) derived from his/her research work within the first two semesters, provided that s/he appears as the first or corresponding author, (ii) the supervisor must certify that the candidate possesses the potential to successfully complete the PhD program, and (iii) the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) confirms that the progress achieved is solely attributable to the candidate. The proposal for this conversion requires approval from the Board of Advanced Studies (BAS) and subsequently from the Academic Council (AC). From the date of conversion at AC, the PhD candidature will starts. The title of the PhD thesis along with a research proposal must be submitted to GSC.

D1.3 A candidate who has graduated in Masters (by research) under the course system (other than semester system) and is seeking admission to the PhD program must hold a minimum of a second division or class in all previous examinations. Additionally, the candidate is required to attain a score of at least 50% in his/her Master's (Research) examination.

D1.4 Candidates eligible for direct admission to the PhD. program as regular students include the following: (i) university or college teachers possessing a Master's by Mixed Mode or Master's by Research degree; (ii) university teachers with a minimum of three (3) years of teaching experience at the university level; (iii) college teachers (teaching in graduate programs) with a minimum of six (6) years of teaching experience at the college level; and (iv) researchers affiliated with recognized research organizations, provided they have a minimum of six (6) years of research experience being appointed as a research scholar or associate. It is pertinent to note that candidates falling under categories (ii) through (iv) are required to have at least two research articles published in a Web of Science or SCOPUS-indexed journal where they appear as the first or corresponding author.

D2.1 A candidate possessing all required qualifications for admission to the PhD. program is needed to submit an application to the Head of the discipline or the Director of the institute. The institute should offered the degree under a specific School of study. The application must be accompanied by the following documents: (i) a completed application form; (ii) academic transcripts; (iii) a comprehensive research proposal; (iv) a reference letter; (v) a letter of consent from a potential Supervisor (as per the provision stated in clause D4.1); and (vi) a letter of consent from the employer, if applicable. In cases where the candidate does not propose a specific Supervisor, the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) retains the authority to assign a Supervisor from among the faculty members within the same discipline or any other discipline at SUST, relevant to the proposed topic.

D2.2 Candidates aspiring to enroll in the PhD. program, possessing the qualifications outlined in Clauses D1.1– D1.3, shall undergo a selection process facilitated by the GSC. This process may involve written and/or viva voce examinations, wherein the GSC will assess and select the suitable candidates for admission. GSC may arrange a presentation for the candidate to clarify his/her research proposal.

D2.3 Following the selection of the candidate for the PhD. program, the GSC will provide a recommendation supported by a summary sheet and the subsequent documents including (i) a provisional title for the dissertation; (ii) proposed Supervisor and Co-Supervisor, (if applicable) (iii) a research proposal endorsed by the GSC; (iv) academic records of the candidate; (v) an assessment sheet detailing the candidate's qualifications; (vi) statements confirming the qualifications and consent of the Supervisor and Co-Supervisor (if any) and (vii) evidence of accommodating the student in the institution of the Co-Supervisor external to SUST, where applicable.

D2.4 The Chairman of the GSC will then send all the documents mentioned in Clause D2.3 to the Board of Advanced Studies (BAS) through the respective Dean for subsequent approval by the Academic Council (AC).

D2.5 If deemed necessary, the GSC has the prerogative to suggest non-credit courses at the bachelor's or master's levels, aiming to fortify the candidate's academic foundations pertinent to their specific research endeavors.

D3.1 Every candidate must register for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) as a full-time student for the first year. By the end of the year the student needs to confirm his/her candidature defending his/her research work with satisfactory progress assessed by GSC. After successful confirmation of the candidature the candidate can continue his/her study with full time status or may apply for part time status.

D3.1.1 After the confirmation of candidature, a PhD student i) who is in a full-time employment in a research supportive environment and expect to continue in the employment situation, and ii) who could not attend the university and participate in a full-time basis due to assignable causes may apply to register as a part-time student. The GSC will confirm the part-time studentship status with the approval of BAS and AC.

D3.1.2 Date of registration and duration of the Candidature: Registration takes effect on the date approved by BAS and successively endorsed by AC. The duration of the registered PhD program will be counted from the date of registration.

D3.2 A candidate enroll in the PhD program must register for a minimum of 8(eight) credits and a maximum of 16(sixteen) credits per semester.

D3.3 The registration for the PhD program will remain valid for a maximum of 12(twelve) semesters.

D3.4 The period of candidature for this program will remain valid for a maximum of 6(six) academic years.