POST GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

ACADEMIC SYSTEM

The course will conform to BRAC University’s academic system consisting of semesters, courses, credit hours, continuous evaluation and letter grading, given below.

Semesters and Class Schedule

There are two regular semesters, Spring and Fall, and an additional Summer semester per academic year. There are 15 working weeks in each regular semester and 8 weeks in the Summer semester. The Spring semester commences in February and the Fall semester in September each year. The Summer semester is held between June and August. For master’s level students undertaking a dissertation, the Summer semester is extended to 15 weeks as in a regular semester. Classes are held weekly from Sunday to Thursday, but weekends may also be utilized for field visits. Depending upon the course, the duration of a class period is 60 minutes or 90 minutes.

Course Load

A student initially enrolling for a diploma or master’s degree is required to register for at least 5 credits and maximum 15 credits per semester. To be considered full-time, a student will have to register for at least 12 credits per semester. The diploma will have to be completed within 3 years and the master’s degree will have to be completed within 5 years after the original date of admission.

Credit Transfer and Waivers

Credit transfer of courses similar to those of the Master’s in Disaster Management (MDM) program of BRAC University from other degree programs of BRAC University or other universities with acceptable academic system and standards may be considered up to 15 credits provided that they consist of B grades. Grade equivalence will be subject to approval from BRAC University authority.

Courses for Audit and Credit

Students of the MDM program or other programs and alumni of BRAC University may enroll in one or more courses for audit on payment of 50% tuition and other fees. This facility will be open to students of other universities acceptable to BRAC University. The performance of such students will not be evaluated or graded and they will receive a grade ‘U’.

Students currently enrolled in other master’s programs of BRAC University or in other universities acceptable to BRAC University may enroll as credit students in maximum 10 courses (30 credits) on payment of full tuition and other fees of the university. These facilities are open to BRAC and other development or disaster management organizations, but the candidate must be acceptable in terms of BRAC University standards.

Course Numbering System

Each course is identified by a two-part numbering system. The first part with three alphabets represents the subject area and the second part refers to the level of the course. The postgraduate courses are numbered with the 500 and 600 series and numbers are intended to indicate progressively more complex and in-depth course content and correspondingly increasing aptitude on the part of the students as they proceed within the program.

Credit Hours

A 15-week semester is the basis for assigning course numbers. Each credit hour corresponds to a 1-hour class period or contact hour per week. For example, 3 credits mean that there are 3 contact hours per week. In addition, for each course a 90-minute tutorial session is provided to assist student to overcome any weaknesses, discuss academic problems and to reinforce learning carried out in the class environment.

Assessment

Student performance throughout the semester is assessed mainly by class tests/ quizzes, assignments, class presentations, mid-term and final examinations. In the diploma program, the quality of an individual student project at each semester will contribute significantly to student assessment in addition to the above. At the master’s level, performance in the dissertation will be principal criterion for student assessment, together with performance in two core courses. Numerical grading followed by any faculty member is required to be converted to letter grades for submission as university records as per the grading system given below.

Grading System

Grades are recorded as follows:

The following grade notations are not part of the GPA computation:
P: Pass 
I: Incomplete
W: Withdrawn

An ‘I’ (Incomplete) grade is assigned when a student is unable to complete the course requirements because of unavoidable or unforeseen circumstances. If a student withdraws from a course after the official withdrawal date, then a ‘W’ (Withdrawn) grade is assigned. If a master’s dissertation is assessed as up to BRAC University standards, then a ‘S’ (Satisfactory) grade is assigned. If a dissertation is assessed as unsatisfactory, then the concerned student will be given the opportunity to repeat or revise it until satisfactory quality is achieved. In such cases, a student will need to register for another semester to complete the dissertation. A ‘U’ grade simply indicates a student’s attendance of a course without reflecting any assessment of performance.

GPA Computation

The Grade Point Average (GPA) is computed as follows:

              Sum of (Grade Points x Credits)
GPA = ---------------------------------------
                           Sum of Credits


Academic Standards

Students are required to achieve a minimum GPA of 2.0 in each semester. If a student is to proceed to Semester 02, but fails to attain at least 2.0 GPA at Semester 01, (s)he will be placed on probation in Semester 02. During this semester, if the student fails to reach a CGPA of 2.0, the university authorities will review the student’s record and may recommend repeating one or more courses, taking additional courses or even withdrawing from the program. If a student’s GPA is below 1.0 in Semester 01, (s)he may be requested to withdraw from the program and re-apply for admission after adequate preparation.

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