Introduction

The following rules and regulations, agreed to by the Academic Board, have been developed to provide students with common standards, ensuring both equal opportunities and equal penalties. This section outlines the University’s policies on academic loads, absence and leave, assessment, examinations, thesis, student records, student conduct and graduation.

Academic Load

Students are expected to undertake the full academic load each year in order to be awarded their degree or diploma. All undergraduate degrees at this university are of 4 years or 8 semesters in duration (full-time). Each semester has 15-16 weeks of instruction, depending on examination dates.

Student contact hours are generally around 24 hours per week, although this varies across departments and semesters. The duration of each subject is usually one semester only; however, some subjects extend over two semesters. Duration of Masters degrees varies, as do the associated contact hours. Please contact individual course coordinators for further details.

Students who fail subjects from the previous academic year in undergraduate degrees normally undertake the failed subjects in addition to a full academic load the following year. In some cases, however, students may be withheld from degree advancement until they pass all failed subjects.

Attendance

Regular and prompt attendance at lectures and laboratory classes is an essential part of every course, along with satisfactory completion of assignments and examinations.

At the Institute of Foreign Languages, Bachelor of Education in English (TEFL) students must attend at least 80% of classes while Bachelor of Arts in English (English for Work Skills) students must attend 70% of classes to pass.

In all other courses, students must attend at least two-thirds of lectures each semester in order to complete the course satisfactorily. If students are absent for 1/3 or more of classes without authorization from the Director of Study Office (Room #117, Campus I), they will be ineligible to sit for the examination.

Absence and Leave

Students who are unable to attend classes for reasons of illness, accident or pregnancy, must seek formal approval by the Studies Office (Room 117, Campus I) for 1-3 days absence; or approval by the Vice-President, Academic and Finance (Room 116, Campus I) for more than 3 days absence. Failure to do this will mean that leave cannot be granted, the student will be marked absent, and will lose his or her right to attend the course examination. Two relevant forms are available from both the Studies Office and the Institute of Foreign Languages office. They are:

  • Request for Leave (to be completed before the leave period);
  • Notification of Absence (to be completed within three days of absence).

In the event that students are unable to fill out a form because of an illness or other problem, they must send a letter to the University. Students should note that records are kept of students’ leave applications, and completion of the form does not mean that leave will automatically be granted.

Time Limits for Completing Courses

Undergraduate courses must be completed within a maximum of five years. If there is a deferral for an approved reason one extra year may be added to complete the degree.

Assessment

Departments assess students by a variety of methods depending on the course. These include:

  • Essay Writing/Assignments;
  • Oral Presentations;
  • Written Examinations/Short tests;
  • Laboratory Tests/ Field Work Reports;
  • Thesis/Research Papers.

Thesis

In their final year, some students write a thesis or research paper instead of taking a final examination. At the end of the third year, students submit a proposal for a B.A. thesis paper to the University Academic Board for approval. If this is accepted, they will continue to research in the first semester and write their paper in the second semester of year four. They will then present their paper to a commission where they will be given a final score. The commission is appointed by the Department Heads and the President. Students who do not write a Bachelor’s thesis paper undertake coursework and sit a final examination.

GRADING SYSTEM

For Science and Social Sciences and Humanities
In all Science and Social Sciences and Humanities degrees, students are given a grade out of 10 for each subject. If they receive a grade less than 5, the student will fail and will have to repeat the examination either at summer school or the next time it is offered. The grading system is outlined below:

Grade

Explanation

 8.5 – 10

 Excellent

 A

 8 – 8.4

 Very Good

 B+

 7 – 7.9

 Good

 B

 6.5 – 6.9

 Fairly Good

 C+

 5.0 – 6.4

 Fair

 C

 4.5 – 4.9

 Poor

 D

 4.0 – 4.4

 Very Poor (Fail)

 E

 < 4.0

 Fail

 F

Institute of Foreign Languages

At the Institute of Foreign Languages, English and French major students are given a grade out of 100. If students receive a grade less than 50, they will fail.

Postgraduate Courses

Each postgraduate degree course sets its own marking guidelines. Students are advised to thoroughly acquaint themselves with the grading system of their enrolled course before undertaking any assessment tasks. Information on course grading systems is available from course coordinators.

Credit Points System

Each degree has a minimum number of credit points that students are required to complete before they can obtain their degrees. Each course curriculum has a credit code beside each subject, indicating the study load and number of credits. In the code a(b-c), for example, ‘a’= the number of credits, ‘b’ = the number of lecture hours, and ‘c’ = the number of tutorial or practical hours.

EXAMINATIONS

End of Semester Examinations


Students who are in compliance with the University regulations (discipline, attendance rules, return of library books, etc.) are eligible to take the final examinations. Examinations are given at the end of each semester for all courses.

The method and content of the examination is decided upon by the lecturer and announced to the students at least one month before the exam. Students are given a study week before the semester examinations.

Results of the examinations are posted within one month of the examinations.

For year-long courses the average of the examination scores of the two semesters will be calculated as the final score of the course. In cases of dispute the Academic Board may be convoked.

Pass/Fail Policy
Each subject is assessed separately. Students must attend classes regularly and pass all subjects in order to complete their course. Students are notified at the end of each semester as to whether they have satisfied the requirements.

If students fail in one, two, or three subjects in one year, they will have to repeat those subjects but may still proceed to the next year. If they fail in four or more subjects in one year, they will have to repeat the year.

For undergraduate degrees (except IFL), students may sit an examination for the same subject twice in each year. In the final year of study clemency may be granted if the student fails only one subject and if the score is not less than 4.5

 

Repeat Examinations

Undergraduate Degrees
In undergraduate degrees, if a student fails a subject in either semester, the University allows students to repeat that examination the next time it is offered (at Summer School or the following semester). Students are not required to take the class again, but if it fits into their timetable they may retake the class without paying a fee. Students take the same examination as those in the current instructional semester.

An examination may be taken a maximum of four (4) times. If the student fails the examination of one or more subjects on their fourth time, their placement in the course will be cancelled. Students are able to progress to the next year with a maximum of three (3) failed subjects. If a student fails four (4) or more courses in any academic year the student will be asked to repeat the whole year again and redo the exams of all the courses of the instructional year. Students may only repeat one year in the 4-year program. If the student fails 4 or more than once, they will not be allowed to continue their course.

Postgraduate Degrees
Postgraduate courses set individual policies for student failure and re-examination. Please contact individual course coordinators for further information.

Non-Attendance at Examinations
For approved reasons, students will not fail for being absent from an examination. For non-approved reasons, absence counts as one failure. The student needs to inform the Head of Department in writing of the reason for absence from the examination. Approval of the application is at the discretion of the University management team. The student will be notified of the decision.

Academic Transcripts
Academic transcripts record the final results of all courses. Transcripts are available on request from the Studies Office, Room 117, Campus I. Students must fill out a transcript application form, supply proof of identity, and pay a processing fee of 3000 riel for a Khmer language transcript and 7000 riel for an English language transcript. They may collect their transcript three days later.

Rules of Conduct
Students are expected to abide by the following rules set by the University and individual departments:

  • Show respect for others and the environment.
  • Preserve the best cultural and moral values.
  • Show intellectual honesty in course work and examinations.
  • Refrain from disrupting classes and being a hindrance to the progress of other students.
  • Refrain from smoking and using mobile phones in classrooms, laboratories, offices and libraries.
  • Refrain from gambling and carrying weapons on RUPP campuses.
  • Refrain from stealing University property.

Disciplinary Action
The Academic Board will deal with any student misconduct or any student with prolonged absence from class. The Academic Board consists of representatives from the University management team, heads of departments, heads of offices, and the student body.

Dismissal
Students can be dismissed for failure to meet the minimum academic requirements of their course, failure to meet attendance requirements, or for unacceptable conduct.

Graduation
The University Academic Board prepares graduation lists at the end of each semester. The University’s graduation ceremonies are held once a year.


Planning for the Future

Over the period 2008-2012, the Royal University of Phnom Penh will endeavor to:

  • Sustain and nurture its strengths in teaching, research and community service;
  • Enhance the quality of its existing products and services;
  • Create new programs and centers of excellence and innovation, especially in science and technology;
  • Promote good governance within the university and in the wider society;
  • Promote sustainability in the wider society; and
  • Upgrade existing faculty staff to a standard Masters Degree level in their respective fields.

The Royal University of Phnom Penh continues to expand. The following programs are planned for the near future at RUPP:

1) Chinese Language Short Course
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Royal University of Phnom Penh and three Chinese universities – Dali University, Honghe University and Yuxi Normal University.

The MOU outlines a policy of mutual benefit to all parties, including student, staff and faculty exchanges, joint research activities, conferences, seminars and workshops, and the development of a Chinese language course at RUPP. This course will take the form of a short course in Chinese language, and will be offered by the Institute of Foreign Languages with the assistance of Chinese teaching staff. 

2) Indonesian Language Course
The Royal University of Phnom Penh is dedicated to building expertise in South East Asian languages. To this end, it is developing a language course in Indonesian, which will be taught through the Institute of Foreign Languages.

3) Master of Arts in French Language Education
Continuing its dedication to building human resources across the region, the Royal University of Phnom Penh plans to develop a Masters-level degree to assist French-language teachers across South East Asia. Supported by the Agence Universitaire de Francophonie, Valofrase, and Aid Action, this degree is expected to accept its first intake in October 2008.