Zhongnan University of Economics and Law Measures for the Training and Degree Management of International Graduate Students

Article 1: To meet the needs of our university's international development in education, standardize the training and management of foreign students, and improve the quality of international graduate student training, according to the 'Regulations on the Management of Foreign Students in Higher Education Institutions' (Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Security Order No. 9) and 'Zhongnan University of Economics and Law Degree Awarding Procedures' (Zhongnan University Degree [2010] No. 15), and other related documents, in conjunction with our university's actual situation in training foreign students, the 'Measures for the Training and Degree Management of International Graduate Students at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law' (hereinafter referred to as 'these Measures') are hereby established.

Article 2: The international graduate students (hereinafter referred to as 'research students') mentioned in these Measures refer to foreign citizens holding foreign passports and registered at our university for graduate education.

Article 3: International research students are divided into Chinese-taught and English-taught students, master's and doctoral students based on their level of study, and self-funded, government scholarship, and university scholarship students based on funding type.

Article 4: Besides the provisions of these Measures, the training of international research students follows the principle of convergent management with Chinese graduate students, adhering to the university's rules and regulations in training, thesis, defense, and degree conferment.

Article 5: Enrollment

(i) The enrollment work of international research students at our university is managed by the School of International Education.

(ii) Only graduate training units that are ready may accept and train international research students.

The training and recruitment of international research students should be managed by the School of International Education, which will audit the faculty and course construction of each major. Only after approval by the Graduate School can these units recruit international research students in the relevant categories. New majors for recruiting international research students must submit their training plans for approval before early May each year.

(iii) International research students applying to study in relevant majors must meet the respective language requirements. Those in Chinese-taught programs must have an HSK level 4 score of 180 or above to directly enter their major studies, or else they must undergo one year of Chinese language study. Those in English-taught programs must meet national or university-specific English language requirements.

(iv) Applicants must submit their materials to the respective recruitment management institutions based on their category. The School of International Education will create an admission form, and the faculties of each major will evaluate the students' academic background, professional background, and language skills to decide on admission. This will be signed by the tutor group and faculty, and then submitted by the School of International Education for approval according to the student category, with final admission data accurately and standardizedly reported to the university's graduate education management system.

Article 6: Duration and Study Period of Academic Programs

(i) The standard duration for master's international students is 3 years, 2 years for English-taught programs, with a maximum study period of 4 years; for doctoral international students, the standard duration is 3 years, with a maximum of 6 years. The time for Chinese language supplementation is not included in the duration.

(ii) International research students who cannot complete their training plan within the standard duration may apply for an extension. Self-funded students can extend their study period upon personal application, agreement by the faculty, and approval by the Graduate School and School of International Education; government scholarship students can apply for an extension according to national regulations, and upon personal application and agreement by the faculty, submit it to the China Scholarship Council for approval. If the university does not agree or if the CSC does not approve, students can apply for a self-funded extension.

Article 7: Degree Courses and Degrees

(i) Courses for international research students are divided into compulsory and elective courses. Compulsory courses include general courses, professional foundation courses, and professional courses. General courses are Chinese and Overview of China, while professional foundation and professional courses are determined by each major's training plan. Elective courses are chosen by the international research students.

(ii) Each training unit and the Graduate School will verify the academic progress of international research students according to the training plan. Those who meet the training requirements may be awarded the corresponding degree by the university.

Article 8: Changing Majors and Transferring Schools

(i) International research students who need to change majors must apply within the first two weeks of the first academic year. After agreement by the faculties of both the outgoing and incoming majors, it must be reported to the School of International Education and then to the Graduate School and relevant faculties for record. Students changing their language of instruction must meet the respective language requirements.

(ii) International research students should generally complete their studies at this university. If there are special reasons or difficulties that make it impossible to continue studying at this university, they may apply to transfer to another school. The process for transferring schools is as follows: the student submits an application, the faculty agrees, then submits it to the School of International Education for approval. After approval, it is recorded by the Graduate School and the relevant faculties, and the transfer procedures are completed, including the issuance of relevant certificates.

(iii) Government scholarship students who wish to change majors or transfer schools must obtain the consent of their embassy and the CSC before proceeding with the relevant procedures.

Article 9: Course Study and Exams

(i) The main methods of course assessment are exams and evaluations, with compulsory courses generally using exams and elective courses using either exams or evaluations.

(ii) The course exam scores for master's international students consist of regular scores, final exam scores, and thesis scores, with regular scores accounting for 20%, final exam scores 50%, and thesis scores 30%, or as specifically required by the course instructor.

(iii) The course exam scores for doctoral international students consist of regular scores and final exam scores, with regular scores accounting for 40% and final exam scores 60%, or as specifically required by the course instructor.

(iv) After the university's midterm assessment of doctoral students in 2016, the course exam scores of doctoral international students will temporarily serve as the basis for the midterm assessment.

Article 10: Course Waiver

(i) Master's international students who have taken a certain course at another university in the past three years and achieved a score above 70, and if the course content matches the current master's professional training plan of our university, may apply for exemption from that course. The total credits of all exempted courses must not exceed 30% of the total credits required for the major.

(ii) The application for exemption must be made by the individual, agreed upon by the tutor, and reviewed by the college before being recorded with the Graduate School. Relevant materials, such as transcripts and exam papers from the other university, should be attached when processing the exemption procedures.

Article 11: Academic Activities and Scientific Research

(i) Master's international students should write at least one academic paper or participate in tutor research projects and write research or analysis reports before applying for their thesis defense.

(ii) Doctoral international students should publish at least one academic paper in domestic or international academic journals and write at least two additional papers, such as research reports or conference papers, before their thesis defense.

Article 12: Degree (Graduation) Thesis

(i) International research students must submit thesis topic reports and proposals, which, after approval by the tutor group, should be formally written and recorded by the faculty. The specific timing and requirements for these reports are subject to notification by the respective faculties.

(ii) The thesis should demonstrate the author's solid foundational theory and systematic specialized knowledge in the discipline, representing a systematic and complete summary of scientific research. The word count for a master's thesis should exceed 20,000, and for a doctoral thesis, 80,000 words.

(iii) For Chinese-taught students, all personal training plans, proposals, and theses should be written in Chinese; for English-taught students, these should be in English, with the title and summary translated into Chinese.

(iv) International research student theses must undergo academic integrity checks as per relevant regulations.

(v) 10% of master's theses will undergo double-blind review, with doctoral theses having 50-80% reviewed in 2016, and 100% from 2017 onwards. Theses undergoing review should be marked as International Research Student.

Article 13: This method is interpreted by the Graduate School and School of International Education and is implemented from the date of publication.