UPM Thesis Guideline Post-Viva (Step by Step for UPM postgraduate) | Master Journey #21

Assalamualaikum

Good evening

Dear UPM postgraduate students, are you lost as me for thesis submission after viva?

UPM disclosed ambiguous procedures on the website. Consequently, I have trouble planning my stay in Selangor and preparing documents for submitting my thesis and graduation.

Foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to the (School of  Graduate studies) SGS staff for processing and assisting me in my thesis submission.

So, future UPM postgraduate students, this is a step-by-step post on how to complete UPM thesis submission (post viva) with guidelines and checklists. I might be blabbering a bit on my experience to complete the task.

This is the general overview which I will break down in detail later on.

📚 POST VIVA STEP 1 | ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇsɪs

Congratulation. You have passed the Viva. The chairman will email the viva report, feedbacks and remarks by examiners that needed to be addressed in the correction list sheet. So, the first thing you need to do is;

    1. Make thesis correction in B5 format using B5 paper.

    

Unless you are the outlier who need to re-sit the exam, this post is not yet for you.

------------💁💬-Eᴍᴀ ʀᴀᴍʙʟɪɴɢ--------------

Alhamdulillah, I passed with minor correction with no additional analysis required. However, we were still within the MCO period with a travel ban. So, I had to submit my corrected thesis via Email first. 

So, here comes the technical part in correcting the thesis because we have to do a serious reformatting from A4 to B5 for hardbound per UPM requirement.

The university has given guideline for the student to prepare a thesis in B5 format. Just follow accordingly  ⁽⚠ᵀʰᵉʳᵉ ᵃʳᵉ ᶠˡᵃʷˢ ᶦⁿ ᵗʰᵉˢᵉ ᵍᵘᶦᵈᵉˡᶦⁿᵉˢ, ᴵ ʷᶦˡˡ ᵖᵒᶦⁿᵗ ᵒᵘᵗ ˡᵃᵗᵉʳ⁾. 

There is one printing shop at Flat ikan that provide formatting service. If you have less time and more money, you may consider this option. But for me, it was not worth it.

📚 POST VIVA STEP 2| Sᴜʙᴍɪᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ sᴏꜰᴛ-ʙᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇsɪs

1. Submit a corrected thesis (examiner correction) with forms.

Prepare these documents accordingly;

☑ GS16a form

☑ 1 copy of softbound thesis (B5 format)

☑ List of corrections

☑ 1 copy of thesis abstract (in Malay & English)

☑ 2 copies of GS17  (graduation form)

☑ GS25 (information on publication form)

☑ Text similarity report (below 15%)

Make sure to pay RM200 for the graduation fee before filling in the GS17 form online.

Complete the GS-16a form before submitting the GS17 form to the UPM bursar (Student financial section at Ground floor bursar office).

Submit all the signed documents to the SGS UPM counter 4 before the correction period end.

--------------------💁💬-Eᴍᴀ ʀᴀᴍʙʟɪɴɢ--------------------------

Attaining supervisors signatures and stamps during Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) was hard. There were limited travelling on the campus ground. Students have to apply for a permission letter to enter.

I managed to pass through the loose security entrance. Thank you Pak Guard for understanding. Then, there was the appointment system by the SGS UPM office. Only 1 student was allowed per 30 minutes at each counter unit. The thesis unit was almost fully booked until Raya Haji. It delayed my submission process like a snail on a turtleback.

Thankfully, the appointment systems ended on 14th July.

📚 POST VIVA STEP 2.5 |ᴡᴀɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅ ꜰᴏʀ sᴇɴᴀᴛᴇ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴀʟ........

1. Wait for an email from the SGS UPM for the senate approval.

During this period, your softbound thesis will be checked and reviewed for formatting.

How long does it take for senate approval? The thesis needs to be approved by the senate during the senate meeting and this will take around 4-6 weeks. But! 

If you submit your Form PU/S/BR03/GS-16a and corrected thesis during the first week of the month (eg. Feb), it will be processed and send to Senate the following month (eg. March). However, if you miss the first week of the month, the thesis title will be checked and endorsed at the next meeting cycle (March) and it will only be ready for the subsequent Senate meeting (April). - SGS

For example, If I submit on the first week of April, I will get my senate letter/ checked thesis in May.

If I submit the two to the fourth week of April, I will get my senate letter/checked thesis in June. Kapeesh?

...In short, submit your thesis and all forms in the first week of the month. 

Once the Senate approves, the SGS staff will notify the student by email.

📚 POST VIVA STEP 3 | Tʜᴇsɪs ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ Sᴇɴᴀᴛᴇ Aᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴀʟ (B5 ꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛs)

1. Collect softbound thesis after Senate approval at SGS UPM thesis counter (counter 4).
2. Do formatting correction and submit (again) the corrected thesis in B5 format. 

Once the senate approval is obtained, we have to wait again. It will take another 1 week for the SGS officer to check the softbound thesis and prepare an approval sheet. 

Once the thesis has been checked, and the letter is prepared, the student may come to the SGS UPM office counter 4. SGS will return;

 (1) Thesis with B5 format correction and 

 (2) Approval sheet with SGS UPM deputy dean signature.

B5 size softbound  thesis with format correction

Signed approval sheet prepared by UPM

Then, prepare ANOTHER corrected thesis whereby the blank approval page needs to be replaced with the signed approval sheet for finalizing. 

However, the signed approval sheet is in A4 paper. So, scan, resize to B5 and replace it with the blank approval page.

The corrected thesis for formatting doesn't require binding (NO tape or comb). Just packed in an envelope, sent to the SGS UPM counter 4 and it will be checked on the spot by the available officer (free of charge). 

Once finalized, the student can print the hardbound thesis.

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I didn't wait for 1 week to collect my corrected thesis after senate approval. After the senate date has been updated in the Viva section in the student portal, I just went to the SGS and collect it.

The officer returned back my thesis, decorated with symbols and markings (which can be interpreted in this guideline). My thesis title changed after the senate meeting, and students are advised to follow the new given title.

SGS UPM is REALLY meticulous on the thesis formatting. They measure the margin, spacings, gaps, bold and unbold etc.

They can be meticulous, but also conflicting. After formatting correction, I submit the corrected thesis and left await for 15 minutes, prayed I didn't make any more mistakes. 

My thesis was returned with additional formatting amendments such as -start a new chapter on the right page, leaves a blank page here, the copyrighted sheet need to be in one page...and all the things that were not addressed in the UPM thesis guidelines nor on my first submission. 

Soo, pretty much the thesis guidelines was not updated. I resubmit my corrected thesis 3 times.

After the first correction, we are good to go for hardbound printing. However, overlooked mistakes in the hardbound thesis could lead to SGS rejection.

The printing shop nearby UPM offers a B5 formatting service, my 190 pages thesis (A4 format) cost RM150, I refused. 

📚 POST VIVA  STEP 4 | sᴜʙᴍɪᴛᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴀʀᴅʙᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇsɪs

1. Print copies of the hardbound thesis (2 copies are compulsory which are for library and faculty)

2. Obtain SV committees and  SGS dean's signatures on the hardbound thesis

3. Submit the hardbound thesis + CD + Form GS-16b to the SGS thesis counter

3. Afterwards, submit 1 copy of the hardbound thesis to the faculty

4. Obtain signatures for "Green form"

MayChin at flat ikan

Printing shop

The nearest stores recommended by SGS UPM to print UPM Postgraduate thesis are MayChin Sdn Bhd and Weng Sing enterprise. This is because they are accustomed to SGS UPM requirements for PG hardbound thesis.

Provide to the printing shop (1) the thesis in PDF file format and (2) 300 words of summary abstract in Word format.

This is the design for Master thesis. Green cover for PhD.

1 CD to SGS

1 copy to Library, 1 copy to faculty, copy for each SVs, copy for yourself

Submitting the hardbound thesis + CD + GS-16b form

After hardbound printing, obtain your supervisors' signatures and stamps on the required page in the thesis. 

Next, submit and leave form GS-16b with the hardbound thesis + CD to SGS UPM thesis counter 4 to obtain the SGS Dean signature. Students can recollect the hardbound thesis after 2 working days. 

Submit a return copy to the Faculty

Afterwards, the SGS officer will return the hardbound thesis and give a "green form". The green form is a confirmation form - to confirm that we have submitted our thesis to the library and SGS. The green form is needed for the academic transcript and certificate collection.

You will notice that you get a green form with the stamp "Diterima" or "Received" at part B. This is because one thesis copy had already been sent to the library kindly by SGS. 

However, one thesis copy has to be sent to the faculty by the students themselves. So, go to the faculty, submit the thesis and get the faculty signature with a stamp on the green form.

Keep this green form.

SGS baik hati tolong hantarkan satu copy thesis ke Library, tapi bukan ke Faculty.

---------- 💁💬-Eᴍᴀ ʀᴀᴍʙʟɪɴɢ---------------

I sent my thesis to MayChin for hardbound printing. The service is great. They pretty much understand UPM unique requirement for hardbound thesis. Besides, they are very systematic. The cost for my 130 pages thesis is RM45 + 1 CD (RM10). Finish in two working days. Alhamdulillah, I can claim using the grant money.

📚 POST VIVA STEP 5 | ᴄᴏʟʟᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ sᴇɴᴀᴛᴇ ʟᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴄᴀᴅᴇᴍɪᴄ ᴛʀᴀɴsᴄʀɪᴘᴛ

1. Submit the "Green Form" to SGS UPM academic counter

2. Collect your senate letter and academy transcript at SGS UPM counter 3 (Academic counter)

Submit the complete "Green form" to the SGS to collect the senate letter and academy transcript.

📚 POST VIVA | ᴡᴀɪᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴄᴏɴᴠᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ

Alhamdullilah. Give yourself a pat. This is the last stop for your Master Journey.

My convocation ceremony is postponed, so that's a piece of good news.

Feel free to comment and email for inquiries 

(askema1994@gmail.com) 

or 

just directly contact

Email: sgs_thesis@upm.edu.my

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with SGS. I was an alumnus who graduated in July 2020. This is based on my experience to the best I could remember. I apologize if some information is outdated or missing.