MESSAGE FROM COORDINATOR (RESEARCH)(SEM. MARCH-JULY 2014)

Assalamualaikum and Good Day,

Welcome to all new and returning Postgraduate research students to the new Academic Semester (March-July 2014) and for all new students, thank you for making Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA as your choice to further your study. The Postgraduate Department would like to highlight a few things that require your attention:

 

1) Academic Calendar

 

This Academic Semester has another packed programme of workshops and events that we have arranged for you. For your own benefit, we seek your cooperation to attend the relevant workshops as being lined-up for you. Attendance at the workshops directly related to your research area is COMPULSORY. The Postgraduate Department also runs a number of events (e.g. Defence Research Proposal and Progress Report Presentation) during the semester which provides an avenue to broaden the students' knowledge, opportunity to meet with other students and to establish peer groups. For first semester student, I would encourage you to attend all these important events as there are times when it can feel lonely as a research student and these events provide an opportunity for you to be part of the wider community of PhD students at Faculty of Accountancy. The Academic Calendar (March-July 2014) is attached for your easy reference.

2) Request for Extension of Study ("Rayuan Melanjutkan Tempoh Pengajian") and Special Leave ("Cuti Khas")

 

For those PhD and Master by Research (MBR) students who wish to request for Extension of Study and Special Leave, kindly take note that the DEADLINE to apply for Request for Extension of Study and Special Leave is Wednesday, 30 April 2014 (refer Academic Calendar). I would also like to draw your attention to the following guideline on when to apply for the Request for Extension of Study (if necessary):

Program	Mode	Which Semester to Apply?
PhD	Full Time	Semester 10 (maximum semester)
	Part Time	Semester 12 (maximum semester)
MBR	Full Time	Semester 6 (maximum semester)
	Part Time	Semester 8 (maximum semester)

Please be noted that students might encounter some technical difficulties and your request for extension may not be guaranteed if you do not apply in the correct semester. It is also important to note that you are only allowed to apply for Request for Extension of Study ONCE throughout the duration of your study.  

3) Facebook/Blog

 

It is the responsibility of all students to keep yourselves updated and informed about your academic programme and other postgraduate issues. One of the best ways to stay up to date with all the postgraduate news and events is by following the Facebook/Blog sites which are as follows:

     FACEBOOK: Accounting PostGrad Association-UiTM

     BLOG: factpgd.blogspot.com

4) Compulsory Attendance for FIRST SEMESTER students: Research Methodology Classes 

As to provide you with sufficient knowledge to do research, the faculty has made it COMPULSORY for all first semester students to join the Research Methodology classes scheduled for Master by Coursework part-time students. For this semester, all research students need to attend the classes conducted by Prof Madya Dr Ruhaya Atan on every Sunday (8.30 a.m.) at Room 1122, Menara SAAS. The next class will be on Sunday, 23 March 2014.

5) Students Undergoing Thesis Correction

For this category of students, I would like to remind you again to submit your correction to the internal examiners at least 2 months before the thesis correction deadline. Failing which, the examiner will not have sufficient time to review your list of corrections. Please be noted that any late submission might risk the student to be terminated from the research program.

6) General Advise:

a) You need to work closely with your main and co-supervisors. For those in semester 1 and 2, you must be in contact with the supervisors at least once a week. For those in writing stage, you must submit your draft chapters and discuss with your supervisors at least once a month. Don't disappear and make sure your supervisors know if you are out of town for any length of time. If you are feeling depressed or are delayed with your work, tell your supervisors. Remember, your supervisors probably won't chase after you, but it is your job to maintain contact and communication.

b) Pursuing PhD is all about self-motivation, thus it is important that you treat PhD like a day job. You must set a strict working hours and study activities and if you do not complete them in the time allocated, then do as you would do as a good employee-work overtime. As much as possible, only take time off when you have achieved a major goal or reached an important milestone. 

c) Those who encounter or come to the stage of hard times (everyone will surely have them), always remember two things. First is the passion and enthusiasm for research that got where you are. Second is to remember how competitive it was getting on a PhD program in the first place. With that said, I hope you can focus on moving forward.

Last but not least, please feel free to contact me or drop by my office anytime if you have any questions. I hope you have a great semester ahead and look forward to seeing you at some of our events. Best wishes from me and the Postgraduate Team.

Best Regards and Good Luck,

Dr Suhaily Hasnan

Coordinator (Research)

Postgraduate Department

Faculty of Accountancy 

(Office No: 03-55438483)