The Grades Of My MA Thesis
13 August 2017
(I followed up on this topic in my post The Grades Of My MA Thesis (Supplementary Notes)
I have been asked a good number of questions regarding my 12-year battle with NUS over my MA degree. Some common questions revolve around my MA Thesis, particularly the grades. What were my grades? Did NUS pass or fail my thesis? Were my grades good enough to pass? Who were the examiners? Why did I take three years to complete my MA programme (three years and one month to be more precise)? Etc., etc.
So I would tell you about my MA thesis grades and explain why I decided to take extra time to write my MA thesis.
Why did I take three years and one month to complete mt MA programme?
Many MA candidates (in the NUS Department of Architecture at the time I was working on my MA from 2002 to 2005) completed their MA theses in (about) two years, when the two-year MA scholarships came to an end. Understandably, it is difficult for students to stay beyond the period of the scholarship out of concern for costs.
Despite the extra expenses, I decided to take more time to produce a more rigorously researched thesis because while my archival research was underway, I became very focussed and immersed in the project and decided that since I was already working on the thesis, I should very well make the best of my research and give the topic and my MA Thesis my very best effort.
My developing MA Thesis must have been sufficiently successful to attract my supervisor, Dr Wong Yunn Chii, to approach me to use my MA Thesis to generate a research project. Dr Wong was to become the Principal Investigator of that project for which he received a grant from the MOE (Ministry of Education).
Here is one of several emails from Dr Wong on the use of my Thesis for his project. (My emphasis in highlights.)
Even the Defendant's 1st witness, Prof Lily Kong admitted on the witness stand during cross-examination on 4 August 2017 that I had worked (very?) hard on my MA thesis.
(Prof Kong was NUS Vice-Provost of Education at the time I made a complaint against Dr Wong in 2005. She was involved in the handling of my complaint against Dr Wong, in processing the examination of my MA thesis, and in the termination of my MA candidature in 2006 etc.)
What were the grades of my MA thesis?
Please refer to my blog post dated 23 July 2017 You Asked If My MA Thesis Was Good Enough To Warrant The MA Degree.
The post addressed the question about how well-written was my MA thesis, and whether if I had actually “failed” my MA thesis.
In that blog post, I exhibited the two examiner's reports (Section B of the reports only). NUS gave me those two examiner's reports in Nov 2005.
The Defendant (NUS) disclosed the documents that showed my MA Thesis grades from the two NUS examiners only in 2013, in discovery in this lawsuit. Both examiners had in fact awarded me the "A" grade. Below are the respective "Section A (Examiner's Overall Recommendation)" that the two NUS examiners submitted to NUS in 2005 after they had completed the evaluation of my MA Thesis.
Below is the examination outcome that NUS conveyed to me on 25 November 2005. (My emphasis in highlights.)
Happy Sunday,
Jeanne
(I followed up on this topic in my post The Grades Of My MA Thesis (Supplementary Notes)
I have been asked a good number of questions regarding my 12-year battle with NUS over my MA degree. Some common questions revolve around my MA Thesis, particularly the grades. What were my grades? Did NUS pass or fail my thesis? Were my grades good enough to pass? Who were the examiners? Why did I take three years to complete my MA programme (three years and one month to be more precise)? Etc., etc.
So I would tell you about my MA thesis grades and explain why I decided to take extra time to write my MA thesis.
Why did I take three years and one month to complete mt MA programme?
Many MA candidates (in the NUS Department of Architecture at the time I was working on my MA from 2002 to 2005) completed their MA theses in (about) two years, when the two-year MA scholarships came to an end. Understandably, it is difficult for students to stay beyond the period of the scholarship out of concern for costs.
Despite the extra expenses, I decided to take more time to produce a more rigorously researched thesis because while my archival research was underway, I became very focussed and immersed in the project and decided that since I was already working on the thesis, I should very well make the best of my research and give the topic and my MA Thesis my very best effort.
My developing MA Thesis must have been sufficiently successful to attract my supervisor, Dr Wong Yunn Chii, to approach me to use my MA Thesis to generate a research project. Dr Wong was to become the Principal Investigator of that project for which he received a grant from the MOE (Ministry of Education).
Here is one of several emails from Dr Wong on the use of my Thesis for his project. (My emphasis in highlights.)
Even the Defendant's 1st witness, Prof Lily Kong admitted on the witness stand during cross-examination on 4 August 2017 that I had worked (very?) hard on my MA thesis.
(Prof Kong was NUS Vice-Provost of Education at the time I made a complaint against Dr Wong in 2005. She was involved in the handling of my complaint against Dr Wong, in processing the examination of my MA thesis, and in the termination of my MA candidature in 2006 etc.)
What were the grades of my MA thesis?
Please refer to my blog post dated 23 July 2017 You Asked If My MA Thesis Was Good Enough To Warrant The MA Degree.
The post addressed the question about how well-written was my MA thesis, and whether if I had actually “failed” my MA thesis.
In that blog post, I exhibited the two examiner's reports (Section B of the reports only). NUS gave me those two examiner's reports in Nov 2005.
The Defendant (NUS) disclosed the documents that showed my MA Thesis grades from the two NUS examiners only in 2013, in discovery in this lawsuit. Both examiners had in fact awarded me the "A" grade. Below are the respective "Section A (Examiner's Overall Recommendation)" that the two NUS examiners submitted to NUS in 2005 after they had completed the evaluation of my MA Thesis.
Below is the examination outcome that NUS conveyed to me on 25 November 2005. (My emphasis in highlights.)
Happy Sunday,
Jeanne
