Dissertation option is subject to the final approval of the programme, depending on the student's academic results and the merits of his/her research proposal. The dissertation will be the standard type and the length of it will normally be set at about 15,000 words in English, or 20,000 characters in Chinese. Proposals of dissertation topics will be submitted to and approved by the Programme Management Committee which also sets up a schedule for the completion of the MA dissertation. During the writing of their dissertations, students will be required to meet with their supervisors for one contact hour per week.