Program Regulations

MBA Program Regulations
Institute of Business and Management
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

 

Approved by the Institute Administrative Council on April 9, 2024

 

  1. These regulations are enacted by the Institute of Business and Management (the Institute) of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), in accordance with the NYCU Regulations for Conferral of Graduate Degrees, and for the purpose of facilitating the study of master’s students (including full-time and on-job students) in this program of the Institute.
  2. The period of study for full-time master’s students in the Institute shall be one and a half to four years. The period of study for on-job master’s students in the Institute shall be one and a half to five years.
  3. Any graduate student whose study period has reached or exceeded one semester may apply for transfer to another department/institute, subject to approval by his/her original department/institute. Each student will be allowed only one transfer to another department/institute within the same academic program, and must fulfill the requirements of the department/institute to which he/she transfers for graduation.

(1) The transfer application of any graduate student to the Institute shall be approved by the original department/institute, before it is reviewed and approved by the Institute Administrative Council. The application will then be sent to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for approval.

(2) The transfer application of any graduate student from the Institute to another department/institute shall be reviewed and approved by the Institute Administrative Council, and then sent to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for approval.

Any application filed and approved before the start of a semester shall become effective in that semester. Any application filed and approved during a semester shall become effective in the following semester. The years of study from the original department/institute shall be included in the maximum period of study in the department/institute to which he/she transfers. Within one week after approval by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the student may file a written application to the Division of Registrar to decline transfer.

Matters not mentioned herein will be referred to the NYCU Regulations for Transfer of Students between Departments/Institutes.

  1. The course requirements of the MBA program include prerequisite courses, professional courses and seminar courses. A minimum of 50 credits is required for graduation (including transferred credits, but excluding the credits of prerequisite courses). No more than 6 course credits are allowed from institutions outside of NYCU, with up to an additional 6 credits allowed, if they are from member schools of the University System of Taiwan or approved dual degree programs. Please refer to the Curriculum Regulations for detailed course requirements.
  2. No more than 12 credits combined from approved transferred courses and overseas courses will be counted as degree credits:

(1) After enrollment, the master’s student may apply for credit transfer to the Institute, according to the rules as follows:

1) The course titles and credits intended for transfer must be largely the same with courses previously offered by the Institute. The students shall provide relevant certificates during the application.

2) If the student wishes to transfer credits from a graduate course taken during his/her undergraduate study, the student must have completed the course with a graduate-level passing grade and its credits must have not been used for the graduation requirements of his/her undergraduate program.

3) The student must be enrolled in courses in NYCU for at least one year (not including the duration of a leave of absence) after the course transfer is accepted and must meet relevant requirements before graduation.

(2) Students should register course results after the completion of an overseas exchange program, so that the Institute can review the appropriateness of accepting the credits for graduation.

  1. Within one year of enrollment, the master’s student shall provide written application for the thesis advisor(s) selection. If the student fails to complete advisor selection by a time designated by the Institute, the Institute Administrative Council will review the matter and arrange an advisor for the student. The thesis advisor(s) must include at least one full-time faculty member in the Institute, unless approved by the Director of the Institute. If the student wishes to request an advisor change for any reason, he/she may do so under the following rules:

(1) If the student intends to terminate the thesis advisory relationship or change the thesis advisor(s) during his/her study period, he/she shall specify a reason in written form and submit a newly signed application form for advisor to the Institute. The termination/change of advisory relationship becomes effective upon a formal notice to the original advisor(s) sent by the Institute. The consent of the original advisor is not required.

 (2) If the thesis advisor(s) intends to terminate the advisory relationship, he/she shall file an application in the form of a written document to the Institute. The Institute will notify the student of the result of the review. After termination of the advisory relationship, the Institute may assist the student in finding another thesis advisor(s).

(3) When the student applies for the termination of the advisory relationship with or the replacement of a thesis advisor(s) in accordance with the Guidelines, the graduate student may not use original ideas or concepts provided by the former thesis advisor(s) without the consent of the former thesis advisor(s). Furthermore, research results obtained under the guidance of the former thesis advisor(s) may not be used for the student’s thesis without the consent of the former thesis advisor(s).

(4) If a degree thesis submitted by a graduate student is inconsistent with the professional scope of the Institute, or involves violation of academic ethics, the responsibility of his/her thesis advisor(s) will be reviewed by the Institute’s Faculty Evaluation Committee.

(5) Matters not mentioned herein will be referred to the NYCU Guidelines for Interaction Between Thesis Advisors and Graduate Students.

  1. The number of master’s students each full-time faculty member can advise shall be no greater than the number of enrolled students divided by the number of full-time faculty in the Institute. Each part-time faculty member can advise at most three students (not applicable to those who have been awarded the NYCU Educational Prize).
  2. All master’s students are required to submit their Thesis Proposals by a time designated by the Institute for advisor(s) review. Students who fail to pass the review will not be allowed to attend the Thesis Progress Report Inspection. The review is held once a semester.
  3. After passing the review of thesis proposal, master’s students are required to submit their thesis progress reports by a time designated by the Institute, for their advisor(s) to inspect. Students who fail to pass such inspection cannot apply for the Thesis Draft Review. The Thesis Progress Report Inspection is held once a semester.
  4. The Thesis Draft Review is held once a semester. Master’s students are required to apply for the Thesis Draft Review in a time designated by the Institute, and submit four copies of their thesis drafts (five copies if the student is co-advised by two advisors). The Thesis Draft Review Committee shall be composed of the student’s advisor(s), the Director of the Institute, and at least two other scholars or experts in fields related to the topic of the thesis recommended by the advisor or the Institute. Apart from the Director, the Thesis Draft Review Committee members are automatically included in the Degree Examination Committee. If any Committee member rejects the thesis draft with specific reasons, the results of the Thesis Draft Review will be regarded as rejected.

Before attending the Thesis Draft Review, each master’s student must:

(1) Earn at least 32 credits, including transferred credits, but excluding credits from prerequisite courses.

(2) Complete an originality check on the thesis, and submit the report for the Thesis Draft Review Committee members’ reference.

  1. Any master’s student who has fulfilled the following requirements and submitted a thesis may apply for the Degree Examination.

(1) The student’s study period in the master’s program has exceeded one semester.

(2) The student has completed the required courses, earned at least 50 credits (including transferred credits, but excluding prerequisites), and passed the Thesis Draft Review.

(3) However, a student who has submitted his/her thesis and who is recommended by their advisor(s) may apply for an early Degree Examination, even if he/she will not complete the required courses, credit hours, and other evaluations until the end of the semester. The master’s degree will be conferred after the courses are completed and the required credits are earned by the student. If any required course is not completed during that semester, the Degree Examination will not be recognized.

  1. The Degree Examination includes the thesis final defense and thesis revision
  2. The Examination Committee of each master’s candidate must consist of three to five members specializing in the area of research or study of the applicant, recommended by the advisor(s), and approved by the President’s Office. The Examination Committee must include at least one of the Institute’s full-time faculty if the student’s advisor is not one of the Institute’s full-time faculty. These members must fulfill at least one of the following requirements:

(1) The member is or was a professor, associate professor or assistant professor.

(2) The member is a research fellow, or is or was a researcher, associate researcher, or assistant researcher of Academia Sinica.

(3) The member holds a PhD degree and has outstanding academic achievements.

(4) The member’s area of study concerns a rare or special subject or a professional practice, and the member has outstanding academic or professional achievements.

The criteria for determination of the requirements in subparagraphs 3 and 4 of the preceding paragraph shall be reviewed and passed by the Institute Administrative Council.

The current or former spouse of a master’s student or any of his/her relatives by blood or marriage up to, and including, the third degree may not serve as a member of the Examination Committee.

  1. The thesis final defense shall be conducted orally in accordance with the following requirements. If necessary, it can be held via video conferencing.

(1) The student shall apply for a Degree Examination at least 14 days prior to the date of examination, and approval must be given for the examination to be conducted.

(2) Prior to a thesis final defense, a thesis originality check report shall be completed and submitted to the members of the Examination Committee for reference. After completion of the thesis final defense, the thesis advisor(s) shall sign the Degree Examination Grade Sheet for confirmation.

(3) An thesis final defense shall in principle be conducted publicly. The time and place of the final defense and the title of the thesis shall be publicly announced prior to the final defense.

(4) Members of the Degree Examination Committee shall attend the thesis final defense physically or via video conferencing. Attendance by proxy is not permitted. A master’s thesis final defense requires the attendance of at least three members of the Examination Committee. Any final defense not meeting the requirements of this subparagraph may not be conducted, and the grade of any such final defense will not be recognized.

(5) The Director of the Institute shall appoint one of the members of the Examination Committee as its convener, who may not be the thesis advisor.

(6) The passing grade shall be B- (70/100), with A+ (100/100) as the maximum grade. The grade shall be determined by the average of the grades given by the attending members of the Examination Committee. If at least half of the attending members have given failing grades, the Degree Examination grade shall be deemed as failing without averaging the given grades.

(7) The Examination Committee shall check whether the title and contents of the thesis are consistent with the area of study in which the academic unit of the student is specialized. The convener of the committee shall sign the Degree Examination Grade Sheet for confirmation.

(8) If the Examination Committee reviewing a thesis has found and confirmed any fraud, alteration, plagiarism, ghostwriting or other fraudulent practice regarding the thesis, the Degree Examination grade will be recorded as zero, and the Examination will not be reconducted.

(9) Any student who fails the Degree Examination may apply for a re-examination after revising his/her thesis. However, the re-examination can only be applied for once.

(10) Thesis by publication shall meet National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Rules for Thesis by Publication.

  1. For any student whose thesis has passed the final defense, the Examination Committee will provide directions and instructions for revision of the student’s thesis.

The student shall submit the revised thesis for review. The thesis will pass review if approved by at least two-thirds of the members of the Examination Committee.

No separate grade will be given for the thesis revision. Where the revised thesis has passed review, the attending members of the Degree Examination Committee shall sign a Thesis Approval Form. For any student whose thesis has been approved, the thesis final defense grade will be his/her Degree Examination grade.

Students should complete a report of originality comparison of their revised thesis and it should also be confirmed by their advisor(s).

  1. If a full-time or on-job master’s student completes the above-mentioned requirements in less than one and a half years (three semesters), the student should submit evidence of his/her outstanding deeds performed during his/her time enrolled to the Institute Administrative Council. After review and approval of such deeds by the Institute Administrative Council, and following approval for reference in the Office of Academic Affairs, the student may graduate from the master’s program.
  2. Any student who has passed the Degree Examination shall submit the Degree Examination Grade Sheet to the Division of the Registrar during the semester in which the examination is conducted. The deadline for its submission shall be January 31 in the first (fall) semester or July 31 in the second (spring) semester.

Master’s students who have passed the Degree Examination should submit their Degree Examination Grade Sheet, hard copies of their thesis, a report of originality comparison of their thesis, and a Statement of Academic Ethics and Originality Comparison. Additionally, students must upload their thesis abstract and full-text electronic file online and complete the school-leaving procedures before the Division of Registrar issues a degree certificate to them.

The deadline for submission of a printed thesis shall be the final working day before the start of classes of the following semester, after the Degree Examination was conducted. Any student who has failed to submit a printed thesis by the deadline, and whose study period has not expired, shall still register in the next semester.

Any student whose study period has expired, and who has failed to submit the Degree Examination Grade Sheet within the semester when his/her study period expires or submit a printed thesis by the final working day before the start of classes of the following semester, shall withdraw from NYCU.

  1. Students who pass the Master’s Degree Examination and submit their thesis will be conferred a Master of Business Administration degree in compliance with university regulations. Any master’s student who has failed to pass the Degree Examination or complete the required courses within the specified period of study, shall withdraw from NYCU.
  2. A master’s thesis (including its abstract) shall in principle be written in Chinese or English and shall meet the requirements for the format of a degree thesis of NYCU. Any graduate student who has passed the Degree Examination shall upload an electronic file of the abstract and full text of his/her thesis online (in accordance with the NCYU Guide for Submitting Electronic Theses & Dissertations (ETD)), and submit two copies of his/her thesis (one shall be displayed in the NYCU Library and one shall be provided to the National Central Library for collection).

The preservation or provision of a degree thesis shall be in accordance with Article 16 of the Degree Conferral Act. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any degree thesis involving confidential or patent information or the provision of which is prohibited by law shall be subject to the NYCU Regulations for Embargo of Degree Thesis/Dissertation.

  1. If any of the following circumstances applies to any student who has been granted a master’s degree, his/her degree shall be revoked, and the degree certificate awarded shall be canceled by announcement:

(1) His/Her admission eligibility or course of study involves misrepresentation or fraud.

(2) His/Her thesis involves fraud, alteration, plagiarism, ghostwriting or other fraudulent practice.

After the degree has been revoked in accordance with the preceding paragraph, a notice shall be given to require the student to return his/her degree certificate, and other junior colleges, universities and competent authorities shall be informed of such revocation and cancellation.

  1. Matters not mentioned herein will be referred to the NYCU Regulations for Conferral of Graduate Degrees.
  2. Any amendment of these regulations will be effective to all the enrolled students at the start of the next academic year.
  3. These regulations, and any amendment thereof, shall be implemented after approval by the Institute Administrative Council, the College of Management Curriculum Committee, and the University Curriculum Committee.

These Regulations are adopted in Chinese, which shall prevail in case of any discrepancy between the English translation and the Chinese original.

 

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