Regulations

The Regulations on the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Program of the Department of Business Management, National Sun Yat-sen University are shown as follows.

 

Amended and approved in the 4th Departmental Meeting of the 2016 academic year on December 8, 2016.

Approved in the 4th College Meeting of the 2016 academic year on May 9, 2017.

Officially approved by the University Principal on November 17, 2017.

Amended and approved in the 6th Departmental Meeting of the 2017 academic year on April 12, 2018.

Amended and approved in the 7th Departmental Meeting of the 2017 academic year on May 17, 2018.

Amended and approved in the 7th Departmental Meeting of the 2018 academic year on April 11, 2019.

Amended and approved in the 7th Departmental Meeting of the 2018 academic year on April 11, 2019.

Amended and approved in the 7th Departmental Meeting of the 2018 academic year on April 11, 2019.

Amended and approved in the 4th Departmental Meeting of the 2019 academic year on December 12, 2019.

Amended and approved in the 1st Departmental Meeting of the 2020 academic year on September 17, 2020.

Amended and approved in the 1st Departmental Meeting of the 2021 academic year on October 14, 2021.

Amended and approved in the 1st Departmental Meeting of the 2022 academic year on October 20, 2022.

 

1. Eligibility

These regulations are based on “Ministry of Education (MOE) Regulations Regarding International Students Undertaking Studies in Taiwan”. If the MOE Regulations are updated, these regulations announced by the MOE will take precedence.

 

Graduates from public or private universities, or research institutions recognized by the Ministry of Education, who have obtained a master's or doctoral degree, or possess equivalent qualifications for admission to a doctoral program at a university, and have a minimum of 8 years of work experience, including at least 5 years in a senior executive position in the industry. Those who have successfully passed the entrance examination for the doctoral program at our university's graduate school are eligible to pursue studies in the doctoral program with a focus on management.

 

2. Admission Requirements

All the following documents should be submitted to the online application system:

 

(1) Materials required by the university*

(2) Copies (Certified) of master diploma and (cumulative) transcript

(3) Two (2) recommendation letters

(4) Study plan and autobiography in English

(5) English certificate: iBT-TOEFL of 83/ IELTS of 6.5/ TOEIC of 800

 

*Please see National Sun Yat-sen University Admission Application for International Degree Students for every semester.

 

3. Application materials will be reviewed by the DBA Program Committee.

 

4. Duration of Study, Graduation Credits

(1) The duration of study is in accordance with Article 57 of the university regulations, with a doctoral program's study period ranging from two to seven years.

(2) Graduation credits: 45 (excluding the thesis).

 

5. Required Courses

(1) Completion of four required courses:

Ⅰ. Advanced Management Theory

Ⅱ. Advanced Business Research Methods

Ⅲ. Qualitative Research and Methodology

Ⅳ. Quantitative Study

 

(2) A required course committee, composed of relevant professors, associate professors, and assistant professors, is responsible for approving the syllabi of the above courses.

 

Professional Courses:

Ⅰ. Management and Philosophy

Ⅱ. International Business Research

Ⅲ. Discourse on Business Practice

Ⅳ. Industry Research (I)

Ⅴ. Industry Research (II)

 

6. Qualifying Examination

(1) Upon completing the required courses as stipulated, graduate students may apply to take the qualifying examination.

(2) Graduate students must submit a comprehensive case study or industry-academia research. The doctoral committee, recommended by the doctoral program committee, shall consist of at least five members, including a minimum of one external committee member, to conduct an anonymous oral examination and evaluation.

(3) The qualifying examination is held once per semester. Those who do not pass may retake the exam, with a limit of one reattempt. Students who still fail after the reattempt shall be subject to dismissal.

(4) The qualifying examination must be taken within five years of enrollment. Students who fail to meet this requirement will be notified by the registration office for dismissal.

(5) Those who pass the qualifying examination and meet the conditions for applying as a doctoral degree candidate, as stipulated in the university's regulations for graduate degree examinations, shall be recommended by the department to the Office of Academic Affairs for approval as doctoral degree candidates.

 

7.  Formation of the Doctoral Committee

The doctoral committee is chaired by the coordinator of the doctoral program, and its members, ranging from five to seven, are nominated by the coordinator and the department chair.

 

８. Formation of Dissertation Advisor and Dissertation Committee

(1) After passing the qualifying examination, graduate students shall request the department chair to approach a thesis advisor to form a thesis research committee.

(2) The thesis advisor acts as the convener of the thesis research committee, with a minimum of three members.

 

9. Qualifications of Dissertation Advisor and Dissertation Committee

(1) The dissertation advisor must hold a position of assistant professor or above and meet the qualifications for serving on the committee for degree awarding exams under the Degree Conferral Law. If there are two thesis advisors, at least one must be a professor, associate professor, or assistant professor in the department. The dissertation topic must be decided upon after obtaining the approval of the thesis committee. If an external professor is to be hired, the consent of the department chair is required.

(2) Dissertation committee members must be professors, associate professors, or assistant professors.

(3) Graduate students must register their thesis advisor before the start of the second academic year.

(4) Full-time faculty members are limited to supervising one doctoral student per academic year.

 

10. Study Abroad

During the thesis writing period, graduate students may study abroad for one year to gather relevant information. The course credits s/he undertook at the foreign university should be complied with National Sun Yat-sen University Guidelines for the Study and Enrollment Status of Student Going Abroad.

 

11. Research Proposal

Doctoral degree candidates must submit a detailed research plan to the thesis advisor and the thesis committee for approval. The research plan should include the research motivation, objectives, methodology, outline, and reference materials, and should be publicly presented to the thesis committee.

 

12. Change of Dissertation Title or Dissertation Advisor

In the following circumstances, graduate students may apply to the doctoral committee to change the dissertation title and/or dissertation advisor:

(1) Significant difficulties in completing the originally planned thesis due to insufficient data.

(2) Inability of the thesis advisor to provide guidance within the study period due to overseas travel, vacation, further studies, or other unavoidable reasons.

(3) Other valid reasons necessitating a change in the thesis title.

(4) For mid-term applications to change the thesis advisor (excluding adding additional advisors), the application for the thesis examination must be postponed by one academic year. In special cases, this decision shall be subject to the review of the doctoral committee.

 

13. Termination of Guidance

In the following circumstances, the dissertation advisor may terminate thesis guidance after obtaining approval from the department chair:

(1) The graduate student fails to follow the dissertation advisor's instructions regarding course selection or dissertation writing.

(2) The graduate student remains uncontacted for a considerable period without valid reasons.

(3) The directed student may terminate thesis guidance based on research direction or personal needs with the consent of the original thesis advisor. If consent is not obtained, the directed student may reapply for termination of thesis guidance after one year, and the termination will take effect automatically.

 

14. Application for Qualification of Doctoral Dissertation Degree Examination

(1) Starting from the first day of the academic year, the thesis quality assurance mechanism adopts a point accumulation system. Graduate students must accumulate a research score of 200 points for their thesis, counted from the beginning of their enrollment. Applicants are required to provide supporting documentation for the application, and points can be accumulated as follows:

Points	Condition
Essential Requirements
100	Publish a specialized book in management (approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology). Publish practical cases (ranked third level by the Ministry of Science and Technology's Humanities and Social Sciences Center). Present a paper in SSCI, SCI, TSSCI, EI, AHCI, or SCI-Expanded journals, IVEY, Harvard Business School cases (HBS), related to the doctoral thesis topic, and submit proof of application. If a paper has more than two authors, the point allocation is determined by the list of supervising professors in the department, and it must be co-published with the supervising professor from the department for record-keeping. The above points need to be recognized by the doctoral committee.
Accumulative Sections
20	Participate in international conferences/forums with a peer-review system and personally present a paper related to the doctoral thesis topic in a language other than Chinese.
10	Participate in domestic conferences/forums with a peer-review system and personally present a paper related to the doctoral thesis topic (up to 20 points).
20	Publish a paper in an international journal with a peer-review system (including those already accepted) related to the doctoral thesis topic.
15	Publish a paper in a domestic journal with a peer-review system (including those already accepted) related to the doctoral thesis topic.
20	Participate in Ministry of Science and Technology projects, technical (management) books.
10	Participate in projects commissioned by enterprises or other government units.
20	Serve as an enterprise mentor in the department, international or national activity reviewer/commentator, speaker, imparting practical management experience.
20	Become the holder and inventor of innovative management patent, creating business opportunities.
30	Receive international or national awards, contribute to society, possess an entrepreneurial spirit.
10	Media exposure, become a benchmark for enterprises, positively enhance the department's reputation.
20	Hold a key position in international or national associations/organizations, benefiting the country.
50	Propose and participate in Ministry of Science and Technology, government agency industry-academia cooperation research projects, or industry-academia cooperation projects commissioned by non-governmental organizations (businesses and corporations) recognized by the Office of Industry-Academia Cooperation and Promotion of Education.
*Each item is capped at a maximum of 50 points, and other equivalent matters require recognition by the doctoral committee.

 

Ⅰ. Integrity Standard: The same paper cannot be used for the "Essential Requirements" application of more than two students. If it has already been submitted as the same paper for one application, it cannot be used again for the "Essential Requirements" application of other students.

Ⅱ. Transparency Standard: Before submitting the application for the thesis degree examination, doctoral students must declare the qualifications scoring table above. The declaration will be reviewed by the supervising professor, department chair, and the convener of the doctoral committee, with notification to the co-authors.

 

(1) English Proficiency Requirement: Engaging in overseas business management or international trade and management practices, approved by the doctoral committee, is considered equivalent to the English graduation requirement for the department (as noted below).

[Note:

(1) TOEFL iBT score of 80 or above / TOEFL CBT score of 213 or above / TOEFL PBT score of 550 or above;

(2) TOEIC score of 750 or above;

(3) IELTS score of 6.5 or above; Those who have obtained a bachelor's degree or above from an English-speaking country are exempt from this requirement.]

 

(2) University Compulsory: Academic Research Ethics Education Course (Failure to complete will disqualify from applying for the doctoral thesis degree examination).

(3) Must go abroad for academic research activities for at least three months. Students who apply for exchange/study abroad or complete overseas research courses or programs as part of the department's degree program or who obtain a dual degree from a foreign university in cooperation with the university are exempt from this requirement. However, students with full-time employment status (with proof of employment) and other factors (such as pregnancy, childcare) that prevent long-term overseas exchanges are not subject to this limitation but should still engage in academic research activities abroad for a cumulative period of at least 2 weeks. (Applicable to doctoral students enrolled from the academic year 2021 onward)

 

15. Application Procedure for the Doctoral Dissertation Degree Examination

Upon passing the dissertation research plan, graduate students should submit a printed copy of the doctoral dissertation and an abstract, along with a letter of recommendation from the supervising professor. After the department's review to ensure compliance with regulations, the dissertation, abstract, examination method, schedule, location, and the list of approved members of the Doctoral Dissertation Degree Examination Committee should be sent to the Office of Academic Affairs for verification. Following verification, the committee is appointed by the president, and the Office of Academic Affairs notifies the institute to handle matters related to the doctoral dissertation degree examination.

 

16. Doctoral Dissertation Degree Examination Committee

The Doctoral Dissertation Degree Examination Committee operates under the following rules:

(1) The committee consists of five to nine members, with at least one-third being external members. The department chair designates one member as the convener, but the supervising professor cannot serve as the convener.

  

(2) Membership qualifications for the Doctoral Dissertation Degree Examination Committee are in accordance with the regulations of the Degree Conferral Act.

 

17. Evaluation of Doctoral Dissertation Degree Examination Results

The results of the doctoral dissertation degree examination are determined by averaging the scores given by the attending committee members without revealing their identities. If one-third or more of the committee members evaluate the student as failing, the overall result is deemed a failure. Students who fail may request a reexamination, limited to one attempt. Failure in the reexamination results in dismissal.

 

18. Conferral of Doctoral Degree and Calculation of Grades

Students who pass the doctoral thesis degree examination are awarded the Doctor of Business Administration by the university. The graduate performance of doctoral students is based on the average academic performance over the years and the results of the degree examination.

 

19. Basis and Amendments of These Regulations

Matters not covered by these regulations shall be handled in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of the Ministry of Education and the university.

 

These regulations may be naturally modified due to changes in the university's constitution, bylaws, or relevant laws and regulations.

 

For the educational, research, and academic development needs of the department, these regulations may be revised upon the resolution of the departmental affairs meeting.

 

20. Supplementary Provisions

These regulations shall be implemented and revised upon approval by the departmental affairs meeting and the college affairs meeting and subsequent approval by the president.