The first step in your Thesis journey is to find a suitable Advisor.
When choosing an advisor, it is important to keep the following guidelines in mind:
- Find your Advisor(s) as early as possible, such as by January 31 (Spring) or July 31 (Fall)
- It is strongly recommended that you have taken at least one course from your prospective Advisor
- Only full-time professors can be your thesis advisor.
It is not recommended to choose an adjunct professor to be your advisor, as you will also need a full-time professor to serve as your co-advisor. If this applies to your situation, please always consult with the GMBA Office for guidance. - To find an advisor, please visit this page and review the professors' interests, classes, and research to match your topic: https://gmba.ntu.edu.tw/en/faculty
- In line with research ethics, students should not seek substantial advice from one professor and then choose another as their advisor. Such practices can lead to misunderstandings and may cause unnecessary tension between faculty members.
Once you have identified a prospective advisor, contact them with:
- A personal introduction,
- A summary of your proposed topic,
- An attachment of your thesis or business plan proposal (strongly recommended).
Once a Professor agrees to be your advisor:
- Ask him/her or them to sign the Thesis Advisor Agreement Form
- Download and fill out the Proposal Approval Form and you can write your thesis proposal or business plan proposal by following the instructions.
- Upload this proposal approval form to Step 1 in the GMBA graduation system (Fall 2025) or GMBA graduation system (Spring 2026). Please wait for approval from the GMBA Office.
- Filename should be: "StudentID_ProposalApproval.pdf" and "StudentID_ThesisAdvisorAgreement.pdf".
*If you need help in finding an advisor, you can contact Director Bryan Jean, Prof. Leon van Jaarsveldt, or the GMBA Office.
When approaching an advisor, it is strongly advised that you prepare a 2-3 pages of a Thesis Proposal or a Business Plan Proposal. Keep it like a 1-minute pitch that grabs professors' attention quickly.
These proposals shall present your topic in a practical and achievable way and they consist of 3 parts:
1. Introduction / Opportunity
2. Key Literature / Market Insights
3. Research / Market Research Plan
A list of references is required in the proposal. Consider using EndNote (downloadable from NTU Computer Center through the my.ntu.edu.tw portal) or similar. This will help manage your reference.
