GSMM (2023 Curriculum)

To graduate from GSM, a student needs to 1) be enrolled as a full-time student for 2 years (there can be exceptions), 2) complete a minimum of 44 credits and 3) write a Research Project and pass its examination. Please refer to the Graduate School website for details.

There are a number of required courses and you must pass all of these courses in order to graduate. You must register for all required courses offered in your first semester. Do not delay taking any of the required courses as not all courses are offered every semester. If you delay taking a required course and fail that course, you may need to extend your studies for another semester.

All students are required to earn at least 44 credits for program completion, which includes: all credits from the Required Subjects (26 credits), 8 credits from Elective Subjects, and all credits from Seminars (6 credits). In addition to these, students should complete at least 4 credits from any of the subject categories that align with their interests. Please refer to the Graduate School website for details.

Master’s students can register for up to 22 credits per semester.

You do not need to do anything. You can graduate without a specialization.

Students whose primary specialization is AF, MM, or EIM (meaning they have fulfilled the requirements above for any of these three specializations), and who have completed more than 4 Elective Subjects (8 credits) from JM, can apply for a Double Specialization. Students whose primary specialization is JM cannot apply for a Double Specialization.

Yes. Students must apply to change their specialization by the start of their second and third semesters using the designated application form. The form is available for download from the Graduate School website.

All students are expected to attend the seminar orientation to receive important information on the structure of the seminars, characteristics of Research Projects, tips on how to search / select a supervisor, etc. Students who did not attend the seminar orientation must read the relevant materials and look for a supervisor on their own. Please refer to the Graduate School website for details.

The list of available supervisors and their syllabi is posted on the Graduate School website. Please refer to the Graduate School website for details.

You should choose the supervisor that best matches your research needs. Please read the seminar syllabi to find a match to your own research and meet with potential supervisors in person. In addition, you can consult with the Associate Dean for advice on possible supervisors.

The deadlines are July 5 for the spring semester and January 10 for the fall semester.

MBA Research Seminars

If you are unable to get your supervisor’s signature, you can submit an email from them confirming their approval instead. Please consult with the Academic Office in advance.

You need to receive written approval from your chosen supervisor and report selection of supervisors at the end of their first semester by submission of a Plan for Research Supervision. Please refer to the Graduate School website for details.

Although Wednesdays are reserved for graduate seminars, the exact days and times of the seminar classes are decided individually between supervisors and students. Please contact your supervisor for details.

Yes. Completion of all three seminar subjects is required for program completion.

GSM Students are automatically registered for their MBA seminar class. If you were registered for the wrong Seminar, please contact the Academic Office.

Yes. Students must submit the designated application form by the end of Course Registration Period A. Students are required to find their own replacement supervisor and receive approval from both their current and new supervisors. Please refer to the Graduate School website for details.

The Plan for Research Supervision is a yearly plan for research supervision, created based on a research plan written by the student and presented to their supervisor. The Graduate School of Management requires that the supervisor prepares this plan for the student on a yearly basis.

The student is required to submit a soft copy of the Plan for Research Supervision to the Academic Office through Moodle. Students in the appropriate semester will be added to a Moodle course to submit the Plan for Research Supervision at the beginning of the semester.

Yes, please download it from the Graduate School website.

The deadline differs depending on the student’s semester. Please see the page on Seminars for more details.

If you are unable to get your supervisor’s signature, you can submit an email from them confirming their writing of the Plan for Research Supervision. Please consult with the Academic Office in advance.

As part of their seminar class, all students registered for MBA Research Seminar II must present their research proposal and report on the current progress of their research at the Work in Progress Seminars on the Wednesday during the 2nd Quarter examination period. Details regarding the Work in Progress Seminars are provided at the beginning of each semester on Campus Terminal.

As a rule, students must present their progress as scheduled. If you cannot present due to unavoidable circumstances you must consult with your supervisor and the Academic Office.

As a rule, all students who are registered for MBA Research Seminar II must present. However, if you are in a unique situation please consult with your supervisor to see if it is possible to present.

Students should present their research proposal and the current progress of their Research Project. The presentation should include the following elements: type of Research Project, research topic, hypothesis and research questions, importance of the research, review of relevant literature, methods of data collection, and research schedule until the submission of the Research Project. Please consult with your supervisor for details.

The length of the presentation including the time for Q&A is set by your supervisor. Please confirm the details with your supervisor in advance.

The Research Projects Summary submission deadline is April 25 in the spring semester and October 20 in the fall semester. Please refer to the Graduate School website for details.

Final semester students must submit a notice approved by their supervisor for the type of Research Project they are writing using the designated form. The notice should be submitted together with the Research Project Summary. Please refer to the Graduate School website for details.

The application form is available for download from the Graduate School website.

If you are unable to get your supervisor’s signature, you can submit an email from them confirming their approval instead. Please consult with the Academic Office in advance.

Yes. Please make sure you receive your supervisor’s approval in advance.

Please consult with your supervisor. Exceptions maybe granted by the Research Projects Committee. Please consult with the Research Projects Committee via the Academic Office.

Yes. But only if you receive approval from your supervisor in advance.

The four types of Research Projects have different research purposes and methods. Choosing a Research Project type gives students the opportunity to pursue a variety of research topics and methods of inquiry. The four types of Research Projects differ in their degree of abstraction, generalization and practical applicability. Students should consult with their supervisor to decide which one suits their research interests best. Please refer to the Graduate School website for details.

The submission deadlines for Research Projects are May 31 for spring semester examination and November 30 for fall semester examination. Please refer to the Graduate School website for details.

One (1) soft copy of the Research Project must be submitted to the Academic Office for examination via Moodle. You should take advantage of the Turnitin Similary % Checker Assignment on Moodle well in advance of the deadline so that you have sufficient time to resolve any plagiarism issues. Please refer to the Graduate School website for details.

The examination schedule for the spring and fall semesters differs. Details are available on the Graduate School website.

Students in their final semester should submit their Research Project for examination by the deadline. The details of the examination requirements and procedures are outlined in the Procedures for the Research Projects in the Graduate School of Management and on the Graduate School website.

Students are advised to discuss with their supervisor and decide the type of Research Project they will write before presenting at the Work in Progress seminar. Students in their final semester must submit a notice signed by their supervisor to indicate the type of Research Project they are writing along with a summary of their Research Project. The submission deadlines are the same as those for the Research Project summary. Details can be found on the Graduate School website.

All Research Projects should follow the APU style. Sample formatting guidelines can be found on the Graduate School website.

Yes. The designated title page must be attached to the Research Project upon submission. Research Projects without the attached title page will not be accepted under any circumstances. The form is available for download from the Graduate School website.

In GSM, a value of 15% is set for the similarity index of Turnitin similarity reports giving the students additional guidance in avoiding plagiarism. However, this value is a necessary condition to be examined by the Research Projects Committee but it is not a sufficient condition for a project to be deemed as plagiarized. It is possible that your supervisor or the Research Projects Committee identifies unacceptable cases of plagiarism within your Research Project even if the similarity index is below 15%, or a Research Project with a similarity index of above 15% may still be considered acceptable. Students should strive to avoid any kind of plagiarism at all. We expect that all students strictly follow the standards against plagiarism of APU.

No. Late submissions are not accepted under any circumstances.

Unfortunately, we cannot provide any information related to examiners’ identity if the examiner chose to remain anonymous.

Congratulations! There are still a number of things to do before graduation. Please refer to the result notification handout.

Students who did not pass the Research Project examination may continue working on their Research Project to submit it for examination again or may choose to leave the program. Please note, scholarships do not apply for enrollment longer than 4 semesters and students who decide to continue their studies will be billed tuition for every semester of extension. If you have any concerns please consult with the Academic Office.

Students who were not able to graduate due to insufficient credits can choose to extend the program until they are able to do so (the maximum number of semesters is 8). Please note that scholarships do not apply for enrollment longer than 4 semesters and you will be billed tuition for every semester of extension.