Are you up for a challenge? Do you want to contribute new knowledge and new ideas to the business management? Are you interested to influence the way people think and how businesses are managed through your teaching and research? Do you want to pursue an academic career or advance yourselves as a thought leader in your areas?

The PhD programme jointly offered by The Graduate School of Business at Universiti Sains Malaysia (GSB@USM) and The Hong Kong Management Association provides the answers for you.

About USM - Top 50 Young Universities in the World

Established in 1969, Universiti Sains Malaysia, USM (English: University Science Malaysia) is the first science university and the second oldest university in Malaysia. USM is a public university located in Penang. It is a premier provider of management and business education in Malaysia and the Asia-Pacific Region. It has been ranked 289 over 3,000 universities globally and the top 51 in Asia. USM have achieved 5 Stars Rating for Excellence in 6 Categories in the QS World University Rankings 2016/17. USM is the only APEX (Accelerated Programme for Excellence) University in Malaysia, a special status accorded to the best institutions of higher learning in the world.

About GSB

The Graduate School of Business at Universiti Sains Malaysia (GSB@USM) evolved from School of Management in 1989. The formation of GSB took place in 2008 and it is now home to around 600 students and academic staff. All academic programmes offered by GSB have complied with the requirements of Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA) Framework and have been given the recognition by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia. GSB has been recognized as a business school with excellence in the practice of sustainable learning and interdisciplinary teaching.

Well-structured PhD with Checkpoints to Help Candidates Overcome Study Challenges

The PhD programme is delivered by academic staff from USM. The standard, minimum and maximum duration of the programme are 3.5 years, 2 years and 5 years.

An experience supervisor will be appointed to supervise and support the candidate throughout the programme. Face-to-face meeting and video conference is tailored and implanted in the course schedule.

Programme Structure

Checkpoints

Progress of the PhD is evaluated at the following 4 checkpoints to ensure candidates complete their work in the required time.

1. Conceptual paper submission and presentation
2. Research proposal submission and defence
3. Data collection and analysis submission, and findings defence
4. Final thesis submission and Viva Voce

Workshops

At GSB@USM, the workshop is designed to widen candidates` knowledge, to place the specialized research project within a broader disciplinary context and to enhance their research skills.

Candidates are required to complete the following 2 workshops in advancing their research skills and techniques:

1. Research Methodology Workshop Part 1 and 2
2. Statistical Analysis Workshop

Major Thesis

The principal component of the PhD is a major thesis of at least 50,000 words, embodying the results of an original research project. Candidates are encouraged to choose a topic from their area of responsibility or an area they wish to focus upon in their career path for the PhD thesis. The thesis must be submitted and orally defended in front of a panel of experts.

Preserving the Malaysian Culture

GSB@USM offers a complimentary language workshop "LKM 100 Bahasa Malaysia" to all candidates. Candidates will learn the traditional language of Malaysia in an interesting way. Students are allowed to take the examination with multiple attempts. Completing this course with a minimum passing grade of "C" is a requirement for the completion of the PhD programme.

Entry requirement

Candidates possess master`s degree or equivalent qualification from universities with a minimum CGPA of 3.00 and an IELTS overall band score of 6.0 or TOFEL score of 550 are eligible to apply. Applicants with their mother tongue in English or who have completed their Bachelor`s or Master`s degree fully in English are exempted from the English language proficiency requirement.

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Issued by The Hong Kong Management Association on 9 August 2017.