Higher education
18 Nov 2010
On this page
- Short description of the higher education system
- Types of degrees
- Quality assurance and accreditation
- Recent reforms
Short description of the higher education system
Taiwan has 154 public (national and municipal) and private higher education institutions. These can be divided into universities, four-year colleges, institutes of technology and two-year junior colleges. Universities always have at least three faculties and provide a wide range of programmes. They may specialize in research, in teacher training programmes, or offer a large variety of specializations.
Colleges are smaller in scale and more focused in nature, offering two specializations each. Institutes of technology offer both four-year technical programmes and two-year senior secondary programmes. Private institutions account for 60% of all higher education institutions in Taiwan (Private School Act).
Types of degrees
Most bachelor’s programmes have a nominal length of four years. Medical programmes take seven years (including one year for a medical student internship), dentistry takes six years (including a one-year work placement) and veterinary medicine, teacher training and architecture programmes all take five years. Bachelor’s programmes in academic and professional fields of study alike are provided at both universities and four-year colleges.
The nominal duration of master’s programmes lies between one and four years, with two years being more common. An entrance examination is required for admission. Students with a bachelor’s degree may take the entrance examination, as can students who have completed a two-year junior college programme and have three years of relevant work experience.
The nominal duration of a doctorate ranges from two to seven years. There are various admission options, but most students are granted admission based on their master’s degree. An entrance examination is usually required. Students may also be admitted on a bachelor’s degree with very good results and six years of relevant work experience, as well as medicine graduates who have two years of relevant work experience and have passed the entrance examination.
To be awarded the Doctor of Philosophy, students must complete eighteen credits’ worth of coursework (30 credits following direct conversion from a master’s), sit a written examination and write and orally defend a doctoral thesis.
Quality assurance and accreditation
Quality assurance is traditionally a matter for the Ministry of Education. New legislation in 1994 reduced government control and gave the institutions greater autonomy. A system for internal quality control (self-evaluation) and transparency for institutions is currently under development.
Institutions require permission from the Ministry to become established and accredited. Accreditation of education institutions is carried out by the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT). HEEACT evaluates higher education institutions, monitors assessment procedures and develops assessment criteria.
Recent reforms
The University Act, revised in 1994, established the principles of university autonomy and academic self-determination and authorized universities to enrol students and develop their own curricula. Legislation in the Statute Governing the Establishment of School Funds of National Colleges and Universities, enacted in 1999, gave public universities more financial autonomy, and that year a flexible university tuition programme was introduced giving universities the power to set their own tuitions.
At the same time, universities were expected to raise more money on their own and reduce spending. In the course of the past decade, universities’ autonomy has expanded and the power of university presidents has increased.
To secure quality at these increasingly autonomous institutions, the HEEACT was established in 2005 to conduct evaluations and accreditations for all higher education institutions in Taiwan. Its objective is to assist institutions in identifying their own strengths and attributes, and in enabling their self-improvement mechanisms.
The HEEACT is funded in part by the Ministry of Education and in part by membership fees from all universities and colleges in Taiwan.
