TKU has been promoting the establishment of interdisciplinary degree courses that are taught in English in recent years. In response to that, College of Management and College of Business will offer two such Master’s programs in 2008. They are the Master’s Program of Business Administration (MPBA) and the Master’s Degree Courses for Applied Economic and Finance (MDCAEF) respectively. The former is organized by the Department of Business Administration, while the latter the Department of Economics. Graduates from Taiwan and abroad are welcome to apply.

The MDCAEF is a program that combines courses from business management as well as science and technology. Courses from the business side include subjects on economics, finance, risk management and insurance policies, whereas courses dealing with science and technology contain knowledge of semi-conductors and current R & D of hi-tech industries. The resources and man power needed for the science courses will be provided by the Department of Physics. This cooperation, according to Dr. Liao Huei-chu, the Chair of the Department of Economics, is new and unique. She believes that employees with business skills and high-tech knowledge will be in great demand in Taiwan where electronic industry is highly developed. Thus, their program, she added, will enhance their students’ employability in an increasingly competitive market. Furthermore, with all courses taught in English, helped by two American faculty members, their students’ writing and reading ability in English will certainly excel, making them even more competitive.

Similarly, the MPBA emphasizes on cross disciplinary and English training for their students. Dr. Hung Ying-chen, the Chair of the Department of Business Administration, who oversees the planning and launching of the MPBA, reiterates that it is impossible for a future professional, in particular, a personnel in the middle management, not possessing a wide-range of knowledge in today’s fast changing world. Therefore, the design of the MPBA, according to Dr. Hong, is to incorporate know-how from various fields of studies, such as finance, human resources, information management and marketing. This design is also reflected in the constituency of the program’s faulty members who come from a diverse background ranging from business to management.

Dr. Hung also points out that his program will in no doubt attract international students, adding a global appeal for local students, who will learn about different cultures and languages without leaving Taiwan. Besides this, they will have the opportunity of participating in overseas internship programs during their semester breaks. As for international students, the program has recruited experienced faculty members to be their counsels supervising their studies and day-to-day living in Taiwan.

Apart from these two programs, there are other interdisciplinary degree courses which have been or will be launched by TKU. For example, last year the Department of Information Management offered a Program for Telecommunication Security Management, which has been subsided by the Ministry of Education, aiming to take on 60 students per year. All seniors and grad students are eligible to apply. This year two more programs, namely the Degree Courses for Accounting and Finance and the Degree Courses for Accounting and Information for undergraduates, will be offered. Theses courses, together with the above mentioned Master’s programs, will be discussed at a university meeting on May 11. ( ~Ying-hsueh Hu )