Founded in 1956, the department of Sociology was one of the first of its kind in Taiwan. Twenty-two years later in 1978 our Master's program was created, followed by our Ph.D. program in 1981, another first in Taiwan. Since then, our department has come to be recognized to have among the top Sociology undergraduate and graduate programs in the country. Currently there are 488 undergraduate students, 60 MA program students and 32 doctorate program students.

The primary goals of our undergraduate program are to foster in our students the abilities to think more logically, effectively carry out field research, analyze and understand different sociocultural phenomena, interpret future social trends in business and education and, most importantly, to learn the skills to be a constructive member of today's global society. For students with a particular interest in business, we offer a Business and Society program consisting of a series of courses specifically designed to enhance their training in this field.

The curriculum of our department is designed so that upon completion of the undergraduate program, our students should be prepared to either continue to intensify their ability to study in a graduate program or to enter the job market with the skills needed to perform their job well.

Building upon these skills, our masters and doctorate programs further develop our students' abilities for two major purposes: to cultivate well-trained professional sociologists and to instill in our students the importance of having concern for the welfare of humanity. In order to encourage our graduate program students reach their potential we offer awards to students for writing outstanding dissertations. Furthermore, we offer Research Assistantships and Teachers Assistantships to students who are interested and qualified.

There are five substantive areas of focus for students enrolled in our graduate programs. These areas of focus include Sociological Theory and Intellectual History, Political Economy, Culture and History, Stratification and Education, Gender Study.

Internationalizing our department is a primary goal for us in the increasingly global society we are part of. Because of this, we encourage our students to partake in programs allowing them to go abroad to study and to participate in international conferences. Great effort is made to invite scholars to our department for teaching positions, to give speeches at our department or to present research papers at the international conferences we host here.

Recent graduates are found in every occupation and profession. Some graduates pursue professions in education, journalism, business administration, social work, law, public administration and in NGOs. Graduate programs in sociology further prepare students for both academic and professional careers.

For our graduate programs, we will consider any applicants regardless of their educational discipline or nationality. We especially welcome any foreign student applicants that have at least a basic proficiency in Chinese. If you are interested in applying or would like to request more information, please feel free to contact us.