Program Requirements

◎ Article 1
This regulation is established in accordance with the Regulations for Conferral of Graduate Degrees of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (hereinafter referred to as “the University”).

◎ Article 2
According to the university’s regulations for master’s program admission via recommendation or entrance examination, applicants admitted to the Department of Communication and Technology (hereinafter referred to as “the Department”) are eligible to enroll in the master’s program and pursue a master’s degree within the Department.

◎ Article 3

The duration of study for the master’s program in the Department is as follows:

  • For regular students, the duration is 2 to 4 years.
  • For part-time students, the duration is 2 to 5 years.

(Both durations exclude periods of suspension.) The cumulative period of suspension for master’s students is limited to a maximum of 2 academic years.

◎ Article 4
The graduation requirement for the master’s program in the Department is 27 credits, which include 6 credits of required courses, 15 credits of professional electives, and 6 credits of free electives. The professional elective courses are divided into two groups: “Interactive Marketing and Design” and “Popular Culture and Technology”. Students must select one group as their major focus, completing 12 credits from that group and 3 credits from the other group. In addition, 6 credits of free electives are required. Master’s students with an undergraduate degree in a non-communication-related field are required to take either an additional 3 credits of master’s courses or 6 credits of undergraduate courses. Credits from undergraduate remedial courses will not be counted toward the graduation credit requirement.

◎ Article 5
Master’s students who have completed courses offered by the Department’s master’s program within three years prior to enrollment, with a grade of 80 or above, may apply for credit transfer. The maximum number of transferable credits is 9. Applications must be submitted to the Department within the first week of the first semester after enrollment, along with an official transcript.

◎ Article 6
Interaction Between Thesis Advisors and Master’s Students:

  1. Master’s students must select a thesis advisor within one year of enrollment and submit a formal written application.
  2. The advisor must be a full-time faculty member of the Department at the rank of Assistant Professor or above. If co-advisors are appointed, at least one must be a full-time faculty member of the Department, and the arrangement must be approved by the Department.
  3. If a master’s student wishes to terminate the advisory relationship or change their thesis advisor during their study, they must submit a written application to the Department. The change will take effect after notifying the original advisor and completing all required handover procedures. Consent from the original advisor is not required.
  4. If a thesis advisor wishes to terminate the advisory relationship, they must submit a written application to the Department. The Department will review the application and inform the master’s student of the decision. After the advisory relationship is terminated, the Department may assist the student in finding a new advisor.
  5. When a master’s student applies to terminate the advisory relationship or change their thesis advisor in accordance with these regulations, any research outcomes derived from the original advisor’s initial ideas, concepts, or guidance may only be used as part of the degree thesis with the original advisor’s consent.

◎ Article 7
Master’s degree candidates must obtain 8 points through the following methods to qualify as degree candidates:

  1. Points are awarded for publishing papers in domestic or international journals. The first author receives the full points, the second author receives half of the first author’s points, and the third author receives half of the second author’s points. No points are awarded for the fourth author or beyond. Points are calculated as follows:
    • Papers published in journals classified as Tier 1 by the Ministry of Science and Technology (including SSCI and TSSCI) are awarded 12 points.
    • Papers published in journals classified as Tier 2 by the Ministry of Science and Technology are awarded 10 points.
    • Papers published in journals recognized by the Ministry of Science and Technology are awarded 8 points.
    • ※ List of significant domestic and international conferences eligible for point calculation
  2. Publishing Papers at Academic Conferences (Internal or External):
    • For full paper submissions accepted by domestic or international conferences recognized by the Department (as announced by the Department), or other conferences with an acceptance rate below 50% (exclusive):
      • Single author or first author: 8 points
      • Second author: 4 points
      • Third author: 2 points
      • Fourth author and beyond: no points
    • For abstract submissions to the conferences listed above:
      • Single author or first author: 6 points
      • Second author: 3 points
      • Third author: 1 point
      • Fourth author and beyond: no points
    • For full paper submissions accepted by other conferences, points will be calculated in accordance with Article 2. For abstract submissions to other conferences, points will be halved accordingly.
  3. Departmental Thesis Review:
    • Master’s students who meet the following conditions may apply for a departmental thesis review:
      • The student has completed at least one year of study.
      • The student has submitted at least one paper to an academic journal or conference, either internal or external to the university, and must provide submission records and the submitted paper at the time of application.
      • The same paper that was previously submitted for publication cannot be used for the departmental review.
      • The submitted thesis for the review must follow standard academic conference formatting and be between 15,000 and 20,000 words.
    • Upon receiving the application for a departmental thesis review, the department chair will conduct a preliminary qualification check. If the applicant qualifies, the department chair will form a review committee comprising two full-time faculty members with relevant expertise, excluding the department chair and the thesis advisor. The committee will appoint two reviewers with relevant expertise to conduct an anonymous review, with at least one reviewer being external to the university.
    • The review standards and procedures will follow the guidelines for academic conferences. A passing score is an average of 80 or above, and scores below 80 are considered failing. If the two reviewers provide scores with a discrepancy of 20 points or more, the review committee may appoint a third reviewer. The final score will be the average of the three reviewers’ scores.
    • For a single-author or first-author thesis that passes the departmental thesis review, the student will be awarded 8 points. If two or more contributors are credited for the same thesis, the first author will receive 6 points, the second author 4 points, and the third author or beyond will receive no points.
    • In principle, master’s students may apply for the departmental thesis review only once. However, if the review result is a failure, the student may reapply with a different thesis before the end of the study period.
  4. A single paper by any author may not be awarded points through multiple methods.
  5. When applying for points from academic conferences or journals, students must complete a point application form and submit it during the same academic year.

◎ Article 8
Master’s students in the Department who complete the required courses and earn the necessary credits to qualify as master’s degree candidates may submit their thesis with the approval of their advisor. They may then apply for the master’s degree examination. Upon passing the examination conducted by the Master’s Degree Examination Committee and submitting a hard copy of the thesis, the student will meet the graduation requirements for the Department’s master’s program.

Students who will complete the required courses and credits by the end of the current semester may, with their advisor’s approval, submit their thesis and hold the master’s degree examination earlier. However, the master’s degree will only be conferred after the completion of the required courses and credits. If the student fails to complete the required courses and credits within the semester, the results of the degree examination will not be recognized.

◎ Article 9
The Master’s Degree Examination Committee for the Department’s master’s program consists of three to five members, including internal and external scholars or experts specializing in the research field of the graduate student. Committee members must meet at least one of the following qualifications:

  1. Currently serving or having served as a professor, associate professor, or assistant professor.
  2. An Academician or currently serving or having served as a researcher, associate researcher, or assistant researcher at Academia Sinica.
  3. Hold a doctoral degree and be recognized by the departmental faculty meeting as having significant academic achievements.
  4. Specialize in a rare or unique field of study or professional practice and be recognized by the departmental faculty meeting as having significant academic or professional achievements.

※ Individuals who are the spouse, former spouse, or relatives by blood or marriage within three degrees of kinship of the master’s student are not eligible to serve as members of the Master’s Degree Examination Committee.

◎ Article 10
The master’s degree examination in the Department is primarily conducted as an oral defense, though written exams or video conferencing may be used when necessary. The process must comply with the following regulations:

  1. Graduate students must apply for the degree examination at least two weeks prior to the examination date. The application must be approved before the examination can proceed.
  2. Before the examination, a plagiarism detection report for the thesis must be completed and made available to the examination committee for reference. After the examination, the advisor must sign and confirm the examination results on the grade record form.
  3. The oral defense is generally held publicly, and the time, location, and thesis title must be announced in advance.
  4. Examination committee members must attend in person and may not appoint a representative. The examination committee must have at least three members present, including at least one external member. If these conditions are not met, the examination cannot proceed, and any results from such an examination will be deemed invalid.
  5. The committee chairperson is appointed by the department head from among the committee members, but the thesis advisor cannot serve as the chairperson.
  6. The thesis examination grade is based on a scale of B- (70 on a 100-point scale) as the passing grade and A+ (100 on a 100-point scale) as the maximum grade. The final grade is determined by averaging the scores given by the attending committee members. However, if more than half of the committee members present give a failing grade, the overall grade will be considered a failure, and averaging will not apply.
  7. Students who fail the degree examination may reapply for a retake in the following semester or academic year, provided they are still within their study period. Retakes are limited to one attempt. A second failure will result in dismissal from the program.
  8. If the thesis is found to involve fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, ghostwriting, or other forms of academic misconduct, and such misconduct is confirmed by the degree examination committee, the examination result will be recorded as zero, and the student will not be permitted to retake the examination.

◎ Article 11
For students whose thesis has passed the oral defense, the examination committee members must clearly indicate the directions and key points for thesis revision as a basis for the student’s modifications. After revising the thesis, the student must submit it for thesis review. The thesis review is considered passed if it is approved by at least two-thirds of the examination committee members.
The thesis review is not graded separately. Upon passing the thesis review, the attending members of the examination committee will sign the “Thesis Examination Committee Approval Form.”（論文口試委員會審定書） Once the thesis review is completed, the thesis examination grade will be recorded as the degree examination grade.

◎ Article 12
After passing the degree examination, students must submit the “Degree Examination Grade Record Form” to the Registration Office within the same semester of the examination. The submission deadline is January 31 for the first semester and July 31 for the second semester.
The submission deadline for the hard copy of the thesis is the last working day before the start of the following semester after the degree examination. Students who fail to submit the hard copy by the deadline and are not at the end of their study period must register for the following semester.
For students whose study period has expired, failure to submit the Degree Examination Grade Record Form by the end of the semester or to submit the hard copy of the thesis by the last working day before the following semester will result in dismissal.

◎ Article 13
Master’s students who fail to pass the degree examination or complete the required courses within the specified study period will be dismissed.

◎ Article 14
These regulations are established by the departmental faculty meeting and reviewed by the college curriculum committee and the university curriculum committee. They are then submitted to the Academic Affairs Meeting for approval before implementation. The same process applies to amendments.