National_Taiwan_University

National Taiwan University

National Taiwan University

National university located in Taipei, Taiwan

"University of Taiwan" redirects here. For all universities and colleges in Taiwan, see List of universities and colleges in Taiwan.
Not to be confused with National Taipei University, Nanyang Technological University, or National Taiwan Normal University.

National Taiwan University (NTU; Chinese: 國立臺灣大學; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kok-li̍p Tâi-oân Tāi-ha̍k) is a national public research university in Taipei, Taiwan.[5] Founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as Taihoku Imperial University (臺北帝國大學), the seventh of the Imperial Universities of the Empire of Japan, it is the oldest university in Taiwan and is supervised by the Ministry of Education.

Quick Facts Former names, Motto ...

The university has three major campuses in Taipei and hosts satellite campuses across the country, enrolling more than 16,000 undergraduates, 12,000 postgraduates, and 3,000 doctoral students. It offers over 200 degree programs and consists of 16 colleges which are divided into 56 departments,[6] 111 research institutes,[7] and more than 50 other national research centers, including National Taiwan University Hospital.[8] In 2015, NTU formed a university system with the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and National Taiwan Normal University.

National Taiwan University has institutional affiliations with the Harvard–Yenching Institute,[9] Washington University in St. Louis, and produces the Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities. Notable graduates of the university include five presidents of the Republic of China, six vice-presidents of the Republic of China, more than 120 members of Academia Sinica, and 20 members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences,[10] in addition to Nobel Prize,[b] Turing Award,[c] and Wolf Prize laureates.[d]

History

Imperial University (1928–1945)

View of the entrance of Taihoku Imperial University, pictured during Japanese colonial rule (1895–1945)

During the Japanese rule of Taiwan (1895–1945), the Empire of Japan established the modern Taiwanese education system by installing educational institutions that used Western-style academic systems.[11] Den Kenjirō, the Governor-General of Taiwan, proposed the establishment of a university in Taiwan in 1922 and Japanese prime minister Tanaka Giichi presented a bill titled "Establishment of the Taiwan Imperial University" to the Cabinet of Japan on February 25, 1928.[12] It was planned to be located on the grounds of the Taihoku Senior School of Agriculture and Forestry in Taihoku Prefecture.[13]

On March 16, 1928, National Taiwan University was founded as "Taihoku Imperial University" (Japanese: 台北帝国大学, romanized: Taihoku Teikoku Daigaku; Chinese: 臺北帝國大學; pinyin: Táiběi dìguó dàxué), the seventh of the Japanese Empire's Imperial Universities.[14] It was Taiwan's first and only university and primarily served to promote Japanese culture, assimilate the local population, and direct students to professions useful to colonial expansion.[15] The first freshman class was inaugurated on April 30, 1928, with classes beginning on May 5. Of the 1931 graduating class, 41 were Japanese and five students were Taiwanese.[13][e]

The first faculties founded at Taihoku Imperial University were the Faculty of Literature and Politics and the Faculty of Science and Agriculture, totalling 59 students. Subsequently, the Faculty of Medicine was established in 1935 and the Faculty of Engineering was established in 1943.[16] The Faculty of Science and Agriculture was divided in 1943 as two separate colleges: the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Agriculture.[6] Because the university was considered a part of expanding the Japanese colonial empire in the Pacific Ocean, it was supported by multiple Japanese scholars and received government research grants for funding policy programs.[16] Taiwanese students could not compete with Japanese students since the university prioritized Japanese enrollment.[16] From 1928 to 1943, the university's student body was approximately 80 percent Japanese and 20 percent Taiwanese.[17] Of its more than 300 faculty members in 1940, all but one professorship was held by Japanese scholars.[18]

Aerial view of the university during the 1930s

Taihoku college classes consisted of "lectures" taught by professors, assistant professors, and other faculty. By 1945, it had five colleges with a total of 114 lectures.[6] The university's first president was Japanese historian Taira Shidehara [ja] (1928–1937), a graduate of Tokyo Imperial University who was appointed to the presidency on March 16, 1928.[19] Japanese scholar Toyohachi Fujita (1869–1929) was appointed as the first dean of the Faculty of Literature and Politics while Kintaro Oshima was named the inaugural dean of the Faculty of Science and Agriculture.[13] Enrollment years were shortened during World War II and university functions were limited following the American bombing of Taipei.[20]

National University (1945–present)

Taiwanese president Chiang Ching-kuo visiting NTU in 1977

After the Surrender of Japan in September 1945, the government of the Republic of China (ROC) assumed control of the university and initiated sinicization reforms. On August 15, 1945, the Kuomintang government appointed Lo Tsung-lo, a Japanese-educated academic, to oversee the transition of Taihoku's curriculum, teaching system, and faculties from its Japanese administration. At the time, the university had 1,614 faculty and staff members to teach 1,767 students, 351 of whom were Taiwanese. All Japanese students were later transferred back to Japan.[21]

Under the Kuomintang, the ROC government initiated a program of reforming all universities and colleges in accordance with Chinese models that incorporated American academics, administration, and organization, in addition to installing American curriculum and degree requirements.[22] Reforms also had the goal of reversing the Japanization that had influenced Taiwan during Japanese rule.[15] Universities and colleges were opened to Taiwanese students without restrictions; Taihoku Imperial University was renamed "National Taiwan University" in November 1945 and it was reorganized and expanded to six faculties: Liberal Arts, Law, Science, Medicine, Engineering, and Agriculture.[23] Up to 500 students could enroll in each faculty and the enrollment period was standardized to four years as opposed to the Japanese system of three to six years.[24]

The Old Main Library building (pictured) was repurposed as a gallery dedicated to NTU's history.[25]

In the following decades, National Taiwan University underwent rapid expansion. A night school was established to provide continuing education for adults in 1955 and the NTU Research Library was completed in 1968.[10] The College of Management, the College of Public Health, and the College of Electrical Engineering were established in 1987, 1993, and 1997, respectively. The NTU Department of Law was expanded to the NTU College of Law in 1999 and the College of Life Science was established in 2003.[6] In November 2003, the university consisted of ten colleges, 52 academic departments, 82 graduate institutes, 1,778 full-time faculty, and more than 27,000 students.[26] By 2009, NTU grew to 54 departments, 100 graduate institutes (which offer 100 master's programs and 91 doctoral programs in total), and 25 research centers, including the Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, the Center for Biotechnology, the Japanese Research Center, and others.[27]

Organization and academics

College of Liberal Arts


The main campus of National Taiwan University is located in Daan District, Taipei City. The university also has four additional campuses throughout Taiwan: the Shuiyuan Campus (7.7 hectares, located in Zhongzheng District, Taipei); the College of Medicine Campus (located in Zhongzheng District); the Yunlin Campus (54 hectares, located in Yunlin County); and the Zhubei Campus (22 hectares, located in Hsinchu County). The main campus in Taipei is home to most of the university's department buildings and administrative buildings. The university also governs farms, forests, and hospitals for education and research purposes, including: visiting professor residences (34 hectares, located on Yangmingshan, Taipei); the NTU University Farm (19.5 hectares, located in Xindian District, New Taipei City); the Wenshan Botanical Garden (5 hectares, located in Shiding District, New Taipei City); the Experimental Forest Office (25.9 hectares, located in Nantou County); and the Experimental Forest (33,310 hectares, located in Nantou County). The total area of NTU exceeds 340 square kilometers (34,000 hectares), accounting for one percent of Taiwan's total land area.[28]

National Taiwan University Library

As of 2023, National Taiwan University consists of sixteen colleges, including Liberal Arts, Engineering, Science, Social Sciences, Law, Bio-Resources & Agriculture, Management, Public Health, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Medicine, and Life Science.[6] They offer bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees in multiple disciplines and specializations across science, arts, and the humanities. Some majors are considered more competitive than others and require a higher score in the General Scholastic Ability Test or other national examinations. In recent years, medicine, electrical engineering, law, and finance have been the most selective majors. Most majors take four years to complete while the dental program and the medical program take six years to finish.

Students are able to select courses offered by any of the colleges, with up to 8,000 courses made available for selection each semester. Undergraduate students are required to take a mandatory core curriculum, which is comprised of courses in Chinese, English, physical education, and public service. The medical school also requires each of its students to take philosophy and sociology classes as well as seminars in ethics and thanatology. Military training is no longer an obligatory course for male students, but it is a prerequisite if they plan to apply to become officers during their compulsory military service.

Affiliations

The International Chinese Language Program (ICLP), founded by Stanford University, is located at National Taiwan University.[29] NTU is also a member of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, Washington University in St. Louis's McDonnell International Scholars Academy,[30][31] and the Association of East Asian Research Universities.[32][33] The university participates in several programs of the Taiwan International Graduate Program of Academia Sinica, Taiwan's most preeminent academic research institution.

In 2021, the "International College" was established, primarily enrolling international students of foreign nationality and offering courses entirely in English.[34]

University rankings

Quick Facts University rankings, Global – Overall ...

Overall rankings

National Taiwan University is widely considered to be the best university in Taiwan. NTU was ranked 68th worldwide in the QS World University Rankings 2025,[45] 187th worldwide in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023, 203rd worldwide in the US News 2022-2023, and 201-300th worldwide in the ARWU 2022.

The Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities (ARTU), which sorts universities based on their aggregate performance across THE, QS, and ARWU, ranked NTU 135th worldwide in 2022.[46]

With other peering references of academic ranking, NTU also releases NTU World Universities ranking annually on the Double Ten Day, the National Holiday of the Republic of China.[47]

Subject rankings

In the QS and ARWU subject rankings, NTU is ranked first in Taiwan in the majority of subjects.[48][49] In the THE Subject Rankings, NTU is ranked first in Taiwan in all subjects.[50]

More information Subject, Global ...

List of presidents

The president heads the university. Each college is headed by a dean and each department by a chairman. Students elect their own representatives each year to attend administrative meetings.

National Taiwan University

  • Chen Wen-chang: 8 January 2023 – present
  • Kuan Chung-ming: 8 January 2019 – 7 January 2023
  • Tei-Wei Kuo [zh] (interim): October 2017 – January 2019
  • Yang Pan-chyr [zh]: June 2013 – June 2017
  • Lee Si-chen: August 2005 – June 2013
  • Chen Wei-jao: 22 June 1993 – June 2005
  • Kuo Kuang-hsiung [zh]: March 1993 – June 1993
  • Sun Chen [zh]: August 1984 – February 1993
  • Yu Chao-chung [zh]: August 1981 – July 1984
  • Yen Cheng-hsing: June 1970 – July 1981
  • Chien Szu-liang: January 1951 – May 1970
  • Shen Kang-po [zh]: December 1950 – January 1951
  • Fu Szu-nien: January 1949 – December 1950
  • Chuang Chang-kung [zh]: June 1948 – December 1948
  • Lu Chih-houng: August 1946 – May 1948
  • Lo Tsung-lo: August 1945 – July 1946

Taihoku Imperial University

  • Kazuo Ando (安藤一雄): March 1945 – August 1945
  • Masatsugu Ando [ja]: April 1941 – March 1945
  • Sadanori Mita [ja]: September 1937 – April 1941
  • Taira Shidehara [ja]: March 1928 – September 1937

Alumni

See also: List of National Taiwan University people
Presidents of Taiwan
Lee Teng-hui '48
Agriculture
Chen Shui-bian '74
Law
Ma Ying-jeou '72
Law
Tsai Ing-wen '78
Law
Lai Ching-te '84
Medicine

NTU has graduated notable alumni in politics, business, academia, science, medicine, and numerous other fields. Five of the eight presidents of the Republic of China are graduates of the university: Lai Ching-te, the current president of Taiwan; Tsai Ing-Wen, the first woman to be elected to the position; Ma Ying-jeou; Chen Shui-bian, the first member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to hold the office; and Lee Teng-hui, the first native-born Taiwanese to become president. In addition, six out of the 13 vice-presidents of the Republic of China have graduated from NTU, including Lee Teng-hui, Lien Chan, Annette Lu, Wu Den-yih, Chen Chien-jen, and Lai Ching-te. The heads of major political parties—such as Eric Chu, chairman of the Kuomintang; Ko Wen-je, former mayor of Taipei and founder of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP); and Huang Kuo-chang, chairman of the TPP—also graduated from NTU.

In science, graduates include Yuan T. Lee, who received the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of reaction dynamics, and Andrew Yao, who was awarded the Turing Award in 2000 for his contributions to cryptography and computation. In addition, chemist Chi-Huey Wong, winner of the 2014 Wolf Prize in Chemistry, and botanist Shang Fa Yang, winner of the 1991 Wolf Prize in Agriculture, were also graduates.

As of 2024, about half (48.7%) of all academicians of Academia Sinica are NTU graduates and 70 percent of all Taiwanese members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences are.[51] In academia, alumni include Chang-Lin Tien, chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and Henry T. Yang, chancellor of the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Many of the university's graduates have gone on to found or head major companies, including Quanta Computer's Barry Lam, Mediatek's Tsai Ming-kai and Garmin's Min Kao.

Notes

  1. pinyin: Dūnpǐn Lìxué, àiguó àirén
  2. Chemist Yuan T. Lee, a 1959 graduate of National Taiwan University, won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with John C. Polanyi and Dudley R. Herschbach.
  3. After graduating from NTU in 1967, Andrew Yao earned a Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University and a second doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was awarded the Turing Award in 2000 for contributions to computer science.
  4. Botanist Shang Fa Yang graduated with his bachelor's degree and his master's degree from NTU In 1956 and 1958, respectively, and was awarded the 1991 Wolf Prize in Agriculture. Biochemist Chi-Huey Wong graduated from NTU with his bachelor's degree and master's degree in 1970 and 1977, respectively, and received the 2014 Wolf Prize in Chemistry.
  5. The five Taiwanese graduates were: Seth Mackay Ko (History), De-Jyun Jhong (Politics), Ching-chung Hsu (Agriculture), Sing-wun Liu (Agriculture), and Yu-ze Cai (Agriculture).[13]

See also

References

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