1. PhD Program Duration and Credit Requirements:
A. Duration: 2 to 7 years.
B. Credit requirements: A total of 18 credits (excluding the dissertation) must be completed,
including:
･Major (International Relations or Strategic Studies) with 3 courses.
･2 minors (International Relations, Strategic Studies, National Security and Defense Affairs, Chinese Military and Cross-Strait Relations, Regional Security and Global Governance) with 2 courses each.
2. Course Selection Regulations:
A. Each semester, students may enroll in a maximum of 8 credits.
B. For doctoral programs in other departments and master’s programs in this department
(excluding the master’s in-service programs), a maximum of 4 credits can be recognized as
graduation credits.
C. When selecting courses from other departments or different academic systems, students are
limited to one course per semester.
3. Qualification Exam Regulations:
A. Eligibility to Apply: Must have completed 18 required credits.
B. Application Period: Every October and March.
C. Exam Period: Every December and May.
D. Application Materials:
･One copy of the full-year transcript from the university.
･One copy of the qualification exam application form from the department.
E. Exam Content:
･One major subject and one minor subject.
･A passing score is 70.
･If a subject is failed, a retake can be applied for after one year, but the examination field cannot be changed. The retake is limited to one attempt.
F. Question Setting:
･Questions are set by the instructors of the courses taken in the relevant fields.
･Each instructor provides 2 questions, forming a question bank for candidates to choose from.
G. Exam Format:
･Each subject (major and minor) is 3 hours long.
･Candidates must answer 4 questions per subject.
･Candidates can choose to answer on paper or on a computer, but the risk of computer-based answers is borne by the candidate.
･During the exam, the use of books, internet resources, and personal computer equipment is prohibited.
H. Exam Location:
･Will be notified to candidates separately.
4. Requirements for obtaining PhD candidacy:
A. Completion of the required 18 credits.
B. Passing the qualifying examination.
C. Submission of an application for a thesis advisor.
5. Thesis Outline Review:
A. It requires a public presentation and the approval of at least three review committee members.
B. The review committee members are recommended by the advisor and are essentially the same members as those for the final doctoral dissertation defense. Only after passing the thesis outline review can one apply for the doctoral dissertation defense in the following semester.
6. PhD Dissertation Defense:
A. Application Requirements:
･Passing the thesis outline review.
･Submitting published academic journal articles or proof of acceptance for publication, with the requirement to complete the publication before graduation.
B. Publication Requirements:
･Publishing two academic papers in international relations or strategic studies journals that have a double-blind peer review system, either domestically or internationally; or
･Publishing one academic paper in such journals and presenting two papers at academic conferences, either domestically or internationally.
C. Academic Conference Participation Requirements:
･Attend at least two academic conferences per semester, either domestically or internationally, with a minimum of six conferences attended before graduation.
D. Academic Research Ethics Education:
･Complete the “Academic Research Ethics Education” course through the Taiwan Academic Ethics Education Resource Center website and pass the online course test to obtain a course completion certificate before applying for the degree defense.
･If the student has already completed a related “Academic Research Ethics Education” course, they may apply for an exemption by providing proof of course completion during the first semester of enrollment. Upon approval, the student will be exempt from taking the course.
7. Other Relevant Regulations:
Follow the “TKU Regulations on the Examination Process for Graduate Degrees“, “TKU Regulations on the Employment of Supervising Professors to Oversee Graduate Student Dissertations,” and “Tamkang University Implementation Guidelines for Graduate Students’ Academic Research Ethics Education Courses“.
This regulation shall be implemented after being approved by the institute’s general meeting, and the same applies to any amendments.
