Academics

Degree Examination

Application Procedures

Ph.D. candidates should fill out an application requesting for the Degree Examination and submit it along with past transcripts, thesis abstract, and proof of successful completion of the Qualifying Examination to the Program Administrator and the School of Life Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University within the school deadlines. After approval by the thesis advisor, the Program Director, and the Director of the School of Life Sciences, students should submit the documents mentioned above, along with a letter of recommendation from the thesis advisor and a name list of the Degree Examination Committee to the Office of Academic Affairs at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University for the administrative process.

Prerequisites for Examination

  1. Students must have completed all courses and credit hours required by the program.
  2. Have passed the Qualifying Examination for Ph.D. candidacy.
  3. Ph.D. students, after passing the qualification exam for at least six months and obtaining the approval of their advisor, may apply for a pre-oral examination.
    1. Documents required for the pre-oral examination include the application form, CV, transcripts, draft of the thesis, and recommendation letters from the advisor and the thesis advisory committee.
    2. The pre-oral examination committee is composed of five to nine members recommended by the advisor, with one member serving as the convener. After obtaining the approval of at least two-thirds (including ) of the program's steering committee members, the pre-oral examination committee can be established.
  4. After passing the pre-oral qualification examination, students, upon approval by their advisor and the thesis advisory committee, can apply for the degree examination.
  5. Documents required for the degree examination application include the application form, CV, transcripts, draft of the thesis, and recommendation letters from the advisor and the thesis advisory committee.
  6. If the student has already published a first-authored or co-first-authored paper in an internationally peer-reviewed journal, and with the agreement of the advisor and the thesis advisory committee, the student may submit an application for the degree examination, along with relevant supporting documents (initial draft of the graduation thesis, journal information, recommendation letters from the advisor and the thesis advisory committee, and transcripts). The above-mentioned published paper must be recognized by the thesis advisory committee and published in the name of this program.

Affiliation for Publication

  1. Taiwan International Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
  2. Thesis advisor’s affiliation, where you did your thesis

Degree Examination Committee

The Degree Examination Committee will consist of five to nine members, recommended by the thesis advisor and approved by the program director. Over one-third of the committee members should be from the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, and over one-third of the committee members should be from outside of the school. A chairperson will be selected from the committee, and the student’s thesis advisor cannot be the chairperson. Qualifications of a faculty as a member of the Degree Examination Committee will be determined as per National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University regulations.

Thesis Examination

  1. A draft of the thesis must be written in the format required by the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and approved by the thesis advisor. The draft should be submitted to the Degree Examination Committee at least two weeks before the Degree Examination.
  2. The doctoral dissertation examination is conducted in the form of an oral defense, following the principle of openness. The time, venue, and thesis topic must be announced in advance.
  3. Prior to the dissertation examination, an originality comparison report for the thesis should be completed and provided for the reference of the examination committee. After the dissertation examination concludes, the advisor should sign and confirm the data on the degree examination result form.
  4. Members of the degree examination committee must personally attend the committee and may not delegate representation to others. Additionally, at least one-third of the external committee members must be present for the examination to proceed. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the examination being invalid, and any conducted examinations under such circumstances will not be recognized.
  5. Examination results are based on a passing grade of B- (70 on a percentage scale), with A+ (100 on a percentage scale) as the maximum score. The average score is determined by the attending committee members. If more than one-third of the attending committee members assess a student as failing, the overall examination result will be considered a failure, and no average will be calculated.
  6. Students who receive a failing grade in the thesis examination may apply for a reexamination once before the maximum period of study is due. Applicants must submit a request form within the specified period of the academic calendar for the following academic year. After approval from the advisor, program director, dean of academic affairs, and president, the reexamination can take place. Reexamination is limited to one attempt, and if the student fails again, dismissal from the program is mandatory.