Interdisciplinary Talent

Organizational Restructuring to Advance Interdisciplinary Integration

After nearly 20 years of discussion and planning, National Yang-Ming University and National Chiao Tung University finally completed their merger. The two universities possessed highly complementary strengths in research and academic disciplines. National Yang-Ming University has long excelled in cultivating outstanding talent in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, life sciences, biomedical engineering, and medical humanities, and has established strong foundations in areas such as aging and long-term care, oncology, neuroscience, and biomedical engineering. National Chiao Tung University, on the other hand, holds a leading international position in electrical engineering, computer science, semiconductors, photonics, materials science, and artificial intelligence, and has nurtured top-tier technology talent in Taiwan for more than half a century.

The merged institution, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, now comprises nine campuses across five counties and cities, encompassing 19 colleges, 1,400 faculty members, and 17,000 students. In addition to its strengths in biomedical sciences and science–engineering–ICT fields, the university also demonstrates distinctive development in the humanities, social sciences, and the arts.

Enhancing General Education through the Liberal Arts Residential College

A university is a cradle for the pursuit of truth, the advancement of knowledge, and the cultivation of talent. Beyond striving for academic breakthroughs, a university must also nurture students through holistic education. For this reason, NYCU places strong emphasis on undergraduate holistic development and has carefully designed and promoted a people-centered Liberal Arts Education. The goal is to cultivate future leaders equipped not only with solid professional expertise (hard skills) but also with broad liberal competencies (soft skills).

Unlike the traditional model that treats general education as supplementary to professional education, NYCU’s liberal arts education stresses learning through practice and lived experiences. To this end, the University incorporates two additional dimensions—Experiential Learning and Community-Based Learning—establishing Taiwan’s uniquely integrated “Four-in-One” Liberal Arts Education Model.

Guided by the vision of holistic education, the University aims to foster a campus environment that:

Encourages free and diverse intellectual exploration,
Cultivates a respectful and inquisitive attitude toward learning,
Develops character grounded in the humanities, arts, and ethics, and
Inspires empathy, cultural understanding, and appreciation of human diversity.

To realize these goals, beginning in Academic Year 2021, the University formally launched a comprehensive, university-wide undergraduate program—the NYCU Liberal Arts College (NYCU College). The NYCU Liberal Arts College is dedicated to implementing and advancing liberal arts education, with the mission of cultivating a new generation of elite leaders who actively engage in public affairs, embody altruism, and demonstrate care for society and the environment—future citizens of excellence.

Developing a Bilingual Campus and Advancing Global Engagement through the International College

In response to the challenges Taiwan faces in recent years from global industry trends and the knowledge-based economy, NYCU has established the International College, drawing on the successful experiences of the International Semiconductor Industry Program and the International Health Program. The College aims to deepen existing international networks and collaborations, and to expand the University’s international engagement beyond semiconductors and biomedical sciences to include other fundamental and emerging fields. Its goal is to cultivate globally competitive innovative talent and to help elevate local talent onto the global stage.

Over the next decade, the University plans to:

Strengthen partnerships with top global universities and leading research institutions,
Build a bilingual-friendly campus and support system,
Offer distinctive, fully English-taught courses and degree programs across diverse fields, and
Provide internationally recognized, high-quality training and certification for higher education teaching to enhance faculty competencies.

Through these efforts, NYCU seeks to create an outstanding higher education environment suited to Taiwan—one that cultivates interdisciplinary professionals with global perspectives, precise thinking, and diverse insights, enabling seamless alignment with the global higher education landscape. We anticipate that these initiatives will further expand the MIT (Made in Taiwan) brand, stimulate the growth of innovative industries, and significantly enhance the international impact of Taiwan’s higher education.

Innovative Academic Models to Promote Industry–Government–Academia–Research Co-Creation

In the past, as a national university, NYCU was subject to government regulations that imposed limitations on institutional operations. These restrictions hindered the University’s ability to recruit industry experts as instructors, preventing students from gaining timely and up-to-date industry knowledge. Likewise, industry–academia collaboration projects faced limited flexibility in the use of project funding.

To address these challenges, NYCU drafted the “Special Act for Industry–Academia Collaboration and Talent Cultivation in National Strategic Fields,” taking the lead in proposing reforms to the current system. The Act seeks to relax constraints imposed by the University Act, the Degree Conferral Act, the Teachers’ Act, the Government Procurement Act, and other related regulations. Through stronger linkages between academia and industry, the University established the College of Industry–Academia Innovation Research, an entity with independent organizational structure and budget.

With autonomy over personnel, accounting, and general administration, the College aims to build a mutually beneficial bridge between the University and industry. It will integrate education, professional training, research and development, and service to strengthen knowledge exchange, promote talent cultivation, and foster long-term, sustainable partnerships between academia and industry.