National Cheng Kung University

Institute of Manufacturing Information and Systems

Regulations for Application by Master’s Students for Direct Admission into the Doctoral Program

Passed at the institute meeting on November 2, 2000

Amended and passed at the institute meeting on March 23, 2005

1. The following regulations were established in accordance with the Guidelines for Direct Admission of Master’s Students into the Doctoral Programs of the University, and came into effect upon being passed at the institute meeting. The same guidelines and procedures apply to the amendments, if any.
2. The graduate students in the master’s program of the Institute who meet the following two criteria and have obtained the letters of recommendation from their advisors, may submit an application:
   1. Possessing remarkable research potential;
   2. Ranked among the top one-third of the class during both semesters in their first year (at least six matriculated courses shall be completed, and the calculation is based on the order of grade averages earned in all of the courses taken), or recognized by the Institute for outstanding academic achievements in other special situations
3. Application method:
   1. Application date: Submit an application to the office of the Institute by July 15^th
   2. Required documents:
      1. Two letters of recommendation (including a letter of recommendation from the advisor in the master’s program)
      2. Application form
      3. Doctoral dissertation plan
      4. Transcript for the first year in the master’s program
      5. Publications or other relevant materials
   3. Application location: Office of the Institute
4. Screening date: Prior to early August
5. Screening method:
   1. The application material review score takes up 65% of the total score, while the oral test score accounts for 35%. The grading policy must follow the grading policy for the doctoral program admission examination of the Institute. However, if the number of applicants exceeds the approved quota, the Institute’s grading policy for direct admission into the doctoral program shall apply, in order to determine the priority.
   2. The Institute shall submit the information regarding the recommended candidates who have passed the initial screening, and the meeting minutes of the screening committee to the Office of Academic Affairs by August 20^th.
6. The quota of master’s students of the Institute being directly admitted into the doctoral program each academic year is one third of the recruitment quota for regular doctoral students (excluding the quota for the in-service evening program) of the Institute approved by the Ministry of Education for the current year. However, when the approved recruitment quota is less than five persons, two students at the master’s level may be directly admitted into the doctoral program. The abovementioned quota is not included in the recruitment quota for regular doctoral students approved by the Ministry of Education for the current academic year.
7. Graduate students who were directly admitted into the doctoral program but discontinued their doctoral study for certain reasons or failed the qualification examination for becoming doctoral candidates, may be transferred back to the master’s program after such case is reviewed and passed at the institute meeting and the President gives his/her approval. The aforesaid graduate students are required to complete the required courses in the master’s program, submit a thesis, and pass the examination held by the Master's Degree Examination Committee before being conferred a master’s degree. The duration of study in the doctoral program is not included in the maximum study period for the master’s program.
8. Graduate students who were directly admitted into the doctoral program, have completed the required courses and passed the qualification examination for becoming a doctoral candidate but failed the doctoral degree examination may be conferred a master’s degree after the Doctoral Degree Examination Committee determines that their doctoral dissertations have met the criteria for master’s degree.
9. Graduate students who have not been directly admitted into the doctoral program of the Institute may not apply to transfer to another department (or graduate school).

Grading Policy for Direct Admission into Doctoral Program

1. Application Material Review Score (65% of the total score)
   1. Publications (35%)
      1. The basic points for relevant publications are shown in the table below.

2. The papers shall be accepted or published within three years prior to the application.
3. The actual points earned depend on the order of authors, as follows:

-- Single author except for the advisor: (basic points x 1)

-- First author except for the advisor: (basic points x ⅔)

-- Second author except for the advisor: (basic points x ⅓)

-- Others: (basic points x 0)

4. The calculation of the final score in percentage is as follows:

Publication review score =          Actual points              × 35%

                            Highest point among applicants

2. Order of doctoral dissertation proposals, letters of recommendation and other relevant materials (30%)
   1. The professors responsible for the review give scores according to the priority of recommendation; the method is as follows:

-- Each professor responsible for the review gives points according to the priority of recommendation. The highest point is equal to the total number of applicants, while the lowest point is 1. The points shall be integrals and unrepeatable.

2. The actual points that each applicant earns are the total points that all of the professors have given.
3. The calculation of the final score in percentage is as follows:

Relevant material review score =           Actual points        × 30%

                                Highest point among applicants

2. Oral Test Score (35% of the total score)
   1. The assessment items include research potential, moral and academic achievements.
   2. The professors responsible for the oral test give scores according to the priority of recommendation; the method is as follows:

-- Each professor responsible for the oral test gives points according to the priority of recommendation. The highest point is equal to the total number of applicants, while the lowest point is 1. The points shall be integrals and unrepeatable.

3. The actual points that each applicant earns are the total points that all of the professors have given.
4. The calculation of the final score in percentage is as follows:

Oral test score =          Actual points             × 30%

             Highest point among applicants

3. Admission Priority

The final score is the sum of the application material review score (65%) and the oral test score (35%). The candidates within the approved recruitment quota are recommended to the Office of Academic Affairs according to the o