TIGP-BIODIVERSITY PRORGAM

DEGREE REQUIREMENT

1. Course Work

Each student is required to complete 12 credit units of required course work.

Students with a Master’s degree  or who have worked in a related research field for at least five years after obtaining a B.S. degree , NTNU & THU reserve the right to make the final decision on the student’s qualification.

2. Lab Rotation

A student should rotate through 2 to 4 labs in 2 semesters. A failed rotation should be retaken the following semester.

3. Thesis Advisor

A student is required to identify a Thesis Advisor from within the Program faculty one month before the end of the first year (no later than June 30).

4. Thesis Advisory Committee

Within a month of identifying a Thesis Advisor, a student should propose, with Advisor’s help, a Thesis Advisory Committee, to be approved by the Curriculum Committee. The committee should consist of at least five members, including the Thesis Advisor, and at least one committee member not affiliated with Academia Sinica, and National Taiwan Normal University (for NTNU students) /Tunghai University (for THU student). The Thesis Advisory Committee shall meet at least once every six months to receive a progress report from the student. The Committee shall evaluate progress, and advise on current research problems and the future direction of the project.

5. Qualification Examination

The Qualification examination consists of two stages, the Preliminary Examination and the Thesis Proposal Oral Defense, explained briefly below. For details of the Qualification Examination, see Guidelines for Qualifying Examinations in the TIGP Biodiversity Program, Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University and Department of Life Science, Tunghai University.

TIGP-BIODIV Program Study Schedule and other details, see Forms&Guidelines

5.1 Preliminary Examination

A student must demonstrate the depth and breadth of his/her knowledge in the fields of biodiversity by passing an oral examination. The student should take the Preliminary Examination before the end of the second semester; if the student does not pass the Preliminary Examination, the student’s monthly fellowship will suffer a 10,000 reduction until the student passes the examination.
Only one make-up examination will be allowed if a student fails at the first attempt, and the student must pass the make-up examination before the end of the third semester.

5.2 Thesis Proposal and Oral Defense

A student must demonstrate the suitability of his/her proposed research by successfully defending his/her thesis proposal. The student should complete the Thesis Proposal Oral Defense before the end of the fourth semester and provide the Program Office with a near-final copy of the full thesis proposal to be defended three weeks before the defense date. If the student does not pass the Thesis Proposal Oral Defense, the student’s monthly fellowship will suffer a 10,000 reduction until the student passes the defense.
Only one make-up oral defense will be allowed if a student fails at the first attempt. The student must pass the make-up oral defense before the end of the fifth semester.

6. Progress Report

A student who has passed the Thesis Proposal Oral Defense should call a progress report meeting at least once before the end of each academic year until graduation; the Thesis Advisory Committee shall evaluate progress, and advise on current research problems and the future direction of the student’s project.

7. Thesis Defense

Students must have had research result(s) published or manuscript(s) accepted by SCI journal(s). The student must be the first author or the corresponding author of either (1) one paper with an Impact Factor (IF) higher than 3.5, or (2) one paper in a journal ranked in the top 15% in the field, or (3) more than one SCI paper. IF is the 5-year average IF for the journal. Students need to provide the published paper(s) or the letter(s) of acceptance of the paper(s). The above criteria can also be applicable to the students who enrolled in and before 2020. If there is any application that does not meet the above criteria, both the student and the Thesis Advisor have to provide additional statements to the Curriculum Committee for discussion and, if needed, external review. The reviewers shall be recommended by the Curriculum Committee. The Curriculum Committee shall make the final decision after receiving the review.

Degree candidates in the Biodiversity Program must be officially registered students of the TIGP Biodiversity Program of the National Taiwan Normal University or Tunghai University. Upon graduation, a student will be conferred a Ph.D. degree, and will receive a diploma from the National Taiwan Normal University or Tunghai University as well as a certificate from the Academia Sinica.