As part of a two-week jaunt across Asia, Temple President Ann Weaver Hart stopped in Taiwan Nov. 1 to sign an agreement that will allow students at six Taiwanese universities to earn Temple graduate degrees after completing their undergraduate programs.
At the signing ceremony at National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Hart called the move a “pioneering collaborative relationship” for both Temple and its six Taiwanese partners: National Taiwan Normal University, National Sun Yat-sen University, Tunghai University, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan Science and Technology University and National Cheng Kung University.
Students admitted to the dual-degree program – nicknamed the “3+2” program – will spend three years at one of the six schools and transfer to Temple to complete undergraduate and graduate studies in two years. They will also take English-intensive courses in preparation for the master’s programs. Graduate degrees in 21 different areas of study have already been announced.
Hai-Lung Dai, dean of the College of Science and Technology, worked with Hart and other administrators to create the agreement.
Dai said the Taiwan dual-degree program is the first of its kind in the world. In addition to awarding graduate degrees to students more quickly, the initiative will continue to raise the university’s global profile with its emphasis on both study abroad and recruiting foreign scholars.
“There are more students coming from other countries to make Temple’s campus a more culturally diverse and dynamic campus,” said Dai, a native of Taiwan.
He said the university is in the process of finalizing the Taiwan program and is set to strike similar agreements with schools in China, Korea and Italy as early as next month.
“Under President’s Hart’s leadership, this, along with other programs, will certainly make Temple an international leader in education,” he said.
Benae Mosby can be reached at benae@temple.edu.
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