Rules

J1 National Taipei University of Technology Thesis Preparation and Specifications for Graduate Students (Chinese, English)

J5 National Taipei University of Technology Policy of Master's Degree Examination (Chinese, English)

J8 National Taipei University of Technology Implementation Guidelines for Academic Research Ethics Education of Graduate Students (Chinese, English)

J9 National Taipei University of Technology Online Academic Research Ethics Education Course (Chinese, English)

Things to Know Before You Start

The Key Resources page lists the five key MA program resources that you should be familiar with during your MA student career. Much of what is written in this policy and procedures section is based on and has direct connection with these five resources.

You should follow the thesis format designed by the university (look for "National Taipei University of Technology Thesis Preparation and Specifications for Graduate Students" or "論文撰寫規範書" (item J1) on Office of Academic Affairs regulations website) for both of your thesis proposal and the final thesis. Make sure you read through the format before you start. There are finished theses of graduated students in the library for your reference if you are not sure about certain things in the format.

Also keep in mind that it is your responsibility to make sure you know the deadlines for proposal and thesis submission, and, given the complexities of writing a thesis and responding to feedback from your adviser and committee, you should make sure to allow yourself extra time.

Potential Tripping Points

This MA procedures section and its subordinate pages provide a comprehensive guide of the MA procedures. It is therefore inevitable that some of the deadlines and conditions that can cause irreversible results are not necessarily easy to find. Listed here are some of this kind of deadlines and conditions.

Maximum Years of Study - J5 #2

According to the Taipei Tech Master's Degree Thesis Defense Policy, an MA student's maximum years of study is four years. This means you may only register as a student for four years (eight semesters), and you need to be registered in order to make a thesis proposal and defend your thesis. If you are not able to fulfill the graduation requirements and apply for graduation by the last semester of your study, you'll be automatically expelled from the program. We recommend that you try to complete the program within three years; there is seldom any advantage to taking longer. If you believe it will be impossible to complete your thesis within four years, you are permitted to take a leave of absence for up to two years, so long as you are only enrolled for four years and you are enrolled as a student in the semester that you defend your thesis. Do try to complete your thesis without taking a leave of absence if at all possible. Please see the National Taipei University of Technology Policy of Master's Degree Examination (J5) for more information.

It is not recommended to schedule your one and only thesis defense close to the end of the last semester of study. If your thesis is rejected in that thesis defense, you may not have time to do another thesis defense and will face expulsion.

Last Day of Thesis Defense Application - J5 #4

According to the Taipei Tech Master's Degree Thesis Defense Policy, the last day to apply to defend your thesis in the semester is November 30 for a first semester and May 31 for a second semester. Since you need to be registered for the semester (i.e. pay tuition) in order to defend your thesis, failing to apply on time will result in your needing to register for another semester.

You should also know that thesis defense application involves three parties—you, the department office, and the Office of Academic Affairs—it is therefore recommended to apply as early as possible. Do not wait until the last day to apply.

Plagiarism Report (and the Review of) - J5 #5

In addition to a plagiarism report on your thesis, you also need to obtain a review of that plagiarism report, issued by Taipei Tech Library, before your defense. Obtaining this review takes at least two weeks, and the library does not take any expedited case.

Unable to Attend Defense - J5 #5

If you have applied to defend your thesis and find yourself unable to attend the defense, you need to apply to cancel the defense one week before the scheduled defense date. Otherwise, you will automatically fail your thesis defense once. And failing the thesis defense twice means expulsion from the program.

Failing Thesis Defense -J5 #13

If your thesis is rejected, according to the Taipei Tech Master's Degree Thesis Defense Policy, the earliest you can apply to defend your thesis again is the next semester. In addition, if the thesis is rejected in the second thesis defense, you will face expulsion.

Last Day of Thesis Defense & Final Thesis Submission - J5 #16

According to the Taipei Tech Master's Degree Thesis Defense Policy, January 31 in a first semester and July 31 in a second semester are the last days not only for the thesis defense but also for the final thesis submission. Failing to submit your thesis by these dates will result in failing your thesis administratively even if your thesis defense committee has passed you. (Also, most thesis committees will require at least minor revisions, making it impossible to defend and submit your thesis on the same day). If you fail to submit your thesis by these dates, you will either need to register for another semester, or, if you have reached your maximum years of study, you will be expelled.

After your defense, and before you can submit your thesis to the school for graduation procedures, you will probably need to revise portions of your thesis and will need to send copies of your thesis for binding. So, do not foolishly wait until the last day to do everything even though administratively you may do so.