Academic Regulation

Duration of Study

1.Doctoral Degree Program:

For students holding a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent: a minimum of 4 academic years and a maximum of 8 academic years.
For students holding a Master’s degree or equivalent: a minimum of 3 academic years and a maximum of 6 academic years.

2.Master’s Degree Program: a minimum of 2 academic years and a maximum of 5 academic years.

Academic Evaluation

Letter grade symbols are recorded as follow:

Letter Grades Definitions GPA Points

A Excellent 4.00
B+ Very Good 3.50
B Good 3.00
C+ Fairly Good 2.50
C Fair 2.00
D+ Poor 1.50
D Very Poor 1.00
F Failed 0.00

Other designations, without credit points, are assigned for coursework taken as follow:

O Outstanding
S Satisfactory
U Unsatisfactory
AU Audit (no credit granted)
P Pass
NP Not Pass
I Incomplete
W Withdrawal
IP In Progress
NR No Report
Attendance: Students are expected to attend classes regularly. A minimum of 80 percent of class attendance is mandatory to qualify for taking the final examination, except for independent studies.
Students must obtain a B or higher grade in the required courses, and a C or higher grade in elective courses, otherwise they must retake the same required course or other elective courses, respectively.

Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination may be a written and/or oral examination.
Eligibility requirements for the qualifying examination:
  1. For Ph.D. students, they must follow the announcements set out by their respective Program Management Committee. (if required)
  2. For Master’s students who have been transferred to a Ph.D. degree program
    2.1 For plan A (1), students must have completed research work which can be further developed Ph.D. thesis. Additionally, they must have been approved by the respective Program Management Committee and have notified the Division of Academic Support.
    2.2 For plan A (2), students must enroll for at least 2 semesters and have completed not less than 15 credits of coursework with a cumulative GPA (i.e., GPAX) not less than 3.50 or must have been approved for eligibility by the Program Management Committee.

Remark: For more information, please follow Announcement Qualifying Examination for each academic year.

Thesis Writing and Examination

Thesis Proposal

  1. Students must obtain permission from their thesis advisor or the Program Director before registering for thesis research.
  2. After the registration, students must write a research proposal in English and submit it to their thesis advisors.
  3. Students are required to fill in thesis proposal title for approval form(T01) to ask for the approval of their thesis titles and conducting main and co thesis advisors.
  4. Students must request approval of their proposal examination dates from the Program Director through their thesis advisors.
  5. After students have passed the proposal examination, the thesis proposal committee will approve their thesis procedure to conduct the research.
  6. To change their thesis titles or thesis committee, students must obtain both permission from their thesis advisors and approval from the Program Director. (T04 Form)
  7. The thesis must be written in English.

Thesis Defense

  1. Students can request a thesis defense examination date when they have:
    Their thesis titles approved by the Program Director, and they have spent not less than 90 days writing their thesis.
    Completed all the courses required to fulfill the credit requirements with a cumulative GPA (i.e., GPAX) of at least 3.00.
    Passed the English Proficiency Test required by the Institute.
    Obtained approval to take the thesis defense examination from their thesis advisors and Program Director.
  2. Assessment criteria for the thesis defense examination:Upon the completion of the thesis defense examination, the thesis committee will provide their opinions and assessments, using the following criteria.
    “Passed” means that students could present their thesis research and answer all the questions to the satisfaction of the thesis committee. Students can then submit the complete thesis with any minor revisions to the Program Director.
    “Passed with conditions” means that students could not entirely satisfy the thesis committee when presenting their thesis research and/or answering all the questions. Therefore, the thesis committee will advise revision of the thesis or an addition of some sections to the thesis. The revision of the thesis must be completed within 90 days after the thesis examination results have been announced.
    “Not Passed” means that students could not present their thesis research adequately to their thesis committee and/or could not answer the questions well, indicating that the students do not understand parts of their thesis. The thesis committee will inform and advise the students to rewrite parts of their theses within a suggested period. The students must request a thesis reexamination and also reregister for thesis research at the Academic Support Division.
  3. If students who received a “Passed with conditions” or “Not Passed” assessment cannot completely fulfill the required conditions and recommendations of the thesis committee within the suggested period, they must provide their reasons and request permission for an extension from the Program Director, otherwise they will receive a “Not Passed” assessment, and must reregister for thesis research.
  1. Students must submit the complete theses and the thesis contents recorded on a CD to the Academic Support Division. not later than 21 days after the Institute has announced that the students have passed their thesis examination. For late submissions, students will be fined at the rate specified in the CGI regulations. However, students may delay their thesis submission for 90 days after the deadline.
    Annulment of the thesis defense examination results: If the Academic Support Division does not receive the complete theses and the thesis contents recorded on a CD within 90 days after the deadline, the thesis examination results will be annulled. If the students still wish to graduate, they must rewrite the thesis.

Benefits from Thesis Research

  1. Thesis Copyrights: The copyrights of the thesis and all resulting publications will conform to the Intellectual Property Laws and the CGI Regulations.
  2. Patents: All patents or commercial benefits resulting from thesis research will conform to the Intellectual Property Laws and the CGI Regulations.

Graduation Requirements

Students must have fulfilled the corresponding requirements before they can apply for graduation. However, if the requirements are not met due to some justifiable reasons, the Institute may exceptionally extend the period of study with the approval of the Institute’s Council.

1.Doctoral Degree Program

1.1 Plan 1 focuses on thesis research. Courses taken without credits are optional. In order to apply for graduation, students must have (1) Completed full-time study and the residential requirements as specified in the Duration of Study section. (2) Obtained a satisfactory letter grade for all the courses taken without credits. (3) Passed the language proficiency test required by the Institute. (4) Passed the qualifying examination. (5) Submitted the thesis manuscript, and passed the oral defense examination administered by the thesis examination committee. The date of the defense examination will be used as the graduation date. (6) Submitted the complete thesis conforming to the institutional standards, along with the thesis contents recorded on a CD within the specified period. (7) A manuscript derived from the thesis research that must have been published or at least accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, which is internationally recognized in the field.

1.2 Plan 2 focuses on developing high-quality thesis research with additional credit-earning courses that can be applied in academic or professional contexts. In order to apply for graduation, students must have (1) Completed full-time study and the residential requirements as specified in the Duration of Study section. (2) Completed all the courses required to fulfill the credit requirements with acumulative GPA (i.e., GPAX) of at least 3.00. (3) Passed the language proficiency test required by the Institute. (4) Passed the qualifying examination. (5) Submitted the thesis manuscript, and passed the oral defense examination administered by the thesis examination committee. The date of the defense examination will be used as the graduation date. (6) Submitted the complete thesis conforming to the institutional standards, along with the thesis contents recorded on a CD within the specified period. (7) A manuscript derived from the thesis research that must have been published or at least accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, which is internationally recognized in the field.

2. Master’s Degree Program

2.1 Plan A(1) focuses on thesis research. Courses taken without credit are optional. In order to apply for graduation, students must have (1) Completed full time study and the residential requirements as specified in the Duration of Study section. (2) Obtained a satisfactory letter grade for all the courses taken without credits. (3) Passed the language proficiency test required by the Institute. (4) Submitted the thesis manuscript, and passed the oral defense examination administered by the thesis examination committee. The date of the defense examination will be used as the graduation date. (5) Submitted the complete thesis conforming to the institutional standards, along with the thesis contents recorded on a CD within the specified period. (6) A manuscript derived from the thesis research that must have been published or at least accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal, or for presentation at an academic meeting for which meeting proceedings are published.

2.2 Plan A(2)focuses on thesis research with additional credit-earning courses. In order to apply for graduation, students must have (1) Completed full-time study and the residential requirements as specified in the Duration of Study section. (2) Completed all the courses required to fulfill the credit requirements with a cumulative GPA (i.e., GPAX) of at least 3.00. (3) Passed the language proficiency test required by the Institute. (4) Submitted the thesis manuscript, and passed the oral defense examination administered by the thesis examination committee. The date of the defense examination will be used as the graduation date. (5) Submitted the complete thesis conforming to the institutional standards, along with the thesis contents recorded on a CD within the specified period. (6) A manuscript derived from the thesis research that must have been published or at least accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal, or for a presentation at an academic meeting for which meeting proceedings are published. 3. Graduate Diploma Program In order to apply for graduation, students must have (1) Completed full-time study and the residential requirements as specified in the Duration of Study section. (2) Completed all the courses required to fulfill the credit requirements with a cumulative GPA (i.e., GPAX) of at least 3.00. (3) Passed the language proficiency test required by the Institute. (4) Passed the comprehensive examination according to the institutional standards. (5) Graduation date is the date when all the conditions listed in (1) to (4) have been fulfilled.

Absences Sick Leave Sick leave may be granted to students who could not take the examinations in some or all of the courses being taken due to an illness. However, they must submit a request form for sick leave and a medical certificate written by a qualified physician to the Chairperson of the respective Program Management Committee within 1 week from the date of illness. Leave of Absence

  1. Students may submit a request form for leave of absence to their advisors in the following cases: 1.1 They have been compulsorily enrolled for military services. 1.2 They have received a scholarship for an exchange program. 1.3 They have been ill for more than 3 weeks and have a medical certificate. 1.4 They have some justifiable personal reasons and have been enrolled for at least 1 semester with a cumulative GPA (i.e., GPAX) not lower than 3.00. 1.5 They did not register within the specified period.
  2. Students who need to request leave of absence while having no academic record, or having a cumulative GPA (i.e., GPAX) lower than 3.00, must submit the request form to the Office of Academic Affairs as soon as possible, and the request must be approved by the Chairperson of the respective Program Management Committee.
  3. Students who have not yet registered must submit a request form for a leave of absence within the first 2 weeks of the semester. On the other hand, students who have already registered may submit the request form within 10 weeks after the semester begins.
  4. Leave of absence will be granted for a maximum of 2 semesters at a time. If students have acceptable reason(s) for an extension, they must resubmit a request form. However, the total time for leave of absence may not be longer than the duration of study required for their program of study, except for 1.1 and 1.2.
  5. Students who have obtained permission for leave of absence must pay the registration fee to maintain their student status in every semester during their absence, otherwise their student status will be annulled.
  6. In order to return from a leave of absence earlier than expected, students must request approval from the Chairperson of the respective Program Management Committee, and notify the Office of Academic Affairs of the results at least 1 week before the intended registration date.
  7. After returning from leave of absence, the student status will remain the same as before the leave.

Student Dismissal Students will be dismissed if:

  1. They do not register and pay all applicable fees either for classes or to maintain their student status within the first 2 weeks of the semester. However, students can regain their student status in that semester with permission from the Chairperson of the respective Program Management Committee.
  2. Their cumulative GPA (i.e., GPAX) is lower than 3.00.
  3. Conditionally-admitted students do not perform up to the expected standards