Have any of you guys heard of a non-Chinese speaking foreigner taking graduate courses in Taiwan?
I don’t mean learning Chinese. I’m thinking in terms of an MBA, MS, etc.
I’m mean while one is here . . .
Yes, many schools (mostly the “lower-rated” ones) will accept a reasonably-presentable foreigner to do a master’s course, including MBA courses.
I believe they expect at least a basic level of Chinese. My husband’s experience may or may not be typical: he came over on a scholarship program that had the brilliant premise that the students would “master” Chinese in six months at Shita’s Mandarin Training Center (as it was then called), then enroll in an MBA program at a Chinese university. Needless to say, nobody was able to “master” Chinese in that time. He was accepted in an MBA program (I think it was Chunghsing University) but we were concerned about the level of support he would get from the school, and in the end he decided that it would probably be smarter to wait and do his master’s elsewhere. Your mileage may vary, but be sure to inquire about the kind of support (academic, language, etc.) you can expect from the school.
I also knew another girl who had pretty basic Chinese and was studying for an undergraduate degree at a well-known university here. It was pretty tough for her at times but I think she managed to tough it out. I’m not sure exactly how much you would gain from such an experience; seems to me it would be pretty frustrating if you didn’t have a pretty good level of Mandarin. I’m getting ready to do a second Master’s here starting in the Fall and I have my own reservations about how well I’ll get on, even though I speak Mandarin fairly well.
Terry
Ironlady,
Thanks for the input.
Could you give examples of the kind of support you would need? Are you refering to the availability of english textbooks, or english speaking teachers?
If you don’t mind my asking, what kind of Master’s course were you planning on taking?
Would it be possible to get in touch with the young lady you mentioned who was brave enough to try an undergraduate course? I would be very interested in her experience.
Thanks
hey adroth, you might want to check out this link… http://imba.nccu.edu.tw/
nat’l chengchi university offers an “international” MBA taught exclusively in english.
i considered applying for fall2002, but the program was being restructured the whole time i was trying to get some info about it. all in all, it was frustrating enough to put me off the idea.
good luck
quote:
Originally posted by monkbucket: hey adroth, you might want to check out this link... [url=http://imba.nccu.edu.tw/]http://imba.nccu.edu.tw/[/url]nat’l chengchi university offers an “international” MBA taught exclusively in english.
i considered applying for fall2002, but the program was being restructured the whole time i was trying to get some info about it. all in all, it was frustrating enough to put me off the idea.
good luck
Thanks a lot Monk
Hi Adroth,
I’ve lost contact with her – last heard from her about 2-3 years ago. Sorry…She was at NTU, though. A nice girl from Argentina.
The support I was referring to includes books in English, being able to write tests in English, generally getting some help with orientation, visa issues, scholarship assistance, help getting accomodations (you might not want to go for the dorms 100%!) and so on.
I’m doing the Fujen U. MA in Interpretation, so it might not be completely germane to what you’re asking about. It’s kind of specialized, and you have to speak English. I still anticipate some problems just because people here often assume you know certain things about how a system works when you really don’t. I had a lot of this kind of problem when I was teaching at Taipei Medical University and at NTU.
Terry
I am currently enrolled in a graduate program at Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu.
As far as I know I am their first non-Mandarin speaking student (in my department).
I’d be happy to answer any specific questions you had.
Ironlady,
MA in Interpretation, sounds fascinating. That wouldn’t be about translation now would it?
What other masters courses are available in FuDa? I heard there are a lot of Filipinos there, am I right?
I know this is a rrreeeaaal long shot, but do they have any MS in IT courses there?
Kelake,
Hi! What graduate course are you into?
quote:
Originally posted by Adroth: Ironlady, Kelake,Hi! What graduate course are you into?
I am hoping to complete a M.A. in Visual Communication. It’s an absolutely unreal experience - without the help of a couple nice students - I’d be lost.
They seem very keen to have foreign students enroll but unfortunately they have very little in the way of a support system to deal with people like myself.
I looked into this a bit a few years back. My experience was that trying to get into school was a major hassle, not like the US, because the examination process was the only entrance method for local students, even at the graduate level. Even overseas Chinese had to take the entrance exams, though they might get freebie points for being overseas. So the only method was to find out about these exchange programs specifically designed for foreigners where they waived the typical entrance requirements. Nowadays, it’s probably much easier since the university entrance process has been liberalized somewhat in recent years. Anyways, I was enrolled in the MBA program at NCCU (not the English-speaking one; I took classes with the regular students) and I think the coordinator for that program is still there. If you’re interested in talking to her, let me know your email and I’ll shoot you her info.