NDHU College of Humanities and Social Sciences
NDHU College of Humanities and Social Sciences is an interdisciplinary school of Humanities and Social Sciences of National Dong Hwa University. Founded in 1995, with Professor Yang Mu, the Founding Dean of HKUST School of Humanities and Social Science and Founding Director of Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy at Academia Sinica, as Founding Dean.
NDHU CHASS is one of the founding institutions of National Dong Hwa University as well as Taiwan's first school for interdisciplinary studies of Humanities and Social Sciences, which its MFA program in Creative Writing is recognized the first and most premier program for creative writing in Chinese-speaking world.
History
Foundation
With Yang Mu returned from Hong Kong and United States, NDHU College of Humanities and Social Sciences was founded in 1995 as Taiwan's first institution for Humanities and Social Sciences to serve the interdisciplinary trend of both disciplines. As Yang Mu's latest founded institution, he brought his academic experiences and network from being the Dean of HKUST School of Humanities and Social Science, Director of Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy at Academia Sinica, and Professor of Comparative Literature at University of Washington, to NDHU CHASS.In 1995, NDHU CHASS was established with 3 graduate institutes - Graduate Institute of China Studies, Graduate Institute of International Economics, and Graduate Institute of Education, which were founded by many oversea Taiwanese scholars, including Cheng Chih-Ming, Professor of Economics at Georgia Institute of Technology, Hsieh Ting-Chung, Chair of Economics at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Tuan Chyau, Professor of Decision Sciences and Managerial Economics at Chinese University of Hong Kong, Liu Yue-Yun, Chair of Political Science at Brandon University, and Wen Yin-Kenn, the Senior Economist at World Bank. Meanwhile, NDHU CHASS established Graduate Institute of Ethnic Relations and Cultures with Chiao Chien, Founding Chair of Anthropology at Chinese University of Hong Kong, as founding director, which was Taiwan's first for Ethnic Relations and Cultural Anthropology.
In 1996, NDHU CHASS established Department of Chinese Language and Literature and Department of English with Cheng Ching-mao, Chair of East Asian Languages and Cultures at University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Wu Chuan-Cheng, Chair of Foreign Languages and Literatures at National Taiwan University, as founding chair. In 1997, Graduate Institute of International Economics expanded its academics to establish Department of Economics. In 1998, NDHU CHASS established Department of Sport and Leisure Studies with Wang Philip, Professor of Recreation & Tourism Management at Kent State University, as founding chair, which was Taiwan's first for Leisure studies and Kinesiology. Meanwhile, it established Postgraduate Certificate program of Public Administration, which was first in Eastern Taiwan.
In 1999, NDHU CHASS established Department of History, with Chang Li, Research Fellow at Institute of Modern History at Academia Sinica, as founding chair, which was Taiwan's first academic institution for Public History. In 2000, NDHU CHASS established Graduate Institute of Creative Writing and English Literature, which offered Chinese-speaking world's first MFA program in Creative Writing. Meanwhile, it established Center for Asia-Pacific Regional Studies, PhD program in Chinese Language and Literature, and Executive Master program of School Administration. In 2001, With the founding of NDHU College of Indigenous Studies, NDHU CHASS's Graduate Institute of Ethnic Relations and Cultures was moved to it to provide integrative training in Indigenous Studies. Following the maturity of China Studies in Taiwan, the Graduate Institute of China Studies was divided into 2 institutes - Graduate Institute of Public Administration and Graduate Institute of Financial and Economic Law. Meanwhile, the Department of Counseling and Guidance were established with Yee Der-Huey, the Master of Psychology in Chinese-speaking world, as founding chair. In 2004, the Department of Counseling and Guidance was renamed as Department of Clinical and Counseling Psychology to serve interdiscipline training in Counseling Psychology and Clinical Psychology.
Nowaday
With the merger of National Dong Hwa University and National Hualien University of Education, NDHU CHASS's Graduate Institute of Education was moved to the newly established Hua-Shih College of Education, and established Department of Sinophone Literatures, Department of Taiwan and Regional Studies, Department of Social and Public Affairs, which developed Taiwan's first Sinophone Studies, Taiwan Studies, Asia–Pacific Studies. In 2013, the Undergraduate program of Law was established, and Department of Social and Public Administration was divided into Department of Sociology and Department of Public Administration. In 2017, NDHU CHASS established Dual Degree program with Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences of Hiroshima University. In 2019, NDHU CHASS partnered with Chinese Language Center to jointly established International PhD program in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. In 2020, NDHU CHASS established International Ph.D. Program in Asia-Pacific Regional Studies.Academic
In 2025, QS World University Ranking ranked NDHU CHASS 4th in Taiwan for Arts & Design for Art & Design and 9th in Taiwan for Social Sciences & Management, making NDHU CHASS the only Taiwanese university under 45 years old featured in these rankings.Academic organizations
Departments
- Department of Chinese Language and Literature
- Department of Sinophone Literatures and Creative Writing
- Department of English
- Department of History
- Department of Public Administration
- Department of Economics
- Department of Sociology
- Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology
- Department of Law
- Department of Taiwan and Regional Studies
Research centers
- European Union Research Centre
- Humanities Innovation and Social Practice Research Center
- Yang Mu Center for Literary Studies
- International Research Center of the Dream of the Red Chamber
- Research Center of Public History
Publications
- Dong Hwa Journal of Chinese Studies
- Dong Hwa Humanistic Studies
- Sinophone Literatures and Culture
- NDHU Students' Journal of Historical Review
Academic programs
Graduate
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
The Doctoral program at NDHU College of Humanities and Social Sciences is a full-time, in-residence program intended for students who plan scholarly careers involving research and teaching in Humanities and Social Sciences. There are five PhD programs:- PhD in Asia-Pacific Regional Studies
- PhD in Economics
- PhD in Chinese Literature and Language
- PhD in Folk Literature
- PhD in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language
Master of Arts (MA)
- MA in Chinese Language and Literature
- MA in Folk Literature
- MA in Literary and Cultural Studies
- MA in Teaching Chinese and Calligraphy
- MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
- MA in History
- MA in Taiwan Studies
- MA in Asia-Pacific Regional Studies
- MA in Economics
- MA in Sociology
- MA in Social Enterprise
Master of Science (MSc)
- MSc in Counseling Psychology
- MSc in Clinical Psychology
- MSc in Psychological Sciences
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
NDHU CHASS's Master of Public Administration aims to equip students with the core analytical skills, practical tools and professional experience to serve in executive positions in national, municipal, state, and federal government and nongovernmental organizations.Master of Laws (LLM)
NDHU CHASS's Master of Laws is a professional degree in Laws, which provides interdisciplinary training in social, environmental, technological, economic, financial, Indigenous issues for students with or without a legal background.Undergraduate
NDHU College of Humanities and Social Sciences offers 10 programs in different majors.- Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Language and Literature
- Bachelor of Arts in Sinophone Literatures
- Bachelor of Arts in English
- Bachelor of Arts in History
- Bachelor of Arts in Taiwan and Regional Studies
- Bachelor of Arts in Economics
- Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
- Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration
- Bachelor of Science in Counseling and Clinical Psychology
- Bachelor of Law in Law