National Taiwan Normal University


National Taiwan Normal University is a national public research university with its main campus in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in 1922 during Japanese rule as the Taihoku Higher School, it was the first teachers' college in Taiwan.
The university has three campuses across Taipei and New Taipei City. It consists of ten academic colleges, 13 research centers, and 67 academic departments, and operates an affiliated senior high school., it has a total of more than 8,000 undergraduate students and 7,000 graduate students. Over 1,600 students at NTNU are international and over 1,000 students are overseas Chinese in preparatory programs. The university hosts the Mandarin Training Center, the oldest and largest Chinese-language teaching institution in the country, and administers the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language, the country's primary Chinese-language examination for non-native speakers.
NTNU is affiliated with National Taiwan University and the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology as part of the National Taiwan University System, formed in 2015. The Research Center for Psychological and Educational Testing at NTNU is responsible for organizing Taiwan's annual Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior High School Students (CAP). NTNU is also the convening institution for the Committee of College Admission Practical Examination, which is responsible for conducting practical examinations in the fields of fine arts, music, and physical education for use in university admissions across Taiwan.
WWW Official SiteFB NTNU.Taiwan

History

National Taiwan Normal University opened its doors in the early 20th century during Japanese rule in Taiwan. Taiwan's Japanese governors established the school as Taiwan Provincial College. Soon after they gave it the name Taihoku College. The school's purpose was to nurture a native educated class qualified to assist the government in matters of administration. Many buildings on the university's main campus date from the Japanese colonial period, including the Administration Building, the Lecture Hall, Wenhui Hall and Puzi Hall. Japanese architects incorporated features of the Neo-Classical, Gothic and Gothic Revival styles often encountered on European university campuses. A room in the Lecture Hall housed the traditional Japanese document that authorizes and formalizes campus construction.
In the 1940s, the university, along with National Taiwan University, Taiwan Provincial College of Agriculture, and Taiwan Provincial College of Engineering, were the only four higher education institutions in Taiwan.
Some school publications still display 1946 as the institution's founding date in reference to this regime change. A number of Taiwan's leading authors, poets, artists, educators, painters, musicians, linguists, sinologists, philologists, philosophers, and researchers have passed through the university's doors as students and faculty. In 1956 the Mandarin Training Center opened its doors as an extension of the college. The school acquired its present name, National Taiwan Normal University, in 1967. By now the school had established itself as a recognized center of learning in arts, literature and the humanities; its fundamental mission, though, remained the preparation of teachers.
As Taiwanese society made its shift from authoritarian rule to democracy in the 1990s, the university saw its role transformed by passage of the 1994 Teacher Preparation Law. The law gave more schools responsibility for teacher training and set NTNU on its present course as a truly comprehensive university. New departments were created, course offerings and majors were expanded, and new faculty were hired. the merger of NTNU with the University Preparatory School for Overseas Chinese Students in 2006. NTNU is the university in Taiwan with the largest number of foreign students. The university became a hub of international activity, enabling Taiwanese students to travel abroad, attracting international students to Taipei, and building exchange programs with hundreds of sister institutions around the world.

Campus

NTNU's main campus is located in the heart of Taipei, adjacent to the culturally rich and artistic atmosphere of the Yongkang Street Area, and within walking distance are famous attractions such as Daan Forest Park, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei Grand Mosque, Mongolian & Tibetan Cultural Center, etc. Universities affiliated with the NTU System, such as National Taiwan University and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, are also nearby. The university also has campuses in the Wenshan District of Taipei and in the Linkou District of New Taipei, as well as standalone buildings scattered off-campus. Examples include the Yunhe Teaching Building, Qingtian Teaching Building, and the School of Teacher Education Building.
Due to the merger with the National University of Preparatory School for Overseas Chinese Students, NTNU also inherited some land from the original Luzhou Campus in New Taipei City. It is adjacent to the National Open University.The campus is also home to several special sculpture installations, including the "Liberty Bell," which was the spiritual symbol of the Taihoku College, and a Tai Chi statue presented by Peking University in honor of NTNU's promotion of Tai Chi. NTNU obtained the sole license from the Louvre Museum in 1987 and purchased a batch of officially copyrighted original plaster replica statues.
NTNU possesses several Taipei City-designated historic sites, including the Original Buildings of Taihoku High School, the residence of Liu Chen, the residence of Liang Shih-chiu, and more.
NTNU Library has branches on all three campuses. The main library has established the Gao Xingjian Center.

Culture

The NTNU emblem consists of a circle formed by six wooden bells, symbolizing collective progress and collaborative efforts to achieve "perfection" in education. The colors represent the blue sky and daylight, signifying the fairness and straightforwardness of the educators.
The official school tree of NTNU is the Cassia fistula, chosen because its appearance resembles the traditional teaching whip from ancient times.
Due to the similar pronunciation between the Chinese character "師" in the school's name and "獅", the mascot of the school is also a lion named "Da Shi Xiong". In addition to numerous lion-themed memorabilia, the campus features several lion-related sculptures.

University structure

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Academic programs at NTNU are administered by 10 colleges: arts, education, international studies & social sciences, liberal arts, management, musicology, science, sports & recreation, technology & engineering and interdisciplinary industry academia innovation.
As of November 2022 the school published the following figures for students enrolled and employees retained.
  • Students enrolled: 15,112
  • Undergraduate students: 8,394
  • Graduate students: 5,686
  • Overseas Chinese Students in Preparatory Programs: 1,032
  • Faculty: 1,541

College of Education

NTNU's College of Education is the oldest and largest education college in Taiwan. The college collaborates with Tohoku University, Korea University, National Chengchi University, and Nanjing Normal University to offer the Asian Educational Leadership Program. This course is to nurture internationally minded educational professionals.

School of Learning Informatics

College of Liberal Arts

College of Science

School of Life Science

  • Department of Life Science
  • Undergraduate Program of Nutrition Science
  • Graduate Program of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries
  • Graduate Program of Nutrition Science
  • Graduate Program of TIGP Biodiversity

College of Arts

NTNU's College of Arts is the most ancient higher education institution for fine arts in Taiwan, and the birthplace of artistic development in Taiwan.
  • Department of Design
  • Department of Fine Arts
  • Graduate Institute of Art History

College of Technology and Engineering

  • Department of Electrical Engineering
  • Department of Graphic Arts and Communications
  • Department of Industrial Education
  • Department of Mechatronic Engineering
  • Department of Technology Application and Human Resource Development
  • Graduate Institute of Electro-Optical Engineering
  • International Doctoral Program in Integrative STEM Education
  • Undergraduate Program of Electro-Optical Engineering
  • Undergraduate Program of Vehicle and Energy Engineering
TSMC partners with NTNU to launch semiconductor training program

College of Sports and Recreation

College of International Studies and Social Sciences

College of Music

NTNU's College of Music is the first higher education institution in Taiwan that specializes in cultivating professional talent in the field of music.
The National Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1986 through the merger of the experimental orchestras from NTNU, National Academy of Arts, and National Taiwan Academy of Arts.

College of Management

NTNU is the first university in Asia with a teacher training background to receive AACSB accreditation.

College of Interdisciplinary Industry Academia Innovation

  • Graduate Institute of AI Interdisciplinary Applied Technology
  • Graduate Institute of Green Energy and Sustainable Technology

Academy of Preparatory Programs for Overseas Chinese Students

Its predecessor was the National University of Preparatory School for Overseas Chinese Students, the only educational institution in Taiwan offering overseas Chinese students preparatory courses for university. In 2006, it was merged with NTNU.

School of Teacher Education

The School of Teacher Education is the primary institution at NTNU responsible for the training of secondary teachers, and it is also responsible for coordinating and integrating relevant resources throughout the university. NTNU was authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization as the first IB school for teacher's education in Taiwan.

Mandarin Training Center

Mandarin Training Center was founded in 1956 for teaching Chinese as a second language. It's the oldest and largest facility of its kind in terms of courses offered and students enrolled per year. Every year, approximately 3,000 students from around 70 countries come to study at MTC.

French Center

French Center was founded by NTNU’s former president Mr. Kuo Wei-fan in 1984. The center aims to promote French language teaching, provide a conducive framework for the research of French language teaching in Taiwan, and facilitate cultural exchanges between China and France. The director of the Center manages only the administrative affairs. Teaching affairs, teacher recruitment, placement exams, and other tasks are always overseen by the French nationality of director of the courses.

School of Continuing Education

In 1996, Extension Division of In-service Education and High School Teacher Research and Study Center were combined and reorganized into Extension Division for In-service and Continuing Education of NTNU. It was restructured again as the School of Continuing Education in 2008. The aim is to provide in-service training for teachers and the general public.

Research institutes and centres

NTNU has a total of 6 university-level research centers, 21 college-level research centers, and 18 department-level research centers. Such as The Chinese Language and Technology Center, Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Sciences, Social Emotional Education Development Center, and International Taiwan Studies Center, have been granted funding through the Higher Education SPROUT project of the Ministry of Education. The Research Center for Psychological and Educational Testing is responsible for organizing Taiwan's annual Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior High School Students (CAP). NTNU is also the convening institution for the Committee of College Admission Practical Examination. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in Taiwan is also overseen by this university. The Non-formal Education Programs Accreditation Center is responsible for accrediting the credits of community colleges across Taiwan. NTNU is also responsible for the examination and certification of Formosan languages and Hakka languages in Taiwan.
NTNU and the Ministry of Culture jointly set up the Taiwan-France Foundation for Culture and Education.
NTNU has established a joint laboratory with US-based Haskins Laboratories. NTNU hosts the Asia Pacific Regional Center for the Global Environmental Education Partnership. The Taiwan Studies Program between the UCLA and NTNU was established in 2017. Its aim is to create academic synergies and promote cutting-edge research in the field of Taiwan Studies. NTNU joined forces with NVIDIA and GIGABYTE, to jointly create "Meta-Universe Motion Capture Laboratory" and collaboration space.
NTNU is the only university member state to join the “Infrared and Raman Users Group” in Taiwan.

Affiliated school

The university also runs the Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University, a daughter institution for secondary-school students in Taiwan.
TCS Experimental Education institution is set up in NTNU's Lingkou Campus, and graduates are awarded diplomas from Taiwan and BC, Canada.

University alliances

NTNU is affiliated with National Taiwan University and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology as part of the National Taiwan University System.
NTNU is a member of University Academic Alliance in Taiwan. The members include twelve universities such as National Taiwan University, National Cheng Kung University, National Tsing Hua University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, National Sun Yat-sen University, National Chengchi University, and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology.
NTNU is a founding member of University Alliance in Talent Education Development, Taiwan-UK University Consortium, International Consortium for Universities of Education in East Asia, Taiwan Education Alliance, Taiwan University Alliance for Sustainable Governance, Presidents' Forum of Southeast Asia and Taiwan Universities, and Association of Asia-Pacific Business Schools.

International relations

NTNU has established strategic pationships with The University of Texas at Austin, Purdue University, The University of British Columbia, The University of Queensland, Kuushu University, Osaka University, Hanyang University, University of Glasgow, University of Bordeaux and Goethe University Frankfurt. NTNU also has a long cooperative relationship with Pennsylvania State University, dating back to 1953. At that time, NTNU received support from USAID with the assistance of Pennsylvania State University.
Mandarin Chinese Training
NTNU is best known for its Mandarin Training Center, a program founded in 1956 for the study of Mandarin Chinese to foreign students. The Mandarin Training Center represents one of the world's oldest and most distinguished programs for language study, attracting more than a thousand students from over sixty countries to Taiwan each year and making the Shida area of Taipei one of the city's most cosmopolitan. Courses in language, literature, calligraphy, art and martial arts are offered in a series of three-month terms throughout the year, enabling international students to undertake language studies during summer breaks and within single semesters. The center also sponsors travel, hosts speech contests, and stages workshops and performances for a variety of East Asian arts. A Mandarin Training Center Alumni Association has been operating since 1998.
The Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) is administered by the Steering Committee for the Test Of Proficiency-Huayu at NTNU. NTNU signed the Taiwan Huayu BEST Program partnership with Pennsylvania State University, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Maryland, Purdue University, University of Guam and SOAS University of London.
International Cooperation and Programs
NTNU signed the Memorandum of Cooperation with the Reorienting Education towards Sustainability of UNESCO in 2018. In 2020, NTNU joined a new-launched network named the International Network of Teacher Education Institutions and a new ESD for 2030 Framework.
NTNU has organized International Science Olympiads in various fields, including Informatics, Earth Science, Biology, and Chemistry. The International Chemistry Olympiad will be hosted by NTNU again in 2027.
NTNU also participates in the Biodiversity Program of the Taiwan International Graduate Program of Academia Sinica. NTNU also collaborates with the Fulbright Program, providing opportunities for American students to pursue master's and doctoral studies in Taiwan.
A MTC teaching building and new international dormitory for NTNU international students is slated to open in 2027. The building is located in downtown Taipei's Daan District. At the beginning of the development of NTNU, some of the buildings were built with loans from the World Bank's Education program.
The Menahil Promise, jointly promoted by NTNU and Tzu Chi Foundation, provides assistance to Syrian refugees. After the Myanmar earthquake in 2025, NTNU also immediately provided assistance to the families of affected students.

Ranking and reputation

The predecessor of NTNU was the Taihoku Higher School under the Government-General of Taiwan. The school served as the sole pathway for Taiwanese students during the Japanese colonial era to enter universities for further studies. In the 1940s, this university was also one of the only four higher education institutions in Taiwan Province. As a result, admission competition was extremely intense.
NTNU has long been recognized as one of Taiwan’s elite institutions of higher education, especially in the field of humanities and social sciences. NTNU is also the best university within Taiwan's normal university system. While Taiwan has other normal and education universities, this is the only university commonly referred to as "Shi Dà”.  Its affiliated high school is also known as “Shi Dà Fù Zhōng".
Due to NTNU's excellent development in language education and internationalization, it has been chosen by the Ministry of Education as one of Taiwan's four landmark bilingual universities.

Subject Rankings

U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities subject rankings:
Education and Educational Research: 9th Times Higher Education World University Rankings by subject:
Education: 15 QS World University Rankings by Subject:
Education & Training: 24
Linguistics: 90
Modern Languages: 93
Library & Information Management: 51-100
Classics & Ancient History: 51-100
Petroleum Engineering: 51-100
Sports-Related Subjects: 101-150
English Language & Literature: 151-200
Sociology: 151-200
Arts & Humanities: 207
Psychology: 201-250
The number of disciplines at NTNU that have entered the global top 100 ranks second in Taiwan.
Education: 39 Global Views Monthly Taiwan's Best University Rankings:
Universities focusing on humanities and social sciences: 1st

Sustainable development

NTNU is the second institution in Asia to receive the Gold rating in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, established by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). According to QS World University Rankings, NTNU is ranked 3rd in Taiwan and around 50th globally in Sustainable Institutions and 100th in education influence.
NTNU serves as an important consulting and project implementation institution for the Environmental Protection Administration, the Forestry Bureau, and the Ministry of Education in promoting environmental education, sustainable development, and sustainable development goals.His Highness Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi of Ajman, United Arab Emirates, visited NTNU on 2025. NTNU also collaborated with Prudential to publish the White Paper on Climate Change and Health Adaptation.
NTNU aims to "reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve complete carbon neutrality by 2050" through net-zero green life, energy efficiency, low carbon emission electricity, and green energy.

Alumni

The NTNU Alumni Association was founded in 1950 as the Graduate Guidance Committee. It was officially renamed the NTNU Alumni Center in 2020. Its stated mission is "Connect with alumni, converge the alumni and the university, and contribute more resources to support the sustainable development of the university."
Currently, NTNU has 12 alumni chapters across various counties and cities in Taiwan.  Internationally, there are 21 alumni chapters located in North America, Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and other regions. Additionally, each college and department has its own alumni association.

Notable faculty

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Mandarin Training Center alumni

Honorary degree

Jack Ma Yun – the co-founder of Alibaba Group

Controversies

Unethical Research

Coach Chou Tai-ying of the women’s soccer team at NTNU allegedly forced players to provide blood samples for a National Science and Technology Council research project, threatening them with the loss of academic credits or even academic status if they refused. In addition, some of the blood samples were reportedly collected by non-medical staff in a previous research project. As the Ministry of Health and Welfare had previously issued an interpretation permitting such actions, this also prompted the ministry to commit to revising the relevant provisions. The Ministry of Education has recommended a two-year dismissal for the coach and stated it will closely monitor NTNU’s handling of the incident. The university’s student association also condemned the incident and urged the school to protect the rights of student athletes. In response, the university revised the guidelines for conducting research involving student athletes and became the first non-medical university in Taiwan to establish a Human Research Protection Center. The incident also extended to National Taiwan University, National Central University, University of Taipei, and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.

Additional sources

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