Draft amendments to the Degree Conferral Act (學位授予法) yesterday passed an initial review by the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee, with the regulations to allow students with remarkable achievements to use practical achievements in their field of study in place of an oral defense of their thesis.
According to the draft amendments, master’s and doctoral students of the arts, applied sciences and sports would be allowed to complete a task or provide proof of a special achievement instead of submitting a thesis.
If students complete an artwork or provide proof of a special achievement instead of submitting a thesis, they would have to provide a written report.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
For sports student, a special achievement could be winning at a major event.
While legislators across party lines agreed to introduce some flexibility over graduation qualifications to encourage diversity and innovation in higher education, some said the changes might lead to inconsistency in graduation standards.
If an Olympic gold medalist was granted a doctoral degree, people would ask whether an Asian Games gold medalist should be treated the same way, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Kuo-shu (黃國書) said, adding that there must be consistency in the standards used to evaluate special achievements.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said doctoral degrees should be reserved for students with professional academic training and the ability to conduct analytical research.
The ministry would ensure that universities are cautious when evaluating students’ work and accomplishment, Department of Higher Education Director-General Chu Chun-chang (朱俊彰) said.
Students would be evaluated not only based on their work or achievement, but also their written report, Chu said, adding that doctoral degrees would have higher standards than master’s degrees.
To prevent students from hiring thesis writers, the draft amendments make writing a thesis for another and submitting it punishable by a fine from NT$300,000 to NT$1 million (US$9,679 and US$32,262), an increase from NT$200,000 to NT$300,000.
As thesis writers are often paid from NT$250,000 to NT$300,000, the fine must be higher than that to serve as a deterrent, Ko said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as