Q&A

Frequently Q&A

Q1. I have been studying Chinese for six months, and I am planning to study at a language center in Taiwan this coming summer. I heard that your institution is the largest Chinese language center in Taiwan. Could you please provide me with more information about your courses?

A: Our department is a research-oriented unit that offers doctoral, master’s, and bachelor’s degree programs (the bachelor’s program is open to international students only) in Chinese language teaching. We do not provide non-degree Chinese language courses for learners of Chinese as a second language.However, National Taiwan Normal University also has another teaching unit that offers Chinese language courses, the Mandarin Training Center (MTC). You may contact MTC directly for course-related information.

Their website is: http://mtc.ntnu.edu.tw/ e-mail address : mtc@mtc.ntnu.edu.tw

Q2. I am very interested in Chinese language teaching. I noticed on your website that your institute offers opportunities for overseas teaching internships. Could you please tell me more about the content of this program and how to apply?

A: Our department was established with the goal of training professional Chinese language teachers in Taiwan. Teaching practice is therefore an essential part of our teacher training program. As a result, all master’s students are required to complete at least 100 hours of teaching practicum over a minimum period of seven weeks and to provide official proof of completion before graduation. Students may complete their practicum at language centers in Taiwan. In addition, the institute strives to arrange overseas teaching placements whenever possible, so that students can gain broader and more diverse teaching experience. Detailed information can be found in the section on the Teaching Internship Placement Program.

Please note that these internship opportunities are open only to students enrolled in the institute and are not available to external applicants.

Q3. I am currently a junior undergraduate student and plan to apply to your graduate program next year. How should I prepare for the entrance examination? What subjects are tested, and what reference materials should I study? In addition, what are the main research areas of your institute?

A: Detailed information regarding admission to our institute—including examination subjects, past entrance exam questions, and recommended reading lists—can be found on the Admissions section of our department website. Please note that the official admission procedures and requirements announced each year by the Office of Academic Affairs of National Taiwan Normal University shall prevail. As for our research areas, you may refer to the Research section of our website, where you will find information on faculty members’ areas of expertise and research interests, as well as abstracts of students’ master’s theses. We hope this information will help you better understand the academic focus of our institute.

If you have the opportunity, you are also very welcome to visit our department in person. Our students will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Q4. As a beginner in Chinese language teaching, I often find areas in need of improvement during the teaching process—whether in linguistic expertise or in access to teaching resources. Does your institute offer training programs for Chinese language teachers? Thank you.

In addition to offering doctoral, master’s, and bachelor’s degree programs (the bachelor’s program is open to international students only) in Chinese language teaching, our department also provides Chinese language teacher training programs. For detailed information, please refer to the course website. (http://ntnutcslcttp.wordpress.com/).

Q5. Hello, I am interested in applying to your Institute of Chinese Language Teaching. Besides National Taiwan Normal University, are there other universities with similar programs that I could apply to in order to increase my chances of admission? Thank you.

To the best of our knowledge, our institute is the first in Taiwan to offer a master’s degree specifically in Chinese language teaching. In addition, National Kaohsiung Normal University established a graduate institute in Chinese language teaching in 2003 and has since enrolled its first cohort of students. Other related fields include graduate institutes of linguistics, such as those at National Taiwan University, National Tsing Hua University, and National Chengchi University. Furthermore, certain foreign language or applied foreign language graduate programs offer tracks in English language teaching, which are also related to the broader field of language education—for example, the Graduate Institute of English at National Taiwan Normal University and the Institute of Foreign Languages and Literatures at National Tsing Hua University.

You may also refer to the Online Resources section of our website for information on other related institutions.

Q6. I would like to know whether your institute offers opportunities for international students and local participants to take part in "Home stay" or "Language exchange" programs. Are there any detailed procedures for joining such programs?

A: Our department is a teaching and research unit in the field of Chinese language education, and we currently have international students enrolled in our programs. However, we do not offer “Home stay” or “Language exchange” services. From time to time, National Taiwan Normal University may recruit host families on an occasional basis to accommodate visitors from partner universities abroad. For further and more detailed information, we recommend contacting the university’s administrative offices or the Office of International Affairs directly.