College of International Affairs, NCCU

1. History 

• The College of International Affairs was established in 2001 after the consolidation of the Department of Diplomacy, the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies, and the Graduate Institute of Russian Studies. Since then, its main purpose has been to cultivate professional leaders from all across the world in international and cross-strait affairs. Over the past 17 years, the College of International Affairs has focused on becoming a professional school. In April of 2009 the school became an affiliated member of the Association for Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA).  
• The Department of Diplomacy was established in 1930, the 19th year of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The school serves as the cradle of Taiwan’s diplomatic corps, having a long history at National Chengchi University. In 1954, the school relocated from Nanjing to Taipei and established the Institute of International Relations (now known as the Master’s Program of Diplomatic Studies); the following year, the school resumed enrollment. In 2000, the institute approved the creation of a doctoral program as well as a Master’s Program in Strategy and International Affairs. 
• The Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies was established in 1968, the first research institute established in the Republic of China (Taiwan), while the Graduate Institute of Russian Studies was established in 1994, with a focus on Russia, Eastern Europe, and former Soviet State political and economic problems. It is currently the only research institute with this focus domestically. 
• Recently, the school has embarked on expanding into new initiatives. Since 2003, the school has launched a unique “National Security and Mainland China Master’s Program” specifically for public officials and professionals to participate in. In the 100th year of the Republic of China (Taiwan), the College of International Affairs created a Japanese Studies Master’s Program, combining experts on Japanese culture, politics and society  from a wide array of academic disciplines, including foreign languages, law, business, and social sciences. Finally, the school launched an International Master’s Program in International Studies in 2011, with the goal of developing international students into well informed, global leaders of the 21st century. 
• The goal of the school is to develop into the top professional international affairs program in the Asia Pacific region. To achieve this goal, in 2012 the school launched a new initiative to better utilize manpower and resources while still maintaining the top-tier talent of the institute. 
• Currently, the school has research centers related to: World Trade Organization, Strategy and International Security Studies, Cross-Straits Political and Economic Affairs, Foreign Policy Studies, Australian Studies, Indian Studies, Korean Studies, International Legal Studies, International Negotiation, Latin American Studies, Studies of Sun Tzu and “The Art of War” and the Chinese Communist Party’s International Strategy, among others. 

2. Advantages of the Institute

• A Long History and Outstanding Reputation: The Department of Diplomacy is the first department in the country to focus on the teaching and research of diplomacy and international affairs. Each institute has a unique history to share with the school. The Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies is the earliest regional research institute domestically that focuses on East Asia and China Studies, while the Graduate Institute of Russian Studies is the only regional research institute in a domestic university that focuses on Russian and Eastern European studies. Additionally, the Program in Japan Studies is the only research institute domestically that studies Japanese politics, economy and society, while the International Master’s Program in International Studies is an English taught program that focuses on international development, international conflicts and negotiations, the first in Taiwan.
• The Most Abundant International Relations Resources in the country: Students have access to the Chung Cheng Library, a Social Science Data Center, and an International Relations Research Center, in addition to an abundant amount of databases and online research material. 
• Outstanding Faculty Contributions to Academic Literature: Faculty from the Department of Diplomacy, the Institute of East Asian Studies, the Institute of Russian Studies, and the International Relations Research Center all frequently publish in academic journals. In addition, a considerable proportion of teachers and researchers receive research grants from Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council.
• High degree of internationalization, providing opportunities for students to study internationally: Our school has signed memorandums of academic exchange with numerous overseas universities (including some in mainland China). Students can not only study in these colleges as exchange students, but they also provide opportunities to pursue additional disciplines and multiple areas of focus. 
• Emphasis on foreign language training: Our school encourages students of undergraduate classes and graduate schools to actively cultivate their second foreign language expertise. In addition to the traditional Chinese and English courses in the courses of each department of the school, the Graduate Institute of Russian studies requires students to take Russian-taught courses or pass the Russian language test, and provide scholarships to encourage students to study further while the Japanese degree program has Japanese visiting professors who come to Taiwan every semester to provide classes taught in Japanese.

3. Medium and Long Term Strategy 

Due to the impact of declining domestic birth rates, as well as the pressure of global competition, the main strategies of our institute are as follows:

Deepen existing research fields:

• Strengthen the existing structure of the school, including hiring additional teachers in the Department of Diplomacy, the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies, the Graduate Institute of Russian Studies, The Program in Japan Studies, and The International Master’s Program in International Studies.
• Strengthening international relationships and existing regional studies. 

Open Up Research in Emerging Areas: 

Currently, our school has supported the establishment of courses such as Master's program of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, a program in Mainland China studies, and a bachelor's degree program in Southeast Asian languages ​​and cultures. In addition, the school is planning to deepen and expand regional research and integrated regional research based on existing full-time teachers and expanded hiring. 

Improving International Competitiveness:

(1) Faculty Recruitment and International Lectures: The school is currently expanding by hiring more international teachers. In addition, the school is providing numerous academic opportunities by inviting international visiting professors to give lectures.

(2) Additional English Courses: Increasing the proportion of English courses for master's and doctoral courses and launching an English-taught bachelor’s program.

(3) Promoting Cooperation with Internationally Renowned Academic and Teaching institutions: The school is currently signing additional academic exchange memorandums with well-known institutions and summer college programs.