National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London launched their first Taiwan-U.K. dual master’s degree program this Tuesday. The two institutions will jointly plan curriculum, co-teach, co-supervise master's students' research, and co-admit students, with enrollment scheduled to begin in September of next year.

The collaborative program focused on global citizenship and social change has received support from the governments of both Taiwan and the United Kingdom. SOAS Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Habib told the Central News Agency that the institution has a long-standing cooperative relationship with Taiwan, including its Centre of Taiwan Studies of over 20 years.

Habib commented that the school’s global partnerships continue providing a pathway for future generations to transcend boundaries and tackle key global issues and noted that the NSYSU partnership offers a new and progressive approach to global citizenship studies.

Students in the one-year MA program will receive joint instruction from professors from both Taiwan and the U.K. as they spend the first semester in Kaohsiung and the second in London. Tuition is uniform for all students, and NSYSU will offer a total of 18 full and partial scholarships. 

Representative to the United Kingdom, Vincent Chin-hsiang Yao (姚金祥) highlighted that education has always been a crucial cornerstone of Taiwan-U.K. relations. Taiwan and the U.K. have deep connections in the field of education, he said, with many outstanding individuals from various fields in Taiwan benefiting from the world-class higher education. He noted that currently there are over 4,000 Taiwanese students pursuing degrees in the U.K. and that the number has continued growing each year since the 2021-2022 academic year.