Coursework Requirements
1. Students of the MA program in literature are required to complete a minimum of 30 credits, excluding the 6 credits designated for the thesis, for graduation.
2. Required courses: 3 courses with a total of 6 credits

• Research Methods and Thesis Writing (3 credits, 3 hours)
• Literary Criticism (3 credits, 3 hours)
• Seminar (0 credit, 2 hours): A required course for students who have completed required coursework and have yet to submit their theses for graduation.

3. Students must take at least 3 courses from the following 4 categories, and each course selected must be from a different category.

• British Literature before Romanticism
• British Literature since Romanticism
• American Literature
• Literary Theory

4. With the consent of the thesis advisor or the Chair, MA students may take courses at another graduate institute accredited by the Ministry of Education. A maximum of nine credits, including those taken prior to admission into this program, can be transferred and counted towards graduation. The credit waiver is applicable on the condition that the same courses are offered by the FLLD MA program in literature. The deadline for credit waiver for graduate courses taken prior to admission is within two months of enrollment.Prerequisite Courses:
5. MA students who have not completed two prerequisite courses, as specified below, at graduate or undergraduate level must fulfill the requirement before graduation (at least 2 courses, enrolled for 4 semesters). Those who wish to waive the requirement must, within two months of enrollment, provide the FLLD office with official documents regarding related courses to be considered.

• Introduction to Western Literature
• Guided Reading of Literary Works
• Survey of British Literature(1)(2)(3)(4)
• Survey of American Literature (1)(2)

6. MA students should confirm their research track upon registration. They should fully understand that they need to fulfill the course requirements as MA students in the literature track. No petition for transfer of track will be allowed.
7. MA students may take no more than 13 course credits each semester, including those taken from the Teacher Education Program.

Second Foreign Language Requirement
The MA program requires a demonstration of proficiency in two foreign languages. Those whose first foreign language is English are required to be proficient in German, French, Spanish, or Japanese as their second foreign language (Chinese is included as one of the second foreign language options for students whose native language is not Chinese). Students are required to study one of the five second foreign languages for two years (at least 8 credits) and earn a passing grade of 60 or above. These credits are excluded from the minimum of graduation credits. The second foreign language requirement may be waived for students who, within four years prior to official enrollment, have studied a second foreign language for at least two years (at least 8 credits) at any university or college accredited by the Ministry of Education and earned a grade of at least 60. Students who wish to waive the second foreign language requirement must submit their application, accompanied by an official transcript, within the first week of enrollment. MA students not qualified for the second foreign language requirement exemption may, within the first three weeks of enrollment, apply for a language proficiency examination and have the requirement waived with an exam score of at least 60. Otherwise, students are required to take a second foreign language course for two years (a minimum of eight credits) and earn a passing grade of at least 60.

Master’s Thesis (6 credits)
1. Upon completion of coursework requirements, students will submit a thesis proposal to the advisor for approval before beginning thesis writing.
2. Students must follow the formatting requirements of the NCKU Guidelines for Writers of Research Papers (成功大學論文撰寫須知) to complete a thesis with a number of 24 to 26 lines set for each page. A student who has completed a thesis text with a minimum length of 50 pages may apply for a degree examination. For other related formatting specifications, please refer to the webpage of the NCKU Library at http://cid.acad.ncku.edu.tw/var/file/42/1042/img/3133795.pdf.
3. The MA thesis can be either one of the following:

• A study of literature in English in a full text of at least 60 pages (excluding abstract, table of contents, and bibliography), typed and bound in a book, which shall accord with the latest version of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers;
• A work of translation based on a British or American literary text of at least 100 pages. In addition, a critical analysis of at least 40 pages shall be typed according to the latest version of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and be bound together with the translation.

Publications/Presentations and Conferences
Students are required to present at least one paper in a national or international literature-related conference, to publish at least one paper in a journal, or to attend at least three national or international literature-related conferences before they apply for a thesis defense (with related certificates submitted for verification).

Degree Exam: Thesis Defense
1. Master’s degree examinations are administered twice a year and scheduled for January and June.
2. Before the degree examination, an applicant is required to make a thesis presentation in a graduate student seminar organized by the FLLD office.
3. Students shall apply online for a degree examination and submit to the FLLD office a package of documents including:

• a completed checklist of graduation qualifications
• a printed online application form for degree examination signed by the advisor 
• a printed draft of the thesis (a minimum of 70 pages) 
• certificates of publication, conference presentation or attendance.

*The application shall be completed by the designated deadline of December 5 for the fall semester and May 5 for the spring semester.

4. Students in the final semester of official enrollment are allowed to submit their application for the degree exam by the end of the week before the beginning of the final exam period.
5. Students must pass the thesis defense to qualify for a master’s degree conferral. A candidate who fails the first time shall be allowed a second try only.
6. FLLD students shall not commit violations of academic integrity. If a thesis, dissertation, creative writing, performance, written report, or technical report is found to have involved plagiarism, ghost authorship, double submission, or other such acts, a grade of zero will be given to the work in question. In addition, the FLLD will consider the severity of the violation based on the NCKU Regulations on Student Rewards and Penalties (國立成功大學學生獎懲要點) to decide whether to publicize the incident, to expel the violator from school, or to enact any other appropriate punishment. It should be noted that a degree could be revoked as a result of a grave violation of this nature.

Thesis Advising
1. Master’s students shall choose a professor from the FLLD full-time faculty to serve as a thesis advisor. If a student needs an adjunct or full-time faculty member from NCKU to serve as a thesis co-advisor, the principal advisor is entitled to recommend one.
2. A thesis advisor must be confirmed by the end of the second academic year. The thesis advisor will then provide the advisee with guidance on his/her academic performance and research writing.
3. Should the need arise for a change of a thesis advisor, students shall make an application according to the FLLD-designated regulations for thesis/dissertation advising. A completed Application Form for Change of Thesis/Dissertation Advisor (更換指導教授同意書) shall be submitted with a written report, which shall be approved by both the original and new advisors, and the department chair before the change takes effect.