Coursework Requirements
Students of the MA program in linguistics are required to complete a minimum of 32 credits, excluding the 6 credits designated for the thesis, for graduation.
1. Required courses: 2 courses with a total of 3 credits

• Research Methodology: Linguistics (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.

2. Course credits completed at other programs/universities:

• With the consent of the thesis advisor, MA students may take courses at graduate institutes accredited by the Ministry of Education. A maximum of 6 credits, including those taken prior to admission into this program, can be transferred and counted towards graduation.
• Master’s students graduated from our undergraduate program who have completed master’s courses with our MA program, with a passing grade of 70, may apply for waiver of a maximum of 6 credits, which can be calculated into the required minimum number of credits for graduation.

3. 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.
4. Prerequisite courses:
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 Linguistics
• Phonetics, Semantics, Syntax, Phonology, Psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, or Introduction to English Teaching Methods
• Introduction to Western Literature, Survey of British Literature I, Survey of British Literature II, and Survey of American Literature (choose one of them)

5. 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 linguistics track. No petition for transfer of track will be allowed.
6. MA students may take no more than 13 course credits each semester, including those taken from the Teacher Education Program.
7. Thesis (6 credits)

• 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, 1.5 line spacing, margin-top: 23mm, margin-bottom: 35mm(including page number), margin-left:30mm, and margin right: 25mm. 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.
• A thesis of linguistics should be completed in English in a full text of at least 60 pages (excluding abstract, table of contents, and bibliography), typed and bound in a book, according to the Publication Manual of the APA or the Language Style Sheet adopted by Language: Journal of the Linguistic Society of America.

Thesis Writing and Oral Defense/Degree Examination
Upon completion of coursework requirements, MA students shall submit a thesis proposal with bibliography to their thesis advisor before they are approved to begin thesis writing. A student who has completed a thesis text with a minimum length of 50 pages may apply for a degree examination.
1. Master’s degree examinations are administered twice a year, scheduled for January and June.
2. Students shall apply online for a degree examination and submit to the FLLD office a package of documents including: (1) a completed checklist of graduation qualifications; (2) a printed online application form for degree examination signed by the advisor; (3) a printed draft of the thesis; and (4) 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.
3. 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.
4. Before the degree examination, an applicant is required to make a thesis presentation in a graduate student seminar organized by the FLLD office.
5. Students are required to present at least one paper in a national or international linguistics-related conference, to publish at least one paper in a journal, or to attend at least three national or international linguistics-related conferences before they apply for a thesis defense (with related certificates submitted for verification).
6. Material from published papers may be modified and included in a master’s thesis, within a maximum of one third of the full text. The inclusion shall be specified in the acknowledgement and the titles of related sections.
7. Before applying for a thesis defense, the applicant shall submit “one report on thesis/dissertation originality from the online plagiarism system” and “one affidavit for applying for graduate degree examination.” The thesis/dissertation originality check mechanisms recognized by the program include (1) Turnitin, (2) iPlagirism, and (3) iThenticate, which are subject to change from year to year. Please confirm on the application of the designated mechanisms.

Thesis Advising
1. Master’s students shall choose a professor from the FLLD fulltime faculty to serve as a thesis advisor. If a student needs an NCKU adjunct or fulltime faculty member specializing in a specific discipline 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.