【NCKU International Mobility – Giant Leap for the NCKU BS – PURDUE MS Dual Degree Program.】

This August, the first cohort of the NCKU BS–Purdue MS Dual Degree Program students arrived at Purdue University and started a new chapter in their academic journey.

NCKU BS–Purdue MS Dual Degree Program is a pioneering program between NCKU and Purdue University, also known as the NCKU–Purdue 3+1+1 Program. The students admitted to this program will study at NCKU for the first three years and go to Purdue for their fourth year of study (the first”+1”). After receiving the bachelor’s degree from NCKU and being admitted, the students will start the master’s program at Purdue, and they stand a greater chance of getting the master’s degree in one year (the second”+1”).

Currently, the main collaborations are between Mechanical Engineering, NCKU – Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue; Mechanical Engineering, NCKU – Mechanical Engineering, Purdue; Electrical Engineering, NCKU – Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue; and Computer Science and Information Engineering, NCKU – Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue. 

16 students, the first cohort of the NCKU-Purdue 3+1+1 program, have prepared for this plan since 2020 and started their first “+1” year at Purdue University. 5 students are in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and 11 students are in Electrical and Computer Engineering. They will apply for admission and pursuing their master’s degree at Purdue University by the end of this year.

Unlike the traditional dual degree programs, the NCKU–Purdue 3+1+1 Program provides students with many special courses. The students will take Purdue intensive courses taught by Purdue faculty each year while studying at NCKU, visit Purdue University for the two-week study tour in their first summer, and take Purdue Engineering Online Courses during their third year.

The sophomores of this program just completed their summer study tour at Purdue University. The study tour was held on July 1 ~ July 16, and the schedule included the intensive course, intercultural activities, English workshops, and lab visits. In addition to the academic part, the students also enjoyed the baseball game on Independence Day (July 4), the extracurricular activities with other international students, and the city tour to Indianapolis, Lafayette, and Chicago. The students got to experience the American culture and life. Some students further flighted to Los Angeles after the course ended. “This two-week tour is an unforgettable memory! The best thing about this tour was experiencing the class and life in the US. I had an amazing time. And I want to work harder to pursue my dream of studying at Purdue in the near future.” Said one of the sophomores.

On the evening of August 29, the Office of International Affairs of NCKU held the Walk the Talk 2023- English presentation of the sophomores and the AY 2023 Student Welcome Reception for the parents and freshmen of the program at the Future Venue of Sheng-Li Campus, NCKU. In the Walk the Talk 2023, the sophomores of the program prided themselves on sharing their experiences and suggestions with freshmen through their posters, letters, and NCKU Talks (like TED Talks) in fluent English.

Vice President of NCKU, Dr. Hong-Chen Chen, hosted the QA session and encouraged the students to build leadership and the ability to solve problems, the mindset of lifelong learning, commitment to work, the spirit of diligence and practice, and responsibility to society while studying at NCKU. The Deans and Vice Deans of NCKU and Purdue also greeted the freshmen and parents at the Welcome Reception. Purdue faculty and President Thomas Fann from TECO Electric & Machinery Co. joined the reception through the online meeting to welcome the students.

NCKU–Purdue 3+1+1 Program has been working steadily with exciting progress since 2020. The students may join this program through the Individual Application or the Advanced Subjects Test in Taiwan. This program is a challenging but rewarding option to study abroad and pursue an extraordinary international education.