Brief History
Established in 1958, the College of Science consists of three departments: Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. It is one of the oldest colleges in Tamkang and one of the first-established colleges among private universities in Taiwan. The departments of Chemistry and Mathematics were set up in 1958; while the Department of Physics was inaugurated in 1963. The Undergraduate Program of Science, established in 2008, is a year-long course for first year science students designed to provide a flexible and interdisciplinary learning environment. It gives students the chance to discover their academic strengths and interests at the beginning of their degrees. By the end of the freshman year, each student may choose his/her academic major from one of the college’s three departments. The college has a tradition of active teaching and research, which has prompted steady growth in the number of its students and staff over the years. As of 2014, the college has 70 full-time faculty members, including 34 professors, 25 associate professors, and 11 assistant professors. Over 99% of the faculty members hold a Ph.D. degree, obtained locally or abroad.
In addition to designing college curricula, our faculty devote themselves to the planning and teaching of the university’s core courses, which include Natural Science and Global Technology Revolution. In 2000, the Mathematics and Physics departments, with the support of the Ministry of Education, set up consultation centers that provide consulting services to high school science teachers. The College emphasizes basic and applied interdisciplinary science programs. Its main focus for both teaching and research therefore includes photo-electronics, materials, biochemistry, and life science.
A pioneering “self-evaluation” program was launched jointly by the college’s three departments in 1999. Under the program, teaching staff constantly reform and improve the undergraduate curriculum in order to adapt to the nature of an ever-changing society. The Department of Chemistry is made up of two sections: the Chemistry and Biochemistry Section and the Material Chemistry Section. The Department of Physics has conducted a Photo-electronics Curricular Program for pure and applied physics since 2002. The Department of Mathematics has established a Data Science and Mathematical Statistics Section. These programs have been followed up with a continuous process of monitoring.
In order to promote material and bio-technology research at Tamkang University, two additional research centers were set up: the Nanotechnology Center and the Life Science Development Center, both of which were established in 2003. These centers have been offered special grants by TKU that enable the centers to manage their core research facilities and meet their research-based objectives.
Course Descriptions
Undergraduate Courses
A0452 Introduction to Japanese: This course begins with instruction in the Japanese alphabet. By teaching basic vocabulary, this course helps students to apply Japanese to their everyday lives. Interactive activities are also designed to motivate beginners.
F0568 Advanced English Reading and Writing: The purpose of this course is to build students’ reading strategies and vocabulary, thereby helping them to read academic texts with relative ease. Techniques, such as organizing ideas and writing essays in English, are also introduced in this course. The goal of this course is to help students perform well on the iBT TOEFL and IELTS tests. F0591 Japanese Reading and Compostition: This course covers beginning and intermediate Japanese reading and writing. In reading articles, students develop a wider vocabulary and increased proficiency in grammer. Moreover, by compiling short essays, students are encouraged to practice using the grammatical structures taught in class.