Institute of Statistics, National Tsing Hua University

PhD Degree Regulations

Revised and approved: November 1, 1996

Revised and approved: September 15, 2005

Revised and approved: January 31, 2007

Revised and Approved: April 29, 2009

Revised and approved: September 16, 2009

Revised and approved: May 22, 2014

(1)  Credits and Time Limit

As stated in the University’s Academic Regulations, students must earn twenty-four credits (twelve from Ph.D. level courses offered by the Institute) and complete a dissertation. Ph.D. students that transferred from Master’s Program must earn at least thirty credits (at least twenty-four credits from the Institute of Statistics). All requirements for the Ph.D. must be completed between two to seven years. The maximum time for leave of absence is two years.

(2)  Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

The student must pass the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination within two years (the time taken for leave of absence does not count toward this time) from the first semester of registration as a Ph.D. student in the Institute. The examination consists of two parts: 1. Statistical Theory and 2. Applied Statistics.

The Qualifying Examination is administered approximately two weeks after final exams of each semester. Students taking the exam for the first time must take both parts of the exam. Partial passing within the first two years is allowed: if the student only passes one part, only the other part of the exam need to be taken during the next round; if the student fails both parts of the exam, the entire Qualifying Exam must be retaken. Note that the Statistical Theory part of the exam is further divided into two sections: Statistical Inference and Advanced Probability Theory. Students who passes only one section does not need to retake that section and only needs to take the other (failed) section in the next Qualifying Examination.

Students who fail to pass both parts of the Qualifying Examination within the first two years will be dismissed from the program according to Code #3 of the University’s Policies and Procedures for Ph.D. Degree Examination. Students who transferred from Master’s to Ph.D. Program should refer to Code #16 of the University’s Policies and Procedures for Ph.D. Degree Examination in case of failed Qualifying Examination.

(3)  Students in the Ph.D. program should choose a faculty member from the Institute of Statistics as the dissertation advisor. Students who wish to select a faculty member from another department/university as the dissertation advisor would need permission from the Institute.

(4)  Students in the Ph.D. program must pass an oral preliminary examination within two years (time taken for leave of absence not counted) after passing the Qualifying Exam. Students must present plans and directions of research; also, background knowledge as well as research scope and depth will be examined. The preliminary committee consists of at least five members and is established by the Advisor and Director of the Institute. The student’s advisor is an automatic member of the committee. Positive votes by more than 1/2 members of the committee is required to pass the Preliminary Examination. The examination may be attempted a maximum of two times. Students who fail to pass the examination will lose their status as Ph.D. candidate and be dismissed from the program.

(5)  The University requires institutional certification of First Foreign Language proficiency for all students enrolled after 1990. First Foreign Languages recognized by the Institute of Statistics include Japanese, English, French, Russian, and German. Certification methods of English proficiency are as follows:

• Passing of the Language Proficiency Test administered by the University
• Obtaining a passing grade of at least B- in an English writing course offered by Foreign Language related departments
• Presenting in English a research topic selected by the student in front of the committee. The committee, consisting of at least four members with the Institute Director as the committee chair, decides whether the presenter meets the language proficiency standard.
• Obtaining a minimum of 197 on TOEFL CBT test, or a minimum of 71 on TOEFL iBT test.
• Passing of GEPT test at High Intermediate level.

(6)  The above policies are subject to future revisions that will take effect following institutional review.