A decline in the number of doctoral students and the impact on international rankings have apparently led to a surge in subsidies universities are offering those willing to take on doctoral studies.
The Ministry of Education released polls showing a surge in the number of the nation’s doctoral students, from 24,409 in 2004 to a peak of 34,178 students in 2010, before suffering annual decreases through last year.
The number of doctoral students last year was 30,549, ministry data showed.
Some have attributed the decline in doctoral students to rankings by magazine Times Higher Education, which showed National Taiwan University (NTU) at 167th in the this year’s report, compared with 155th last year.
NTU staff member Lee Fang-jen (李芳仁) said the university’s drop in the rankings was due to a small dip in the number of doctoral papers produced, which correlates with a drop in the number of doctoral students.
In response, the university is offering 60 slots in its doctoral programs every year for college or masters students, granting those who are selected for the “direct-study program” a three-year grant of monthly stipends of NT$24,000 (US$730).
NTU dean of academic affairs Chuang Jung-hui (莊榮輝) said the university usually saw 800 doctoral students, but previous subsidies at most came to NT$18,000 per month, paling in comparison with doctoral students in the US, who receive about US$20,000 to US$30,000 per year.
The plan is for students to make NT$30,000 in subsidies per month, putting them on par with the average entry-level salaries for office workers who hold masters degrees and encouraging them to stick with their studies, Lee said.
It would address the primary financial motivation of most students who seek higher honors, Lee said.
Forty students have been accepted into the program this year, the university said, adding that it hopes the ministry would also help fund the program using the “road to top-notch universities” project.
K-12 Division deputy director Chu Chun-chang (朱俊彰) said government policy is to address the quality and the quantity of doctoral students.
The ministry is looking to reduce the number of doctoral students by 15 percent across the board, and asking that universities and departments hand in better vocational planning to avoid the situation of “wandering professors,” Chu said.
Wandering professors are those with doctoral degrees, but who do not have full-time employment and travel between universities teaching part-time classes.
The ministry is considering plans to allow students to take part in numerous projects, with one focusing on closer integration between academia and industry, offering an annual NT$200,000 stipend for students to devote two years to industry work, with the funds to be made up from corporate and university sources, Chu said.
Another project is to help students travel abroad on a NT$1 million subsidy per year for a maximum of two years to promote open-mindedness and familiarity with international trends, as well as to introduce quality Taiwanese students to the global academic society, Chu said.
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