Due to the liberalization and internationalization of the financial system, there are urgent needs for professionals in finance by all facets of society.  The Department of Finance was established in 1994, which was the first Department of Finance among the vocational and technological universities in Taiwan.  The department offers four-year programs leading to the degree of bachelor of business administration in finance.  The master program in finance which designed for full time business professions began its recruitment of students in the 1995.  The EMBA program follows in 1999.  An extensive variety of specialized curriculums are offered.  The program integrated curriculum is designed to be admitted to posses highly competitiveness in Taiwan’s financial industry.  Approximately 5000 undergraduates and 500 graduate students have entered into the job market.  Following the spirit of the vocational and technological education, we emphasize on both theory and practice.  Our goals are to train professional personnel and researchers in businesses and finance industry, as well as the financial managers in the governmental institutions.  In addition, we have built up a strong work-study program in cooperation with the enterprises.  Meanwhile, we endeavor to establish academic relations with international institutions through cooperation and exchanging scholars and students.

(II)   Characteristics

 1.    Curriculum with dual emphasis on theory and practice

(1) Our department places equal emphasis on theory and practice. Other than the foundation of theory we teach in class, the students will be exposed to intern program during the summer vacation. In addition, the Financial Consultation and Internship Center is getting completed gradually by purchasing and installing related equipments and facilities. We aim to consolidate the teaching conception and characteristics to achieve our education goals.

(2) We amend our curriculum regularly in accordance to the development of the financial market. In addition, we gather suggestions from scholars, the business, and the alumni to stipulate a curriculum that complies with financial market development. For undergraduate students, other than compulsory courses, in professional elective courses we have planned three major curricula to provide the students the most appropriate professional training. For the master program, we offer courses in advanced finance, in order to cultivate the students’ capacities in research and analysis, as well as in management and decision making.

(3) Concerning the major trends and directions of curriculum development, we highlight three major series of curricula: Financial Management Program, Financial Investment Strategies Program and Financial Intermediary Management Program. In addition, we endeavor to enhance the courses of financial engineering and risk management. Matching with the facilities in the Financial Consultation and Internship Center, the students can considerably accomplish both theory and practice complementarily.

 2.      Internship program that integrates theory and practice

In order to provide opportunities for our students to understand the professional and theoretical spirits of finance, our department has established an internship program. Cooperating with the financial institutions and financial departments in the business, we arrange our students to receive practical training during the summer term. The internship affiliations include Taiwan Cooperative Bank, Taiwan Land Bank, Polaris Financial Airport and many other banks and security companies.

3.     Guidance in Certification Examinations

We are enthusiastic about helping our students participate in the certification examinations of security broker, futures broker, etc. In the past years, each graduate had gotten two or more certificates in finance.

 4.  Promote the students’ international perspectives to connect with the international arena

Through the “Joint Degree” program, we have built up with the partner universities in foreign countries to allow our students to take credits overseas. When they graduate, they will be awarded the Joint Degrees. The students in this program are offered the opportunities to have their international outlook and get connected with the international arena. With a limited budget, the students can have their plans of studying abroad. In addition, they can also elevate their levels of professional knowledge as well as proficiency in English. Now the department plans to build up a Joint in Finance Degree with Canberra University and Bond University in Australia. We are engaged in promoting this program actively to expand and extend the perspectives of both our faculty and students.