History And Current Condition
Founded in 1919, National Chung Hsing University is the oldest national comprehensive university in Taiwan, and the only top university in Central Taiwan selected by the Ministry of Education.
The Mechanical Engineering department was founded in 1964 with 50 students enrolled and was expanded to 90 per year in 1985. Master's program of the department was founded in 1990 and currently 83 students enrolled annually.
A PhD program was established in 1996 and admit about 4 students annually. An on-the-job Master's Degree Program is available since 2001. It enrolls 30 students every year. There are more than 6,000 alumni serving in academia, government departments, mechanical and other industries in both Taiwan and abroad.
The department offers four programs (undergraduate, Master's, PhD and master's on-the-job). The department All programs are accredited per Washington accord through the Institute of Engineering Education (IEET) certification since 2007, with the most recent in 2019. Therefore, our degrees and courses are recognized internationally, in addition to that by the Ministry of Education (MOE). This accreditation help graduates seeking employment or further education internationally.
In addition, we have implemented the Capstone Design Course for more than 25 years. We pioneered both the course and the associated annual exhibition-competition among national research universities in Taiwan. Over the years, the course has been praised by the MOE, academia and industry. As a result, Capstone course is promoted to colleges and universities nationwide as a key criterion in IEET accreditations since 2013. Besides achieving educational goals of the department, this course is also effective on developing core competence of our students. It is of great help in professional development and problem-solving skills for students at our department.
Our department promotes student exchanges and double degrees with foreign universities since 2008. These arrangements can not only broaden the students' international outlook, but also enhance the exposure of the department abroad. Our students can opt for double degrees programs with Czech University of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Toyota Technological Institute, School of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Deakin University (Australia) and the University of Cincinnati. Additionally, NCHU offers exchange program to more than 135 universities in Europe, America and Asia.
The department is committed to cultivating top mechanical engineers. More than 6,000 graduates from our department are serving globally. These alumni are role models, and they are keen to mentor their juniors. In order to be in line with the international trend, the education framework is focused on nurturing basic research capabilities. Our engineering technology development is focused on developing applied integrated technology. The two elements are elaborated as follows:
Nurturing basic research capabilities
Research at this department is divided into five groups, namely solid mechanics and design, energy and thermofluid mechanics, system control, manufacturing technology, and micro and nanoengineering. Theoretical study is matched with experimental validation to investigate the science and develop applied engineering technology in various fields. This department has developed the Capstone project ("Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering Design ") to allow students to create their own work from scratch to completion, involving brainstorming, product design, components fabrication, assembly, mechatronics integration and test. Students apply the knowledge learned in the undergraduate curriculum in the process.
Students from the department have recently participated in many competitions, such as the WRO (World Robot Olympiad) International Final, TEL Robot Combat, National colleges practical competition, HIWIN thesis award, Goodway Machinery's "precision machine tool and intelligent technology" competition and SPINTECH Technology Thesis Award. Their excellent performance attests the effectiveness of the department's educational goal.