TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kaohsiung’s National Sun Yat-sen University has launched Taiwan’s first joint master’s program with the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
CNA reported Thursday that the joint master’s degree program in sociology and global citizenship will begin enrollment for the 2026 academic year. It follows an intensive “one year, two countries” format aimed at students interested in the social sciences, anthropology, and gender studies.
The program plans to admit six international students and nine Taiwanese students in its first year, per Yahoo News. Applications for international students are open now, while Taiwanese students can apply starting Feb. 26.
“The core themes include equality, citizenship and social change,” Social Sciences College Dean Chen Mei-hua (陳美華) said. She said the curriculum will explore transnational migration, sustainable development and social justice through problem-based learning.
The university said the average tuition for a UK master’s degree is about £25,000 (NT$1 million) per year. The new program will charge £13,000, cutting costs by roughly 50%.
It will also offer six full scholarships and several partial scholarships. The university said the initiative aims to promote equal access to education and strengthen students’ global mobility and competitiveness.
National Sun Yat-sen University signed a cooperation agreement with SOAS, University of London in April 2025 and finalized the joint degree agreement in December. The program will assign each student two academic advisers, one from each university.
SOAS Vice Chancellor Adam Habib said he welcomed the partnership and appreciated long-term support from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education. He said the program will deepen academic exchange and highlight SOAS strengths in Asia, Africa, and Middle East studies.
Taiwan’s representative to the UK Yao Chin-hsiang (姚金祥) said the agreement marks a new chapter in Taiwan-UK higher education cooperation. “The UK has long been a major destination for Taiwanese students studying abroad,” he said, per Economic Daily News.
