Regulations of the PhD Qualifying Examination

Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University

Passed by the Departmental Faculty Meeting on May 27, 2026

1. These regulations shall apply to doctoral students enrolling from the 2026 academic year onwards.
2. Students are eligible to apply for the candidacy examination after completing at least 9 credits of graduate-level courses and fulfilling their respective division-specific requirements. The examination must be conducted no later than the end of the fifth semester of enrollment (excluding periods of leave of absence), with the application officially submitted to the Department Office.
3. Division-Specific Regulations:

· Organic Chemistry Division: Prior to applying for the candidacy examination, the applicant must pass a progress report evaluation before the start of the first semester of their second year. The progress report committee must consist of at least three faculty members at or above the rank of assistant professor, and the thesis advisor is eligible to serve as a panel member. Written materials must be submitted to the committee prior to the oral presentation, with the required content and grading distribution of the progress report allocated as follows:

(A) Research Concept and Background (20%): Must include research motivation, a comprehensive literature review, and the specific scientific problems to be solved.

(B) Research Content and Preliminary Results (60%): Must include experimental design, research data, and thorough analysis/discussion.

(C) Subsequent Research Plans (20%): Must include future experimental planning, an expected timeline, and a feasibility assessment.

The main text of the research proposal must be set in a 12 pt font size with 1.5-line spacing. The required typeface for Chinese text is BiauKai (標楷體), and the typeface for English text is Times New Roman. The main text is limited to a maximum of 15 pages, excluding references. The progress report evaluation comprises an oral presentation by the applicant followed by a Q&A session with the panel members. Candidates are required to present sufficient experimental data to support their research conclusions for the committee's formal review.

· Inorganic Chemistry Division: The 1-page summary and the full research proposal must feature original topics that are completely independent of any research the applicant has previously completed or is currently conducting.

· Physical Chemistry Division: The topic of the research proposal must be approved by the thesis advisor.

· Analytical Chemistry Division: At least 6 of the required credits must be completed from courses offered within the Analytical Chemistry Division. The title and abstract of the Candidacy Proposal must be written exclusively in English, whereas the remaining body text may be composed in either Chinese or English. Regarding the oral evaluation, in addition to presenting their research proposal, applicant is required to deliver a research progress report not exceeding 30 minutes.

· Chemical Biology Division: At least 6 of the required credits must be completed from courses offered within the Chemical Biology Division.

· Materials Chemistry Division: The topic of the research proposal must be approved by the thesis advisor.

4. Composition of the Candidacy Examination Committee:

1. Appointment of the Chair: Within one week of receiving a candidacy exam application, the Convener of the Curriculum Committee will appoint a Candidacy Examination Chair (the "Chair") from the department faculty within the candidate’s division.
2. Committee Formation: Within one week of appointment, the Chair must form the Candidacy Examination Committee (the "Committee"), notify the applicant of the committee composition, and submit the membership list to the Department Office. The Committee must have at least three members (assistant professorship or higher) and at least half must be from this department. The applicant’s  thesis advisor cannot be a committee member.

5. The candidacy examination composes of three stages: (1) Research Proposal Summary, (2) Full Research Proposal, and (3) Oral Defense. To pass the candidacy examination, the applicant must get at least two-thirds (2/3) approval vote from the Committee at every stage.
6. Applicant is limited to two attempts per examination stage. A second “NOT PASS” at any individual stage constitutes an official failure of the candidacy examination, and the student will be dismissed from the doctoral program.
7. The proceedings and evaluations for the Research Proposal Summary, Full Research Proposal, and Oral Defense are strictly confidential and non-public.
8. Research Proposal Summary

1. Candidates must apply to the Convener of the Curriculum Committee by submitting a 1-page Research Proposal Summary.
2. Format and Content Guidelines: The summary may be written in either Chinese or English. It must include (1) Topic, (2) Significance, (3) Specific Research, (4) Hypotheses, and (5) References. Figures and tables must not exceed 50% of the total content area.
3. The Committee will evaluate the summary within two weeks. The Chair will then inform the applicant of the outcome and submit the official evaluation form to the Department Office. A applicant cannot proceed to submit a full research proposal until this summary is approved.

9. Full Research Proposal

1. Following the Committee's approval of the summary, applicant must submit the full research proposal to the Committee within one month and lodge a reference copy with the Department Office.
2. Format and Content Guidelines: The proposal can be written in Chinese or English. It must be formatted in Microsoft Word (12 pt font, single-spaced) and restricted to 10 A4 pages, excluding the cover and reference sections. Font styles must adhere to BiauKai (標楷體) for Chinese and Times New Roman for English. The proposal should compose the title, abstract, background/significance, specific aims, and references, with figures and tables limited to 50% of the document layout.
3. The Committee will complete the review within three weeks. The Chair will communicate the final decision to the applicant and file the formal evaluation records with the Department Office.

10. Oral Defense

1. Upon the Committee's approval of the full research proposal, the applicant may contact the Chair within one month to schedule an oral defense.
2. The presentation and defense may be conducted in either Chinese or English. The recommended duration for the presentation is 20 to 30 minutes. The thesis advisor may attend the oral defense as an observer but must not participate in the evaluation.
3. The Committee must grade the defense immediately following the conclusion of the session, and file the result sheet with the Department Office for the record.
4. A "PASS" grade from the Committee constitutes an official pass of the candidacy examination.
5. In the event of a 'NOT PASS' result, the applicant may submit a formal application to the Chair for a re-examination within three months. Failure to apply within this three-month window results a definitive failure of the candidacy examination.
6. Upon receiving a re-examination request, the Chair will instruct the applicant to coordinate with the Committee members to hold a second oral defense within one month.
7. A "NOT PASS" grade on the second oral defense constitutes a definitive failure of the candidacy examination.

11. Plagiarism in either the Research Proposal Summary or the Full Research Proposal will result in an immediate failure of that candidacy examination attempt.
12. These regulations shall take effect upon approval by the Departmental Faculty Meeting.