The Department of Sociology at National Taipei University is one of the earliest sociology departments established in Taiwan. Originally part of the College of Law and Business at National Chung Hsing University, the Department became an independent unit following the university’s reorganization in 2000.

　　The Department currently comprises 14 full-time faculty members, 1 jointly appointed faculty member, 7 adjunct faculty members, and 3 teaching assistants. It admits 48 undergraduate students, 12 master’s students, and 20 in-service master’s students each year. Undergraduate and graduate programs are based at the Sanxia Campus, while the In-Service Master’s Program is located at the Minsheng Campus in Taipei. The Department maintains a strong faculty–student ratio and a collaborative academic environment.

Academic Structure & Training 

　　Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary social sciences, the undergraduate curriculum integrates foundational training across related disciplines. In addition to core sociology courses, students engage with psychology, cultural anthropology, political science, economics, and law.

　　The Department emphasizes rigorous training in core sociological training. Required courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels include Sociological Theory and Research Methods. Key subfields—such as social organization, social stratification, political sociology, economic sociology, and social psychology— form the backbone of the curriculum, supported by faculty with specialized expertise.

　　Beyond these areas, the Department offers broad coverage across major domains of sociology, including religion, education, population studies, family, health, youth, aging, deviance, media, culture and identity, and regional studies. This breadth ensures that students can pursue diverse academic interests while receiving structured guidance from at least one faculty member supervised in each field.

Methods & Data Training

　　Recent developments in social science have been shaped by advances in quantitative methods and computational approaches, with particularly strong influence in sociology. The Department has responded by strengthening its capacity in these areas, with a growing number of faculty specializing in quantitative research. 

　　In addition to required training in social statistics, the curriculum includes an expanding range of elective courses in statistical analysis, survey methodology, and computational applications. These methodological skills are not only central to sociological research, but are also widely applicable across fields such as communication, public opinion research, and market research.

　　Importantly, this training equips students to engage effectively with data-driven inquiry and positions graduates to respond effectively to the growing importance of big data in both academic and applied settings.

70th Anniversary Series

Self-Reliance and Renewal: Carrying Forward the Legacy —

70th Anniversary Commemorative Essay Series of the Department of Sociology, National Taipei University (I)