Technical Reports in Lieu of a Master's Thesis

In April 2018, the Executive Yuan approved the Ministry of Education's draft amendment to the "Degree Conferral Act." The amendment introduced a clause allowing professional practice reports as substitutes, creating diversified pathways for obtaining a Master’s degree. Beyond the traditional thesis, new options such as creative works and practice-based reports were introduced to encourage more practice-oriented professionals to pursue graduate studies.

Given that most students in this program are practitioners, and many enroll with the goal of exploring issues within their own life or work environments, this program officially implemented the “Guidelines for the Recognition of Technical Reports” for the Executive Master’s Program in Sociology for Indigenous Peoples at National Sun Yat-sen University" starting in the 2022 academic year. This policy allows students to submit a technical report in lieu of a Master’s thesis.

The proposal must be reported by the academic advisor and openly discussed at the Departmental Affairs Meeting. Furthermore, students must present their plan to substitute the thesis with a technical report during the "Fieldwork Proposal Presentation” stage. A technical report must consist of two parts: a "Written Report" and a "Public Exhibition/Performance."

In recent years, several students have successfully passed their degree examinations via technical reports, including Tawgadhu Pangetedre from the second cohort and Malivan Kawru from the fourth cohort. In addition to documenting the creative intent, the creative process, and challenges encountered, the technical report must address its distinctions from other research and its significance to both the individual and the tribe. Through written records and creative presentations, we hope to encourage more indigenous community members to return to campus for further education.

Master’s Degree Examination (Including Technical Report)
Period of Study: The standard period of study for students in this program is one to four years. Students who fail to complete the required courses and credits, fulfill departmental graduation requirements, or complete their thesis within the designated timeframe may apply for an extension of up to two additional years.

Graduation Requirements: To obtain a Master’s degree, students must fulfill the following criteria:

(1) Complete the compulsory courses: "Sociology," "Sociological Research Methods," and "Contemporary Indigenous Issues (I) & (II)."

(2) Complete at least 12 elective credits offered by this program.

(3) Complete a Master’s thesis (or technical report) and pass the degree examination (oral defense) within the study period.

(4) Pass the "Academic Research Ethics Education" course (please refer to the "National Sun Yat-sen University Guidelines for the Implementation of Academic Research Ethics Education Courses").

Degree Examination Procedures: Students may only apply for the Degree Examination after completing the required graduation credits (including credits currently in progress) and passing the "Thesis Proposal Defense." There must be an interval of at least two months between the Proposal Defense and the Degree Examination. Furthermore, students must complete the "Fieldwork Proposal" before formally submitting their Thesis Proposal.