"Study Abroad in Taiwan; Leap Forward to World”
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
These are the FAQs regarding our IBSC program:
1) What is the difference between IBSC and the Department of Foreign Languages and Applied Linguistics at Yuan Ze University?
This is the most frequently asked question from high school students and their parents. College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Yuan Ze University has a Department of Foreign Languages and Applied Linguistics (FL) that has a longer history than IBSC. FL students study English and Japanese as a subject. In other words, they study languages through grammar, listening, speaking, reading, and writing classes. Our IBSC students study diverse subjects from the four departments in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences using English. In other words, they do NOT study the English language as a subject. They study diverse subjects like Intercultural Communication, Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to Art & Design, and so forth using English. There are many foreign teachers and students in IBSC. Our students have opportunities to interact with those teachers and students who have different cultural backgrounds even outside the classes. IBSC, therefore, can be characterized as “Study Abroad in Taiwan”.
2) Exactly what do IBSC students study?
Our curriculum can be divided into two primary phases consisting of the first two years (Freshman and Sophomore years) and the last two years (Junior and Senior years). In the first phase, our IBSC students take most of the required classes to build a solid foundation of the four primary disciplines/areas, such as 1) Social Policy & Public Relations, 2) International Business & Foreign Language Communication, 3) Art, Design & Creativity, and 4) Asia-pacific Humanities Language & Culture, using English. The required classes are intended to give students general knowledge and the ability to think critically and to learn any subjects rather than specific skills needed for a technical profession. Our students are often asked to do a lot of writing and oral presentations in both English and Chinese. This type of training is called “Liberal Arts Education (博雅教育)” in Western countries, and it is highly valued because it prepares students for problem-solving and working in teams with people who have diverse cultural backgrounds.
In the second phase, IBSC students are expected to narrow down their own interest(s) in relation to their future careers and to take elective classes that help them pursue their future dream. Finding their own interest is not a difficult task for our students because they have already experienced learning diverse classes from four different disciplines/areas. They should know which discipline/area interests them most. They will be required to take an internship during the summer break between the Junior and the Senior years. They will also be encouraged to study abroad and expand their horizon.
3) What kinds of jobs can IBSC students do?
The students trained in our program with the focus on “Public Relations and Strategic Communication” can succeed virtually in any industries. Fresh graduates trained as technical professionals have only one specific skill, while our IBSC students will be equipped with the most critical and valuable skill, Problem-solving through effective and efficient communication. As you can see on our “Career” page, our students took an internship and found a job in diverse industries. IBSC students know how to learn new things and will keep learning and updating their knowledge and skills as they take an endeavor in their career.