Ming Chi University of Technology

Ming Chi University of Technology (MCUT; ) is a private university of technology in Taishan District, New Taipei, Taiwan. Established in 1963, it currently consists of three colleges: College of Engineering, College of Environment and Resources, and College of Management and Design.

MCUT has been consistently regarded as one of the top technical and vocational universities in Taiwan and is well known for its co-operative training programs.

Motto
Diligence, Perseverance, Frugality and Trustworthiness.

This motto is the statement of belief by the Formosa Plastics Group, with MCUT being one of its subsidiaries. The first two terms indicate that MCUT expects students to be hard-working and to do right and meaningful things. Frugality and trustworthiness imply that students are taught to appreciate a simple and honest life. That is, students are trained to work hard pursuing their life goals and become useful members of the society.

History
The school was established as Ming Chi Institute of Technology in 1963 by Wang Yung-ching, an influential entrepreneur in Taiwan and founder of Formosa Plastics Group. With its impressive performance developing industrial professionals, the school was approved for upgrading to be a four-year technical college in 1999. After introducing more departments and research centers in subsequent years, the school was again approved in 2004 for and renamed Ming Chi University of Technology.

The school's present name was chosen in recognition of a former private academy which was located in the vicinity of MCUT. Founded by Hu Cho-Yu during the Qing dynasty, the 'Ming Chi Academy' was the first private school in northern Taiwan. It is believed that MCUT was named 'Ming Chi' to motivate and encourage its students to learn the teachings from virtuous elders.

Rankings
For the 2010–2011 period, Web of Science placed MCUT faculty's numbers of papers-per-author published in SCI and SSCI journals at 3rd in the world in the 'technological and vocational university/college' category.

In terms of design, MCUT ranked 19th in the German iF Concept Award's 'universities' category in 2012.

According to the 2013 Academic Ranking of Taiwan Universities/Colleges released by Tamkang University, MCUT ranked 30th among 104 graduate-level universities, 7th among technical/vocational universities, and 1st in the category of private colleges/universities of technology.

Academic Organization
The structure of MCUT's academic organization is as follows:

Research
Research at MCUT has been characterized by a particular emphasis on 'industry-oriented' studies. Since the school was approved for its upgrade to a university of technology, it has focused on strengthening cooperation between academia and industry. Furthermore, in recent years, MCUT has worked towards integrating the resources of its three colleges and established four research centers, which are: the Biochemical Technology R&D Center, the Center for Thin Film Technologies and Applications, the Chinese Herbal Medicine Center, and the Battery Research Center of Green Energy. Through the use of these four units' R&D capabilities, MCUT has actively participated in practical research and offered various types of technical services to relevant enterprises.

To encourage close and constant interactions through sharing research with relevant industry enterprises, MCUT established the Industry-University Collaboration Center and the Innovation and Incubation Center. MCUT's contributions can be seen in both the quality and quantity of research produced. For the 2010–2011 period, the numbers of papers-per-author published by MCUT faculty members in SCI and SSCI journals ranked 3rd in the world in the 'technological and vocational university/college' category. As well, from 2009 to 2011, MCUT received grants awarded by Ministry of Education for the promotion and development of academic-industrial cooperation.

Residential Schooling
There are eight dormitories on the MCUT campus to accommodate all undergraduates studying in the regular program. Living on campus has been one of MCUT's longstanding traditions. Students are required to live in school accommodation in the hope that they learn both professional knowledge and techniques and problem-solving skills from the courses taken and life experiences gained. Students at MCUT must get up at 6:30 AM every morning to jog and study in their dorm rooms from 8:00 to 10:00 PM every night.

Co-Operative Training Programs
The co-operative training program has also been an important feature of the education of MCUT. Students of MCUT are required to receive one-year of co-operative training during which they participate in a full-time internship program with Formosa Plastics Group or other enterprises to learn technical skills and gain work experience relevant to their fields of study. This program is unprecedented among universities/colleges in Taiwan. Furthermore, since 2006 MCUT has introduced an 'Overseas Co-operative Practical Training Program' that allows students to work for certain international companies abroad. MCUT is the world's pioneering institution to implement such an international internship system.

Transportation
The university is accessible within walking distance north of Taishan Guihe Station of Taoyuan Airport MRT.