Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling - Bachelors

Vision Statement: The Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling (DEPC) at the NTNU will foster mental well-being and optimal cognitive growth in all students. The department will contribute to the Taiwanese society through research and application of psychology in teaching and learning. The faculty strives to foster divergent thinking and career development, to cultivate concerns for humanity and social services, to promote international exchange, and to nurture a global vision and perspective.

Mission Statement: Our mission is to cultivate mastery in practitioners of educational psychology and counseling and to prepare highly qualified guidance counselors and college-planning and career coaches in middle and high schools. To balance theoretical foundation and practicum training, the department is committed to developing the ability of innovative academic research and applied practices in undergraduate and graduate students.

The department has five distinctive features:

Firstly, the DEPC offers a wide variety of courses in fundamental and applied psychology, educational psychology, and counseling with emphasis on both practicum and professional enhancement. Students are also encouraged to take electives or to pursue a minor. Such diverse development increases the students’ competitiveness in the professional field. The DEPC graduates have a variety of career opportunities, including university faculty, middle and high school teachers and guidance counselors, and professionals in other education-related fields.

Secondly, the DEPC ranks No. 1 in the country and it is one of the most popular departments in the NTNU. Some faculty members are chief editors of prestigious academic journals while others hold leadership positions in national and international academic associations. Many faculty members have won the Outstanding Research Award granted by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Award of Teaching Excellence. Moreover, many graduate students publish their theses and dissertations in international conferences and journals, and some have won awards of excellence for their research.

Thirdly, the DEPC has excellent research facilities, including an Educational Neuroscience lab, Observational and Audio-Visual Classrooms, and internet-testing labs. The faculty and students conduct cutting-edge research. The DEPC is in charge of the publication and editing of The Bulletin of Educational Psychology, a TSSCI-accredited journal and an American Psychological Association PsycINFO database.

Fourthly, the DEPC is active in facilitating international academic exchange and collaboration programs involving faculty and students. There is a exchange agreement between DEPC and the Department of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology in the College of Education at the University of Missouri. The department aims to cultivate a global vision and perspective in students.

Finally, the students, faculty and staff form a close-knit family and interact in harmony. The DEPC respects students’ opinions. Through community service courses, students volunteer in childcare centers and mentor middle school students to nurture a caring outlook.