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[romanworld]

Enrollments in doctoral programs in Taiwan hit a record low this year, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Education yesterday, which cited low birth rates as one of the causes.

Some universities nationwide even reported zero-enrollment in their doctoral programs this academic year, citing low birth rates, industry transitions and decreasing numbers of teaching faculty members in recent years as factors.

National Taiwan University, Taiwan's leading institution of higher education, reported at least four doctoral programs with zero-enrollment figures, including in the drama, life sciences, agricultural economics and oceanography departments.

Other leading universities also did not manage to escape similar fates this year, including four programs with no new doctoral candidates at National Chengchi University, two at National Tsing Hua University, two at National Chiao Tung University, five at National Cheng Kung University, and many more schools have reported empty doctoral classes for the next academic year as well.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2015/12/05/452713/Enrollment-rates.htm

I might suggest another reason why some universities are experiencing zero-enrollment rates: These doctoral degrees cost a lot in terms of money, time and effort, but only lead to mounting debt and anxiety about how the money will be repaid when most jobs for graduates pay less than $NT30K per annum in Taiwan.