The Department of Economics at National Dong Hwa University was established in 1994. At its inception, the Graduate Institute of International Economics (renamed the Master's Program in Economics in 2009) was founded. This was followed by the establishment of the Bachelor's Program in Economics in 1997 and the Doctoral Program in 2001, making the department the only institution in eastern Taiwan to offer a comprehensive economics education encompassing bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs.
The Department was founded to support Taiwan's overall national development and the economic development of eastern Taiwan by enhancing the quality of economics education in the region, promoting a more balanced distribution of educational resources, and cultivating professionals equipped with a solid foundation in economic theory, practical analytical skills, and a strong sense of social responsibility. Since its establishment, the Department has been committed to recruiting outstanding faculty members, appointing economists who earned doctoral degrees from leading universities in Taiwan and abroad. This commitment has fostered a distinguished faculty with strong teaching dedication and research excellence, providing students with a high-quality learning environment.
The educational mission of the Department is to provide students with a rigorous foundation in economic theory, cultivate sound economic reasoning and analytical skills, enhance their understanding of public policy issues and industrial development, and develop their ability to analyze and solve real-world problems from an economic perspective. The Department also emphasizes the integration of professional competence with humanistic values, preparing graduates for successful careers in business, government agencies, research institutions, and various organizations, or for further study in graduate programs in economics, finance, business administration, and related fields. Through the sustained commitment of its faculty to excellence in teaching and research, the Department has continuously strengthened its academic quality and research performance, while its graduates have consistently achieved outstanding success in both further education and professional careers.
The undergraduate curriculum is designed using a modular program structure that provides students with both breadth and depth in their academic training. The required Foundation Program and Core Program establish a solid grounding in economic theory, analytical thinking, and essential professional competencies. In addition, a variety of specialized elective programs enable students to deepen their expertise according to their academic interests and career aspirations. Owing to the close integration between the curricula of the Department of Economics and the Department of Finance, students may also enroll in finance courses or even pursue Finance as a second major, thereby expanding their interdisciplinary expertise and enhancing their competitiveness for graduate study and future employment. The Department aspires to cultivate graduates who possess rigorous analytical thinking, a global perspective, and a strong commitment to social responsibility, enabling them to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex world.
The graduate curriculum places equal emphasis on theoretical foundations and empirical analysis, with major areas of specialization including international economics, industrial economics, and financial economics. The program also places strong emphasis on econometric methods, statistical analysis, data processing, and empirical economic research, equipping students with the skills needed to apply data-driven approaches to solving economic problems. The Department's faculty have devoted themselves to teaching, research, and graduate supervision throughout their careers at National Dong Hwa University, maintaining close interactions with graduate students. In addition to providing comprehensive coursework, faculty members offer individualized academic guidance and research mentoring to assist students in successfully completing their theses and developing into highly qualified economists with strong research capabilities and international competitiveness.