To coordinate the university’s educational philosophy of Professionalization, entrepreneurship, internationalization and humanity, the department matches the development of university affairs to establish tenets and educational targets. The features that this department aims to develop are as follows:

1. Professionalization

    (1) The teaching program of the department will invite outside specialists and scholars to give guidance and draft course standards for each educational system that needs to be approved by an inspection group of a department meeting and then transferred to the office of teaching affairs to arrange for outside anonymous specialists to provide opinions. After an iterative collection of various opinions, the draft shall pass through the university meeting of teaching affairs before being reported to the Ministry of Education. After being mapped out through discussion, teachers can draft syllabi and teaching plans with references to relevant courses of the International Airline and Transportation Association, foreign and civil railways, training and operation manuals relevant to domestic and foreign airlines, as well as references to teachers’ practice experiences in the airline circle, while teaching materials shall be mainly practically supplemented with actual case studies, digital teaching materials and relevant academic journals.     

    (2) The department advertises its practical orientation and management professions and manifests its technical and vocational education features for strong employability. The department adopts the sandwich teaching method to implement the detailed work of technical and vocational education and regularly invites senior directors or professional managers in the field of airline and transport services to come to the university to give project lectures through three-in-one instruction (with interaction between professional teachers, professional managers and students) to improve students’ knowledge and help psychologically prepare students for employment, as well as to build special student-teacher relationships for personnel preparation before employment.    

    (3) For some operational practice courses (e.g. airline and transport reservation practice, departure control system, cabin service practice, airline shipping practice, etc.),besides the existing professional teacher resources, the department also arranges for professional teachers working in the airline and transport service field to help, e.g., a current flight cabin chief working for an airline, the station head of an airport, chief director of shipping and flight affairs, chief director in rail transport industry and director of civil aviation authority within government’s public agencies, etc. for the benefit of passing on instant usable skills to the students.  

    (4) The department is the first professional department for aviation management and service with the following teaching equipment: Boeing B747-400 body aircraft simulated practice cabin, MacDonald Douglas MD-11 simulated practice cabin, Boeing B737-NG aircraft flight simulator, simulated ground reservation counter, simulated lounge, transfer counter, simulated passenger inquiry counter and an airline reservation classroom to provide students many emulated learning environments.

    (5) In October 2006, the department signed a cooperative education agreement with the Taiwan High-speed Rail Co., Ltd and officially entered the high-quality land transport service field.

    (6) With the assistance of sub-plan 3 to create the high-quality hospitality education environment of the 2008 plan, rewarding university teaching excellence by the Ministry of Education, the department has finished the building of the Boeing 737 NG fixed training simulator for the flight affairs training classroom and engaged in refitting the bulkhead of the B747-400 cabin, replacing the cabin carpet, replacing the ground registration counter and manufacturing a double-layer glass notice frame in the model classroom. The department will continue to match teaching demands with more professional equipment in order to cater to workplace dimensions.

2. Entrepreneurship

   (1) To implement the philosophy of enhancing cooperative education and fully catching up with the world, the department actively engages in encourages research plans on industry-university issues and increases interactive opportunities between the academic circle and the industry through industry-university cooperation, thus improving teachers’ professional capabilities and the entire service quality of the airline and transport service industry.  

   (2) The department consistently follows the German technical and vocational educational method of sandwich courses of the university, and by learning professional theorieson-campus and off- campus practice in an airline or other relevant industries, we expect students to put course knowledge and work experience into practice through an in-turn block release system and intend to train the frontline service operation personnel as the foundations of the industry. In a comprehensive view of relevant airline management subjects among various domestic universities and colleges, only this department has a long-time trust and tacit cooperation with various airlines. In recent years, many businesses, including EVA Airways, Cathy Pacific Airways, Dragon Airlines, Far Eastern Air Transport, TansAsia Airways, Mandarin Airlines, Uni Airways, Daily Air, American Airlines (general agency), EZ Travel, and EZ Fly, etc., have regularly provided 1-year paid practice opportunities to students of the department.

3. Internationalization

   To achieve the goals of internationalization and globalization, the department develops teachers and students’ international vision through the following activities:

  (1) To increase English learning capabilities, the department has accordingly established the subjects of general English and professional English and adopted testing methods to distinguish proficiency levels. Furthermore, domestic professional teachers select proper teaching materials while foreign language teachers give instruction in small classes to strengthen grammar concepts and enhance listening, speaking, reading and writing capabilities to obtain the most desirable language learning effect.

  (2) The department has implemented reward methods for foreign language capabilities since the first semester of the 2006 academic year to encourage students to actively register for foreign language examinations (including TOFEL, TOEIC, IELTS, GEPT and Japanese Language Proficiency Test) which rewards students who reach a certain grades with subsidy for the registration fee or a bounty for an excellent grade.

  (3) By coordinating the university’s developing features and focus, the department develops a technical and vocational education and promotes the internationalization of the hospitality industry. At the moment, it has signed an international course co-construction and dual degree cooperation plan with Humber College, Toronto, Canada, where students can earn credits and practice in relevant local industries. Meanwhile, this will more actively move the goal forward to jointly promote international course co-constructions and dual degrees with other international universities and colleges with relevant departments. 

  (4) Overseas practice opportunities—Students can select off-campus practice at the Singapore Changi Airport, an organization that signed a contract with the university or relevant hospitality industry offices in Thailand to develop an international vision.

  (5) Before graduation, students can develop their international visions through the opportunity of overseas visiting courses.

  (6) Under the assistance of the excellent teaching plan of the Ministry of Education and the university’s foundations, the university has founded the IATA authorized training center (ATC) of the International Airline and Transport Association, NKUHT and opened primary courses for the IATA/UFTAA international tourism diploma in the first semester of the 2008 academic year. Students who take this course and pass the test will be awarded with the IATA/UFTAA professional verification certificate (internationally recognized).

4. Humanity

  (1) The department hopes that the students can enjoy learning in a fine environment through implementation of professionalization, entrepreneurship and internationalization and then develop talents with literary works and a special appreciation in the arts and finally build proper working attitude, as well as the value of life.

  (2) Upholding the university’s philosophy of the cultivation of humanity, the general courses are designed so that both primary and advanced courses enrich local culture, literary tastes, art appreciation, personal interaction and international macro ideas.