History
The School of Continuing & Extension Education
in 1982 with the permission of the Ministry of Education in order to meet the
need of Economic development of the whole country and the requirement of
personal advanced studies. Since then, our school follows the university
tradition "to be the top, be the best" to manage the school, take
care of both theory and practical training, maintain harmony relationship
between the faculty and students, develop the university characteristics and
emphasize internationalization so as to strengthen the competitiveness of every
student and graduate.
Then in 1996 the College was elevated as Nan-tai Institute of technology and, three years later, changed to Southern Taiwan University. At that period, the special on-the-job bachelor and master programs, as well as EMBA was set up to elevate and diversify the refresher education.
Now there are 21 bachelor departments and 12 master programs in our night school. 
Through the structural change in modern lifestyle, life-time learning has become the
educational philosophy of the new age. Summer and winter camps have been held
to provide great opportunities for national promotion-life-time on-the-job
learning. In 1996, due to its
excellence in education, Nan-Tai was upgraded from a Junior College to a
College of Technology. Till then, there were 9 classes of students for the 6
Departments of Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical
Engineering, Finance, Business Administration, and Information Management. STUT
thus became the college with most approved classes among the three colleges
first upgrading in 1996.
In 1998, our four-year University Division was
established in the Departments of Electronics Engineering, Electrical
Engineering, Finance, Applied Japanese, and Marketing and Logistics Management.
Dr. Chin-Yen Kao has
been the Chairman of the Board of Trustees since late Chairman Wen-Ping Hsin
passed away in March 1999. In August 1999, Nan-Tai Institute of Technology was
upgraded to Southern Taiwan University of Technology. By that time, there were
15 departments in the Engineering, Management, Business, and Humanities
Colleges. In 1999, the Junior College division stopped admitting students,
while two-year and four-year undergraduate classes were added to the continuing
education programs, and the Vocational School Teacher Certification Program was
offered. STUT became a university emphasizing both academic and technological
advancement.
In August 2000, the Tourism Department was renamed "Leisure, Recreation, and Tourism Management." And graduate schools offering master degrees were established. Electronic and Information Engineering, Electronics Engineering, and Information Management were the first three graduate schools established. Five more masters' programs-Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Management, Business Administration, and Applied English-began in August 2001.
In August 2001, there were some additions: a new department, the Information Communication Department was established, and the Elementary School Teacher Certification Program started too. The International Trade Department was renamed the "International Business Department." The Ministry of Education approved the establishment of the Continuing Education College starting in August 2001.
In August 2002, two-year undergraduate classes of Business Administration and Information Management are available. In the same year, new departments, Information Engineering, Biotechnology, and Early Childhood Education and Nursery, are to be established. For graduate school, Biotechnology, Marketing and Logistics Management, Accounting Information, Information Communication, and International Business are the new five departments. Institute of Mechatronic Science and Technology begins in 2002 as well.
By August 2003, STUST initiate Visual Communication Department. Computer Science and Information Engineering, Finance, Financial and Economic Law, EMBA, Leisure, Recreation, and Tourism Management, Technological and Vocational Education and Human Resources Development, and the doctoral courses of Electronic Engineering were established. In August 2004,the doctoral courses of Electrical Engineering are created. For master's programs, the Department of Applied Japanese and the Graduate School of Multimedia and Entertainment Science are established. Moreover, four-year undergraduate course, for Department of Multimedia and Entertainment Science is initiated as well.
In August 2005, the Department of Electro-Optical Engineering is established. In August 2006, Institute of Nanotechnology, Institute of Communication Engineering, Graduate School of Digital Content and Animation will be established. The prosperous growth of Southern Taiwan University of Technology has been rapid. We look forward to the prospect of becoming a renowned university in the near future.