University and Department Selection Advice
Hello students,
Recently, many students and parents have inquired about the career prospects for graduates from different departments, so we would like to provide some clarification. If you are very certain about which field you want to pursue, the job opportunities after graduation should not be a major concern. Once you perform well in your chosen field and become a top talent, I believe you will find a job that you enjoy, regardless of whether the field is popular. We strongly encourage students to choose their departments not only based on their interests but also in alignment with their natural abilities. For example, departments such as Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Information Technology, and Mechanical Engineering require strong skills in mathematics and physics to excel. The Materials Science department requires expertise in physics or chemistry. However, students who enjoy mathematics can also pursue new directions in materials theory and computation.
However, if you are unsure about which department to choose, career prospects become an important factor, as your job after graduation will be something you do for over 40 years and will have a huge impact on your life. According to the current industry landscape and future trends in Taiwan, the semiconductor manufacturing industry remains the best choice in terms of salary, working environment, and future competitiveness. Most students from National Chiao Tung University and National Tsing Hua University, especially those in engineering fields, enter this industry. While graduates from different departments may work in the same type of semiconductor manufacturing companies, the nature of their work and opportunities for promotion may vary. The following analysis is provided for reference, as Taiwan's society needs talent in various fields to promote overall development. We are not trying to diminish other departments but simply answering common questions asked by students and parents. We have compiled this information for your reference. This analysis is based on the current industry in Taiwan, and trends may differ in other countries. For instance, in Indonesia, chemical engineering graduates have better job prospects than materials science graduates due to the country's oil production and lack of chip manufacturing.
Mechanical engineering graduates typically work as equipment engineers in semiconductor manufacturing companies. Their job involves maintaining machinery in clean rooms, usually requiring a shift work schedule, including night shifts. Since these machines are designed to produce specific materials, even in companies that sell semiconductor equipment, such as Applied Materials and Lam Research, graduates with materials expertise are the main workforce. For example, in Taiwan, the presidents of Applied Materials over the past decade have all been graduates of the materials science department. While the robotics and drone industries look promising, Taiwan's industries in these fields lag behind Japan and the U.S. by a significant margin, so opportunities are clearly fewer compared to semiconductor companies.
Graduates with a chemical engineering background typically work in traditional chemical plants (e.g., Chang Chun Petrochemical, LCY Chemical) if not in the semiconductor industry. Within semiconductor manufacturing, they are often responsible for specific stages of the manufacturing process. This is because chemical engineering expertise focuses on transport phenomena and unit operations, with knowledge primarily in fluid and gas system laws for material manufacturing. As a result, chemical engineering graduates are often employed as process engineers, typically handling processes such as electroplating or chemical vapor deposition to create specific materials. In semiconductor manufacturing companies, the most common path for promotion is becoming a process integration engineer, someone who understands every stage of the manufacturing process. Materials science graduates are the main talent for this role, as they study various materials, such as electronics, ceramics, polymers, and metals. This is why many Taiwanese schools have changed the names of their related departments to include "Materials Engineering," and after renaming, their rankings often improve, attracting better students. In recent years at NCTU, many students who have studied related departments for one or two years and performed well in their studies have applied to transfer to the materials science department, as it offers broader career options after graduation.
Graduates of the Department of Computer Science typically work in programming-related roles. The field of computer science evolves rapidly, so graduates often need to learn new programming languages or computational methods to stay up to date. There are indeed many large companies in this field, such as Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Yahoo, but Taiwan mostly hosts their branches, and there are fewer opportunities for research and development positions.
Therefore, materials science graduates are the mainstream talent in semiconductor-related high-tech companies, which is why materials science is so popular in Taiwan. Additionally, because we cover a wide range of fields including electronics, ceramics, polymers, metals, biomedicine, and nanomaterials, along with theoretical computation, students can easily find their interests in one of these fields once they enter the department, based on their natural talents in physics, chemistry, or mathematics. Furthermore, materials science provides a solid foundation in subjects such as materials thermodynamics, physical metallurgy, crystal structures and diffraction, materials dynamics, crystal defects, metallic materials, electronic materials, polymer materials, X-ray diffraction, and heat treatment. Since the scope is broad, it requires extensive learning time. As Academician Jing-Ning Du has said, we often hear of young and excellent physicists and mathematicians, but very few young, exceptional materials scientists. This is because materials science students must learn about different materials fields, which takes time. However, from another perspective, these materials knowledge, combined with work experience, will become an important asset in your life. As a result, senior materials engineers play an important role in companies and are less likely to be replaced by younger talent. Moreover, materials engineers do not have to spend long hours in clean rooms. The operation of cleanroom machinery is carried out by on-site operators (usually requiring only a high school education). Materials engineers, who typically hold master's or doctoral degrees, are responsible for planning experiments, analyzing results, identifying problems, and implementing improvements—tasks that require critical thinking.
The above analysis is based on the current industry landscape in Taiwan, and different countries may have different trends. If you plan to study in the United States and stay there after graduation, computer science generally offers better job opportunities and slightly higher salaries than materials science, as major companies in this field are based in the U.S. However, materials science graduates, if they are in the right field, can also find excellent and well-paying jobs in the U.S. For example, most UCLA materials science Ph.D. graduates from Academician Du Jing-Ning's lab are working at Intel, and one is at Apple. In recent years, starting salaries for new graduates have exceeded 3.5 million NTD. This is for your reference.
We look forward to having outstanding students like you join us, and we wish you success in your academic journey, wherever you decide to study.
Recently, many students and parents have inquired about the career prospects for graduates from different departments, so we would like to provide some clarification. If you are very certain about which field you want to pursue, the job opportunities after graduation should not be a major concern. Once you perform well in your chosen field and become a top talent, I believe you will find a job that you enjoy, regardless of whether the field is popular. We strongly encourage students to choose their departments not only based on their interests but also in alignment with their natural abilities. For example, departments such as Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Information Technology, and Mechanical Engineering require strong skills in mathematics and physics to excel. The Materials Science department requires expertise in physics or chemistry. However, students who enjoy mathematics can also pursue new directions in materials theory and computation.
However, if you are unsure about which department to choose, career prospects become an important factor, as your job after graduation will be something you do for over 40 years and will have a huge impact on your life. According to the current industry landscape and future trends in Taiwan, the semiconductor manufacturing industry remains the best choice in terms of salary, working environment, and future competitiveness. Most students from National Chiao Tung University and National Tsing Hua University, especially those in engineering fields, enter this industry. While graduates from different departments may work in the same type of semiconductor manufacturing companies, the nature of their work and opportunities for promotion may vary. The following analysis is provided for reference, as Taiwan's society needs talent in various fields to promote overall development. We are not trying to diminish other departments but simply answering common questions asked by students and parents. We have compiled this information for your reference. This analysis is based on the current industry in Taiwan, and trends may differ in other countries. For instance, in Indonesia, chemical engineering graduates have better job prospects than materials science graduates due to the country's oil production and lack of chip manufacturing.
Mechanical engineering graduates typically work as equipment engineers in semiconductor manufacturing companies. Their job involves maintaining machinery in clean rooms, usually requiring a shift work schedule, including night shifts. Since these machines are designed to produce specific materials, even in companies that sell semiconductor equipment, such as Applied Materials and Lam Research, graduates with materials expertise are the main workforce. For example, in Taiwan, the presidents of Applied Materials over the past decade have all been graduates of the materials science department. While the robotics and drone industries look promising, Taiwan's industries in these fields lag behind Japan and the U.S. by a significant margin, so opportunities are clearly fewer compared to semiconductor companies.
Graduates with a chemical engineering background typically work in traditional chemical plants (e.g., Chang Chun Petrochemical, LCY Chemical) if not in the semiconductor industry. Within semiconductor manufacturing, they are often responsible for specific stages of the manufacturing process. This is because chemical engineering expertise focuses on transport phenomena and unit operations, with knowledge primarily in fluid and gas system laws for material manufacturing. As a result, chemical engineering graduates are often employed as process engineers, typically handling processes such as electroplating or chemical vapor deposition to create specific materials. In semiconductor manufacturing companies, the most common path for promotion is becoming a process integration engineer, someone who understands every stage of the manufacturing process. Materials science graduates are the main talent for this role, as they study various materials, such as electronics, ceramics, polymers, and metals. This is why many Taiwanese schools have changed the names of their related departments to include "Materials Engineering," and after renaming, their rankings often improve, attracting better students. In recent years at NCTU, many students who have studied related departments for one or two years and performed well in their studies have applied to transfer to the materials science department, as it offers broader career options after graduation.
Graduates of the Department of Computer Science typically work in programming-related roles. The field of computer science evolves rapidly, so graduates often need to learn new programming languages or computational methods to stay up to date. There are indeed many large companies in this field, such as Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Yahoo, but Taiwan mostly hosts their branches, and there are fewer opportunities for research and development positions.
Therefore, materials science graduates are the mainstream talent in semiconductor-related high-tech companies, which is why materials science is so popular in Taiwan. Additionally, because we cover a wide range of fields including electronics, ceramics, polymers, metals, biomedicine, and nanomaterials, along with theoretical computation, students can easily find their interests in one of these fields once they enter the department, based on their natural talents in physics, chemistry, or mathematics. Furthermore, materials science provides a solid foundation in subjects such as materials thermodynamics, physical metallurgy, crystal structures and diffraction, materials dynamics, crystal defects, metallic materials, electronic materials, polymer materials, X-ray diffraction, and heat treatment. Since the scope is broad, it requires extensive learning time. As Academician Jing-Ning Du has said, we often hear of young and excellent physicists and mathematicians, but very few young, exceptional materials scientists. This is because materials science students must learn about different materials fields, which takes time. However, from another perspective, these materials knowledge, combined with work experience, will become an important asset in your life. As a result, senior materials engineers play an important role in companies and are less likely to be replaced by younger talent. Moreover, materials engineers do not have to spend long hours in clean rooms. The operation of cleanroom machinery is carried out by on-site operators (usually requiring only a high school education). Materials engineers, who typically hold master's or doctoral degrees, are responsible for planning experiments, analyzing results, identifying problems, and implementing improvements—tasks that require critical thinking.
The above analysis is based on the current industry landscape in Taiwan, and different countries may have different trends. If you plan to study in the United States and stay there after graduation, computer science generally offers better job opportunities and slightly higher salaries than materials science, as major companies in this field are based in the U.S. However, materials science graduates, if they are in the right field, can also find excellent and well-paying jobs in the U.S. For example, most UCLA materials science Ph.D. graduates from Academician Du Jing-Ning's lab are working at Intel, and one is at Apple. In recent years, starting salaries for new graduates have exceeded 3.5 million NTD. This is for your reference.
We look forward to having outstanding students like you join us, and we wish you success in your academic journey, wherever you decide to study.