The aim of the Graduate Program of Multicultural Education is to develop educational research based on cultural studies. That is, to consider diverse cultural contexts as a prerequisite for research and to criticize and reform the underlying hegemony of a single culture. Therefore, the academic spirit of this program lies in the deconstruction and reconstruction of existing cultures, emphasizing both critical and creative approaches.

The program has its unique history as follows:

The Master's program in Multicultural Education was established in August 1996 at what was then the Hualien School of Education, marking the first of its kind in Taiwan's higher education system. In August 2003, a Ph.D. program was established with the goal of constructing local theories of multicultural education and further aligning with international academia.

In August 2005, the Hualien School of Education was restructured into Hualien University of Education (HUE), with the establishment of the College of Education. Subsequently, in August 2008, the HUE merged with National Dong Hwa University, placing the Multicultural Education Institute under the Hua-Shih College of Education at National Dong Hwa University.

Since August 2010, the institute has been merged with the Department of Curriculum Design and Potentials Development, offering Master's and Ph.D. programs in Multicultural Education.

In August 2016, the Department of Curriculum Design and Human Potentials Development was renamed the Department of Education and Human Potentials Development (DEHPD). In August 2024, the enrollment for the Multicultural Education Master's and Ph.D. programs within the DEHPD ceased, and they were newly established within the Hua-Shih College of Education, renamed as the Graduate Program of Multicultural Education.

Master & Ph.D. Program of Multicultural Education

Website: https://gpme.ndhu.edu.tw

1. Local theories, methods, and practices of multicultural education: With in-depth understanding of multiethnic and multicultural contexts particular to Taiwan, we build local theories, methods, and practices of multicultural education Through observing different educational experiences and critical examination of hegemony in education, social work, psychology, and medical institutions, we seek to mitigate structural violence due to ethnic, gender and class differences and strengthen subjectivities for child, youth and adult education.
2. Critical understandings of culture , LGBTQ+, civic participation, social inclusion in education reform and social reformation: Enhance sensitivity for democratic values and social justice for educators through comprehending diverse community memories and viewpoints, in search for a  shared future across differences for our society.
3. Restoration of an ecology of multi-species intersubjective co-existing ethics: unsettle anthropocentric epistemology, develop holistic and relational thinking, and reflect and reexamine decolonizing strategies in entanglements of capitalism, globalization, and past and ongoing colonial governmentality.
4. Multicultural education practices founded on local culture with global vision: Integrating globalized education and local knowledges, develop critical analysis of power, society, culture and agency, and bring multicultural awareness into education action practice.

Successive directors

Term Of Office