The university was originally established as Kaohsiung Medical College in 1954 by the former mayor of Kaohsiung City, Chen Chi-chuan, and Tu Tsung-ming, the first Ph.D. of Medical Sciences in Taiwan. At the time of its establishment, the college was the first private institution of its kind in southern Taiwan. The college hospital, the Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, was founded three years after the establishment of KMC in June 1957. Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital is the largest medical center in southern Taiwan and serves as a teaching hospital. In 1998, KMC, in agreement with the Kaohsiung Municipal Government, acquired an additional teaching hospital, the Hsiao-kang Hospital. The Kaohsiung Medical College was re-shaped into the Kaohsiung Medical University in August 1999 with the permission of the Ministry of Education, Taiwan. KMU was rated "superior" by the Ministry of Education, Taiwan in all categories of the "Mid-term School Administration Development Plan."
Teaching
As of October 2013, KMU has a student-faculty ratio of 13.1:1. The university offers 6 bachelor's, 10 master's and 5 doctoral degree programs. Up to NT$35 million of scholarships and student grants are offered each year. KMU is the only medical academic institution offering graduate-entry medical programs in Taiwan, an admission system based on North American medical institutes.
Research
KMU is associated with eleven major research centers and networks, and is engaged in research partnerships with other universities, government and industry in Taiwan and other countries.
The MedicoGenomic Research Center of Kaohsiung Medical University has successfully developed colorectal cancer diagnostic chip and determined molecular markers for tumors which can be used in the laboratory or clinical tests.
The Functional Proteomics Research Center is performing systematic research on cellular proteins' types, functions, differences in expression, and modification after translation.
The Chinese Herbal Medicine and New Drug Research Center is devising new drug models for herbal medicines and developing herbal prescriptions that meet international standards.
Post-Baccalaureate/Bachelor Degree of Medicine
Established in the spring of 1983, the program enrols applicants with recognized undergraduate/bachelor's degrees. Admission into the program is based solely on the two-staged PBD Medicine Entrance Examination, which takes place annually in June. Subjects of written examination include English, Biology and Organic Chemistry. Enrolment into the program is highly competitive with admission rate in 2011 approximately 4.3%. The faculty currently enrols 261 students. Post-Bachelor's degree of Medicine is a five-year program. The program consists of two-year pre-clerkship, two-year clerkship, and one-year internship. Pre-clerkship consists of 16 integrated blocks and problem-based learning. Individual and population health, ethical practices, and related issues are integrated into and emphasized, where appropriate, in all phases of the pre-clerkship. Each block consists of two semesters each with at least one mid-term written examination and ends with a final examination that concludes each semester of a block.
