Japan – Universities
Education System
Japanese educational system is quite different from British system, especially in terms of names and years. The structure of the years is often described as ‘6-3-3-4’. There are strict rules for the years and the structures each level of education have and schools are not permitted to alter them.
Figure1 – Educational system in Japan
The primary education is called 小学校 (shōgakkō, primary school). This has six years and children enrol in a primary school at the age of seven. The secondary education has two parts: 中学校 (chūgakkō, junior high school / lower secondary school) and 高等学校 (kōtōgakkō, high school) or 高校 (kōkō) for short. Only primary school and junior high school are mandatory, but many children enrol in high schools rather than find a job. After finishing a high school, students enrol in a university, a junior college, or a vocational school, or find a job.
Most undergraduate courses last for four years, not three, regardless of faculties except medical courses and some special courses which lead to postgraduate studies. Masters courses last two years, but sometimes students take an extra year to complete their master course. The deadline of master’s dissertation is generally two or three months before the end of academic year (i.e. in December or January). They have viva one or two months after their submission and get the results before the end of the term (in February or March).
Note that the academic year starts in April and ends in March in Japan.
Higher Education
What university you go to is important. The different types of universities, described below, are not simply different based on how much tuition costs, but have real consequences for how your work is seen inside and outside the university environment. The level of authority your research holds depends strongly on the university with which you are associated (more than, for example, which journals you have been published in or who your supervisor is). There is generally more public awareness of university rankings than in the UK, meaning that being affiliated with a good university is likely to affect how others see you even in non-academic circles (although of course it depends on who you are speaking to). For non-academic jobs the university at which you got your PhD is likely to be less important than the one at which you got your BA.
国立大学
There are over 80 国立大学 (Kokuritsu-daigaku, National universities) in Japan; these universities are generally known for being the most competitive and providing the highest level of education. Due to government subsidies, they are also less expensive than most private schools. They include the prestigious former 帝国大学 (teikoku-daigaku, Imperial Universities), 旧帝大 (kyū-teidai) for short.
公立大学
Public universities (公立大学, Kōritsu-daigaku) are subsidised by the local prefectures or cities; for that reason, they are usually less expensive than private schools, and sometimes less expensive than 国立大学. However, the discount fee may be applicable only to residents of the area where the university is built and run. They include 県立大学 (kenritsu-daigaku, prefectural university) and 市立大学 (shiritsu-daigaku, metropolitan university).
私立大学
Private universities (私立大学, Shiritsu-daigaku) are the most expensive universities, and vary greatly in prestige. While 国立大学 are generally thought of as the best, the prestigious Keio University and Waseda University are both 私立大学. 私立大学 is sometimes pronounced as watakushiritsu-daigaku to distinguish it from 市立大学 (sometimes pronounced ichiritsu-daigaku).
女子大学
女子大学 (Joshi-daigaku, women’s universities) are colleges that only admit women. Many historically 女子大学 have become, or are in the process of becoming, co-ed.
短期大学
Junior colleges (短期大学, Tanki daigaku) offer two or three year programmes for specialist or vocational training. Junior colleges are in the same stage of universities and senmon gakkō, where students enrol after graduating from a high school. Sometimes, courses taken at a 短期大学 can count towards a university bachelor’s degree and students might transfer to the third year of a four-year university course. Take heed that the equivalent level of British ‘college’ is ‘high school’ (高等学校 kōtōgakkō, or 高校 kōkō for short), not junior college, and the equivalent of British ‘high school’ is ‘junior high school’ (中学校 chūgakkō).
専門学校
専門学校 (Senmon gakkō, vocational school) are not universities. They offer vocational training for a wide variety of professions, such as hairdressers and cooks. Generally adolescents in Japan enrol in a senmon gakkō after finishing their high school (the last stage of the Japanese secondary education).
University Departments
Universities are divided into departments (学部 gakubu), then faculties (学科 gakka). Generally speaking, Japanese universities do not have a blanket department for all subjects in arts and humanities, although in some universities one department includes several subjects in arts and humanities. Sometimes there might be more than one department which suits your study.
Each department does not have strong connection with other departments, even if they do something similar, for example, department of letters (文学部 bun gakubu) and department of foreign languages (外国語学部 gaikokugo gakubu).
Most of the case a department has a different name for undergraduate level and graduate level. The former ends with 学部 (gakubu) while the latter ends with 研究科 (kenkyūka, translated as ‘graduate school’). For example, the department of letters of the University of Tokyo is called 文学部 (bun gakubu) at undergraduate level and 大学院人文社会研究科 (daigakuin jinbun shakai kenkyūka, ‘Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology’) at postgraduate level. The subdivision of 研究科, an equivalent of 学科 (faculty) at postgraduate level, is called 専攻 (senkō, ‘major’ or ‘department’). Names of undergraduate faculties are similar in many universities but names for postgraduate schools vary from university to university. Perhaps it is easier to find a prospective supervisor and then check their department than to try to find a department which fits your PhD research.
Figure 2 – A model structure for a department of letters.
Studies
Outlined in this section are some cultural differences to keep in mind while in Japan. Perhaps the most important is formality; when communicating with supervisors and other scholars, one should remain formal in speech and behaviour. Professors, and even other students further along than you, should not normally be addressed and treated as friends (unless you know them personally in other contexts).
Students and teachers may be surprised to find that the school with which they are associated can be highly important in both academic and non-academic contexts. The different types of universities, described above in the Higher Education section, are not simply different based on how much tuition costs, but have real consequences for how your work is seen inside and outside the university environment. The level of authority your research holds depends strongly on the university with which you are associated (more than, for example, which journals you have been published in or who your supervisor is). There is generally more public awareness of university rankings than in the UK, meaning that being affiliated with a good university is likely to affect how others see you even in non-academic circles (although of course it depends on who you are speaking to). For non-academic jobs, the university at which you get your PhD is likely to be less important than the one at which you got your BA.
When applying for universities, scholarships, grants, or anything else, be aware of timing, and be careful to plan ahead. One is likely to have to produce a great number of documents in a short amount of time. Being on top of what is due when, and thinking the process through well in advance, is crucial.
If you apply for a university, you may have to take an entrance exam. If you’re lucky enough to not have to take one, you should at least be aware of their existence. Not only do entrance exams exist for every university, but the scores are seen as quite important by many people. Studying for exams is a major event in people’s lives, and one can expect to hear information about センター試験, sentā-shiken (essentially standardised national entrance exams) reported in detail on the national news. Some employers also require entrance examinations before employment (this test is known as the SPI, or more recently, the SPI2).
Once at the university, there will of course be some differences from UK universities. Depending on your supervisor and department, one difference you may find – and that may have a direct impact on the research you hope to do – is that interdisciplinary work is not currently the norm in Japanese academia. If you study literature, expect to work with existing literary theory, and not to blend your work with film studies. If you are in film studies, do not expect social science work to be a part of your thesis.
Teaching methods also bear some noticeable differences from the UK; whether a student or a teacher, it’s good to be aware of the usual format for classes at your institution. While there is a great emphasis in the UK for teachers to essentially ‘perform’, not only teaching students but also holding their interest with exciting, innovative lecture styles and group activities, in Japan ordinary lectures, or lectures that include seminar-style class discussions, remain the norm.
Glossary
Academic titles
学生 (Gakusei, Student) – Particularly implies undergraduate student. This word is used for most terms related to university student life, such as 学生証 (gakuseishō, student ID), 学生会 (gakuseikai, student council), or 学生割引 (gakuseiwaribiki, student discount). Undergraduates can also be referred to as 学部生 (gakubusei).
在学生 (Zaigakusei, Current student) – Refers to a student currently enrolled at a university (for example, this term is used on university websites to indicate information for current students).
卒業生 (Sotsugyōsei, Alumni) – Alumni of a university (often used in conjunction with 在学生in contexts such as university websites).
~年生 (Nensei, ~th year student) – For example, someone in the third year of their programme of study would refer to themselves as ３年生 (san-nensei).
~回生 (Kaisei, ~th year of study) – 回生 refers to the number of years one has spent at university; for example, ３回生 (san-kaisei) is a person in their third year at university, regardless of what stage they have reached in their programme of study.
受験生 (Jukensei, Student preparing for exams) – A student who is planning to enter university (or other school) and is beginning the application process. While preparing for the entrance examinations is a major part of this process, the term is often used to refer to the application process in general, including steps such as deciding to which universities to apply.
大学院生 (Daigakuinsei, Graduate student) – A master’s or doctoral student. Often abbreviated to 院生 (insei).
修士課程 / 修士号 (Shūshikatei / shūshigō, Masters Degree) – These two terms refers to all forms of master’s degrees. 課程 (katei) is used for the degree programme, and 号 (gō) for the degree itself. It is colloquially abbreviated as 修士 (shūshi, which can be confused with the title for one who has been awarded a master’s degree [see below]). As master’s programmes are sometimes attached to doctoral programmes, they are occasionally referred to as 博士前期課程 (hakushi-zenki-katei, literally the first part of a doctoral course). マスター (masutā, taken from the English master) is also used.
修士 (Shūshi, Master of …) – One who has been awarded a master’s degree.
学士 (Gakushi, Bachelor of …) – One who has been awarded a bachelor’s degree.
A glossary of key academic terms
講義 (Kōgi, Lecture) – Sometimes small lectures are referred to as ゼミ (zemi, from the German word for seminar). Intensive courses that take place over short periods of time are referred to as 集中講義 (shūchū-kōgi).
コマ (Koma, Lesson) – Used by faculty to refer to the number of in-class hours taught. Academic employment is often offered on the basis of a certain number of コマ taught per week.
授業 (Jugyō, Course or class)
単位 (Tan’I, Credit) – Refers to course credits
必修科目 (Hisshū kamoku, Mandatory module)
入学 (Nyūgaku, Entering school) – Used in a variety of ways related to applying for, being accepted into, enrolling in, and entering a university. 入学式 (nyūgaku-shiki) is used to refer to mandatory matriculation ceremonies that take place when first enrolling at a university.
学期 (Gakki, School term) – The end of term is referred to as期末 (kimatsu); for example, end-of-term exams are 期末試験 (kimatsu-shiken).
学部、/ 研究科 (Gakubu / kenkyūka Academic department, Department of, Faculty of) – The term 学部 means academic department. The same word is used as an abbreviation of 学部生, which can be confusing. 研究科is used for postgraduate departments. When referring to a specific department, the suffix 部 (bu) is added to the term for the area of study 学 (gaku, usually translated as -ology); for example, 文学部 (bungakubu) is the Department of Literature, and 経済学部 (keizaigakubu) is the Department of Economics.
人文科学 (Jinbunkagaku, Humanities and social sciences) – Humanities alone is人文学 (jinbungaku), but it is more common to refer to the humanities and social sciences together. The term 文系 (bunkei) is also used to denote all of the humanities, particularly in contrast to 理系 (rikei, sciences).
入学試験、/ 入試 (Nyūgaku-shiken / nyūshi, Entrance exam) – 入試 (nyūshi) is an abbreviation. University entrance exams may have the prefix 大学 (daigaku) attached (大学入学試験, daigaku-nyūgaku-shiken). Graduate school entrance exams may be referred to as大学院入試 (daigakuin-nyūshi), 大学院入学試験(daigakuin-nyūgaku-shiken), or abbreviated to 院試 (inshi). When taking an entrance examination, one must present an information card, which is usually mailed to the examinee ahead of time; this is known as a 受験票 (jukenhyōu).
偏差値 (Hensachi, Standard score) – Used to refer to one’s score on entrance examinations.
面接 (Mensetsu, Interview) – 面接 can be used to refer to both job interviews and interviews conducted for research purposes.
履歴書 (Rirekisho, CV) – In Japan, CVs follow a very specific format, and sometimes universities will provide an existing template that must be used when applying for positions.
学歴 (Gakureki, Educational background) – Term referring to one’s level of education and the academic institutions one attended.
Terms for institutes of higher education
大学 (Daigaku, University) – Generic term for universities. Specific universities are usually called ~大学, and sometimes abbreviated to ~大; for example, the University of Tokyo is 東京大学 (Tōkyō-daigaku), abbreviated to 東大 (Tōdai).
大学院 (Daigakuin, Graduate school)
国立大学 (Kokuritsu daigaku, National university)
公立大学 (Kōritsu daigaku, Public university)
私立大学 (Shiritsu daigaku, Private university)
女子大学 (Joshi daigaku, Women’s college)
短期大学 (Tanki daigaku, Junior college)
専門学校 (Senmon gakkō, Vocational school)
研究所 (Kenkyūjo, Research institute) – Used for large research institutes. Also means ‘laboratory’.
センター (Sentā, Center) – English loanword, often used for centers of study in universities
Web Links
Study in Japan Comprehensive Guide
Study in Japan Comprehensive Guide is a website, operated by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is the best resource for information about studying in Japan. The information it provides is detailed, easy-to-understand, and covers all topics potential or current foreign students are likely to want to know. The information covers the processes of applying to, preparing for, and conducting study in Japan. It is not geared entirely to research students, but includes information for research students alongside information for undergraduate and master’s students.
The Types of School section is a good place to start if one is thinking about studying or conducting research in Japan. This page gives an in-depth explanation of what types of schools operate in Japan, providing potential students with the information to understand the Japanese university system before exploring their options further.
The FAQ section contains practical information that students need to know, but is difficult to find elsewhere (for example, information about health insurance, emergency situations, and finding accommodation).
Japan Student Service Organisation
Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) maintains a large database of information about studying in Japan. There is a great deal of information on their website, and it can be time-consuming to navigate.
Their Links section contains a short list of the most relevant information they offer for foreign students: namely, a list of Japanese universities, information about entrance examinations, and procedures for entering the country.
The promotional movie they offer seeks to recruit international students to study in Japan. If one looks behind the promotional elements, the movies do contain a lot of useful information – for example, explanations of the university system and the prevalence of part-time employment.
Study in Japan Portal Site
Study in Japan Portal Site is operated by JASSO, has information on many topics related to studying in Japan; however, it gives only cursory information about the topics it covers.
One of the most helpful parts of the website is its extensive collection of links to other sites.