University of Tsukuba

University of Tsukuba
筑波大学
Motto Imagine the future
Type Public (National)
Established October 1973 (Originally founded in 1872)
President Kyosuke Nagata
Academic staff
 2,616[1]
Administrative staff
 2,284[1]
Students 16,459[1]
Undergraduates 9,798[1]
Postgraduates 6,661[1]
Location Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Campus Urban
Mascot None
Website www.tsukuba.ac.jp www.global.tsukuba.ac.jp
The University of Tsukuba has a modern campus

The University of Tsukuba (筑波大学 Tsukuba daigaku), one of the oldest national universities (established by Japanese Government) and one of the most comprehensive research universities in Japan, is located in the city of Tsukuba (known as Tsukuba Science City), Ibaraki Prefecture in the Kantō region of Japan. The University has 28 college clusters and schools with a total of around 16,500 students (as of 2014).[1] The main Tsukuba campus covers an area of 258 hectares (636 acres), making it the 2nd largest single campus in Japan.[2] The branch campus is located in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, which offers graduate programs for working adults in the capital and manages K-12 schools in Tokyo that are attached to the university.

Features

The university boasts its academic strength especially in STEMM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine) and physical education, as well as related interdisciplinary fields by taking advantage of its location in Tsukuba Science City which has more than 300 research institutions.[3] The university had 3 Nobel laureates (2 in Physics and 1 in Chemistry, see also "History") in the past, and about 70 athletes from the university, their students and alumni, have participated in the Olympic Games so far.[4]

Some of their recent initiatives include the establishment of new interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs in Human Biology and Empowerment Informatics as well as the establishment of International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine, that were created through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's competitive funding projects.

Its Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences is represented on the national Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction.[5]

Internationalization

Their founding philosophy states the University of Tsukuba is "a university which is open to all within and outside of Japan."[6]

As of August, 2015, the university has over 300 international inter-university agreements[7] and 13 overseas offices in 12 countries, located in Brazil, China, Germany, France, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Tunisia, Taiwan, United States, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.[8]

The university is also known for its internationalization efforts by consistently winning various Japanese Government's funding projects for internationalization of Japanese universities, including the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Global 30" Project[9] and the "Super Global University Project"[10] (or formally known as "Top Global University Project"). In the Super Global University Project, University of Tsukuba won the Type A funding, which is for 13 elite Japanese universities to be ranked in the top 100 in global university rankings by 2023. Their initiative includes expanding the number of courses and degree programs taught in English only, sharing faculty members with partner institutions such as National Taiwan University, University of Bordeaux, and University of California, Irvine to promote educational and research collaboration, and establishing so-called "Course Jukebox System" which enables their and partner institutions' students to take the other partner institutions' courses as if the courses are of their original institutions' ones.[11]

In 2009, the university participated in the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization's (SEAMEO) affiliated member, and it has been cooperating in the development of education in the ASEAN region. The university is also a member of AIMS program, which is to promote regional student mobility among the ASEAN and participated countries including Japan.

In 2004, the university established "The Alliance for Research on North Africa (ARENA)" as an academic research center with the purpose of promoting comprehensive research concerning the North African Region through integration of humanities and sciences. Since then, ARENA has been expanding its research fields, and the university established a branch office in Tunis, Tunisia in 2006. The university is also accepting African students through ABE initiative, which was initiated by Japanese Prime Minister Abe and is bringing 1,000 African graduate students to Japanese universities in 5 years from 2014. Currently, University of Tsukuba is planning and leading "Japan-Africa Academic Network (JAAN)" initiative to bring together all the Japanese universities' resources for Africa and to deepen the academic relationship between Japan and Africa.

In May 2008, the Tokyo International Conference on African Development became an opportunity for the African Development Bank (AfDB) and universities in Japan to promote partnership on higher education, science and technology. Donald Kaberuka, the president of the AfDB, and the president of University of Tsukuba signed a memorandum of understanding during the three-day event.[12]

History

Outside the Main Library

The current university was established in October 1973. A forerunner of this university was Tokyo University of Education (東京教育大学 Tōkyō kyōiku daigaku) originally founded in 1872 as one of the oldest universities in Japan, Tokyo Higher Normal School (東京師範学校 Tōkyō Shihan Gakkō).

In October 2002, the University of Tsukuba merged with the University of Library and Information Science (ULIS, 図書館情報大学 Toshokan jōhō daigaku). The School of Library and Information Science and the Graduate School of Library and Information – Media Studies were established.

The University of Tsukuba has provided several Nobel Prize winners so far, such as Leo Esaki, Hideki Shirakawa and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga. Dr. Satoshi Ōmura was an auditor at Tokyo University of Education.[13]

Academic rankings

University of Tsukuba is one of the premier leading universities in Japan and in the world. It can be seen in the several rankings such as shown below.

Global University Rankings (Overall)[14][15][16][17]

Ranking Name Rank (among Japanese Universities)
Times Higher Education - World University Rankings 2015/16- 401-500 7th
QS - World University Rankings 2015/16 - 219 10th
Shanghai Jiao Tong University - Academic Ranking of World Universities 2015 - 201-300 8th
U.S. News & World Report - Best Global Universities Rankings 2016 - 270 7th
Times Higher Education - 100 Under 50 Rankings 2015 - 50 1st
QS - Top 50 Under 50 2014 - 13 1st

Research performance

Tsukuba is one of the leading research institutions in Japan. According to Thomson Reuters, Tsukuba is the 10th best research institutions among all the universities and non-educational research institutions in Japan.[18]

Weekly Diamond reported that Tsukuba has the 27th highest research standard in Japan in terms of research fundings per researchers in COE Program.[19] In the same article, it's also ranked 11th in terms of the quality of education by GP (Japanese) funds per student.

It also has a good research standard in Economics, as RePec ranked Tsukuba as the 8th best Economics research university in January 2011.[20]

Graduate school rankings

Tsukuba's law school was ranked 19th in 2010 in the passing rate of the Japanese bar examination.[21]

Eduniversal ranked Tsukuba as 7th in the rankings of "Excellent Business Schools nationally strong and/or with continental links" in Japan.[22]

Alumni rankings

According to the Weekly Economist's 2010 rankings, graduates from Tsukuba have the 64th best employment rate in 400 major companies in Japan.[23] By contrast, the alumni of Tsukuba's average salary is very high with the 8th best in Japan, according to PRESIDENT, Inc..[24]

Popularity and Selectivity

Given its high ranking among educational institutions in Japan, the entrance examination to University of Tsukuba is highly competitive. Overall difficulty is currently graded as "A1" or 2 on a ten-point scale.[25][26]

Organization

Undergraduate schools and colleges

Graduate schools and programs

Research centers

University libraries

University hospital

Laboratory schools

Famous alumni

Politicians

Academics

Businessmen

Athletes

Entertainers

Artists

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 University of Tsukuba. University of Tsukuba Highlights 2014. N.p.: U of Tsukuba, 2014. Print.
  2. ↑ "University of Tsukuba Homepage (English)". Campus Life. University of Tsukuba. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  3. ↑ "Outline of Tsukuba City | Tsukuba Science City Network". www.tsukuba-network.jp. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  4. ↑ "University of Tsukuba's Official HP=". Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  5. ↑ Organizations with ties to CCEP CCEP, accessed 2011-03-19
  6. ↑ "University of Tsukuba｜Prospectus｜About the University｜ConceptConcept". www.tsukuba.ac.jp. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  7. ↑ "University of Tsukuba｜International ｜Promotion of Internationalization in Everyday Life｜List of Overseas Partner UniversitiesList of Overseas Partner Universities". www.tsukuba.ac.jp. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  8. ↑ "Overseas Offices". Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  9. ↑ "Universities - Study in Japan(Japanese university) - Global30". Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "Selection for the FY 2014 Top Global University Project" (PDF). MEXT.
  11. ↑ "University of Tsukuba Top Global University Project". www.tsukuba.ac.jp. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  12. ↑ "Bank Group Participates in TICAD IV," African Development Bank (Tunis). 3 June 2008.
  13. ↑ 【ノーベル賞受賞】大村智氏、常識破りの発想で治療薬開発 （1/5ページ） - 産経ニュース
  14. ↑ "Top World University Rankings | US News Best Global Universities". www.usnews.com. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  15. ↑ "Academic Ranking of World Universities - 2015 | World University Ranking - 2015 | Top 500 universities | Shanghai Ranking - 2015". www.shanghairanking.com. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  16. ↑ "University Rankings". Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  17. ↑ "Welcome to the World University Rankings". Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  18. ↑ "Thomson Reuters 20 Top research institutions in Japan". Thomson Reuters. (this raking includes non-educational institutions)
  19. ↑ Weekly Diamond, Diamond Inc. (February 27, 2010) The article PDF (Japanese)
  20. ↑
  21. ↑ "2010年(平成22年)新司法試験法科大学院別合格率ランキング -法科大学院seek-". Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  22. ↑ "University and business school ranking in Japan". Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  23. ↑ "Employment rate in 400 major companies rankings" (in Japanese). Weekly Economist. 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  24. ↑ http://hensachi-ranking.seesaa.net/article/26733115.html#more (November 4, 2006) (Japanese)
  25. ↑ Yoyogi seminar published Hensachi (the indication showing the entrance difficulties by prep schools) rankings http://www.yozemi.ac.jp/rank/gakubu/index.html
  26. ↑ Japanese journalist Kiyoshi Shimano ranks Tsukuba's entrance difficulty as A1 (2nd most selective/out of 10 scales) in Japan. 危ない大学・消える大学 2012年版 (in Japanese). YELL books. 2011.
  27. ↑ University Library (the university's site)
  28. ↑ Official website
  29. ↑ Official website
  30. ↑ "Yoshiyuki Sankai". Forbes. Retrieved 4 March 2015.

External links

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Coordinates: 36°06′41″N 140°06′14″E / 36.11143°N 140.10383°E / 36.11143; 140.10383

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