Kyushu University


Kyushu University, abbreviated to Kyudai, is a Japanese national university located in Fukuoka, in the island of Kyushu. It was the 4th Imperial Universities in Japan, ranked as 4th in 2020 Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, and selected as a Top Type university of Top Global University Project by the Japanese government. Kyudai is considered as one of the most prestigious research-oriented universities in Japan and is a member of the Alliance of Asian Liberal Arts Universities along with the University of Tokyo, Waseda University, Peking University and others.
The history of Kyushu University can be traced back to the medical schools of the Fukuoka Domain established in 1867. The school was reorganized to Fukuoka Medical College of Kyoto Imperial University in 1903 and became independent as Kyushu Imperial University in 1911. Albert Einstein visited the university on December 25, 1922.
There are 2,089 foreign students enrolled in the University. It was chosen for the Global 30 university program, and has been selected to the top 13 global university project.

Symbol

Kyushu University does not have an official school song, instead it has one cheering song and three student songs including Matssubara-ni, with lyrics by Yoshifumi Akiyama.
The University's logo features a background of pine needles inset with an older iterance of the kanji for "university". The logo was officially established in 2004, but was originally proposed by a student, Sou Yoshihide, in the mid-20th century, and was used then on from 1950. There have also been alternatives designs, such as those featuring the Japanese KU or Q, for Kyushu instead of "university".
On March 3, prior to the incorporation of national universities in April 2004, the Committee of Public Relations agreed on a new university logo and color that symbolize Kyushu University under the new structure.

University logos

The pine needle design, which is used in the current university logo, remains in the new logo. On deciding the new logo, consideration was given as to whether it would still be highly distinctive even when electronically rendered. The introduction of the new logo, however, does not limit or eliminate the use of the previous one Fig. B.
Several patterns of university logos have been created for use on PR materials and merchandise. Fig. C uses the same design as Fig. A without the two Chinese characters that mean “university,” while Fig. D illustrates a design using the capital letters of Kyushu University. Fig. E symbolizes the letter “q” for “Q-shu” University. Fig. F is the logo originally printed on the university diploma. These logos are also registered and used as trademarks of Kyushu University.

Logo color

Dark red colors have been used for the logo of Kyushu University. The committee chose wine red as the new university logo color given that it is similar to the previous one and does not spoil the established image of Kyushu University's logo color. Since the visual effects of color can vary according to usage, a variation of the wine color within an allowable range can be used as the logo color. To allow broader variations, the use of sub-colors was also approved.

Global 30 Project

On July 3, 2009, Kyushu University was chosen as one of thirteen venues for the “Global 30 Project”, planned and funded by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The major aim of the project is to further promote the globalization of Japanese higher education by assisting a select number of universities through the prioritized allocation of grants. The recipient schools are expected, among other things, to build and improve a system whereby overseas students may study and engage in research with minimal cultural and linguistic barriers. This more focused approach to budget allocation is also expected to help realize the government's public commitment to accommodate more than 300,000 international students on Japanese campuses by 2020.
In February 2010, the University opened an all-purpose office in Cairo, Egypt, bringing the number of its overseas offices to 13. Although the Cairo Office is managed by Kyushu University, all other Japanese colleges and universities can have access to its services and facilities when trying to recruit students or promote academic projects in Egypt.
By implementing these measures, Kyushu University is expecting to raise the number of its international students to 3,900 within a decade, a 300% increase over the current number. By the time the five-year grant terminates, the University will also have laid the foundation for a new interdisciplinary department, which is expected to launch by 2020.

Liberal arts subjects and basic sciences

For the first year and a half, students in the international undergraduate programs study various liberal arts subjects and basic sciences. This segment of the programs aims not only to equip students with in-depth liberal arts knowledge and to help them deepen their understanding of various disciplines, but also to broaden their range of interests, and to enable them to continue learning independently.

Short-term programs

MJIIT (Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology)

The governments of Japan and Malaysia have jointly established a university in Malaysia which follows the Japanese style of education in engineering. It opened in September 2011. From the time the concept of this project was initiated, Kyushu University has played a core role and now, as the leading university of mechanical precision engineering subcommittee of a school specializing in precision mechanical engineering, it hopes to take an active role in the promotion of this project.

AUN/SEED-NET

The AUN/SEED-Net was established in 2003 to full the following; to strengthen the main ASEAN universities education and research abilities, to strengthen the network between the universities of all the countries involved, including Japan, as well as, continuing to produce scientists needed in the economic and social areas of ASEAN nations. By accepting International Students and dispatching teachers, Kyushu University endeavors to train teachers of universities in ASEAN nations.

BOP by ICT

Income generation project for farmers at the BOP by ICT Kyushu University uses the funding from JICA to support Bangladeshi farming villages by creating business centers where ICT is used to provide farmers with the necessary information for farming. These centers are available anytime the farmer would like to visit. They are information hubs, where useful information regarding farmers produce and sales are being distributed by the use of ICT, amongst farmers in the hope that this will improve their income and reduce poverty.

University libraries

CJKWesternTotal
Books 2,283,8211,773,9674,057,788
Serials 53,53640,38593,921

Undergraduate schools

Kyushu University has instituted a Graduate School/Graduate Faculty system - the first attempt of this kind at a Japanese university - as part of the overall reorganization of undergraduate and graduate education at the university in 2000. In separating the former Graduate School into the Graduate School and the Graduate Faculty, the University is seeking to revitalize relationships between the Graduate Faculty and the Graduate School, and the Graduate Faculty and Undergraduate School. These changes should promote a more dynamic functioning of the Graduate Faculty in its relation to the Graduate School and the Undergraduate School.
Under the Graduate School/Faculty system, all faculty members have been transferred from members of the Undergraduate Faculty to members of the Graduate Faculty. In addition, the educational body and research body have become independent administrative entities. This new, more responsive administrative mechanism will enable Graduate Faculty members to participate more flexibly in the education of both the Undergraduate and Graduate School bodies. In implementing a more dynamic configuration of the education bodies and research body, the university can more readily accommodate changes and shifts to pedagogic and research foci that may occur in the future.

Kyushu University Hospital

History

Kyushu University is one of the seven former Imperial Universities created in the Meiji period. The university is the largest research university in the Kyushu region with research centers in eleven different academic faculties, including the humanities, social sciences, medicine, and science.
Kyushu University Hospital is affiliated with the Faculty of Medical Sciences and the Faculty of Dental Science.

Medical Institute of Bio-regulation

The Medical Institute of Bioregulation at Kyushu University seeks to facilitate understanding of the essential regulatory mechanisms involved in human biology at the cellular and molecular levels, with a long-term goal of curing diseases.

Research Institute for Applied Mechanics

The Research Institute for Applied Mechanics was established in, and consists of three research divisions as well as the two research centers of the Center for East Asian Ocean-Atmosphere Dynamics and the Advanced Fusion Research Center. In 1997, RIAM was recognized as an inter-university collaboration research institute and became a Center of Excellence, nationally promoted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In 0 0, RIAM was again admitted to the COE of applied mechanics for the period between 0 0 and 0 by MEXT.

Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering

The IMCE consists of four divisions engaged in a wide variety of research, including the synthesis of new functional molecules, the chemistry of new molecular assemblies, the chemistry of organic-inorganic hybrid materials, and the processing of advanced materials into devices. In cooperation with research groups in each field, the IMCE promotes research related to the basic science and application of the structure and functions of materials ranging from the atomic, molecular and nanoscale to macroscales. The IMCE is spread across three campuses in Chikushi, Hakozaki and Ito. The faculty members on each campus respectively belong to the Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, the Graduate School of Sciences, and the Graduate School of Engineering, as well as the Graduate School of Integrated Frontier Sciences. Their work includes recruiting graduate students for masters and doctoral courses in their respective graduate schools.

Institute of Mathematics for Industry

Mathematics for Industry is a new research area that will provide a foundation for creating future technologies. It has been created with the aim of responding to the needs of the industrial sector by reorganizing and merging pure and applied mathematics into flexible and versatile forms. The Institute of Mathematics for Industry, established in April 2011, is the first research organization for mathematics in Asia involved with industrial technologies. It is constituted by the divisions of "Advanced Mathematics Technology", "Applied Mathematics" and "Fundamental Mathematics". Also included is the Office for Promotion of Collaboration and Consultation to promote smooth interaction and joint research with industry.

Institute of Health Science

The Institute of Health Science was established in 1978 as a comprehensive research and educational institute to tackle fundamental issues of health science, and to promote and maintain human health by using innovative and unique research.

Information Infrastructure Initiative

The Information Infrastructure Initiative is an organization that provides information infrastructures for both inside and outside of Kyushu University. For inside the university, the Information Infrastructure Initiative provides services such as Educational Computer Environments, Campus-Wide Software, Authentication and Authorization, Teleconferencing, University Mail, Hosting Services, Shared Storage, Networks, and Information Security. For outside the university, the Information Infrastructure Initiative provides high performance computing resources and academic databases for university researchers all over Japan. The Information Infrastructure Initiative is composed of the Research Division, the Technical Support Division, and the Administration Division. The Research Division has six sections: The Academic Information Section, Language Education Environment Section, Learning Spaces Design Section, Next Generation and Future Network Section, Interdisciplinary Computational Science Section and Advanced Computing Infrastructure Section.

Research Institute for East Asia Environments (RIEAE){{Cite web|title = kyushu University Research Institute for East Asia Environments Top|url = http://www.q-eaep.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/|website = www.q-eaep.kyushu-u.ac.jp|access-date = 2016-02-22}}

The East Asian Environmental Problems Project, overseen by Kyushu University, was initiated in September 2007 as one of the events conducted to mark the 100th anniversary of the university. The project was reestablished as the Research Institute for East Asia Environments in April 2009. RIEAE proposes what our nation must do as a member of the community of East Asian countries to find and provide practical solutions to environmental problems that require international cooperation with industry, government, and academia.
The mission of RIEAE is to provide practical solutions to environmental problems, which are growing in severity in the East Asian region. RIEAE was established as a leading institute that seeks to quickly respond to the diverse and pressing environmental issues of the East Asian region, and to contribute to the development of the East Asian region through international cooperation with industry, government, and academia. Presided over by the president of Kyushu University, RIEAE is one of the university's largest specific research projects.

Institutes for the Joint Use of Kyushu University

  1. Biotron Application Center
  2. Institute of Tropical Agriculture
  3. Radioisotope Center
  4. Center for Advanced Instrumental Analysis
  5. The International Student Center
  6. The Kyushu University Museum
  7. System LSI Research Center
  8. Space Environment Research Center
  9. Research Center for Korean Studies
  10. Research Center for Education in Health Care System
  11. Research Institute of Superconductor Science and Systems
  12. Integrated Kansei Design Center
  13. Art, Science, and Technology Center for Cooperative Research
  14. Research Laboratory for High Voltage Electron Microscopy
  15. Center of Environment and Safety
  16. Natural Disaster Information Center of Western Japan
  17. Laboratory for Ionized Gas and Laser Research
  18. Kyushu University Archives
  19. Robert T. Huang Entrepreneurship Center
  20. Admission Center
  21. International Research Center for Hydrogen Energy
  22. Center for Future Chemistry
  23. Bio-Architecture Center
  24. Research Center for Steel
  25. Low Temperature Center
  26. Center for Accelerator and Beam Applied Science
  27. Inamori Frontier Research Center
  28. Research and Education Center of Carbon Resources
  29. Research Center for Synchrotron Light Applications
  30. Incubation Center for Advanced Medical Science
  31. ITOH Research Center for Plasma Turbulence
  32. Material Management Center
  33. International Research Center for Molecular Systems
  34. Center for Japan-Egypt Cooperation in Science and Technology
  35. Center for Applied Perceptual Research
  36. Center for Plasma Nano-Interference Engineering
  37. Center for Advanced Medical Innovation
  38. EU Center
  39. Research Center for Advanced Immunology
  40. Research Center for Environmental and Developmental Medical Sciences
  41. Research Center for Cancer Stem Cell
  42. Risk Science Research Center
  43. Research Center for Nucleotide Pool
  44. Epigenome Network Research Center
  45. Center for Asian Conservation Ecology
  46. Human Proteome Research Center
  47. Center for Advanced Research in Drug Creation
  48. Yunus and Shiiki Social Business Research Center
  49. Research Center for Advanced Biomechanics

    TOPICS-Distinctive Research and Education

LL.M. Program in International Economic & Business Law

Taught from a Japanese perspective, the one-year program offers students the opportunity to study international economic and business law, and Japanese and comparative law in a Japanese law faculty. A three-year and another one-year Master's course in were launched in October 1999. As a result of the success of these programs, in 2001, Kyushu University was invited by the Ministry of Education to host the , a program which, among others, seeks to foster good relations among future national leaders in Asia and other countries. In 2009, it was again selected by the Ministry of Education to host a . This unique master aims to overcome barriers of language and culture in the field of international law. This is achieved through law classes conducted in both Japanese and English, an internship, as well as a thesis written in both languages. Its first batch of students graduated in 2010.

Exploratry Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO)

The Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology research funding program was founded in 1981, to promote basic research in science and technology. Its mission was to make Japan a world leader in science and technology: bringing a brighter future for Japan as well as making significant contributions to the international community.
In 2002, influenced by the government's “Second-stage Basic Plan for Science and Technology” and by the strategies set_up by the Council for Science and Technology Policy, ERATO received a complete makeover, under the bigger umbrella of “Strategic Basic Research Programs” initiated by the government.
The goal of Strategic Basic Research Programs is to promote problem-solving oriented basic research, guided by strategies set by the government based on social and economic needs as well as the national policy on science and technology.

International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I²CNER)

Director: Prof. Petros Sofronis
The International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research was established on the Ito Campus in December, 2010. I2CNER is the newest of six research institutes to be funded under the World Premier International Research Center Initiative program sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The objective of the I2CNER is to realize a carbon-neutral energy fueled society through Green Innovation.

Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research

Director: Prof. Chihaya Adachi
The new research building for the Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research was completed at the ITO campus in August 2011 and several OPERA research laboratories have been constructed inside. The building has three doors and is 2400 square meters in area, and has a clean room, physical equipment room, synthetic laboratory rooms, conference rooms and a cafe.

JST ERATO Takahara Soft Interfaces Project

The 19th century was the era of hard materials such as steel, some of which were replaced by polymers in the 20th century. The 21st century will be the time of “soft materials”, including polymers, colloids, gels, vesicles, emulsions, films, surfactants, micelles, suspensions and liquid crystals. They are essential to produce various electrical & optical devices, and biodevices etc. The soft materials are increasingly indispensable in our daily lives. Since surfaces and interfaces of soft materials“ Precise molecular design of soft interfaces based on precise synthetic chemistry, 2) Hierarchical structural control and fabrication of soft interfaces through understanding natural systems, and 3) Development of in situ and dynamical characterization methods of soft interfaces.

Academic rankings

General rankings

The university has been ranked 5th in the 2020 Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, which is one rank down from 2019. In another ranking, Japanese prep school :ja:河合塾|Kawaijuku ranked Kyushu as the 7th best university in Japan.
It has been ranked 132nd in the 2020 QS World University Rankings, and 401-500th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
According to QS, its subject rankings were: 123rd in Engineering & IT, 170th in Life Sciences & Biomedicine, and 150th in Natural Sciences. It is also the 18th best university in Asia, according to QS Asian University rankings.

Research performance

Kyushu is one of the top research institutions in Japan. According to Thomson Reuters, Kyushu is the 6th best research university in Japan. Its research excellence is especially distinctive in Materials Science, Chemistry, Biology & Biochemistry, Immunology, and Pharmacology & Toxicology.
:ja:週刊ダイヤモンド|Weekly Diamond reported that Kyushu has the 16th highest research standard in Japan in terms of research funding per researchers in :ja:グローバルCOEプログラム|COE Program. In the same article, it is also ranked fifth in terms of the quality of education by :ja:特色ある大学教育支援プログラム|GP funds per student.
Furthermore, Nikkei Shimbun on 2004/2/16 surveyed about the research standards in Engineering studies based on Thomson Reuters, :ja:科学研究費補助金|Grants in Aid for Scientific Research and questionnaires to heads of 93 leading Japanese Research Centers, and Kyushu was placed 11th in this ranking.
Kyushu University is one of Japan's National Seven Universities. Since Prof. Suzuki received the Nobel Prize in 2010, all the other Universities have alumni or professors who received a Nobel Prize. Kyushu University is the only National Seven University whose alumni or staff have not won a Nobel Prize.

Graduate school rankings

ranked Kyushu as 9th in the rankings of "Excellent Business Schools nationally strong and/or with continental links " in Japan.
Kyushu was ranked 12th in the number of successful candidates of the Japanese Bar Examination in 2009 and 15th in 2010 in Japan.

Alumni rankings

According to the :ja:エコノミスト |Weekly Economist's 2010 rankings, graduates from Kyushu have the 53rd best employment rate in 400 major companies in Japan.
École des Mines de Paris ranks Kyushu University as 38th in the world in 2011 in terms of the number of alumni listed among CEOs in the 500 largest worldwide companies.

Popularity and selectivity

Kyushu is one of the most selective universities in Japan. Its entrance difficulty is usually considered as one of the top in Japan.

Scholarships for international students

Kyushu offers a number of selected scholarships for international students. Some of them are:

Chemistry, Physics and Engineering