Undergraduate Study

In general students enter Ehime University after passing a standard national exam given in January and an exam specific to Ehime University given in February. Students must decide what faculty they want to enter before taking these exams. It is unusual for a student to switch to another faculty after entering. If a student desires to transfer to another university, it is done after the second year.

Ehime University runs on a four-year undergraduate system with a possible extension of four more years. The academic year starts in April and ends in March. There are two terms and the summer and spring vacations are used for intensive classes. Summer vacation is the two months of August and September and spring vacation is from mid-February to the end of March. There is also a two-week break over the New Year's holidays. (See Academic Calendar)

Students are assigned an academic advisor. This advisor can help decide which classes to take and explain the educational system. The advisor may also help with other problems, such as conflicts, or advise where to get help.

One class is 90 minutes long and it meets once a week for 15 weeks. Students are required to attend 2/3 of the class sessions. They are evaluated by test, written reports, class work, presentations, etc. The evaluation is a 5 level system of superior, excellent, average, passing, not passing. A two-week period at the end of each term is allowed for make-up classes and exams. Since many Japanese holidays fall on Mondays, there will be times when the regularly scheduled class is cancelled and a Monday class will be put in that time slot in order to make up for the lost class.

The instructor is responsible for making an attendance sheet. The names of the students registered for each class, their student number, year, faculty and other information is provided on line. It is also possible to post notices on the student online bulletin board regarding a change in schedule, etc.

During the first two years of study students take classes in the General Education program. program. They enter their major field of study in their 3rd year. The last year is taken up with the graduation thesis and job hunting. In Japan, students spend a lot of time during their third and fourth years preparing to get a job by getting certifications, taking courses for the government employee exam and attending various recruiting seminars and job interviews. This can mean that students miss almost an entire term due to these activities.

The online syllabus listing for each class provides information about the class objectives, content, schedule, and evaluation. The deadline for syllabus entries for the next academic year is the end of January. Notices announcing the date will be sent out on the university on line bulletin board. Please ask someone to help the first time.

Grades are also entered online. The deadline for grade entry is also announced via the university online staff bulletin board. There will be different sites for entering the faculty and the General Education classes.

Evaluation of the instructor is taken mid-term and the results are provided to the instructor on line in order to provide a chance to improve.

Graduate School

In order to enter either a master's or doctoral course students must pass the entrance exam. Nowadays, the exam is offered twice, once in February and once in ???. Students can begin their course of study in the 1st (April) or 2nd term (late September/early October). The exam consists of a written test and an interview.

Master's programs are usually two years and the doctoral program can take from three to five years. International students, especially if they are on a Japanese government scholarship, generally finish their doctoral degree in three years.

Graduate schools offer classes and hold seminars. However, much of the program is taken up with a specific research project. In the past this meant that students learned one thing very well, but did not get a broad perspective of other related topics. That is changing now and more classes are offered, especially at the doctoral course level.

In some doctoral course programs at Ehime University, students are required to publish at least one paper in an international journal as part of the requirements for a degree. This varies according to the faculty.

Some supervising professors in Japan believe that doctoral course students should be able to proceed with their research on their own and do not give much guidance. If that is a problem, please talk with your supervisor or consult someone else. The supervisor is responsible for the students and this responsibility is taken very seriously. It is best to maintain a good relationship with your supervisor and to consult her before using equipment from other labs and asking other professors for advice. If something is broken, or if the other professor feels bothered, it can make trouble for your supervisor.

Japanese students are known for not speaking up in class and for not voicing their opinions. This does not mean that they do not have any. But the education they have received until university has not encouraged active class discussion. It might be good to consult people in Faculty Development for suggestions for how to get the students more involved.

You may find that students often sleep in class. This is especially true with dorm students who are often kept up late at nights with dorm activities at the beginning of the year. This is not necessarily a reflection on your teaching! Unfortunately, it is fairly common in university classes, especially for 1st and 2nd year students. Eating and drinking are generally not allowed in the classroom. You will also need to make clear that the use of cell phones is not allowed during class.

If there is anything you do not understand, please consult a colleague or ask at the International Education Center.

---

local navigation

バナーエリア

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

---