Broad Based Liberal Education and Specialized Education for an Intellectual Foundation

In order to respond with flexibility to our quickly changing society and the rapid developments in science and technology, Osaka University aims to cultivate professionals and scholars who have not only preeminent knowledge in a wide variety of fields, but who also possess compassionate and comprehensive judgment. Furthermore, Osaka University aims to assist professionals and scholars improve their ability to reexamine their specialty from the ground up.

1. Characteristics of Educational Courses

  • Each school will employ a systematic method for attaining both a liberal education (general education) and a specialized education in a 4- or 6-year educational course, optimized to meet the educational objectives.
  • In order to impart an outstanding general education, Osaka University will select prominent academics renowned for their teaching excellence from a wide variant of fields to serve as the vanguard of the administrative plans of the Institute for Higher Education Research and Practice.
  • Osaka University provides exemplary educational services such as a “Guidance Room” providing academic advice, a low student-teacher ratio for classes, and teacher/adviser assignments for international students.
  • Osaka University’s graduate schools have established a world-class education and research system, a system designed to provide an outstanding overall education for cultivating not only the comprehensive and adaptable intellect, but also the human heart in order to graduate researchers and professionals capable of also making positive contributions to society.
  • Osaka University actively employs a program for promoting 3rd year undergraduate students to graduate students. In 1996, 27 students; in 1997, 14 students; in 1998, 24 students; in 1999, 28 students; in 2000, 24 students; in 2001, 20 students; in 2002, 23 students; in 2003, 23 students; and in 2004, 29 students.

2. Characteristics of Educational Methods

  • Osaka University’s general education courses are comprised of courses related to cultural and educational training, as well as fundamental specialized fields, thereby providing students with a solid academic foundation. In order to heighten incoming students’ incentive to learn, a variety of interdisciplinary courses as well as a course entitled “Invitation to Intellect” are offered in addition to small basic seminars and foreign language classes. Examples -- Division of General Education Courses: Theme-Oriented Courses, Language and Information, Humanities, Basic Seminars, Special Lectures, Health and Sports
  • Centered around the Basic Seminars are a number of classes designed to provide students with the experience of finding solutions to problems. These unique courses focus on providing students with the opportunity to pose questions and solve issues on their own.
  • CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) is provided for language learning. Osaka University incorporates IT in the pursuit of education in areas such as the utilization of proprietary language learning software, or by utilizing the latest software and hardware in information management education.
  • By requiring courses in ethics, law, and economics for students in the higher levels of Medicine, Dentistry, and the Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University works toward creating a firmer educational foundation for graduates of those schools.
  • Through the posting of syllabi (course schedules) on its home pages, Osaka University has promoted the ease with which information is publicly available.