The University of Tokyo plans to launch a new five-year combined Bachelor's and Master's degree program in fall 2027, with half of the roughly 100-student capacity to comprise foreign students, a university source said Monday.
The interdisciplinary college of design program, a combination of a four-year Bachelor's degree and one-year Master's, aims to nurture talent to lead efforts to resolve global issues such as climate change, the source said.
While enrolled in the envisioned program, students can also select courses already offered at undergraduate and graduate levels at the university according to their interests across fields such as literature and medicine, the source said.
Classes on the top Japanese university's new program will also be open to students enrolled at other faculties within the university, it said.
Within the five years, students will be required to gain experience from programs outside the university for one year, such as by taking part in company internships or studying abroad, it said.
Enrollment to the program will begin in the fall, with classes to be taught in English, it said, adding that admissions are to be carried out in a different format from the traditional examination process in an effort to accept people from diverse backgrounds.
The envisioned program comes as the university aims to raise the ratio of foreign students to 30 percent or more at undergraduate level and 40 percent or more at graduate level by 2049, up from 4.6 percent and 33 percent, respectively, as of November 2023.
The institution aims to invite researchers from foreign universities and private companies to teach the program's courses, using profits generated from investments by the university's own fund, the source said.
The university is set to announce the launch of the new program by March 2025 after deciding on the details of the entrance examinations and credits required for graduation will be approved, the source said.
