Kyoto University

From Vero - Wikipedia
(Redirected from Kyoto university)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Infobox university

Template:Nihongo, or Template:Nihongo, is a national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan.

The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen graduate schools, and thirteen research institutes. The university's educational and research activities are centred in its three main campuses in Kyoto: Yoshida, Uji and Katsura. The Kyoto University Library Network, consisting of more than 40 libraries spread across its campuses,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> has a collection of more than 7.49 million books,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> making it the second largest university library in the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition to these campuses, the university owns facilities and lands for educational and research purposes around the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As of 2024, Kyoto University counts two prime ministers of Japan amongst its alumni. Additionally, three prime ministers of Japan attended the Third Higher School, a university preparatory school that merged into KyotoU in 1951. There have been 21 Nobel Prize laureates, 2 Fields Medalists, 1 Abel Prize winner, 1 Gauss Prize winner, and 5 Lasker Award recipients affiliated with KyotoU either as alumni or faculty members.

History

Founding

Kyoto University can trace its roots back to the Template:Nihongo, an institution for Chemistry and Physics founded in Osaka in 1869. Seimi is a Japanese transcription of the Dutch word chemie, meaning chemistry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1894, this institution was replaced by the Third Higher School, which was a specialised boys' boarding school. Back then, the country had only one university, the Imperial University (today's University of Tokyo), and the call for the nation's second university in the Kansai region was gaining momentum. However, due to financial reasons, the government was reluctant to do so.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

The situation changed when the aristocratic politician Saionji Kinmochi, who was from a prominent kuge family in Kyoto, suggested the founding of the nation's second university using war reparations from the First Sino-Japanese War.<ref name=":0" /> This plan was edicted accordingly in 1896, and Template:Nihongo was established on June 18, 1897,<ref name="ku-sketch">Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref> as the second university in the country. The University started using Third Higher School's buildings, and the higher school moved to a patch of land across the street, where the southern section of the Yoshida Campus stands today. The Imperial University in Tokyo was renamed Tokyo Imperial University following the founding of its counterpart in Kyoto.

It started teaching with the College of Science and Engineering in the year of its foundation, which was followed by the establishment of the College of Law in 1898. Other faculties and colleges were established during its first decade as a university. The low rates of success of its graduates in the Higher Civil Service Examinations led to the Chief Commercial Law Professor Yoshihito Takane (高根義人) adopting a distinct style of teaching, which he called the 'German way of cherishing the freedom of research, teaching, and learning'. He is said to be the originator of the current motto 'freedom of academic culture (自由の学風, Jiyū no Gakufū)'.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>

Post-war period

The Allied Occupation Period following Japan's defeat in the Second World War saw a radical reform in the country's educational system, and Kyoto University was not immune from it. Along with other Imperial Universities, Kyoto Imperial University dropped the word 'imperial' from its name and came to be known as Template:Nihongo in October 1947. In May 1949, as a result of the American-led reform, former Imperial Universities merged with higher schools and became four-year universities as they are today. Kyoto University merged with the Third Higher School, which had been coexisting with the university since its founding as a university-preparatory boys' boarding school. The now-integrated higher school became the Template:Nihongo within the university in September 1949, and came to be in charge of equipping all first-year undergraduates with general knowledge such as mathematics and foreign languages.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The college was replaced by the Template:Nihongo in 1992.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kyoto University has been incorporated as a national university corporation along with all the other national universities, gaining a greater independence from the MEXT.

Campuses

The Clocktower
Yoshida Campus headquarters

Kyoto University is organised across three main campuses: Yoshida, Uji, and Katsura, each playing a distinct role in the university's academic and research activities.

Situated in Sakyo, Kyoto, the Yoshida Campus is the oldest and serves as the university's central hub. This campus is characterised by its mix of architectural styles, from historic brick buildings such as the Clock Tower Centennial Hall to modern research facilities. It encapsulates the university's history and is subdivided into seven areas, including the North Campus and the Yoshida-South Campus, which used to be occupied by the Third Higher School.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Uji Campus, located in Uji, Kyoto, was formerly occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army. The university acquired it just after its reorganisation into its current form, in 1949. Today, it houses several research institutes and centres focusing on natural sciences and energy. Along with its large laboratories, Uji Campus is recognised for its greenery and serene environment.<ref name=":1" />

The Katsura Campus, in Nishikyo, Kyoto, is recognised as a 'Techno-science Hill' for its forward-looking approach to research and education in engineering and informatics. Established in October 2003, Katsura aims to pioneer new knowledge domains in the 21st century. This campus is organised into four sections, each dedicated to different facets of technological and scientific exploration.<ref name=":1" />

Organization

Kyoto University is organised into 10 undergraduate faculties and 19 graduate schools. The president of the university is Nagahiro Minato, who assumed the office in October 2020 and expected to serve until September 2026.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As of 1 May 2023, the university's student body consists of 13,038 undergraduates and 9,577 postgraduates. Apart from audit students and research students, there are 2,249 international students.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Faculties

Faculty of Engineering Civil Engineering Classroom Main Building (Yoshida Campus)
Graduate School of Science Building No. 4 (Yoshida Campus)
Faculty of Law and Economics Main Building (Yoshida Campus)

Kyoto University has 10 faculties.<ref name="Departments"/>

Graduate schools

Kyoto University has 19 graduate schools.<ref name="Departments">Template:Cite web</ref>

Academic

Professional

Notable research institutes and facilities

International Programmes

Kyoto University offers a range of international programmes aimed at both its students and international students seeking to study there, across undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Undergraduate Programmes

Kyoto University provides undergraduate degrees available for international students across all 10 faculties, with many general education modules available in English to cater to the needs of international students. Department-specific subjects are delivered primarily in Japanese with the exception of the Undergraduate International Course Program of Civil Engineering, which is a fully English-taught program.<ref>Template:Cite web </ref>

The Kyoto University International Undergraduate Program (Kyoto iUP) is another notable initiative, offering a comprehensive 4.5-year program that consists of a six-month preparatory course (mainly intensive lessons of the Japanese language) followed by a four-year undergraduate degree program. This program is designed for students with no prior Japanese language proficiency and offers various financial support options, including admission/tuition fee waivers and monthly scholarships. Students are expected to acquire sufficient Japanese proficiency to attend specialised lectures within the first two-and-a-half years of the program, then go on to pursue advanced studies in their final two years. The acceptance rate was 5.9% for the 2024 intake.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Graduate Programmes

At the graduate level, Kyoto University has 18 Graduate Schools offering master's, doctoral, and professional degree programmes, all of which are available for international students. International students are well-represented, with over 2,000 international students enrolled. The university facilitates a conducive learning environment with English-taught programmes, Japanese language education, and scholarships tailored to international students' needs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Academic rankings and reputation

Template:Infobox Japanese university ranking

Kyoto University maintains a high academic reputation, and is regarded as one of the nation's top two universities, along with the University of Tokyo.

Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked Kyoto University 55th in the world in 2023 (2nd in Japan).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> QS World University Rankings ranked Kyoto University 50th in the world in 2024 (2nd in Japan).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2022 ranked Kyoto University 26th in the world (2nd in Japan).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked Kyoto University 39th in the world in 2023 (2nd in Japan).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the Nature index 2023 annual table, Kyoto University was ranked 44th for its output in selected journals in the fields of natural sciences and Health Sciences research, among all leading research institutions in the world (2nd in Japan).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Subject rankings

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024<ref name="QSSubject">Template:Cite web</ref>
Subject Global National
Template:Left Template:Rise 62 Template:Same position 2
Linguistics Template:Center Template:Center
Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies Template:Center Template:Center
Archaeology Template:Center Template:Center
Architecture and Built Environment Template:Center Template:Center
Art and Design Template:Center Template:Center
Classics and Ancient History Template:Center Template:Center
English Language and Literature Template:Center Template:Center
History Template:Center Template:Center
Modern Languages Template:Center Template:Center
Philosophy Template:Center Template:Center
Template:Left Template:Rise =62 Template:Same position 3
Engineering – Chemical Template:Center Template:Center
Engineering – Civil and Structural Template:Center Template:Center
Computer Science and Information Systems Template:Center Template:Center
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Template:Center Template:Center
Engineering – Electrical and Electronic Template:Center Template:Center
Engineering – Petroleum Template:Center Template:Center
Engineering – Mechanical Template:Center Template:Center
Engineering – Mineral and Mining Template:Center Template:Center
Template:Left Template:Rise 61 Template:Same position 2
Agriculture and Forestry Template:Center Template:Center
Anatomy and Physiology Template:Center Template:Center
Biological Sciences Template:Center Template:Center
Medicine Template:Center Template:Center
Pharmacy and Pharmacology Template:Center Template:Center
Psychology Template:Center Template:Center
Template:Left Template:Fall 31 Template:Same position 2
Chemistry Template:Center Template:Center
Earth and Marine Sciences Template:Center Template:Center
Environmental Sciences Template:Center Template:Center
Geography Template:Center Template:Center
Geology Template:Center Template:Center
Geophysics Template:Center Template:Center
Materials Sciences Template:Center Template:Center
Mathematics Template:Center Template:Center
Physics and Astronomy Template:Center Template:Center
Template:Left Template:Rise =79 Template:Same position 2
Accounting and Finance Template:Center Template:Center
Anthropology Template:Center Template:Center
Business and Management Studies Template:Center Template:Center
Communication and Media Studies Template:Center Template:Center
Development Studies Template:Center Template:Center
Economics and Econometrics Template:Center Template:Center
Education and Training Template:Center Template:Center
Law and Legal Studies Template:Center Template:Center
Politics Template:Center Template:Center
Social Policy and Administration Template:Center Template:Center
Sociology Template:Center Template:Center
Sports–Related Subjects Template:Center Template:Center
Statistics and Operational Research Template:Center Template:Center

Template:Col-break

THE World University Rankings by Subject 2024<ref name="THESubject">Template:Cite web</ref>
Subject Global National
Arts & humanities Template:Center Template:Center
Business & economics Template:Center Template:Center
Clinical & health Template:Center Template:Center
Computer science Template:Center Template:Center
Education Template:Center Template:Center
Engineering Template:Center Template:Center
Life sciences Template:Center Template:Center
Physical sciences Template:Center Template:Center
Psychology Template:Center Template:Center
Social sciences Template:Center Template:Center
ARWU Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2023<ref name="ARWUSubject">Template:Cite web</ref>
Subject Global National
Natural Sciences
Mathematics Template:Center Template:Center
Physics Template:Center Template:Center
Chemistry Template:Center Template:Center
Earth Sciences Template:Center Template:Center
Ecology Template:Center Template:Center
Oceanography Template:Center Template:Center
Atmospheric Science Template:Center Template:Center
Engineering
Mechanical Engineering Template:Center Template:Center
Electrical & Electronic Engineering Template:Center Template:Center
Biomedical Engineering Template:Center Template:Center
Computer Science & Engineering Template:Center Template:Center
Civil Engineering Template:Center Template:Center
Chemical Engineering Template:Center Template:Center
Materials Science & Engineering Template:Center Template:Center
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Template:Center Template:Center
Energy Science & Engineering Template:Center Template:Center
Environmental Science & Engineering Template:Center Template:Center
Biotechnology Template:Center Template:Center
Marine/Ocean Engineering Template:Center Template:Center
Metallurgical Engineering Template:Center Template:Center
Life Sciences
Biological Sciences Template:Center Template:Center
Human Biological Sciences Template:Center Template:Center
Agricultural Sciences Template:Center Template:Center
Medical Sciences
Clinical Medicine Template:Center Template:Center
Public Health Template:Center Template:Center
Medical Technology Template:Center Template:Center
Social Sciences
Economics Template:Center Template:Center
Statistics Template:Center Template:Center
Education Template:Center Template:Center
Psychology Template:Center Template:Center

Template:Col-end

Popularity and selectivity

Kyoto University is one of the most selective universities in Japan. The selectivity for its undergraduate degrees is usually regarded as among the top two, along with the University of Tokyo.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Athletics

Template:Expand section Kyoto University competes in 48 sports. The university is a member of the Kansai Big Six Baseball League.

Controversy

Template:Expand Japanese Members of the university's American football team, the Kyoto University Gangsters, were arrested in 2006 for gang rape, which had been recently added to the Penal Code in January 2005 following the Super Free rape controversy. The three students had forced a female university student to drink liquor to the point of unconsciousness, at which point they gang-raped her. They were all convicted.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Notable people

Template:Main Template:See alsoOf the twenty-one Nobel Prize winners who have been affiliated with Kyoto University in some way, eight attended the university as undergraduate students.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Fields Medal winners Heisuke Hironaka (1970) and Shigefumi Mori (1990) and one Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize winner Kiyosi Itô are also affiliated with the university.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Two Prime Ministers of Japan, Fumimaro Konoe and Hayato Ikeda, attended Kyoto University:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Apart from these two, Osachi Hamaguchi, Kijūrō Shidehara, and Tetsu Katayama attended the Third Higher School before going on to study at UTokyo. The former President of Taiwan, Lee Teng-hui, attended KyotoU when Taiwan was a Japanese colony but transferred to National Taiwan University after Japan lost the Second World War.

See also

Notes

Template:Reflist

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Commons category-inline

Template:Kyoto University Template:Kansai Big Six Template:National Seven Universities Template:RU11 Template:Super Global University Template:Kansai Collegiate American Football League navbox Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "https://wiki.sarg.dev/index.php?title=Kyoto_University&oldid=132857"