TOKYO, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The University of Tokyo plans to launch a new five-year program that integrates undergraduate and graduate courses in fall 2027, with half of the roughly 100-student capacity to comprise foreign students, local media reported on Monday.
The interdisciplinary program, a combination of a four-year Bachelor's degree and one-year Master's, aims to nurture talent to resolve global issues, from climate change to biodiversity, that are difficult to tackle in a conventional vertically divided academic structure, Kyodo News said, citing a university source.
Under the envisioned program, named "College of Design," 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 report said.
Enrollment to the program plans to begin at the start of the autumn 2027 school year, with lectures to be conducted in English, it said.
The top Japanese university will admit about 100 students per year in the program, with half of them from foreign countries, it added.
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.
Meanwhile, the university 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 institution 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, it added. ■
