Program Terms:
Spring Semester & Academic Year
Overview:
Doshisha University has two main campuses. One is the Imadegawa Campus located in the heart of Kyoto City, north of Kyoto Imperial Palace and adjacent to a notes Buddhist temples, Shokokuji. Five buildings on this campus are designated as nationally important cultural properties. Kyoto’s rich artistic and cultural heritage also provides a distinctive character to the educational approach of DU. The Kyotanabe Campus, the other main campus, is located in southern Kyoto Prefecture, where modern buildings, equipped with state-of—the-art facilities and services, stand on 790,000 square meters of land surrounded by a lush green environment.
The Imadegawa Campus has around 20,000 students, while the Kyotanabe Campus has around 9,000 students. The University has 14 Faculties and 16 Graduate Schools. Exchange students cannot enroll in such faculties or graduate schools but can communicate with a variety of local students at Doshisha University.
There are many restaurants and cafes located across both campuses, offering a wide variety of food and drinks. Dining facilities, which include a cafeteria, an authentic French restaurant, and eateries specializing in rice omelets, curries, fresh bread, pork cutlet, and noodles are open to the general public.
DU centers their education around “Christian principles,” meaning that the university has number of tangible and intangible assets on campus, which serve as a gateway to Christianity and Christian culture. Students can become familiar with them through activities conducted by the Center for Christian Culture. It is important to note that DU is established independently from any religious groups; however, the university uses Christianity as a basis for moral education to educate students. (Source: Doshisha University Website)
Academic Details:
The university offers two different centers for exchange students, CGE (Center for Global Education) and CJLC (Center for Japanese Language and Culture). The CGE program is for exchange students interested in studying Japanese Culture, Society, and Nature in English. It aims to give students a greater understanding of Japan in a global context and is designed for both Japanese and international students. It offers courses mainly in Japanese culture, society, and nature, but also provides learning opportunities in the fields of the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and human sciences. ILA (Institute of Liberal Arts) courses focused on Japanese culture and society are also available to English-fluent exchange students, but may have limited space for enrollment. Students may additionally enroll in 3 credits of Japanese language classes if they wish to develop their understanding and conversational abilities.
The CJLC program is for exchange students interested in studying Japanese language and Japanese culture in Japanese. The courses are divided into 9 different levels ranging from elementary to high advanced. After students arrive they must take a placement test (written and interview) to determine their class allocations. Beyond these intensive language classes, a variety of courses on Japanese Language, Culture, & Society, International Studies, and Japanese and English language seminars are scheduled in the afternoon. Several of the subjects also give students the opportunity to engage with Japanese culture through special classes and off-campus learning such as calligraphy, flower arrangement, tea ceremony, and shrine festivals.
The spring semester begins at Doshisha in April and ends in mid-September. The fall semester begins in mid-September and ends in March. Because of this, students will be taking their final examinations either from late July to early August if they are attending spring semester or from late January to middle February if they are attending the fall semester. An important point is that students will be taking their examinations after winter vacation if they are enrolled in the fall semester.
Housing Details:
DU offers off-campus dormitories for exchange students. If you wish to look for private accommodation on your own, please be sure to inform Doshisha University’s Office of International Students in advance.
Eligibility:
- Sophomore standing
- 2.5 cumulative GPA
