Program Terms:
Spring Semester & Academic Year
Overview:
Sophia University is a private Catholic Jesuit university and founded in 1913 located in the heart of Tokyo. The university aims to foster “Men and Women for Others, with Others”. The university consists of 14,000 students – 1,400 graduate and 12,600 undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds. Currently, there are 553 full-time teaching staff from 23 countries (85% Japanese, 15% International).
Sophia University offers a wide variety of Japanese language courses, with generally small class sizes and a student / teacher ratio of 25:1. The university also has 287 partner universities worldwide (56 countries). The campus is centrally located within walking distance of the National Diet and the nation’s administrative district, the Imperial Palace, the National Guest House, and many other places of interest. Shinjuku, one of the most exciting areas in Tokyo, is just a 5 minutes’ train ride away from Yotsuya, the closest station. (Source: Sophia University Fact Sheet)
Academic Details:
There are a variety of courses taught in English at Sophia University. Areas of study include Liberal Arts, which consists of courses pertaining to Comparative Culture, International Business and Economics, and Social Studies. Centered around courses in Comparative Culture, International Business and Economics, and Social Studies, the broad interdisciplinary curriculum of the Faculty of Liberal Arts (FLA) is designed to extend the general knowledge of students while developing their critical thinking ability. A wide range of courses that are focused on Japan help students gain an understanding of both present-day Japan and its traditions in a global context. For students studying Liberal Arts, they may register for a maximum of 20 credits per semester.
Other areas include Japanese Language and Studies, Science and Technology (Green Engineering, Green Science), and Global Studies. The Green Science program is designed to provide a fundamental knowledge of substances and to resolve environmental issues at the atomic and molecular levels based on green material sciences.The Green Engineering program is designed to provide electrical and mechanical engineering skills that will lead to the further development of energy-conservation technologies and efficient power generation, transmission, and distribution. The standard course load for the Faculty of Science and Technology courses is a maximum of 26 credits per semester. For those taking Global Studies courses, students can only take up to 12 credits.
Those who have no knowledge of Japanese should enroll in Basic Japanese. Those who have some prior exposure to Japanese should take the Japanese Placement Test. They will be placed in the appropriate track and class level on the basis of their test performance. There are two tracks for the Japanese courses, the regular program and the intensive program. (Source: Sophia University Fact Sheet)
Housing Details:
Sophia University offers the following housing options for exchange students: the Sophia Soshigaya International House, the Azalea House, the DK House Tokyo Nerima, the DK House Matsudo, the DK House Shikoiwa, the Wakeijuku (Men-only dormitory), and the Kasai International House (Female-only dormitory). Meals are included. There are also other living arrangements available. All the information can be checked in the Accommodation link at the end of this page.
All dormitories are off-campus arrangements. Students must commute to Sophia from their housing. Since the Sophia campus is located in the heart of Tokyo, the cost of living near campus is very high. As reasonable housing is located in the suburbs, exchange students should expect a 45-90 min. commuting time to campus. The train and subway systems in Tokyo are well-developed, but during the morning rush hours, the trains are very crowded. Please check the commuting time of each dormitory carefully before making the decision of the housing preference. (Source: Sophia University Website)
Eligibility:
- Sophomore standing
- 3.0 cumulative GPA
