, colloquially known as , is a private, non-denominational Christian

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

university in Japan. The university offers Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees to around 25,000 students in almost 40 different disciplines across 11 undergraduate and 14 graduate programs. The university has a central campus in the city of

Nishinomiya 270px, Nishinomiya City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Nishinomiya city center 270px, Hirota Shrine is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 484,368 in 218948 households and a population density ...

, and also has satellite campuses in Nishinomiya, Sanda, Osaka, and Tokyo. Kwansei Gakuin University has been selected for inclusion in the Japanese government's

Top Global University Project is a funding project by the Japanese government that began in 2014. The project aims to enhance the globalization of the country's public and private universities so that graduates can "walk into positions of global leadership". The project is s ...

as a Type B (Global Traction) university. The university is often referred to as one of the four leading private universities in the greater Kansai region.

Overview

School name

The name originated from the desire of

Walter Russell Lambuth Walter Russell Lambuth (November 10, 1854 – September 26, 1921) was a Chinese-born American Christian bishop who worked as a missionary establishing schools and hospitals in China, Korea and Japan in the 1880s. Birth and family Born in Shangh ...

, the university's founder, to serve citizens of , the western part of Japan, while the word means "college." The unusual romanization of ''Kansai'' as ''Kwansei'' is due to the way it would have been pronounced by progressive students in the late 19th century, when Kan-on pronunciations are seen as more educated. The "official" pronunciation of ''kwan'' can be heard in performances of the school song, but the modern pronunciation of ''kan'' is the standard in other contexts. Though the university is commonly referred to as ''Kangaku'', it would also be correct to say ''Kwangaku.''

School motto

In the context of "Mastery for Service," a "master" is an accomplished person in terms of their humanity, learning, and daily life. Kwansei Gakuin's avowed goal is to help students "master their God-given gifts in order to serve their neighbors, society and the world."

School symbol

Kwansei Gakuin's symbol, the crescent moon, represents the purpose of education: students' growth to fullness in knowledge and wisdom.

International relations

Kwansei Gakuin University has agreements with several

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

organizations. The university and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) reached an agreement establishing the university as the first institution of higher education in Asia to form a volunteer-sending partnership with the United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS) in 2003. KGU and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representation in Japan concluded an agreement to establish a special university scholarship system for refugees in Japan in May 2006. Under this agreement, Kwansei Gakuin started the UNHCR-KGU Higher Education Program for Refugees in Japan in April 2007, and two refugees were enrolled.

Academics and organization

Undergraduate departments

*School of Theology (established in 1952) *School of Humanities (1934) *School of Sociology (1960) *School of Law and Politics (1948) *School of Economics (1934) *School of Business Administration (1951) *School of Science and Technology (1961–2000 Nishinomiya Uegahara Campus, 2001–present Kobe-Sanda Campus) *School of Policy Studies (1995, Kobe-Sanda Campus) *School of Human Welfare Studies (2008) *School of Education (2009) *School of International Studies (2010)

Postgraduate departments

Graduate schools

*Graduate School of Theology (1952) *Graduate School of Humanities (1950) *Graduate School of Sociology (1961) *Graduate School of Law and Politics (1950) *Graduate School of Economics (1950) *Graduate School of Business Administration (1953) *Graduate School of Science and Technology (1965, Kobe-Sanda Campus) *Graduate School of Policy Studies (2001, Kobe-Sanda Campus) *Graduate School of Language, Communication, and Culture (2001) *Graduate School of Human Welfare Studies (2010) *Graduate School of Education (2009)

Professional schools (KGPS)

*Law School * Institute of Business and Accounting

Study abroad agreements

Kwansei Gakuin University has over 140 partner institutions overseas, and accepts more than 700 international students each year.

Campus locations

Since 1929, the university's flagship Uegahara campus has been located in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo. The Uegahara campus was designed in a " Spanish Mission" style by

William Merrell Vories Merrell Vories Hitotsuyanagi (; born William Merrell Vories; October 28, 1880 – May 7, 1964) was an educator, architect, entrepreneur, Christian lay missionary, and founder of the Omi Mission. Born in the United States, he later became a natur ...

(1880-1964), an American missionary, architect, educator, and entrepreneur. In 2017, the campus won an achievement award for its design from the Architectural Institute of Japan. This campus is home to most of the administrative offices of Kwansei Gakuin. The Nishinomiya Seiwa Campus (2009–present) is home to the School of Education and Seiwa Junior College. It is 10 minutes away from the Nishinomiya Uegahara Campus on foot. The Kobe Sanda Campus (1995–present) is located in

Sanda, Hyōgo 270px, Sanda City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Sanda city center in 1974 270px, Residential street in Sanda is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 108,452 in 47018 households and a population de ...

and houses the School of Policy Studies and the School of Science and Technology. It has the same architectural style as its Nishinomiya-Uegahara predecessor, and is about an hour to 70 minutes from Nishinomiya by

shuttle bus A shuttle bus is a bus that travels a shorter route in comparison to most bus routes. Typically, shuttle buses travel in both directions between two points. Shuttle buses are designed to transport large groups of people who are all travellin ...

. The Osaka

Umeda is a major commercial, business, shopping and entertainment district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, and the city's main northern railway terminus (Ōsaka Station, Umeda Station). The district's name means "plum field". History Umeda was historical ...

Campus (2004–present) is located a short walk from the main public transport cluster of Osaka City. It holds graduate school classes for working people, and offers support for lifelong learning and student job placement. The Tokyo Marunouchi Campus (2007–present) is on the 10th floor of the Sapia Tower, next to

Tokyo Station Tokyo Station ( ja, 東京駅, ) is a railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda's Marunouchi business district near the Imperial Palace grounds. The newer Eastern extension is not far from the Ginza ...

. In addition to serving as an information hub and offering lectures, the campus provides job placement support for alumni in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Athletics

Kwansei Gakuin has one of the most diverse varsity athletic programs in Japan, with 34 varsity teams that compete in regional collegiate leagues. Although the school, unlike other private universities in the country, does not offer specific scholarships for student-athletes, it is still competitive with the top echelon of Japanese collegiate teams in the sports of American football, basketball, lacrosse and soccer. The Fighters are one of the most decorated

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

programs in Japan at the university level, with a record 33 national championships.

Alumni

References

External links

Official English site
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1889 Kansai Big Six Kansai Six (original) Education in Osaka Universities and colleges in Tokyo Christian universities and colleges in Japan Private universities and colleges in Japan Universities and colleges affiliated with the United Methodist Church Universities and colleges in Osaka Prefecture Registered Monuments of Japan Association of Christian Universities and Colleges in Asia Kansai Collegiate American Football League Seminaries and theological colleges in Japan 1889 establishments in Japan Nishinomiya