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ABOUT OCHANOMIZU

Greetings from the President

　president picture
president sign

Ochanomizu University was founded in 1875 as Tokyo Women's Normal School, Japan's first institution of higher education for women, and, as Women's Higher Normal School and Tokyo Women's Higher Normal School, we have had several different incarnations while pioneering education for women. One of those incarnations, in 1949, was Ochanomizu University, which was brought under the new education system through the dedicated efforts of our predecessors after WWII. This year, our university celebrates 140 years of history. During these years, the university has forged a new path in education for women, for the sake of our students' desire to study and serve society. A great number of graduates have demonstrated excellence while dedicating themselves to many disciplines in academic research, education, industry, government, and the media. Their efforts have created opportunities and broadened the field for the women who have followed them.



When becoming an incorporated national university in 2004, Ochanomizu University adopted the slogan, "A place where all women who are motivated to learn can realize their earnest dreams." We charted a course toward global women's education while aiming to support the dreams of all women across the world, including those in developing countries who wish to study but cannot; we share mutual understanding with people of diverse cultures and different values; we reap the benefits of supportive competition; and, we have resolved to be a university that is able to contribute to its own growth. Furthermore, we have created educational systems with distinct features, such as Liberal Arts Education and Leadership Education, and we have provided a "place of study" for young women to grow into people who are able to contribute to the community, further themselves, and learn what they are meant to do in society.

At present, the world surrounding us is undergoing great transformations, the social environment is changing on a global scale, and the values and foundations of people's lifestyles are being shaken. Amidst this context, universities are called upon to provide education and research to help students find a path for creating a rich future for themselves and gaining the skills to solve the challenges they face. Ochanomizu University provides diverse education and research in science, technology, the humanities, and the arts, including programs for examining and supporting people's existence in society, studying the workings and structures of life, understanding natural phenomena and substances, and preserving the health and well being of people's lifestyles. Through this education and research, we continue our on-going efforts to bestow broad intelligence and keen imagination, endow students with responsibility as members of society, and create a rich future for Japan and the world while fostering women with excellence.

Furthermore, in a society with increasing globalization, it is more and more important to experience complexity and diversity, reassess ourselves and the world from a multi-faceted perspective, and engage in dialogue and real world activity that brings deep understanding of people with different values and ways of thinking. It is vital for the young people who will shoulder the responsibility of the next generation to prepare for an unpredictable future, transcend national boundaries, deepen ties with peers across the world, and engage in spirited competition based on relationships of trust. It is our university's desire to strengthen our initiatives so that women of diverse values can study and live together, improve themselves, and foster skills for active involvement as truly global citizens.

Ochanomizu University will continue to fulfill its role as an institution with 140 years of history and tradition. We will strive to foster women who will lead society and fashion the coming era as we work to help our graduates inspire those around them and their society to have hope and courage for the future.

2015
Kimiko Murofushi, Ph.D.
President, Ochanomizu University

Profile of the President

Name Kimiko Murofushi
Official position President
Specialized field cellular biology, biochemistry, science education
Career
  • 1970:  B.S., Ochanomizu University
  • 1972:  M.S., Ochanomizu University
  • 1976:  Ph.D., The University of Tokyo
  • 1977:  Research Associate, The Public Health Research Institute of the City of New York
  • 1983:  Assistant Professor, Ochanomizu University
  • 1996:  Professor, Ochanomizu University
  • 1999:  Visiting Professor, Université Louis Pasteur (France)
  • 2002:  Dean, Faculty of Science, Ochanomizu University
  • 2003:  Council Member, The Science Council of Japan
  • 2004:  Director and Vice-President, Ochanomizu University
  • 2005:  Visiting Professor, Université Louis Pasteur (France)
  • 2011:  Member of the Board, Bridgestone Corporation
  • 2013:  Board Member, Governors of Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK)
  • 2013:  Professor Emeritus, Ochanomizu University
    Professor, Endowed Research Division, Ochanomizu University
  • 2015:  Auditor, The Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development: AMED
  • 2015:  President, Ochanomizu University
Message to
Prospective
Students		 Our university was founded in 1875 as Japan's first institution of higher education for women. Over the course of 140 years, the university has produced talented women who are active in diverse fields from education to research and development, industry, government, and the media. I believe that this result is the fruit of dedicated work by our many graduates and earnest educational effort by our faculty. My goal is to continue this tradition and move forward while creating an academic environment that allows all of its participants to kindle their hopes for the future as we foster women who will lead society and mold the coming era. Furthermore, it is my hope that our ties with education and research institutions inside and outside Japan, with government agencies, with our primary and secondary school, with our community, and with our alumni association will help make this university an organization that contributes to building a society that cultivates the bright dreams of us all.
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Mission

“Ochanomizu University will support all women, regardless of age or nationality, in protecting their individual dignity and rights, freely developing their unique qualities and capabilities, and pursuing persolearning so as to satisfy their intellectual appetites.”
As a pioneer of women's education in Japan, Ochanomizu University offers programs that will develop women capable of being opinion leaders in politics, economics, academia, culture, and other fields on the international stage.

These programs that of the “21st century Ochanomizu University model” focus on three areas:

  • 1. Development of higher education for women into the future
  • 2. Centralization of research and 21st century liberal arts education
  • 3. Social contribution and international exchange

Cutting-edge research and development based on new ways of thinking is a unique feature of research at Ochanomizu University.

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Educational Characteristics

Highly specialized education to develop women leaders

Ochanomizu University‘s undergraduate courses offer highly specialized education in small class sizes. We have in place a free learning environment that protects the individual dignity and rights of women so as to develop women capable of contributing to the realization of a gender-equal society and to the empowerment of women around the world.

Advanced graduate research closely linked to undergraduate courses

Graduate research promotes a variety of projects, the outcomes of which are deeply reflected in undergraduate courses. We pursue evolutions in the university‘s curricula through their link to cutting-edge research in the graduate school.

Promotion of 21st century liberal arts education integrating the humanities and sciences

The globalization of society in the 21st century is giving rise to concurrent trends in knowledge and technology: specialization and diversification. That is, the knowledge that students acquire must be specialized or it will be useless, and at the same time it must be communicable to people with different national and cultural backgrounds.
In the past, the university offered liberal arts as a preliminary step to specialized education. Whereas at present, we are required to foster in students communication and negotiation skills, a cross-disciplinary viewpoint, and the ability to make judgments in response to change so as to support and enable full utilization of highly specialized education.
Ochanomizu University‘s 21st century liberal arts education aims to build on the foundation of knowledge itself, or the general (liberal) skills (arts) that students can use throughout their lifetime.

Launch of a multiple program elective course system in 2011

The new system enables students to freely combine “core programs,” “specialty programs,” “subprograms,” and “interdisciplinary programs” so as to acquire, in addition to the in-depth knowledge required of them in the past, the knowledge and skills suited to their needs.

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History

1875

Tokyo Women's Normal School, Japan‘s first institute of higher education for women and the predecessor of Ochanomizu University, opens in Ochanomizu, Tokyo (now Yushima, Bunkyo-ku)

1879

The school produces its first graduating class of 15 students

1923

School buildings are destroyed by fire during the Great Kanto Earthquake

1932

The school moves into new buildings at the present location (Otsuka, Bunkyo-ku)

1949

Ochanomizu University is established as a women‘s university with a Faculty of Letters, a Faculty of Science and Home Economics

1963

Graduate School of Home Economics (master's program) is established

1976

Graduate School of Humanities and Science (doctoral program) is established

1992

Faculty of Home Economics is reorganized into the Faculty of Human Life and Environmental Sciences.

1997

Master's research courses in humanities, science, and home economics are reorganized into the Graduate School of Humanities and Science (master's program with 6 divisions).

2004

According to the National University Corporation Law, Ochanomizu University becomes a national university corporation.

2007

Strengthening Education and Research through Reorganization of the Graduate School.

More information

Ochanomizu University Digital Archives

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Disclosure of Educational Information (September 2014)

Japanese

1. Purposes and Policies Related to the University's Education and Research

Purposes
  1. The Purpose of the Faculty of Letters and Education
  2. The Purpose of the Faculty of Science
  3. The Purpose of the Faculty of Human Life and Environmental Sciences
  4. The Purpose of the Humanities and Sciences Master's Program
  5. The Purpose of the Humanities and Sciences Doctoral Program
Curriculum Formulation and Implementation Policy (Curriculum Policy)
  1. Bachelor's Program Curriculum Formulation and Implementation Policy
  2. Graduate School Curriculum Formulation and Implementation Policy

2. The Basic Education and Research Organizations

  1. Undergraduate
  2. Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences
  3. On-campus Joint Educational Research Facilities

3. Faculty Organizations, Number of Teaching Staff Members, and Academic Credentials and Achievements of Individual Teaching Staff Members

  1. Faculty Organization
  2. Administrative Organization Chart
  3. Number of Teaching Staff Members
  4. Academic Credentials and Achievements of Individual Teaching Staff Members (Researcher Information)
  5. Status of Outside Funding

4. Admissions Policy for New Students, Number of New Students, Admission Capacity and Number of Enrolled Students, Number of Students Withdrawing Before Completion, Number of Students Graduating or Completing Programs, Number of Students Continuing to Higher Degree Programs, Number of Students Obtaining Employment, and the Status of Other Issues Related to the Pursuit of Higher Degrees and Employment, etc.

  1. Admissions Policy for New Students (Admissions Policy)
  2. Number of New Students, Number of Enrolled Students, Admission Capacity, Transfer Student Capacity, and Number of Transfer Students
  3. Number of Students Withdrawing Before Completion and Dropout Rate
  4. Number of Students Graduating, Number of Students Completing Programs, Number of Students Continuing to Higher Degree Programs, Number of Students Obtaining Employment, Number of Degrees Conferred
  5. Places of Employment and Higher Degree Program Destinations

5. Course Subjects, Methodology of Teaching, Course Content, and Annual Class Schedules

Annual Class Schedules (Japanese only)

6. Criteria for Assessing the Results of Learning and Certification of Graduation or Completion

  1. Policy for the Conferral of Bachelor's Degrees (Diploma Policy)
  2. Policy for the Conferral of Master's and Doctoral Degrees (Diploma Policy)
  3. Number of Required Compulsory Credits by Category of Compulsory Subjects, Elective Subjects, and Free Elective Subjects (Undergraduate)
  4. Undergraduate Grade Calculation
  5. Graduate School Completion Requirements
  6. Graduate School Grade Calculation
  7. Available Degrees
  8. Available Credentials and Qualifications

7. School Site and School Building Facilities and Equipment, and Other Matters Related to the Student Education and Research Environment

  1. Location
  2. Main Means of Transportation
  3. Campus Overview
  4. Athletic Facilities Overview
  5. Welfare Facilities (Student Union, University Co-op, Outdoor Educational Facilities)
  6. University Library (University Library Learning Environment)
  7. Extracurricular Activities (Circle Activities)
  8. Undergraduate/Graduate School Learning Environment
  9. Information Education (IT Center)

8. Tuition, Admission Fees, and Other Expenses

  1. Tuition and Admission Fees
  2. Dormitory Boarding Fees, etc.
  3. Tuition/Admission Fees Waiver and Delayed Payment System

9. University Support for Student Learning, Career Selection, and Physical/Mental Health, etc.

  1. Campus Student Support Organizations
  2. Dormitory Maintenance
  3. Employment Support
  4. Career Development
  5. Counseling
  6. Support for International Students
    1. Enrollment Procedures (Applicant Guidelines (Japanese only))
      Enrollment Before Traveling to Japan, etc.
    2. Support After Enrollment
      1. Dormitory Life
      2. Support
        1. Peer Support Program
        2. International Student Consultation Room/Private Tutor System
        3. Japanese Language Study
        4. International Exchange Support
    3. Earning a Degree
    4. Employment, etc., After Earning a Degree
    5. Establishment of Programs to Earn a Degree Exclusively Through Courses Taught in English
  7. Financial Aid
    1. Scholarships
      Types of Scholarship
      (Ochanomizu University Scholarships,
      Scholarships for International Students)
    2. Other Financial Aid
      (Tuition and Admission Fee Waivers,
      Student Loans)
  8. Support for Disabled Students

10. Implementation of International University Evaluation Activities

  1. Number of Students per Full-time Teaching Staff Member
  2. Average Number of Students Enrolled in Each Course
    1. Undergraduate
    2. Graduate
  3. Acquisition of Certifications
  4. Number of Foreign Teaching Staff Members, etc.
  5. Joint Research with Overseas Research Organizations
  6. Overseas Partner Universities
    1. Exchange Partner Universities
    2. History of the Number of Exchange Partner Universities
  7. Indicators of the History of Interaction Between the Teaching Staff Members/Students of Overseas Partner Universities, Credit Transfer, Double Degrees, etc.
    1. History of Teaching Staff Exchange
    2. Student Exchange
    3. History of Credit Exchange Dispatch with Overseas Partner Universities
    4. History of Double Degrees, etc.
  8. History of Admission of International Students
  9. Implementation of a Summer Program
  10. Implementation of Outside/Third-party Evaluations
  11. Other Aspects of the University's Internationalization Strategy

11. Financial/Management Information

  1. Official Announcements as a National University Corporation (Japanese only)

12. Implementation of Educational Projects (Special Expenditures, etc.)

  1. Educational Reform Initiatives

Contact List

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Institutional Data

Number of Students

Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate Freshmen Sophomores Juniors Seniors Total
Faculty of Letters and Education 213 215 226 275 929
Faculty of Science 134 129 133 156 552
Faculty of Human Life and Environmental Sciences 137 135 142 167 581
Total 484 479 501 598 2062

（Numbers include foreign students. As of May 2012）

Graduate Students
Graduate 1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year Total
Master's Program 221 308 - 529
Doctoral Program 74 101 229 404
Total 295 409 229 933

（Numbers include foreign students. As of May 2012）

Grand Total
Grand Total Number of Students
Grand Total 2995

（Numbers include foreign students. As of May 2012）

Number of Staff

Administrative Staff
Administration Office Number of Staff
Administration Office 101
Faculty Staff
Faculty Staff Number of Staff
Undergraduate Courses 2
Graduate Courses 198
Educational Affairs Department 20
On-Campus Research Facilities 45
Educational Staff (Attached Schools) Number of Staff
Kindergarten 10
Elementary School 30
Junior High School 25
Senior High School 25
Izumi Daycare Center 4

（The Graduate School faculty are also responsible for teaching classes in the Undergraduate Faculties. As of May 2012）

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Ochanomizu University Homepage Steering Committee

2-1-1 Otsuka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8610, Japan

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