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Mission Statement
The "humanizing of technology" is a concept central to both the School of Design and the Graduate School of Design of Kyushu University. Among a wide range of interdisciplinary skills and programs incorporating mixed science and literature, we believe that the study of design should strive to embody philosophy in its pursuit of fostering dynamic and multi-skilled designers.
International Role
The Faculty of Design, School of Design, and Graduate School of Design are some of the most active units in Kyushu University which promote internationalization in educational and research fields. To respect the diversity of values which is essential in producing creative and innovative design and promote diversity among graduate students from different cultural backgrounds. The new entrance examinations since 2022 for all applicants replaced the formerly used special entrance examination for international applicants. Japanese language proficiency is not the requirement for the completion of the programs of the Graduate School of Design. Moreover, within the framework of exchange programs, we are active in student exchanges with our partner universities. We invite teaching staff from our partner universities to provide design workshops and projects that deal with global issues.
National Role
As one of the top national universities in Japan, we strive to deal with various national and regional issues innovatively. Kyushu University is in Fukuoka, perched at the northern edge of Kyushu Island in western Japan. It derives a geographic advantage to work on regional issues caused by rural depopulation and environmental problems faced by almost all developed countries. From this point of view, it is meaningful to collaborate with our international partner universities, local industries, and government to tackle different challenges in creative ways.
Main Focus
We will provide a curriculum for undergraduate, Master’s and Doctoral programs which allows further cross-disciplinary integration of "individual design fields", "expanding design domains", and "clear strategies for social implementation". We will nurture "higher-order designers" who can cross disciplines, respond flexibly to social changes, envision the future and the mechanisms to realize the future.
Faculties and Departments
School of Design
Graduate School of Design
Bachelor Level Programs
School of Design has a five-course format under the Department of Design, offering a flexible curriculum that allows students to study based on their interests.
Department of Design (Four-year undergraduate program)
- Environmental Design Course
- Industrial Design Course
- Design Futures Course
- Media Design Course
- Acoustic Design Course
Master Level Programs
Starting from April 2022, the Graduate School of Design will consist of one department and six courses (a two-year program):
Department of Design
- Strategic Design Course
- Environmental Design Course
- Human Life Design and Science Course
- Design Futures Course
- Media Design Course
- Acoustic Design Course
The new curriculum offers a wide range of subjects taught in English to develop a flexible and inclusive mindset, and cultivate students with global competence. Japanese proficiency will be not be the requirement for the completion of the program.
For more information about the courses and details regarding admission, please refer to the following website at
https://www.design.kyushu-u.ac.jp/pages/new-gsd/en
Research Activity and Main Areas
Department of Human Science
・Physiological Anthropology, Perceptual Psychology, Modeling Optimization, etc.
Department of Communication Design Science
・Sound Culture and Art Management, Science of Sound Design, Communicative Acoustic Systems, Image Information Engineering, etc.
Department of Environmental Design
・Landscape and Social Environment Design, Built Environment Design, Architectural History and Cultural Property, etc.
Department of Content and Creative Design
・Art, Creative Design, Content Design, Interaction Design, etc.
Department of Design Strategy
・Social System Design, Social Innovation Design, Social Communication Design,
For information about each faculty members, please refer to the following website.
https://hyoka.ofc.kyushu-u.ac.jp/search/organization/04180000/english.html
Doctorate Level Programs
Starting from April 2022, the Graduate School of Design will launch a curriculum for the Doctoral Program of Department of Design.
Highly Flexible Research Activities
To respect the perspective of each doctoral student and to motivate and build their confidence, the new doctoral program encourages students to engage in a free and flexible structure of individual research, rather than the conventional method of having a single supervisor.
Diversified Supervision
A system with an optimal group of supervisors from multiple fields will be established to ensure the quality of students' research; and create an advanced and specialized academic research environment with a systematic educational function to acquire a broad intellectual foundation.
All subjects are offered in English. Japanese proficiency will be not be the requirement for the completion of the program.
The admission is held twice a year (April and October).
Applicants are required to specify a primary academic supervisor of their choice at the time of application.
The list of our faculty members is shown on our web page at
https://www.design.kyushu-u.ac.jp/pages/new-gsd/document/FacultyMembers_20210720.pdf.
For more information about the courses and details regarding admission, please refer to the following website at
https://www.design.kyushu-u.ac.jp/pages/new-gsd/en
Subject Areas for Exchange Students
Interaction Design, Product Design, Environmental design, Acoustic Design, Graphic Design, Strategic Design, Media Design, Human Science, Communication Design, etc.
GEIKO GLOBAL – INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PORTAL SITE
We strongly recommend all those who interested to study with us to check out our Geiko Global website.There is some information ranging from administration procedures, living information in Fukuoka to experience reports by exchange students and more.
Geiko Global: https://www.gg.design.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/
Application Deadlines
Kyushu University accepts students from universities with which we have university-wide/ departmental-wide exchange agreements. The application period usually varies every year, the deadline for application to the exchange program is usually in early October for the first semester (April to August). The application for the enrollment of the second semester (October to February) is in April. Please consult your university for details of the application process.
For more information about the application procedure, please refer to the following websites.
Faculty-level: https://www.gg.design.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/prospective_students/applications-for-student-exchange-program
University-level: https://www.isc.kyushu-u.ac.jp/intlweb/en/admission/exchangetop
Teaching Languages
School of Design: Most of the undergraduate subjects are taught in Japanese.
Graduate School of Design: Japanese and English
Semester Dates
Semester 1 Spring Semester, Summer Semester
Semester 2 Fall Semester, Winter Semester
Cost of Living Per Month (Studying and Living)
The living expenses of international students at Kyushu University vary from individual to individual, depending on such factors as their lodgings and eating habits. As a reference, the costs of international student life at a modest but adequate standard is around JPY 100,000 for rent, food and other daily expenses.
For more details, please refer to the following pages:
Living Expenses in Fukuoka
https://www.gg.design.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/prospective_students/living-expenses-in-fukuoka
